Hamilton’s account of the east indies. 461

then Pullo-aure, then Pullo-pifang, and then Pullo-timoun, the higheft and Iargeftamong them. They are all inhabited and produce poultry, and fmall goats, and fomefruits, but no commodities for export. Their religion is Mahometan.

Pahaung lies north-weft of Pullo-timoun, about 20 leagues diftant. Pullo-varellalies in the way, but it is rather a rock than an ifland, therefore hardly worth noticing..Pahaung river has a pretty large ifland lying in its mouth, which makes two channelsinto it. The north entry has no lefs than four fathoms and an half at high-water, andthe channel is about an hundred and fifty yards broad. Juft within the bar is goodfecure anchoring in fix fathoms, and there are good frefh water fprings within twohundred paces of the fea-fhore. The river is a mile broad, but fo full of banks, thatit is with trouble a finall vefl'el of thirty tuns can go to the town, which lies abouttwelve miles up the river, where I left Rajah Bowncea, before I took my rambleamong the iflands. He was there in anno 1719, with five or fix hundred men to keepthat country firm to his father.

Pahaung river runs far into the country, and wafhes the foot of Malacca hill.There is abundance of gold duft found in it, and I have feen fome lumps, of five orfix ounces each. They do not dive for the duft above three fathoms, though thereare fome places in the river above ten deep, and generally where the deepeft water is,moft gold-duft is found. It has exported fome years above eight hundred weight.Along the fides of the river pepper is planted for export, but not above 300 tuns in ayear, becaufe they want vend for more, though, if they had a market to carry it off,in five years time they could make a product of 3000 tuns. Befides pepper andgold, there are tin and elephants teeth, but in no great plenty, and the beft canes inthe world grow hereabout. The country is woody, and is ftored with wild game andfruits, their rivers and fea with great plenty and variety of excellent fifh, but thecountry is not reckoned very healthful, becaufe of the abundance of rains. Tranganois the next place of note for commerce, and in anno 1720, the place of refidence of apoor diftreffed King, who by a fenfelefs devotion to fuperftition, ruined his country andhis own family.

I gave an account before of his brother’s tragical end, and the daring boldnefs of ayouth that fhewed him the way to die by his own hand. In 1719, I faw the youthwaiting on the King, and fanning him with a peacock’s tail. In my way to Siam , 1called at Trangano, and went to wait on him, and he remembered that he had beenacquainted with me five and twenty years before. I ftaid about a week, and every dayhe wanted to fee me. He often repented his taking the weight of fovereignty on hisfhoulders, and feared that his end would prove as tragical as his brother’s..

Trangano ftands pleafantly near the fea, on the fide of a river, that has a fhallowbar, and many rocks fcattered to and again within the river, but room enough in manyplaces to moor fmall fhips very fecurely, to keep them fafe from the dangers of thewinds or floods. There may be about one thoufand houfes in it, not built in regularftreets, but fcattered in ten or twenty in a place diftant a little way from another’svilla of the fame magnitude. The town is above half-peopled with Chinefe, who havea good trade for three or four jonks yearly, befides fome that trade to Siam, Cam-bodia, Tunqueen, and Sambas. When I came back from Siam with my cargo unfold,as I mentioned before, I came to Trangano to difpofe of what I could of my goods,and to procure a new cargo for Surat , the kind King affifted me in doing both, withall the readinefs and cheerfulnefs imaginable.

While my fhip lay in the road, the Bougies came with a fleet of two hundred failof praws, defigning to plunder the town of Trangano j but they were afraid to pafs fo

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