Hamilton's account or the east indies.

479

perfoh I defigned to fend him with the mufters. On their arrival I difpatched myfecond fupercargo, with an equipage of 25 men, well armed with fuzees andbayonets, with two fmall bales of mufters, and prefents for the King, with inftruc-tions to let me hear from him once a week by an exprefs, if no other opportu-nity offered.

After he arrived at the city, he had a large houfe allowed him for the accommo-dation of him and his retinue, and had ftore of provifions fent him, and manyfolks of diftindtion vifited him, but ten days paft before he could fee His Majefty,who at laft received him in great ftate, fitting on a throne like a pulpit, with hisface veiled below his eyes, and after many gracious fpeeches, fome whereof werepertinent to my purpofe, but many not, he gave me liberty and encouragement totrade.

I had ftaid above three weeks in expectation to hear from my fecond fupercargo,but could get no account from him. 1 beginning to be uneafy, got an exprefs to carryletters to him, and ordered him to fend it back with as much fpeed as was poflible, buthad the mortification to find he had been flopped at the city. I was extremely uneafyfor want of advice what was become of my people, and the approaching of the fouth-weft monfoons, which would have made that coaft a lee-lhore, and would have obligedme to take fanftuary in one of their harbours for five or fix months, and was not cer-tain whether I was in a friend’s or an enemy’s country. In this labyrinth I continueda week, and at laft refolved to depart by a certain day, and leave my people to comeafter me to Malacca , if they were alive and at liberty. The goods I had fent up withthem would have been fufficient to have hired a veffel to carry them thither. I told myrefolution to my interpreter, and that I fhould be obliged to carry him and fome moreof the King’s fubjedts along with me, as hoftages for the civil treatment of my people atCambodia . He feemed furprifed at my refolution, and got a perfon to go to the cityin all hade to give an account of my impatience and defign, who returned in fourteendays, about two days before my term was expired, that I had fet for my departure.There accompanied him three Portugueze, who brought me letters from my fecondfupercargo, that he had taken leave of the King, and was coming to me with all hafte,and in three days after the Portugueze came, he arrived with all his retinue, with aletter of compliment to me in the Portugueze language, and one directed to the governorof Bombay, to invite the Englilh to fettle in his country, and to build factories or fortsin any part of his dominions to protect trade.

The reafon why he kept us fo long in fufpence, was, that he would enter into nocorrefpondence with us without the knowledge and confent of his guardian, the King ofCouchin-China, who at laft confented to allow us commerce, both in Cambodia and inhis own proper dominions, but that the Siamers had deftroyed the country where theyhad been, and they had nothing ready for barter with my cargo then, but in a year ortwo they would be provided.

When the King bellows his favour on any perfon whom he has a mind to honour,which he never does without a confiderable prefent, he prefents the perfon with twofwords to be carried always before him when he goes abroad in public ; one is thefword of ftate, and the other of juftice. All people that meet him when thofe fwordsare carried before him, inuft give him place, and falute him by a fet form of words ;but if he meets with another court minion, then they compare the dates of their patents,and feniority takes place, and muft be firft faluted. Wherever thofe Mandareens go inthe country, they hold courts of juftice, both civil and criminal, and they have the

power