Hamilton’s account'of the east indies.

The largeft brafs cannon that ever I faw are mounted in proper batteries about thecity. I meafured one (amongft many) out of curiofity, and found it 23 feet from thebreech to the muzzle ring, nine inches and a quarter diameter in the bore, and it was12,250 rotullaes or lbs. weight of folid metal.

The city contains five churches, but the Jefuits is the belt, and is dedicated to St.Paul. It has two convents for married women to retire to, when their hulbands areabfent, and orphan maidens are educated in them till they can catch an hufband. Theyhave alfo a nunnery for devout ladies, young or old, that are out of conceit with thetroubles and cares of the world. And they have a SanEla Cafa, or the Holy Houfe of theInquifition, that frightens every Catholic into the belief of every thing that holy mother 'church tells them is truth, whether it be really fo or no.

The forts are governed by a captain-general, and the city by a burgher, called the ■procuradore, but, in reality, both are governed by a Chinele mandereen, who refidesabout a league out of the city, at a place called Cafa Branca. The Portugueze {hip- -ping that come there are admitted into their harbour, and are under the protection ofthe town ; but the Chinefe keep the cuftom-houfe, and receive cuftoms for all goodsimported.

That rich flourifhing city has ruined itfelf by a long war they made with Timore,.as :I have obferved before. They exhaufted their men and money on that unfuccefsfulprojedt of domination, fo that out of a thoufand creditable houfekeepers that inhabited -the city before that war, there are hardly fifty left; and out of forty fail of tradingveflels, they have not above five left; fo that in the whole city and forts, there arecomputed to be about two hundred laity, and fix hundred priefts, and about fifteenhundred women, and many of them are very prolific, for they bring forth childrenwithout hufbands to father them.

In anno 1703, I was bound from Surat to Amoy, and off the Maccao iflands, in themonth of Auguft, I met with a fevere hurricane. We had vifible figns of an approach-ing ftorm before it came, the air was in great agitation by much lightning continuallyflafhing, but no thunder nor rain. We prepared for its coming from noon to lunfet,making every thing in the {hip faft, our yards lowered as low as conveniently theycould be, and our fails made faff with coils of fmall ropes, befides their ufual furlinglines. At nine in the night it laid our {hip’s gunnel under water, and I wilhed ourmain-maft had been away, which about ten was effected, and it carried our mizen-maflalong with it. On its going overboard our {hip came to rights a little, and her lee-gunnel was clear of the water, but much water getting down at the hatches, we hadfive feet water in the {hip, and no poffibility of getting it out by pumping, for ourmain-maft breaking in the parteners of the upper-deck, difabled both our pumps.About midnight we had cleared the {hip of the main and mizen-mafts, by cutting therigging that kept them faft to the {hip. By this time the wind had fhifted from north-eaft to fouth-eaft, and had rather increafed than affuaged, and thofe two winds had putthe fea in two violent motions ; however we got our {hip before the wind, but broach-ing-too brought her head almoft to the fea, which met her fo violently, that it brokequite over the {hip, carrying away our fore-maft and bowfprit, two anchors from thelee-bow, three great guns of twenty-two hundred each, with our pinnace and yaul.We foon cleared ourfelves of the anchors, by cutting the cables, and, before day, wetvere quit of our fore-maft and bowfprit. About eight in the morning the florinabated, and at ten I called oyer the mufter-roll, and found none wanting, but betweenfeventy and eighty bruifed and wounded, who were-carefully dreficd by our furgeons,and all recovered. The fea continued turbulent, but we having two fpare top-mafts,

rigged