Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

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The fullers and carriers by water, who are born and bred in their boats, and on thewater, mult alfo be buried in it, unlefs they have money enough to purchafe a burying-place alhore.

They have many feds among them, but all agree in the tranfanimation of fouls, yet■not one feet perfecutes another, but allow free liberty to believe what they think bed,and it is very natural for men to embrace what they think is beft, whether it is the beltor not.

The Chriftian mrffionaries have converted many by the indulgence of feveral Empe-rors, particularly of Chunghee, and thofe apoftles indulge their profelytes in manythings oppolite to the fyftem and canons of the wellern Chriltianity, as polygamy, con-cubinage, and the invocation and adoration of Pagan faints, as well as Chriftian, intheir apotheofis, which has caiifed no finall difturbance at Rome.

When a mandereen of any confideration pafles through a ftreet or highway, he goesin great ftate, either on horfeback, or in clofe or open chairs, carried by men, and hehas flags carried before him, and large peels lacquered, and painted black or red, withlarge golden characters written on them, that gives the deiignation of his titles anddignity. The foremoft of his retinue in their particular habit, with an high-crownedhat in form of a clofeftool-pan, and two long feathers of a pheafant’s tail, {landing up-rightin it; and they make an hideous noife as they go along, crying inceffantly Ho—ot,to warn every one to go off the ftreets or highway, till he pafs by. Next to them arefellows with fmall chains in their hands, ready to throw over any body’s head, and catchthem by the neck, that do not obey the call of the foremoft men. And next them areexecutioners with their enfigns of cruelty, as a great fword, an axe, and fome large-pieces of wood, painted black, and trailing on the ground as they pafs along, to bamboothe delinquent, which is by throwing them on their faces, and giving their buttocksas many blows with thofe batons as his worlhip the mandereen lhall order, and theyhave caps like fugar-loaves. I knew an Englifh gentleman now alive in England, thatunderwent the chaftifement of the bamboo.

Yet I heard of a comical paffage that happened at Amoy, between a mandereen andan Englilh failor. The mandereen going in his chair with his ufual retinue, met afailor coming with a keg of arrack under his arm. Every body went off the ftreetbut the-jolly failor, who had been tailing his arrack, he was fo mannerly as to walkafide, and give the mandereen the middle of the ftreet; but one of the retinue gave thefailor a box on the ear, and had almoft Ihoved him down, keg and all. The failord—ned him for a fon of a whore, and alked what he meant by it; and at the fame timegave the aggreffor a box on the ear in return. The poor feaman was foon over-powered by the retinue ; but the mandereen ordered to do him no harm, till he had fentfor the Englifh linguift, who forthwith came. The mandereen told the linguift whathad happened, and bid him alk the failor why he gave him that affront. The failorfwore that the mandereen had affronted him, in allowing his fervants to beat him,while he was walking down the ftreets civilly, with his keg of famlhew under his arm jand fwore by G—d that he would box the mandereen, or every one of his gang, for aSpanilh dollar ; and with that put his hand in his pocket and pulled a dollar out.

The mandereen ordered the linguift to tell him verbatim what the failor faid, andwhy he pulled his money out. When the linguift had told him all, the mandereen wasready to fall off his chair with laughing. And after he had compofed himfeif, he afkedif the failor would Hand to his challenge, who fwore he would. The mandereen hadone Tartar in his retinue famous for boxing, who had won many prizes at it, and

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