Hamilton’s account op "fHE east indies.

5*4

hanged up fome fo, and in one month’s time the maidens refrained from hanging, andhave continued good girls ever 11 nee.

The religion of Teywon {for that is the name that the Chinefe call the ifland of For-mofa by) is purely Pagan . They all worlhip the fun and moon, and the liars theirchildren. Some worlhip the firft living thing they fee in the morning, except a lizard.

Between Teywon and the coaft of Folcien, lay the Pifcadores Illands, fo called fromthe great quantities of filh caught about them. There are many lhallows lay a gooddiftance off them, on which an Englifli fhip from Surat , called the Joliah, was Ihip-wrecked in anno 1697, but all the men were faved; and on the report of a Jefuit mif-fionary who was palfenger, that he had fome things on board for the Emperor, oneMr. Reynolds, the firit fupercargo, was forced to take a journey to Peking, who clearedhimfelf, but brought fcandal on Holy Mother Church, for forging things fo palpablyfalfe •, for the good father’s trunk was faved, and opened by proper officers, and not onething that he had reported to be in it, was found.

Many other illands lay along the coaft of China , but of no great note, till we come tothe ifland Chufan, which lies off the mouth of Limpoa. It firft became famous in theTartar wars; for many Chinefe of note repaired thither with their families, who thoughtto have found a quiet retreat there, but they were miltaken, for by Coxinga fromAmoy, and the Tartars continually warring thereabout, they were haraffed betweenthem, and at length a garrifon of Tartars fettled on it, and gave it their laws.

In anno 1700, the new Eaft India Company of England fettled a factory on Chufan,by Mr. Allan Catchpole before-mentioned; but by the oppreffion of the Tartar officers,and the Company’s negleft of fending money Sufficient to carry on their trade, Mr.Catchpole removed the factory again in the beginning of the year 1703, and carried itto Pullo-condore, as is before obferved.

From the north end of Formofa, to the fouth end of Japon , the diftance is about 220leagues, and in the fair-way are feveral illands of no great account in commerce. Theyare moft of them very high, and on one of them is a very great volcano, which con-tinually fends forth a prodigious flame that may be feen in the night above 30 leaguesdiftance from it.

Bungo is a province of Japon , and was honoured with the name of a kingdom, butabout the year 1655 it loft its title and moft of its inhabitants, for being too zealous inpromoting Chriftianity by barbarous ways. The Portugueze found this ifland and Japon to be eafily brought over to their notions of Chriftianity, and that the country aboundedin gold and filver, drove a very great and advantageous trade there, for above one cen-tury of years. Nor v/ere their priefts idle in making converts ; for in the fpace of 100years, they profelyted 180,000 families, when at the fame time, the Emperor gave greatencouragement to the priefts to go on in their apoftlelhip, every one having free libertyto embrace Chriftianity ; and had not the giddy-headed Chriftian priefts been toozealoufly hot and hafty, it was believed that the Emperor himfelf would have becomeChriftian ; but a civil war breaking out in Japon, and the Emperor ’s forces muchdiminilhed, the Chriftian priefts thought it a proper time for them to fettle their religionon the fame foundation that Mahomet did his, by eftablilhing it in blood.

Their thoughts run on nothing lefs than extirpating the Heathen out of the land, andformed a confpiracy of raifing an army of 50,000 Chriftians to murder their country-men, that fo the whole ifland might be illuminated by Chriftianity, fuch as it was there.But the Emperor , having intelligence of their holy defign, thought fit to prevent them,and coming to an agreement with his rebellious Pagan fubjcdls, difeovered the common

danger