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Volume the eleventh.
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pigapetta’s voyage round the world. 379

is fometimes clotted, but it is readily purified. The cat which produces mu lk is calledthe caftor, and the leach is termed linta.

Coafting along China many different nations are found ; to wit: the Chiencis, whoinhabit the iflands near which pearls are fifhed* and which produce cinnamon. TheLecchii inhabit the main oppofite to thefe iflands. The entrance into the port of thefepeople is under a large mountain, whence all junks and veflels on going into or leavingthe port, are obliged to lower their mads. The king of this country is called Moni, andis fubject to the'King of China , but he has twenty fovereigns under his command. Hiscapital is called Barunaci, and here it is the Eaftern Cathay is fituate.

Han is an ifland very lofty and cold, productive of copper, filver, and filk: it is underthe dominion of Rajah Zotru. Mili, Jaula, and Gnio, are three countries on the conti-nent, of rather Cold temperature. Friagoula and Frianga are two iflands which yieldcopper, filver, pearls, and filk. Baffi is a low country on the main. Sumbdit Praditis an ifland very rich in gold, in which the men wear a ring of gold round the leg at theancle. The neighbouring mountains are inhabited by people who kill their parentsafter they have attained a certain age, in order to prevent their fuffering the maladiesincident on old age. The whole of the people we have defcribed are Gentiles.

On Tuefday, nth February, at night, we quitted the ifland of Timor, and enteredthe great fea called Laut Chidol. Bending our courle weft-fouth-weft, we left north-ward on our right, from dread of the Portuguefe, the ifland of Zumatra, anciently calledTaprobana ; Pegu, Bengal, Urizza, Chelim, inhabited by Malays, fubjects of the Kingof Narfinga ; Calicut , dependent on the fame monarch ; Cambuia, inhabited by theGuzzarats ; Cananor, Goa, Annus *, and the whole of India Major.

In this kingdom there are fix clafies of people ; to wit: the Nairi, Panicali, Franai,Pangelini, Macuai, and Poleai. The Nairi are the chiefs ; the Paniculi, citizens ; thefetwo claffes converfe together : the Franai colled; palm-wine, and bananas; the Macuaiare fifhermen; the Pangelini failors ; and the Poleai fow and gather in rice f. Thefelaft conftantly inhabit the fields, and never enter towns. When any thing is given tothem, it is put on the ground for them to take. When on their journey any wherethey conftantly keep exclaiming, po, po, po ; that is to fay, take care of me. It wasrelated to us that a Nairi who accidentally had been touched by a Poleai, caufed himfelfto be put to death, unable to furvive fo great an infamy.

In order to double the Cape of Good Hope we afcended as high as forty-two degreesfouth ; and we were obliged to remain nine weeks oppofite to the Cape with our failslowered, on account of the weft and north-weft winds which conftantly blew, and whichterminated in a dreadful tempeft. The Cape of Good Hope lies in latitude thirty-fourdegrees thirty minutes fouth, fixteen hundred leagues diftant from the Cape of Ma-lacca. It is the largeft and the moft dangerous cape known.

_ Some of our men, efpecially the Tick, were defirous of making the fhore at Mozam-bique , where is a Portuguefe eftablifhment, as our velfel was very leaky, the cold weendured extremely fevere, and above all, as we had no other than rice and water tolive upon; for all the meat which, for want of fait we had been unable to pickle, hadbecome putrid. But the major part of the crew being ftill more attached to honor than,to life, we determined on ufing every exertion to return to Spain , however great thepenis we might have to undergo.

At length, by the help of God , on the fixth of May we doubled this terrible cape $

* Ormus.

t Thefe claffes, called calls, exifted in India in the time of Alexander, and have conftantly been pre-* ei Ved down to the prefent day. Strabo Geog. lib. xv. Diodor. lib. ii. Sonnerat, Voyage aux Indes.

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