S U R A T T E. 1750- 175 



LETTER III. 



TH E ftreets of Suratte are irregular, and 

 many fine buildings have been deftroyed 

 by fire, which, according to the Mahometan 

 doclrine of predeftination, it is in vain to with- 

 ftand. Street-pavements are unufual here ; and 

 though the owners and tenants of houfes every- 

 day fprinkle the ftreet before their doors, yet 

 the dud is frequently troublefome. But mould 

 the ftreets be paved it would be in vain, for 

 the rain which fometimes continues for half a 

 year together would tear every thing up, and 

 wafti the whole work away. The houfes are 

 tolerably well built of bricks, mixed with 

 wooden beams, but without braces: in the in- 

 fide they are plaftered with a fine white ce- 

 ment, which renders them as fmooth as if they 

 had been rubbed with pumice-ftone. I was 

 told that the cement was made of pounded 

 egg-ihells, and the dregs of fugar. Captain 

 Shier man related, that he and the other cap- 

 tives had been forced to pound lime mixed 

 with fugar dregs for the pirate Angria, which 

 was probably for this ufe. In the lower fto- 



ries 



