GANGETIC HINDOOSTAN. 



refult of a proje(5t concerted between him and the people of 

 Chattifigajn to bring him into a fnare, he foon fell down the 

 river, but not before he was attacked, and nearly defeated by 

 a moft numerous fleet prepared for his reception. 



The king of Aracan feized on this country, and in order to 

 make a frontier againft its late mafter, Sbah Jehan^ he took into 

 his fervice a vaft body of fugitive Portuguefe^ w^ho for various 

 crimes had fled from Goa, Cochin, and others of the Portuguefe 

 fettlements in the Indies. He beftowed on them lands in Cbit^ 

 tigong, and gave them liberty to a6t as they pleafed. Accord- 

 ing to what might be expe6led from the profligacy of their 

 manners, they took to piracy, entered the rivers and chan- 

 nels, efpecially thofe of the SunderbundSt furprifed the in- 

 habitants, carried away all they could find, and burnt every 

 thing they could not carry away. They made flaves of the 

 younger part of the people, and either fixed them to the oar, 

 or fold them to the Portiiguefe of Hoogly, and different parts of 

 India. They feized on the ifle of Sundive, and ertabliflied them- 

 felves on other iflands of the Ganges. They grew fo daring, as 

 to feize on all the commercial veflels belonging to the fubjedls 

 of the Mogul, and were very fuccefsful in their courfes. They 

 eledted an Aiigujline friar for their king, who ruled over them 

 a number of years. It was difficult to fay, v.hether the priefts 

 or the people were the mofl profligate. The former confifted 

 of fuch who had abandoned their convents, and been guilty of 

 every kind of wickednefs. 



Aurengzebe determined to extirpate thefe banditti, and to 

 4 recover 



373 



