74 



G' 



Travels in India. Part II 



c H A r. xw. 



Observations upon the prefent State of the City of Gpa. 



O A lies in 15 Degrees, 32 minutes of Latitude,in an lfland fix or feven leagues 

 r about, upon the River of Mandona, ten leagues from the mouth of the 

 River. The lfland abounds in Corn and Rice, and bears feveral forts of Fruit, as 

 Mangfs, Ananas, Adams-Figs, and Coco's. But molt certainly a Pippin is f ar 

 beyond all thofe fruits. All thofe that have feen Europe and Afui, agree with 

 me, that the Port of Goa 3 the Port of Confiantinople, and the Port of Tonlon, are 

 three of the faireft Ports of all our vaft Continent. The City is very large, and 

 the Walls are of good Stone. The Houfes are for the molt part very magni- 

 ficently built, efpecially the Vicc-Rofs Palace. There are in it a great number of 

 Apartments, and in one part of the Rooms and Chambers, which are very large, 

 hang feveral figures, wherein are feverally painted by themlelves, the Ships that 

 come from Lisbon to Goa t with thofe that are bound from Goa to Lisbon, with the 

 name of the Yelfel, the Captain, and the number of Guns which the Ship carries. 

 If the City were not fo clofely environd with Hills, it would doubtlefs be better 

 inhabited, and the air would be much more whollbme. But thefe Mountains 

 keep o;f the cool winds, which is the realbn that the heats are very exceffive. 

 Led' and Pork is the ordinary diet of the Inhabitants of Goa. They have good 

 Itore of Poultry, and lome few Pidgeons ; but though God be very neer the Sea, 

 Fifli is very fcarce. They have abundance of all ibrts of Sweet- meats., and feed upon 

 them very much. 



Before the Hollanders had brought down the power of the Portugals in IndU t 

 there w r as nothing to be ieen at Co.i, but Magnificence and Riches : but the Dutch 

 having every where got their Trade out of their hands, they have loft their 

 fprings of Gold andSilver,and areffallen from their former fplendor.In my firft Voy- 

 age to Goa I met with people of tafhion, that had above two-thoufand Crowns 

 Revenue j at my fecond Voyage the fame perfons came privately to me in the 

 evening, to beg an Alms ; yet abating nothing, for all that, of their inherent pride 

 and haughtinefs : Nay, their Women will come in Paluk/s to the door, and Hay 

 while a Roy, that attends them, has brought you a Complement from his Miftrefs. 

 Then ufually you fend them what you ptcrafe, or carry it your felf, if you have a 

 curiofity to fee their faces ; which rarely can be done, becaufe they cover them- 

 lelves with a veil from head to foot. Moreover, if you go your (elf to prefent 

 them your Charity, they will give you a little note, containing a recommendation 

 of fome religious Perlbn, who fignifies what fubltantjal perfons they have been, 

 and -how they came to fall to decay. Sometimes, if the perlbn be handfom, flic 

 is defir'd to walk in j and to take a Collation, which laits moft commonly till the 

 next day. Hadnot the Portugals fb many Fortreffes to keep upon the Land ; or had, 

 ■-not, out of their contempt of the Hollander they neglecTed their affairs, they could 

 never have been redue'd to fo low a condition. 



The TortHgfiejcs have no fooner made the Cape of Good- Hope, but they are all 

 Fidalgttes or Gentlemen 5 and add the Title of Dom to the fingle name of Pedro 

 or feronimo, which they receiv'd at their Baptifm : From whence they are call'd 

 the Fidaigues or Gentlemen of the Cape of Good-Hope. As they change their 

 Karnes, they alfo change their Nature 3 for it may be truly faid, that the Indian- 

 Portugals are the moft revengeful perfons, and the moft jealous of their Wives of 

 any perfons in the World. And when the leaft fufpition creeps into their noddles, 

 they rid themfelves of them either by Poifbn or Dagger. If they have an ene- 

 my ^they never pardon himjbut if he be a perfonofthat courage that they dare not 

 grapple with him,theirMafters have attending upon them a fort of blackSlaves,that 

 if they command them to kill any one, the Slaves will do it with a blind obe- 

 dience ; which they do either with a Dagger, or a Piftol , or elfe by knocking the 

 party on the head with a club, which they always carry, about the length of an 

 Half-Pike, If it happen that they fray too long before they can meet with an op- 

 portunity 



