Travels in India. 



Partn 



CHAP. XVI. 



The Road from Goa to Maflipatan through Cochin, here defer if d in 

 the ffory of the taking of that City by the Hollanders. 



AFter the Dutch had difpofTelsd the Portugais of whatever they had in Cey- 

 lan, they caft their eyes upon Cochin, in the Territories whereof grows 

 the Baftard Cinnamon, which hinder'd the utterance of Ceylan Cinnamon. For 

 the Merchants feeing that the Hollanders kept up their Cinnamon fo dear, bought 

 up that of Cochin, which they had very cheap j and that coming into requeir, 

 was tranfported to Gomron, and diftributed there among the Merchants that 

 came from Perjia, from Tartar/, from Mofcovia, from Georgia, Mmgrela, and 

 all the places upon the black Sea. It was alfo carried away in great quantities 

 by the Merchants of Balfara and Bagdat, who furnifh Arabia ; as alio by the 

 Merchants Of Mesopotamia, Anatolia, ConftantinopL, Romania, Hungary, and Po- 

 land. For in all thofe Countries,, they ufe it either whole or beaten in molt 

 of their meats, to heighten the tafte thereof. 



The Army which was commanded out of Batavia for the Siege of Cochin} 

 landed at a place call'd Bdli-Porto ; where the Hollanders had a Fort made of 

 Palm-Trees. It is near to Cranganer, a fmall City which the Hollanders took 

 the year before j not being able to take Cochin then though they had made 

 fome attempts upon it. So foon as the Army landed, they march'd within 

 Cannon-fhot of the City, there being a River between them and the City.. 

 That part where the Hollanders encamp'd, is call'd Belle-Epine, where after they 

 had fortifi'd themfeives, as well as the Nature of the place would permit, they 

 rais'd fome Batteries, which could not much annoy the City, by reafon of the 

 diftance. They lay there till they had recruits of more men ; for they had 

 but three Ships full, though he that commanded them were one of the braveft 

 Captains of his time. Some few d<.ys after, the Governour of Amhoyna ar- 

 riv'd with two Ships more, and afterwards a Dutch Captain brought a great 

 number of ChmgUs, who are the Natives of the Ifland of Ceylan. For the 

 Forces of the Hollander would not be fo considerable as they are, did they not 

 make ufe of the Natives of the Country to rill up the Companies which they 

 bring out of Europe. The Natives of Ceylan., are good for digging Trenches, 

 and raifing Batteries, but for a Storm they fignifie little. Thofe of Amboynaixt 

 good Soldiers, four hundred of which were left at Belle-Epme. The Body of 

 the Army took Shipping again,, and landed near to Cochin, not far from a Church 

 dedicated to St. Andrew ; where the Portugais, with certain Malavares, feem'd 

 to have ftay'd afliore for the Hollandtrs coming : But feeing the Enemy to land 

 with fo much refolution, they only gave them one Volly and retreated. In 

 their March the Hollanders defcry'd certain Companies of Portugvefes near the 

 Sea-ftiore, others fomewhat farther up in the Land, in a Church call'd St. Johns. 

 Thereupon they lent out fome Horfemen to difcover their number } but the 

 Portugais ftill retreated., after they had let fire to the Church. Thereupon the 

 Hollanders made their approaches to the Town ; and after they had befieg'd 

 it for fome time, a French Soldier, who was under their pay, feeing a Pannier 

 ty'd at the end of a Cord, hanging over one of the Baftions, ventur'd not- 

 withstanding all- the Bullets that flew about his Ears, to fee what was in it. But 

 he was ftrangely furpriz'd, to find nothing but a languishing Infant, which 

 the Mother had bung there, that fhe might not fee it perifh for hunger. The 

 Soldier mov'd to compafRon, took the Infant and gave it fuch as he had to 

 eat ; at which the Dutch General was fo incens'd, faying that the Soldier mould 

 have let the Infant perifh, that he call'd a Council of War, where he would 

 have had the Soldier run the Gauntlet, which was very cruel -, but the Coun- 

 cil, mod rating the lenience, condemn'd him only to the Strappado. 



Thg là me day ten Soldiers out of every Company were commanded ro go 

 to one of the Houfes of the King of Cochin s but they found no body there, 



having 



