194 



Travels in India. 



Part H. 



CHAP. XX. 



The Author purfiies his Travels into the Eafl, and embarks at Min- 

 grela for Batavia. The danger he was in i$on the Sea ; and his 

 arrival in the JJland of Ceylan. 



I Departed from Mingrela, a great Town in the Kingdom of Vfapour, eight 

 Leagues from Goa, the fourteenth of April, 1648, and embark'd in a Batch 

 Velfel bound for Batavia, The Ship had orders to touch at Bo^nour, to take 

 in Rice. Whereupon I went afhore with the Captain, to obtain leave of the 

 King to buy Rice. We found him upon the fhore, where he had about a do- 

 zenHuts fet up, which were coverM with Palm-leaves. \n his own Hut there 

 was a piece of Perfian Tapeftry fpread under him, and there we faw five or 

 fix women, fome fanning him with Peacocks Feathers, others giving him Betle', 

 others filling him his Pipe of Tobacco. The moft confiderable perfons of the 

 Country were in the other Huts ; and we counted about two hundred men 

 that were upon the Guard, arm'd only with Bows and Arrows. They had alfo 

 two Elephants among 'em. ! 'Tis very probable, that his Palace was not far 

 off, and that he only came thither to take the frefh air. There we were pre- 

 fènted with Tan or Palm- wine ; but being new, and not boiPd, it caus'd the 

 head-ach in all that drank it, infomuch that we were two days before we could 

 recover it. I ask'd the reafon, how the Wine came to do us fo much prejudice j 

 to which they anfwer'd me, that it was the Planting of Pepper about the Palm- 

 trees, that gave fuch a ftrength to the Wine. 



We were no fooner got aboard, but a mighty tempeft arofe, wherein the 

 Ship, men, and goods had all like to have been caft away, being near the fhore; 

 but at length, the wind changing, we found our felves by break of day three 

 or four Leagues at Sea, having loft all our Anchors ; and at length came fàfe 

 to Port in the Haven of Ponté de Galle, the twelfth of May. 



I found nothing remarkable in that City there being nothing but the ruins 

 made by the underminings and Canon-fhot, when the Hollanders befieg'd it, 

 and chas'd the Portugais from thence. The Company allow'd ground to build 

 upon, to them that would inhabit there, and land to till ; and had then rais'd 

 two Bulwarks which commanded the Port. If they have finifh'd the defign 

 which they undertook, the place cannot but be very confiderable. 



The Hollanders, before they took all the places which the Portugais had 

 in the Ifland of Ceylan y did believe that the trade of this Ifland would have 

 brought them in vaft fums, could they but be fole Mafters of it and perhaps 

 their conjectures might have been true, had they not broken their words with 

 the King of Candy, who is the King of the Country ; but breaking faith with 

 him, they loft themfelves in all other places thereabouts. 



The Hollanders had made an agreement with the King of Candy, that he 

 fhould be always ready with twenty thoufand men, to keep the paffages that 

 hinder the Portugais from bringing any fuccours from Colombo, Negombe, fyt*- 

 nar , or any other places which they poftefled upon the Coaft. In cop- 

 fideration whereof the Hollanders, when they had taken Ponte Galle, were 

 to reftore it to the King of Candy ; which they not performing, the King fènt 

 to know why they did not give him polfeflion of the Town ; to which they 

 return'd anfwer 3 that they were ready to do it, provided he would defray the 

 expences of the war. But they knew, that if he had had three Kingdoms more, 

 fuch as his own,he could never have payd fo great a fum. I muft confefs indeed the 

 Country is very poor, for I do not believe that the King ever faw fifty thou- 

 fand Crowns together in his life ; his trade being all in Cinnamon and Elephants. 

 As for his Cinnamon, he has no profit of it fince the Portugais coming into 

 the Eaft Indies. And for his Elephants., he makes butj little of them ; for they 

 take not above five or fix in a year ; but they are more efteem'd than any 

 other Country Elephants^ as being the moft couragious in war. One thing I 



will 



