<22 
A Defcripion of the Coaftf of 
rv^'«^ tile of all, and the two petty Kingdoms 
BaldaiiS. of Porca iindCakcoulang. 
. y.^/-^j In former Ages Malabar was fubjeft to 
Thetinti- one Sovereign Prince, who kept his 
snt State Courtat C^i/ecMt, now the Refidence of 
V Mjlabar. ^^^^^ Sammoryn. This King having 
at the Perfuafion of forae of his Cotir- 
ciers, undertaken a Voyage over the 
Red-Sea^ to vifit A'fahomet's Tomb, and 
to be thorowly inftruded in that Faith, 
Sainmo- died in his return from thence and leav- 
ryn, i.e. jpg j^i^g^ tj,g yvhole Empire was divi- 
i-'i^pcnr. between bisEfquire, Sword-bearer, 
and Scepter-bearer ; The firft taking for 
his fliare Cananor, the fecond Cakcuty 
and the third Cochin. 
The Nights are very cold all along the 
mate. ' Coaft oi' Malabar, with very thick Fogs, 
efpecially in January^ February and 
Marchj when the days are excellive hot. 
They have every day a Sea and Land 
Wind i the firft begins every Morning at 
9 or 10 a Clock,and holds till Sunfet. This 
Coaft; is fcarce navigable from June till 
November, the beft time here being 
AndScd- from y^pril tiW June. Their Winter be- 
M. gins in May, and continues tilliVow^w- 
ber. 
The chief Products of Malabar, are 
Pepper and Cardamoms : Cochin affords 
great Quantities of Pepper, but Cananor 
F}ciurti. yields the beft i efpecially in the Inland 
Countries, whence the Moors and other 
Merchants from Camatica and f^ifiapour 
ufe to fetch it in confiderable Quantitys. 
The Pepper of Calecutis lefler of Grain 
than thofe of Cananor ^nd Cochin. This 
Commodity is generally cheaper at one 
Place than another. They buy it by the 
Canda, at the rate of 390 or 400 Fanams 
a Canda, a Fanam being worth about i o 
Pence of our Money. In the Year 1540., 
Pf^per. the Price rofe to 450 F^^MWf. ThePep 
per delights in lhady Places, the Stem h 
weak like thofe of the Vines, and ufes 
to be upheld by Stalks like our Hops : 
Each Stem bears commonly 6 Bunches, 
every one a foot long, refembling in co- 
lour to our Grapes before they are ripe. 
They are gathered green in OBober and 
November, and dry'd in the Sun upon 
Mats- when they turn black. Befides 
the Pepper and Cardamome, this 
Country produces alfo Ginger and Borborri 
of a Saffron Colour. Formerly thefe two 
Commodities us'd to be fold for 5 Fa- 
Man M a nams a A</an : Ic affords alfo fome ^loes, 
tcrtain great Qiiantity. Befides thefe, 
i^tngi't- Malabar affords very few Commodities, 
* F-.undin except a few Bez.oar -Stones,* found about 
^/^''^'^\„^ Cananor, Salt-peter, Gummtlacca (tho 
llhllt T none of thebcft, being fold for a Fanam 
or 
the Man) and abundance of Wax and 1 ^'^"^^ 
Honey. f^'"'' 
_ ... foriie are 
The whole Country is covered vnth af big as a 
innumerable Coco-Trees, befides fuch o- Hen's Egg, 
ther Trees as generally grow ii: the Eaft- •i"^ /"W 
Jndies. The Commodities carry'd to, and ^'^J^ ' ^^^^ 
to be fold in A^alabar, are Amfon or Opi- ^ ' *^ ' 
ww,much in ufe here, efpecially among the 
Natrof when they are to fight, to intoxi- 
cate their Brains. Ambergreefe alfo is in 
great Efteem among the Malabars, and 
tranfporred thither from the Maldive I- 
flands. I have feen an Ounce of it fold 
at Cananor for fix Reals. Malabar con- 
fumes alfo abundance of C/ow5, Nutmegs 
and Mace, as alfo ^llum^China-root, Lead, 
Ttn, Brafs, Copper, Brimjlone, Cinnabar, 
Scarlet and Crimfon Clothes, red Damasks, 
Benzorn, and coarfe Porcellain. 
The whole Coaft of Malabar abonrfii 
in Fifhes, and at Cochin they have moft 
excellent Cods. Belly Provifions are alfo 
here in great Plenty, and bought at an 
eafy rate ; for they abound in Oxen, 
Swine and Poultry. The Coco-Trees 
furilifh them with Drink, which if not u- 
fed to excefs, is tolerably wholefome. 
Out of this Liquor they diftil their Arack, 
much courted by the common Sold^.rs 
and Seamen, to their great detriment. 
The firft is the King of Cananor, not 
in refped fo much of his Power, but of 
his Situation next to Goa. His Refi- 
dence is about three or four Leagues in 
the Country from the River of Balipatan ; 
the extent of his Kingdom is from A^ion- 
tedely to Bergcra \ he maintains a confi- 
derable number of Mufqueteers and Ar- 
chers, who are very expert in managing 
their Scymeters. 
Cananor is a populous City, inhabited Cinanor, 
chiefly by rich Mahometan Merchants, 
who live without, yet under the Cannon 
of the Fortifications. They had former- 
ly a confiderable Traffick to Suratte, Cam- 
^'d and the Red- Sea, whither they ufed 
to fend yearly 25 or 30 Ships ^ but this 
Place is much decayed in Trade of late 
Years, and is likely to be worfe. 
About two Leagues to the South of 
Cananor, lies the City of Terwapatan, xentTapa- 
under the Jurifdidion oi z Mahometan \ xza. 
it is ftrengthened to the Land fide by a 
good Wall. The rebellious Pirats of 
Bergera do confiderable Mifchief to the 
King of Cananor and his Subjeds, who, as 
well as the other Nations trading in thefe 
Seas, are forced to buy Pafsports of them 
for their Security. They ufed formerly pirats c-f 
to infeft thefe Seas with 40 Frigats at a Makbirt 
time, but are not fo potent of late Years, 
fince ihe Dutch have frightened the Por- 
tuguefei 
