630 
A Defer ipion of the Coajls of 
/>sA>o divers times for in the beginning they 
Baldam. had only a Tower, which they afterwards 
A^-V*^ ftrengthen'd by a Wall, and at laft en- 
clofed the whole by regular Fortificati- 
ons of Earth. The King of Crangamr 
keeps his Refidence not far from Cranga- 
noY : He that then reigned, was a young, 
lufty, and tall Perfon, a declared Enemy 
of the Portugueses^ as well as the Sammo- 
ryn. 
In the Year i66\. after theDwrc^ had 
made themfelves mafters of Coulang^ and 
by ftrengthening the fame with Fortifi- 
cations, and a good Garifon, had fe- 
cured the South fide, they thought it ex- 
pedient ( before they attempted the Con- 
quefl; of Cochin ) to get alfo a firm foot- 
ing on the North fide at Crangamr^ efpe- 
cially fince they fear'd they might be ob- 
liged to pafs the Winter thereabouts, it 
being in December. According we land- 
is befieged ed our Men, but found (beyond expeda- 
^ ^'^^ tion) the Fortifications in;fuch a ftate, as 
Dutch, ^^j. attacked without great Cannon. 
Above 14 days being fpent in raifing Bat- 
teries, making of Trenches and Breaches, 
but to no great purpofe, and the ap- 
proaching Seafon obliging us to carry on 
the Siege with all poiTible expedition, it 
was reiolved (upon intelligence given by 
a certain Perfon, concerning the Conditi- 
on of the Place) to attack the Point next 
to the River, on Sunday Jan. 15. 1662. 
very early in the morning. 
And taken The Signal being given accordingly by 
i>y jiorm. a Cannon Shot, our Forces advanced, un- 
der the favour of the Smoke of our great 
Artillery, to the Bulwork, which they 
took with Sword in hand, chafing the Por- 
tuguefes thence to the Jefuits Church. In 
this Adion the Dutch Captains, Poohnann^ 
Schulenburg^ and Simon Werding^ as alfo 
Lieutenant Silvejler^ acquired immortal 
Honour, being flain as they were mount- 
ing the Breach, with 78 common Sol- 
Lojs on diers, and many wounded. 
i^opfj fides. ^j^g portuguefe fide above 200 Chri- 
ftians were killed, befides a great num. 
berof the Nairos-^ and among the reft 
Vrhano Fialho Fereira the Governour of 
the Place. 
The Por tuguefes then hung out a white 
Flag, defiring a Parley upon reafonable 
Conditions i which were granted them, 
and by virtue thereof the Portuguefe Sol- 
diers tranfported into Europe. During 
this Siege we found the Nights very cold, 
tho the Days were almoft infupportable 
by the excelfive Heat. And after the Con- 
quelb thereof, being ordered to preach 
the Thankfgiving Sermon in one of the 
Parilh Churches (of which there were 7) 
I pitch'd upon a Text in Deuteronom. 
Chap. 23. V. 14. 
The Hollanders judging it 3t that time 
convenient to furrender the Place into 
the King's hands, the fame was done ac- 
cordingly, but regain'd and refortify'd 
the fame afterwards, when they found 
themfelves engag'd in a War with the 
Sammoryn, who made frequent Excurfions 
as far as Cochin ; a thing fo common a- 
mong thefe Barbarians, that no fettled 
Peace can be expedted with fo many 
Kings. 
And upon this Occafion I can't fuffi- 
ciently commiferate the Condition of the 
Inhabitants of the Countries about Cran- 
ganor and Cochin^ who being guided by 
ignorant Romifh Priefts, are in great dan- 
ger of falling by degrees into Paganifm 
again j the Diftrift of Cranganor having 
formerly been fo confiderable for the 
great numbers of Chriftians of St. Tho- 
mai (as they are call'd) inhabiting there, 
that a Portuguefe Archbifliop had his Refi- cranga- 
dence in that City. It is the general O- mvoncem 
pinion here, that St. Thomas the Apoftle ^rchbl- 
coming firft to Socotora, an Ifleat the en- ■^''■f"'-"^' 
trance into the Red Sea, there preached 
the Gofpel with good fiiccefsj whence 
coming to Cranganor and Coulang, he con- 
verted a great number to the Chriftian 
Faith. From hence taking his way thro 
Coromandel into China, he returned to 
Maliapour, where he fuffered Martyrdom. 
But of thefe Chriftians of St. Thomas, we 
fhall have occafion to fay more hereafter, 
our prefent purpofe being to fay fome- 
thing of the State of Affairs in the Por-- 
tuguefe Times. 
Firft then, at our arrival at Cranganor^ ikeJefHUs 
we found there a Noble College of the Je- CnUegs, 
fuits, with a ftately Library belonging to 
it, the Structure it felf being not inferior 
to many in Europe. Befides the Chuich 
of the Francifcans, they had a ftately Ca- 
thedral, adorn'd with the Tombs of the 
Archbiftiopsof this Place. Without the 
Wall of Cranganor was the College of j.^^ 
Chanotte, famous for the refort of the 0/ " 
Chriftians of St, Thomas hither, who ex- Chanotce, 
ercifed their Religious Worfhip here in 
the Syriac L anguage •, and having ereded 
a School for the Education of their Youth, 
had feveral Mafters and Priefts of their 
own : 0f which more in the Defcription 
of Cochin. 
This Language being in high efteem a- 
mong theNatives here,and ufed fometimes 
alfo by our Saviour and his Apoftles not 
only a Printing Houfe, but a Seminary has 
been eredted at Rome for the cultivating 
thereof, and propagating the fame among 
the Youth. Thus 
