651 
T/;f.Syriac Thus 1 522. a Syriac Diftionary was 
Language publifhed at Rome^ by John Baptijl Fer- 
ranm^ a Native of Siem ; and the Syriac 
af home. ' _ . ^ 
Grammar 01 Georgms Jmeira^ a famous 
Divine and Philofopher of the College of 
the MaroniteSj born near the Mount L?^^?- 
nus. And i528. u4hrabamm Ecchelen/is ob- 
liged the World with his Introdu^lion to 
the Fundamentals of the Chrijiian Faith^ in 
the fame Language. Whence it is evi- 
dent that the Roman Clergy exceed ours, 
in their zeal of propagating the Roman 
Religion ; tho on the other hand it muft 
be allow'd that their Plenty furnifhes 
them with fufficient opportunities of per- 
forming thofe things which the Reformed 
Miniflers for want of Means are forced to 
let alone. I have feen divers Books prin- 
ted with the /'orfwgMf/e Charaders, in the 
Malabar Language, for the inftrudion of 
the Parucus, one whereof I keep by me to 
this day ^ tho at the fame time I muft 
confefs, that in cafe we (hould follow the 
fame Method, in printing with our Cha- 
raders, though in their Language, it 
would not have the fame efFed, they be- 
ing much bigotted both to the Roman 
Clergy and the Po>-fM^«f/e Language j fo 
that I have met with fome of the Paruas 
who fpoke as good Portuguefe as they do 
at Lisbon. For the reft, the Produfts of 
Cranganor are the fame as in the other 
Parts of Malabar^ except that now and 
then they meet with fome Gold Duft, but 
in no great quantity. 
Betwixt the River of Cvanganor and 
The ijle of ^^^^ Coch'my lies the Ifle of Vaypin. 
Vaypin. When the Dutch^ in Feb, 1661. belieged 
Cochm the firft time, they erefted a Fort 
upon the Bank of the River, from whence 
they batter'd the Place, the River being 
there not above a Musket- ftiot over : 
This Fort was call'd the New Orange^ and 
here we found a goodly Edifice, formerly 
belonging to the Bifhop of the Place ^ as 
alfo a very large Church, in which I 
preach'd the 29th of Jan. 1662. The 
Ifle it felf is tolerably fertile, under the 
Jurifdiftion of the King of Cochin^ whofe 
Dominions extend from the River of 
CranganoYj fix Leagues South of Cochin, 
the whole length being about ten Leagues. 
The Kings of Cochin have always kept 
firm to the Portuguefe Intereft, ever fince 
Trium^ara^ being conquered by the King 
of Cakcut^ fought for refuge among the 
Portuguefes^ who reftored him to his King- 
dom, tho he afterward prefer'd a private 
Life before his Crown. 
«ochin. Cochin is a very antient City, but was 
not fortify'd till 1 504. in the time of the 
two AlhuquerciueSy who fetfail 1503. from 
Belem in Portugal J and after many fmart fV/w>n 
Engagements with the Sammoryn^ siphon- ^'^Idaiis. 
fm return'd into Portugal^ where he ob- 
tain'd the Sirname of The Great^ his Ac- 
tions being defcrib'd in, a peculiar Trea- 
tife publiih'd at Lisbon i 576. by John Ba- 
treira. Soon after the Portugucfis built a 
Church there, and entred into a League 
with the Sammoryn^ and the Foi tifications 
wereconfiderably augmented by Edward 
Patieco, and a Wall erected by P'afco 
towards the Sea fide. In forae Years af- 
ter this City began to iucreafs fo confi- 
derably, that it might compare with fome 
of the beft in Europe^ its length being near 
two Englifh Miles. 
Ac firft the Chriftians and Mahometans chiJlUns 
lived promifcuoully in the City 5 which ^f^-- 
occafioning frequent Difturbantes, yllbu- 
querque obtain'd from the King Naubea- Zethll 
dora, that each fliould have their peculiar " 
Quarters aflign'd them to live in. In and 
about the City of Cochm^ lived alfo 
formerly fome Jetps^ who even now have 
a Synagogue allow'd them without the 
Fortifications ; they are neither White 
nor Brown, but quite Black. The Por- 
tuguefe Hiftories mention, that at a cer= 
tain time, certain blafphemous Papers a- 
g?jnft our Saviour, with fome fevere Re- 
flexions againft the Jefuit Gonfalvus Pe- 
reira (who afterwards fuffer'd Martyr- 
dom at Alonopatapa) being found in a 
Boxfetin the Great Church for the ga- 
thering of Alms -J and the fame being 
fuppofed to be laid there by fome Euro- 
pean Jem^ who now and then ufed to re- 
fort thither privately, this gave occafion 
to introduce the Inquifition into Goa. 
Cochin may for its bignefs juftly chal- 
lenge the fecond Place after Goa among 
the Indtan Cities formerly in the pofiefli- 
on of the Portuguefes, tho at prefent it is 
not near fo big as the City of Batavia. 
Its fituationlies at 10 Degrees of North 
Latitude, bordering to the Weft upon 
the Sea, and the River has about 1 7 or 
18 fathom Water at high Tide^ but its 
Entrance is very difficult in the Winter- 
time, being commonly choak'd up by the 
Sands which are carried thither by the 
Stream in the Winter Seafon, which how- 
ever are again removed by the violence 
of the Current in the Summer-time. 
About Cochin^ as well as ail along the 
Coaft of Malabar^ they have every day 
two forts of Winds, viz.. The Land 
Wind beginning in the Evening, and the 
Sea Wind at ten in the Morning, Cochin Cochmr.Qt 
is not accounted 16 wholefom as raoft oi'''^'fy^hok~ 
the other places feated on the Coaft of -'T' .^"i^ 
Malabar^ by reafon of its fituation in low ^'""^'f^^' 
