294 The V O Y 
The Portuguese , to ftiew their Zeal to Religion, while 
they were Matters of Malacca , had no lefs than three 
Churches and a Chapel within the Fort, and one without. 
X hat, which the Dutch now ufe for their W orfliip, ftands 
confpicuoufly on the Top of an Hill, and may be feen up 
or down the Streights at a good Diftance ; and a Flag-ftaff 
is placed on the Steeple, on which a Flag is hoifted on the 
Sight of any Ship. The Fort is both large and ftrong, the 
Sea waffling the W ails of one-third Part of it, and a deep, 
rapid, but narrow, River the Weft Side of it, and a broad, 
deep Ditch the reft of it. The Governor’s Houfe is both 
beautiful and convenient, and there are feveral other good 
Houfes in the Fort, and in the Town without the Fort ; 
but the Road is at too great a Diftance to be defended by 
the Fort, the Shailownefs of the Sea obliging them to lie 
above a League off; which is a very great Inconveniency : 
For, in 1 709, the French , coming into the Streights with 
a Squadron of three or four Sail, and feeing a large Ship in 
the Road newly arrived from Japan , flood in to the Road, 
and had certainly carried her out, if the Wind had not failed 
them about Mufquet-fhot from her. At Malacca the 
Streights are not above four Leagues broad ; for tho’ the 
oppofite Shore on Sumatra is very low, yet it may ealily be 
feen in a clear Day ; which is the Reafon the Sea is always 
as fmooth as a Mill-pond, except it is ruffled with Squalls of 
Wind, which feldom come without Lightning, Thunder, 
and Rain ; and tho 5 they come with great Violence, yet 
they are foon over, often not exceeding an Hour. 
The Country produces nothing for a Foreign Market, 
except a little Tin and Elephants T eeth ; but feveral excel- 
lent Fruits and Roots for the Ufe of the Inhabitants and 
Strangers, who call there for Refrefhments. The Malacca 
Pine-apple is accounted the belt in the World ; for, in other 
Places, if they are eaten to a fmall Excefs, they are apt to 
give Surfeits ; but thofe of Malacca never offend the Sto- 
mach. The Marigoftane is a delicious Fruit, almoit in the 
Shape of an Apple ; the Skin is thick and red ; being dried, 
it is a good Aftringent ; the Kernels (if I may fo call them) 
are like Cloves of Garlick, of a very agreeable Tafte, but 
very cold. The Ramboftan is a Fruit about the Bignefs of 
a Walnut, with a tough Skin, befet with Capillaments ; 
within the Skin is a very favoury Pulp. There is an high 
Mountain to the North-eaftward of Malacca , that fends 
forth feveral Rivers, of which that of Malacca is one ; and 
all of them have fmall Quantities of Gold-duff found in 
their Chanels. The inland Inhabitants, called Monaca- 
boes, are a barbarous, favage People, whofe greateft Plea- 
fure is in doing Mifchief to their Neighbours ; which is the 
greateft Reafon why the Peafants about Malacca fow no 
Grain but what is inclofed in Gardens, with thick-fet prickly 
Hedges, or deep Ditches ; for when the Grain is ripe in 
the open Plains, the Monacaboes never fail of fetting Fire 
to it, in order to confume it. They are much whiter than 
their neighbouring Malayans , who inhabit the low Grounds'; 
and the King of J oh ore , whofe Subjects they are, or at leaft 
•ought to be, could never civilize them. We have now 
paffed through all the feven Governments, which are in the 
Gift of the Dutch Eafi India Company, which are a kind of 
Principalities, fince, with the Advice and Affiftance of his 
Council, every Governor is a kind of Sovereign, and adts 
-without Controul, throughout the whole Extent of his Ju- 
rifdidtion. 
34. The Company, as it carries on a great Trade through- 
out all the Indies , has taken care to eftablifh Settlements or 
Fadtories in all the Countries, where their Affairs require it; 
and in each of thefe Factories or Settlements there is a 
Chief, with fome Title or other, with a Council to fuper- 
intend, as well the Affairs of Policy, as thofe of Com- 
merce. The Directories of Coromandel , Sural , Bengal , and 
Perfia , are all of them of great Confequence, and the Di- 
rection of them attended with great Profit. The Directors 
have, within the Extent of their refpeCtive JurifdiCtions, the 
fame Power with the Company’s Governors. The foie 
Diftinction between them is, that the Director cannot exe- 
cute any criminal Sentence in the Country where he refides, 
but muff caufe it to be done under the Company’s Flag ; fo 
that all Criminals are here executed on board a Ship. The 
Directory of Coromandel is the firft of the four, and has the 
Forts and Factories belonging to th e Dutch, upon that Coaft, 
AGE S of Book I. 
within its Jurisdiction ; for, in Coromandel , the Englijh and 
Danes have a Share, and have built feveral good ijSrtreites 
for the Protection of their Trade. 
The Company have, notwithftanding, a very confider- 
able Intereftin this Part of India: Befides Negapatan , which 
lies on the Southermoft Point of Coromandel , and the Fort 
of Gueldria , in which the Director refides, they have the 
Factories of Guenepatnam , Sadrefpatnam , Malijpatnam , Pe~ 
Hcol , Datjkorom , Benlifpatnam , Nagernauiy , and Golconda . 
The whole Extent of the Coaft, from Negapatan to Mafu - 
lipatan, may be about 100 Leagues. The Dutch Director 
is a principal Merchant : He has a Council about him 5 and, 
if he difcharges his Office with Reputation, he is commonly, 
after a few Years, chofen one of the Counfellors of the In- 
dies. This is a very wife Provifion in the Management of 
the Company’s Affairs, that the Honour and Rank of a 
Counfellor of the Indies, tho’ a Poll of much lefs Profit than 
that of a Director, or a Governor, makes it afpired to by 
fuch, as are already in much more profitable Employments; 
for it is not a very extraordinary thing in the Indies for a 
Governor or Director to heap up, in the Space of a few 
Years, an Eftate equal to the original Capital of the Eafi 
India Company, that is, fix Millions of Guilders and an half, 
which amounts to upwards of half a Million Sterling. Our 
Author fays, it was well known in his Time, that Meffieurs 
Dijhoek , Heilman , Swaar dekroon , Pattras , and van Chon 
acquired prodigious Fortunes in the Time that they were 
Directors or Governors. There are alfo fome Places at Ba- 
tavia fo very profitable, that, when the principal Merchants 
are poffeffed of them, they often decline the Dignity of 
Counfellor of the Indies , becaufe, however great and ho- 
nourable it may be, the Profits that attend it are but fmall, 
in comparifon of what may be gained in fome of thefe lucra- 
tive Employments. Thofe in Batovia , that bring in moft, 
are the Sabandar or Chief of the Cuftom-houfe ; the Fifcal 
of the Sea ; the Droffard of the low Countries : All which 
bring in prodigious Wealth. 
Heretofore the Country of Coromandel being divided into 
a great Number of Principalities, thefe little Princes or 
Chiefs laid fuch high Duties, and, in other refpeCts, gave 
fuch Interruptions to Trade, as made the Dutch very un- 
eafy ; but, after the War of Golconda , which coft the Com- 
pany a great deal of Money, but ended at laft to their Ad- 
vantage, thefe Princes grew more traCtable than formerly. 
At prefent, the Kings of Bifnagar and Harfinga , who are 
the moft powerful in Coromandel , live on pretty good Terms 
with the Dutch , and other Europeans. The great Trade 
carried on here is in Cottons, Mullins, Chintzes, and liich 
kind of Goods ; in Exchange for which the Dutch bring 
them Spices, Japan Copper, Steel, Gold-duff, Sandal and 
Siampan-woods. The Inhabitants of the Country are fome 
of them Pagans, fome Mohammedans , and not a few Chrif- 
tians. During the Eaft Monfoon, the Weather is exceed- 
ingly hot ; yet the Country is very fertile in Rice, Fruits, 
Herbs, and whatever elfe is neceffary for the Support of 
Man. All the Manufactures of this Country are tranfported 
in the Company’s Ships to Batavia , from whence they are 
fent home to Holland , and thence diftributed throughout all 
Germany , and the North. 
The fecond and third Directory are fixed, the former at 
Ouglia on the Ganges , thirty-fix Leagues from the Mouth 
of chat River ; the other in the City of Surat , both in the 
Territories of the Great Mogul. Thofe two Places are the 
moft confiderable for Trade in all Afia. The Dutch , Eng- 
lijh, French , and other Europeans , traffick to both, and have 
eredted Forts and Magazines for their Security and Conve- 
nience. The belt Part of the Trade is carried on by Negro 
Merchants, who deal in all forts of rich Goods ; fuch as 
Opium, Diamonds, rich Stuffs, and all kinds of Cotton 
Cloths. The Empire of the Great Mogul is of a prodigious 
Extent, and the Countries under his Dominion are efteemed 
the richeft in the World. The Air is tolerably pure ; and 
yet the Head-ach, and a kind of malignant Fever, are com- 
mon here. The latter generally attacks Strangers, and is a 
kind of feafoning Sicknefs, in which, if the Patient efcapes 
the third Day, he, generally fpeaking, recovers. 
Moft of the Inhabitants of this Country are tall, black, 
robuft Men, and of a gay, lively Difpofition. In point of 
Religion, they are many of them Idolaters, more of them 
Moham - 
