Chap. I. 
Commodore Roggewein. 
Mohammedans , and fome of them Chriftians ; but, after 
all, that of Mohammed is the prevailing Religion. As for 
the Idolaters, they are fplit into abundance of Seeds, fome 
©f which believe firmly in the Metempfychofis, or Tranfmi- 
gration of Souls ; and, for this Reafon, they will not take 
away the Life of any living Creature, not excepting Infeeds ; 
infomuch that they dare not kill a Flea or a Fly. They 
even eftablifh Hofpitals for the worn-out Oxen, and old 
Cows, where they are fed and attended, till they die of Age 
and Difeafes. Thefe People are, in general, very iriduf- 
trious ; but, withal, covetous, falfe, and perfidious to the 
laft degree. They have one Cuftorn amongft them, which 
is equally fingular and barbarous ; and that is, laying Am- 
bufeades to entrap and make Slaves of each other ; in which 
whenever they fucceed, they fell the poor Captive to a fo- 
reign Merchant, and commonly at a very low Rate. They 
employ themfelves, when they refide in Towns, in the 
Silk, Cotton, and Linen Manufadtures •, and, in the Coun- 
try, they cultivate their Plantations with the utmoft Dili- 
gence and Care : So that they annually transport prodigious 
Quantities of Grain from hence to Batavia. 
The Great Mogul is one of the richeft and moft power- 
ful Princes in the World, has always a numerous Army on 
Foot, and a moft magnificent Court ; the Directors of 
Bengal and Surat know perfectly well how to deal with 
him, and by making fhewy Prefents, to extract Diamonds 
and other precious Stones in Return. Surat is a Town of 
no great Antiquity, lcarce one hundred Years old at this 
Day, but very large, and immenfely rich. It is in Com- 
pafs about five Miles within the Walls, and the Number of 
Inhabitants are computed at 200,000. The Moorijh and 
even the Indian Merchants are many of them prodigioufly 
rich. The former addidt themfelves chiefly to the Dia- 
mond Trade, which is very precarious ; for fometimes a 
fmall Stock produces an immenfe Fortune, whereas, at 
others, a Man waftes immenfe Sums without finding Stones 
of any great Value; for, at the Diamond-mines, they 
purchafe fo many Yards Square, at a certain Price, and 
pay the Slaves who dig and fift the Earth, and take what- 
ever Stones are found in that Spot ; which fometimes are 
of great V alue, and fometimes are but fmall, and fo few 
of them, as not to quit Cofts : Other Moorijh Merchants 
deal largely in foreign Trade ; and, as the Mogul is a 
very eafy Mafter, fb there are fome of them that arrive at 
prodigious Wealth, and carry on fuch a Commerce as can 
fcarce be credited in Europe. About twenty Years ago 
there died a Moorijh Merchant at Surat , who fitted out 
annually twenty Sail of Ships, from three to eight hundred 
Ton *, the Cargoes of which ran from ten to twenty thou- 
fand Pounds, and he had always Goods in his jMa°'azines 
equal in Value to what he fent abroad. The Cuftoms of 
Surat amount every Year to upwards of 160,000 Pounds ; 
and, as the Merchants pay there at a Medium -three per 
Cent, the Value of the Goods amount to upwards of 
5,000,00 o Pounds. 
The fourth and laft Fadlory under a Diredlor is that at 
Gambron , or Bandar Abajfi , on the Coaft of Berfia. The 
Diredlor is a principal Merchant, and has always a Council, 
ana a Fiical to affift him. As this City Hands on the 
Gulph of Baljora, and is the only Port which the Berfian 
Monarch hath on the Indian Sea, it lies at a great Di- 
ftance from Batavia , which is one Reafon why this Di- 
rection is not fo much fought as others : But there is an- 
other more potent Reafon, which is this ; that the Heat is 
greater there than in any other Place in the World, and 
the Air exceffively unwholfome. To balance thefe Incon- 
'Veniencies, the Diredlor of Gambroon has an Opportunity 
of making, in a fhort time, a vaft Fortune ; fo that fome 
who have been in that Direction four or five Years, have 
acquired fuch Eftates, as rendered it unnecefifary for them 
to concern themfelves any farther in Commerce. There 
are feveral other European Nations fettled there befides the 
Dutch ; but they hav e by far the beft Fadlory, and have 
ortified it fo effedlually, that though the Highlanders in 
its eigliDourhood, who are a Crew of bold and barbarous 
Robbers, have often attacked, yet they never could mafter it. 
ic King of Berjia , who reigned at the time our Author 
was there, came fometimes to Gambroon , and diftinguifhed 
the Dutch from other Nations by the many Marks of his 
3 
Favour, and by granting them many Privileges : Some 
time before he had fent a Prefent to the Dutch Governor- 
General at Batavia , of a Gold Saddle, very richly wrought, 
and adorned with precious Stones, defiring, in Exchange, 
an European Habit for himfelf, and another for his 
Queen. 
Phis City is but a difagreeable Place to live in, lince, in 
Augujl , it is fo intolerably hot, that there is no bearing 
it ; and, in the Winter, it is fo very cold, that they not 
only wear EngliJIo Cloth, but line it with Furs. They 
have here Black-cattle, Sheep, Goats, Fowl, and Fifli, 
very good in their Kind, and tolerably cheap : They have 
likewife Grapes, Melons, and Mangoes, in the utmoft Per- 
fection : They have likewife excellent Wine, efteemed, by 
the beft Judges, fuperior to that of ail other Countries ; 
and, as a Proof of this, it is aflerted, that it will bear four 
times its Quantity of Water, and ftill preferve a very rich 
Flavour. The inteftine Wars in Perfia raged to fuch a 
Degree, when our Author was in the Indies, that it was 
thought requifite to leave a Ship conftantly at Gambroon , 
to carry off the Factory, in cafe it was in Danger. 
Another Inconveniency to the Commerce on that Coaft, 
was the Multitude of Pirates fwarming in thofe Seas, which 
were chiefly Europeans , who, after running away with 
their Owners Ships, fubfifted by robbing all other Nations. 
Amongft thefe, our Author informs us, was the Hare , a 
ftout Ship fent from Batavia to Berjia ; the Crew of which 
mutinied in the Voyage, and forced their Officers to turn 
Pirates. 1 hefe Fellows, after committing abundance of 
Ravages on this Coaft, failed for the Red Sea , where they 
attacked and plundered many of the Arabian Pirates ; at 
laft, finding themfelves fhort of Provifions, and not daring 
to put into any Port, they refolvecl to return ; but, finding 
themfelves fhort of Water alfo, they refolved to fupply 
themfelves in a neighbouring Ifland : With this View they 
hoifted out the Shallop, into which moft of the Rebels 
ciouded : This gave an Opportunity to the Officers who 
were left on board, to refume their Authority'' ; fo that, 
making themfelves once more Mafters of the Ship, they 
cut the Cable, and brought her fafely into the Harbour of 
Gambroon. By this means the Ship and Cargo was pre- 
ferved to the India Company, or rather reftored to them. 
Such of the Mutineers as were brought in, were hanged ; 
and the Officers, who had given this convincing Proof of 
their Integrity, were nobly rewarded, and intruded with 
the Care of the Ship back to Batavia , where fhe arrived 
fafely. 
In the Year 1701. the B allow does, who had rebelled 
againft the Scbah, attempted, with a Body of 4000 Men, 
to make themfelves Mafters of the Englijh and Dutch 
Factories at Gambroon ; but were beat at both Places ; but 
the Dutch , having a Warehoufe at fome Diftance from 
their Fadlory, in which were Goods to the Value of 20,000 
Pounds, it fell all into the Enemies Hands. A fhort time 
after this, the famous Rebel Meriweys, made himfelf 
Mafter of Ifpahan, where he plundered both the Englijh 
and Dutch Factories ; taking from the former Goods to 
the Value of half a Million Sterling ; and, from the latter, 
Effedls to the Value of 200,000 Pounds. Having finifhed 
the Account of the Diredtories, we fhall proceed next to 
the leffer Settlements. 
55. As it is requitite to have a Subordination in Com- 
mands, the Eajl India Company have thought fit to efta- 
blifh, in fuch Places as were not thought of Confequence 
enough to require either a Governor or a Director, another 
principal Officer, with the Title of Commander, or Chief. 
If the Perfon, veiled with this Authority, be a Merchant, 
he is accountable for his Condudl to the civil Government; 
but, if a Captain, then he is under the military Eftablifh- 
ment. A Commander, or Chief, hath pretty near the 
fame Authority with a Governor, that is to fay, in Con- 
junction with his Council, except in criminal Cafes ; for a 
Commander, or Chief, cannot execute any capital Judg- 
ment, till it has been reviewed and confirmed by the 
Council of Batavia . The Commander at the Fort of 
Cochin, on the Coaft of Malabar, was Captain Julius de 
Golnitz , a Native of Mecklenbourg , at the time our Author 
was at the Indies , from whom he received great Civilities. 
Malabar was the firft Country the B ortugueje difeovered in 
the 
