Chap. L ' Commodore R b a d e # e i n» 
about the Year 1695, had an Ab draft of their Hiftory* 
tranflated from the Hebrew into Low Dutch. They declare 
themfelves to be of the Tribe of ManajTsh , a Part whereof 
was, by that haughty Conqueror Nebuchadnezzar , carried 
' to the molt Eaftern Province of his large Empire;, which, it 
feems, reached as far as Cape Comerin , which Journey 
20,000 of them travelled in three Years from their fetting 
out of Babylon. When they arrived in the Malabar Coun- 
try, they found the Inhabitants very civil and hofpitabie to 
Strangers, giving them Liberty of Confidence in religious 
Matters, and the free Ufe of Reafon and Induftry in Oeco- 
nomy. There they increafed in'Numbers and Riches, till, 
in Procefs of Time, either by Policy or Wealth, or both, 
they came to make themfelves M, afters of the little King- 
dom of Cranganore ; and there being one Family among 
them, much efteemed for Wifdorn, Power, and Riches, 
two of the Sons of that Family were chofen, by their El- 
ders and Senators, to govern the Commonwealth, and 
reign jointly over them. Concord, the ftrongeft Bond of 
Society, was in a fhort time broken, and Ambition took 
Place ; for one of the Brothers, inviting his Collegue to 
a Feaft, and picking a Quarrel, with his Gueft, bafely killed 
him, thinking by that means to reign alone. But the De- 
ceafed, leaving a Son of a bold Spirit behind him, re- 
venged his Father’s Death, by killing the Fratricide *, and 
fo the State fell again into Democracy; which dill conti- 
nues among the Jews here. But the Lands have many 
Ages fmce returned back into the Hands of the Malabar s, 
and Poverty and Gppreffion have made many apoftatize. 
Between Cranganore and Couchin , there is an Ifland called 
Bayhin , that occupies the Sea-coaft. It is four Leagues 
long, but no Part of it is two Miles broad. The Dutch 
forbid all Veffels or Boats to enter at Cranganore , and at 
Couchin : The Chanel is about a Quarter of a Mile broad, 
but very deep, though the Bar has not above fourteen Feet 
Water at Spring- tides. 
The Inhabitants of this Country are many of them Ido- 
laters, over whom their Bramins, or Priefts, have a very 
great Authority, of which they make a very bad Ufe. 
Amongft other odd Cuftoms, they have introduced one 
that is very whimfical : When any Man marries, he is ab- 
folutely forbid to bed with his Wife the firft Night ; and 
this Funftion is to be performed in his Head by one of the 
Bramins ; or, if there be none at hand, by fome other 
Man. This was formerly a very confiderable Advantage 
to fuch Foreigners as were fettled here, the Malabars 
making Choice of them, rather than their own Country- 
men -, and on fuch Occafions they made very large Pre- 
sents, which fometimes amounted to 5 or 600 Florins : 
But, of late Days, this Source is quite dried up ; for the 
Bramins are become fo very religious, that they take care 
never to be out of the Way when this Part of their Duty is 
to be performed : To fay the Truth, they pufh this Matter 
to fuch a Length, and frequent the Womens Company fo 
much, that there is no body, of their Religion, that can 
pretend to know with Certainty his own Father. It is for 
this Reafon, that, by a Handing Law of the Country, nei- 
ther Sons nor Daughters ever inherit, but the Nephews and 
Nieces, that is to fay, the Sifters Children of the Perfon 
deceafed, as certainly of his Blood ; which Rule is ob» 
ferved in the Order of Succeflion eftablifhed in their Royal 
Families, and is a glaring Proof of the ftrange Effefts of 
boundlefs Superftition. 
The next Commandery is that of Gallo , on the Ifland of 
Ceylon , at the Diftance of twenty Leagues from Columbo , 
which, as we have before (hewn, is the Capital of that 
Ifland. Gallo was the firft Place taken by the Dutch from 
the Portuguefe , and, at this Day, is a Place of very confi- 
derable Trade ; the Commander of which, however, de- 
pends on the Governor of Ceylon , and can do nothing with- 
out his Approbation. About the Year 1672, the late 
King Lewis XIY. fitted out a Squadron of eight Sail of 
Frigates, which were to have made themfelves Mailers of 
this Place. One Mr. John Martin , who had ferved the 
Dutch Haft India Company many Y ears, and had quitted 
their Service upon fome Difguft, was the Author of this 
- Project ; but, finding, when the King’s Orders came to be 
opened at Sea, that another Man was to have the Govern- 
ment of it, in cafe the Place was taken, he took fuch Me- 
Numb. 20, 
thdds as rendered the Expedition frniriefs, Mr. haft Gojfe , 
who then commanded the Dutch Fleet, foon arrived upon 
the Coaft ; and the French , not thinking themfelves ftrong 
enough to venture an Engagement, retired, without fo much 
as attacking the Place. They went then to Trankamalay 
and anchored in that Bay, defigning to force that Small Ga- 
rifon to furrender ; but this vigilant Dutchman was foon 
after them with his Fleet, and forced them to fight difad- 
vantageoufly in Lrankamala Bay, where the French loft 
half their Fleet, either funk or burnt * with the reft they 
fled to St. Thomas , on the Coaft of Coromandel, intending 
to fettle there ; but van Gojfe was foon amongft them there 
alfo, and Seized their Ships, many of their Guns beiiig 
demounted, and carried afliore : But, finding they could d 3 
no Good againft fo powerful and vigilant an Enemy, they 
treated and capitulated with the Dutch to leave India , if they 
might be allowed Shipping to carry them away ; which 
the Dutch agreed to, and allowed them their Admiral’s 
Ship, le Grand Breton , and two more, to tranfport them- 
felves whither they pleafed : But Mr. Martin was carried 
to Batavia , and there confined for his Life-time, with an 
Allowance of a Rixdollar per Diem. 
The third Commandery is that of S amah an, in the Ifland 
of Java ; and he who is appointed Commander there, 
has the Direftion of all the Faftories in that Ifland, except 
fuch as depend immediately on the Government of Bata- 
via. Within his Jurifdiftion lies Kattafura, which is the 
Refid ence of the Emperor of Java : And here it may not 
be amifs to take notice of the Caufe of the laft War, which 
has been more than once mentioned by the Name of the 
War of Java. It broke out in the Year 1704, when Mr. 
John van Horn was Governor- General, upon this Occaficn. 
The Emperor dying, there were two Competitors for the 
Succeflion, one of which was the Brother, the other the 
Son, of the Emperor deceafed ; the Dutch tided with the 
former, but the latter had the Affeftions of the People, 
and drew over to his Party a great Number of Indian Sol- 
diers, who had ferved the Dutch, and, being well difci- 
plined, behaved gallantly on all Occafions. This War 
Lifted twenty Years, and gave the Haft India Company fo 
much Trouble, that, in all Probability, they will not very 
readily be drawn into an Affair of this kind again. 
At Bantam, on the fame Ifland, the Plead of the Faftory 
has the Title of a Chief. There is a very ftrong Fort there, 
and a numerous Garifon, to keep the People in Awe, who 
are very mutinous, and far enough from being well affefted 
to the Dutch. The King has alfo a Fort, at the Diftance of 
fome hundred Paces from the Company’s Fort, in which 
he has alfo a flout Garifon for the Security of his Perfon; 
The only Commodity of the Country is Pepper, of which 
they are able to export annually ten thoufand Tons. The 
Bay of Bantam is very fate and pleafant, in which are 
many Elands that ftill retain the Names given them by the 
Englijh , who had formerly a very fine Faftory at this 
Place, from which they were expelled in 1683* The Eaft 
India Company oblige the King to furnifli them with a 
certain Quantity of Pepper ; in all other refpefts they 
treat him kindly enough, becaufe, as our Author obferves, 
it is their Intereft fo to do ; he is the Sovereign of a great 
Country, very well peopled ; and his Subjefts are a very 
hardy, enterprizing Nation, perfidious, revengeful, and 
naturally hating all Chriftians to the laft degree. 
Our Author tells us, that, in his Time, a Lieutenant and 
twenty Men were furprifed by them, and entirely cut off •, 
which occafioned the fending fuch a Reinforcement, as 
rendered the Garifon of the Fort at Bantam ftrong enough 
to command .all the Country in its N eighbourhood ; which 
was the more neceffary, becaufe Bantam , by the Height 
of its Situation, commands the Streight between the Elands 
of Java and Sumatra. Our Author obferves, that the 
laft King of Bantam died at the Age of one hundred, and 
was fucceeded by his Son, who was then a young Man. 
He difcovered, while Prince, an Inclination to Piracy ; and 
aftually fitted out fome V effels on that Account. Our 
Author faw him, after he was King; and found him a very 
agreeable Man in his Perfon and Convention, though his 
Charafter was extremely bad : He was exceffively debauched 4 
and, not being content with keeping upwards of 500 Con- 
cubines, committed Incefts with his Sifters-in-law, and even 
4 C with 
