fOl 
SECTION XXIV. 
•Zfe Voyage of Francis Pirard de Laval to the Eaft-Indies ; his Shipwreck amongft the MaL 
dives j and his copious Account of that Archipelago^ 
Tranflated from the Author’s Original Voyage, publiihed by himfelf in French ; 
I, An Account of the Defign of this Voyage , and the Author's Embarkation for fAEafi-Indles, May i$; : 
j 6 oi . 2. The remarkable Accidents which happened in their PdJJhge till their Arrival at the Ifland of 
Anabon. 3. They double the Cape of Good Hope, and arrive happily on the Goaf of the Ifland of HA a- 
dagafcar. 4. They meet with a dreadful St or m there , and lofe a great many Men by the Scurvy and Sur- 
feits. 5. Proceed from thence to the Comorro-Illands on the Goafl of Africa, near Mofambique, where 
they refrejh and refit. 6. The Ship on board of which our Author was , wrecked amongft the Maidive- 
Iflands, and himfelf made Pr if oner. 7. A general Defer iption of thefe Iflands, their ProduSf, and ike 
People who inhabit them. 8. The Divijion op thefe Iflands into fever al Provinces , with an Account of the 
Sea that furrounds them. 9. Of the Original Inhabitants of this Country , their Complexions , Stature , 
Temper , and Manners. 10. The vafl Fertility op' the Maldives, and the Nature of the fever al kinds of 
Corn and Fruits produced there. 11. Op the Birds , Fowl, Fifty, and other forts ' of Proviftions, and of 
their prodigious Plenty and exceflive Cheapnefs. 12. Avery fingidar Method in life among the Inhabitants 
for weighing whatever is loft in the Sea. 13. Their Language, Religion , Temples , Priejis , and Form of 
publick Worfhip , with occaflonal Remarks on them. 14. Other Ceremonies of their Religion , together with 
their Feafts and Faftls , and Diverftons at fuch Seafons. 15. A large Account of their Marriages, the 
Manner of their fettling Jointures, and their frequent and voluntary Divorces. 16. Their funeral Cere- 
monies, Profits accruing thereby to the Pnefts, and other curious Particulars relating to that SubjeSf . 
17, A Defcription of the Drefs of Men amd Women in thofe Iflands, and ' of the Laws in relation thereto, 
and other Circumftances . 18. Their Cuftoms in Eating and Drinking, Laws for prohibiting op' Luxury, 
and generous Concern for the Poor. 19. Superflitious Cuftoms among them in relation to the Killing of 
Beafts, life of Baths, Sailing, and other Cafes. 20. An Account of the Difecfes which prevail among 
the Inhabitants 5 their Skill in Phyfick , and other Sciences. 21. 5 he Virtues and Vices of the Maldivans, 
with fome curious Particulars relating to their Women. 22. A large Account of the Nature of their Civil 
Government , Power op' the King, his Privy Council, Judges , See. 23. Criminal Punijhments in life 
amongft them ; together with the Eft ate of their Military Eftablijhments. 24. A Defcription of the King's 
Palace , Habit, Manner of Living, and other Circumftances relating to his Court. 25. His State when 
he appears in Publick the Queen's Court , and the great Refpekt paid them by their Subjects. 26 . The 
Particulars of the Royal Revenue , the Nature of the Coinage here , and of the Value of their Commerce. 
27. The Manner of the Author's Efcape out of this Country, after he had remained a Prifoner therefor 
fever al Tears-. 28. The Author' s Journey ft? Bengal, and Return out op' the Indies. 29. Remarks and 
Qbfervations on the foregoing Particulars. 
i. HERE are forne Voyages and Difcoveries 
H which never lofe their Value, becaufe never 
It, fuperfeded by any thing more excellent in 
their kind and this we may truly affirm to be the Cafe 
of that Voyage which we now prefent to the View of the 
Reader. It contains a very curious, accurate, and cir- 
cumftantial Account of Countries and People, who,' tho’ 
they lie at the very Entrance of the Indies , were never de- 
feribed before, nor has any fubfequent Account of them' 
appeared capable of entering into any Degree of Compa- 
rifon with this which we have before us. Our Author ap- 
pears to have been a Man of good Senfe, and great Ob- 
servation. He was led to travel from a Humour common 
enough in Youth ; I mean the Defire of feeing new and 
ftrange Things •, but, at the fame time, this Humour of 
his was regulated by a Difpofition not very common in 
young People, which was that of looking to the Bottom 
of whatever appeared worthy of Notice, and of labouring 
to acquire whatever Talents were necelfary to make fo 
thorough an Inquifition. It was from thefe Principles 
that he derived that Conftancy and Refolution which are 
fo confpicuous in the following Relation. 
He was, doubtlefs, in Hopes, when he undertook this 
Expedition, that all Things would have fallen out favour- 
ably, and that he fhould have been entertained with the 
Sight of all the Curiofities in the Indies, with little Ha- 
zard, and fome Gain to himfelf : But when it fell out 
otherwife, and he found all thefe Refolutions over- turned 
by the unlucky Accident of a Shipwreck, he did not lofe 
either his Reafon or his Spirits , but, on the contrary, de- 
termined to make Ufe of this Accident to further his De- 
fign of obtaining a diftindt Knowledge of the Places and 
Numb. XLVXII, 
People whom it was his Fortune to vifit. It was in con- 
fequence of thefe Notions, that he examined carefully, and 
recorded faithfully whatever came within the Compafs of 
his Notice : And that he might enlarge the Circle of his 
Underftanding, he applied himfelf with Diligence, firfb to 
learn the Tongue of the Country,' and next to enter into 
a free Coverfation with regard to their own Affairs of every 
kind with the People themfelves •, fo that his Judgment 
always went along with his Curiofity and we may reft fa- 
tisfied that he has not reported Things barely as they ap- 
peared,' but a? they were. 
After this Account of our Author, rPs requiflte we fhould 
fay fomewhat of the Time and Manner in which this 
Voyage Was undertaken, and afterwards We fhall leave 
him to fpeak for himfelf. The Fame of the Eaft-Indid 
Commerce in the Beginning of the feventeenth Century, 
provoked fome French Merchants of St. Malo, Laval, 
and Litre , to think of fending two Ships into that Part of 
the World, which Projedl they executed in the Spring of 
the Year 1601. The biggeft of thefe VefTels was of the 
Burthen of three hundred Tun, called the Croifiant ; the 
Jefler of ' two hundred Tun, called the Corbin ; The for- 
mer of thefe was under the Command of the Sieur de Bar - 
deli ere, the other Under that of Francis Grout , Conftable 
of St. Malo. They failed from the laft-men Cloned Port 
on the Eighteenth of May , 1601, and had not proceeded 
above ten Leagues out to Sea before their Mizzeri-Maft 
fpiit and broke in the Middle, 'which, fays our Author, 
Was the Beginning of our Misfortunes : And their Hiftory 
he continues thus. 
2. On the 2 1 ft we fell in with nine great Dutch Hoys, 
each of which Fluted us with a Gun, but one of them be- 
S kf ing 
