7x6 The VO V AG E of Francis Pirard de Laval Book L 
ties*. ftot only on the Shore of the Maldives , wafhed thither 
by the Waves of the Sea, but alfo dug up in the very 
Heart of fome of the Hands, as being very probably left 
there at the Time thefe Lands were deferred by the Ocean. 
As the Meafure of Things, which w® call Money, is alto- 
gether arbitrary, and depends folely on an Agreement 
amongft Men, that this or that fhall Hand for, and be re- 
garded as 'a common Meafure, fo in many Countries, both 
of Afia and Africa , thefe Shells, by a certain tacit Agree- 
ment, are fixed as fuch a common Meafure, and are con- 
fequently efteemed, and have the Currency of Money. It 
is that gives them a Value even with fuch as defpife thofe 
who trade with and receive them as Money, without re- 
fle&ing, that Shells are to the full as capable of being con- 
ftituted Money as either Gold or Silver, and without re- 
membering that they are compelled to praftife what they 
themfelves lb much condemn, and to take thefe paltry Shells 
for Money. At Bengal two thoufand four hundred Cowries 
were, in the Year 1 740, valued at a Rupee, or about hall 
a Crown of our Money. 
But the great Ufe of them is on the Coafts of Africa 9 and 
particularly on thofe of Guinea , where the Negroes efteem 
them to the full as much as Gold and Silver, and where 
they pals under the Denomination of Bougies. We may 
guefs at the vail Confumption of this Commodity or Mo- 
ney, by the French Merchants in the Kingdom of Fidah 
who give for a Piece of the common Cloth made by 
the Natives, commonly eighty Pound Weight ol Cow- 
ries, and fo in proportion for the richer Commodities ol 
that Country, fuch as Wax, Ivory, Gold, CL. The Butch 
ufually furnifh other European Nations with this kind of 
Negroe Coin, if I may be allowed that Expreffion, and 
the Reader will eafily conceive from thence how beneficial 
that Trade is which they drive with the Maldives. It might 
be wondered how this Demand for thefe Shells is kept up 
upon the Coaft of Guinea *, but in order to account for this, 
we are to underftand that, like Gold and Silver, thefe are not 
only the Meafures of Commerce among the Negroes, but 
likewife the higheft Mark of their Finery, fince they wear 
them as Necklaces, Collars and Bracelets, ftrungupon Hair, 
©r Silk, either in fingle or double Rows, which indeed 
make an odd, but at the fame time no dilagreeable Figure 
on the Necks and Arms of the Natives, the fnowy W Inte- 
nds of the Shell appearing to great Advantage, when com- 
pared with their jet-black Skins. 
Heretofore about twelve thoufand Pound Weight of 
Cowries was fufficient to purchafe a Cargoe of five or fix 
hundred Negroes •, but at prefent the Market is raifed, and 
the Proportion between Man’s Flefh and Baubles fo altered, 
that a Ship Load of Slaves cannot be bought for lefs than 
twelve or fourteen Tun of Cowries. As there would be a 
great deal of Trouble in adjufting Payments made in this 
kind of Money, the Negroes, though fo ftupid as to fell 
themfelves for Shells, have invented a kind of Copper Ba- 
fon of fuch Size and Shape as to hold about one hundred 
and eight Pounds of thefe Shells, which is a great Eafe to 
the Merchants. We mtift not, however, imagine, that 
thefe Shells are not to be found any where elfe but in thefe 
Hands, fince it is certain, that they are likewile met with 
©n the Coaft of the Philippines but thefe are of an inferior 
Nature, and much below the Cowries of the Maldives in 
Whitenefs and Luftre. The principal Mart in Europe for 
thefe Shells is Amfterdam , where they have of them large 
Magazines, and where they are purchafed both by French 
and Englifh Merchants, for the Conveniency of exporting 
them to Africa . 
But to return to the Trade of the Maldives , which is far 
from being fo inconfiderable as fome of our modern Wri- 
ters would have us believe, and that for no better Reafon 
than this, becaufe the Europeans have not fettled amongft 
them ; whereas from this Account, it is moft evident, that 
it is impoffible for them to fettle there for a Multitude of 
Reafons, which muft naturally occur to every judicious 
Reader. But there is notwithftanding a great Trade carried 
on there, infomuch that fome hundred Sail of Ships are laden 
annually with the Produft of their Cocoa Trees, that is, with 
the Oil, Honey, Cordage and Sails made from this kind of 
Palm-Tree, which grows no where either in fuch abun- 
dance, or to fuch Perfection, as on thefe Hands , neither 
do they want other valuable Commodities, particularly 
the fineft Tortoife Shells in the World, ftained na- 
turally with very beautiful Figures, and wrought up by 
them in Cabinets, Combs, and other Curiofiiies. But 
what plainly proves the Riches and Induftry of the Peo- 
ple is, on the one hand, the Cheapnefs of Cotton, Silk, 
Gil, Iron, Steel, Spices, and China- ware, with other fo- 
reign Goods, which could not be brought about, if their 
own Manufactures did not enable them to balance the Ac- 
count with the Foreigners, who import them ; and, on 
the other hand, that Plenty of Gold and Silver which has 
been always vifible in thofe Hands, and which muft have 
been very loon carried away, if ever the Balance of Trade 
had been again ft them. 
It feems alfo to be no fmall Honour to the Country, 
that neither the Force of the Portuguefe , the Ambition of 
the Englifh. on their firft coming into the Indies , or the 
Frauds of the Butch y have deprived the Inhabitants of 
thefe Hands of their Liberty. It is true, that from the 
Account our Author has given, this does not appear to 
be a very difficult Matter, fince the King of Bengal was 
able to make fo great an Impreffion with lo fmall a Force j 
but, at the fame time, we ought to refled:, that this Con- 
queror thought fit to abandon the Hand of Male as loon 
as he had reduced it, which appears to me a very plain 
Proof that lie thought it impracticable to keep it \ and, 
indeed, where a whole Nation are fo much ufed to live at 
Sea, as well as on Shore, it will be always found a very 
difficult, if not impoffible Matter, to reduce them. The 
great Policy of the Legiflator of thefe Hands, whoever 
he was, very plainly appears in his adjufting fo nicely as he 
has done, the Nature of their Conftitution to the Situation 
of their Country, and that Courfe of Life, which from 
thence they are obliged to follow. To this we may juftly 
afcribe the long Continuance of their Monarchy, the Force 
of which does not feem to be at all impaired by the Settle- 
ments made by the Europeans in thofe Countries j but, 
on the contrary, the People have encreafed their Riches., 
and the King has extended his Power, by falling into 
Trade with them, which is more than can be faid of any 
other Country in the Indies. 
It muft, however, be allowed, that very few Travellers 
or Voyage- Writers, have taken the Pains to defcribe the 
Maldives j fo that if we had not this Account of Pirard’s 9 
we fhould fcarce be able to fay any thing about them, the 
Reafon of which is very eafily afligned ; for thefe Hands 
have no Mines, either of rich Metals or precious Stones j 
nor do they abound with Spices, or any other highly va^- 
lued Commodities y but it appears very clearly, that nox- 
withftanding the Want of thefe Advantages, they are 
much more populous, and enjoy, beyond comparifon, 
more Liberty than thole People do who are richer, and 
confequently more efteemed. But as thefe Hands lie 
only in the Entrance of the Indies , it muft appear requi- 
fite to furnifh fome Defcriptions of the principal Places 
mentioned in the foregoing Hiftories, by fuch as have 
vifited them in Perfon, and that too within fuch Peri- 
ods of Time as may afford the greateft Lights to thofe Hifto- 
ries ; from which Confideration we have been led to make 
Choice rather of Voyages than Travels, becaufe the latter 
belongs ftriftly and properly to the fucceeding Volume, in 
which the moft curious and belt efteemed to all Parts of 
the Indies fhall be included : At prefent we fhall give a 
general Voyage to the Indies by a French Officer and 
Commander in Chief, whofe Work has been always ef- 
teemed more accurate in its kind than any other written 
by that Officer himfelf, who, like our Sir Francis Drake , 
was capable of performing every Office in his Ship, and 
of whom his own Pilot declared, that he was at once the 
moft fkilful and the moft careful Man in that Profeffion, 
with whom he was ever acquainted. His Knowledge, 
however, was not bounded by his maritime Skill, but, on 
the contrary, was every Wfoy as correct in other neceffary 
Branches of Science, fo that he was as capable of writing 
the Difcription, or Hiftory of the Countries he vifited, as 
of carrying his Veffel to them. 
Thefe Angular Properties, and the Confideration that 
we have not room for a Multitude of Voyages, led to the 
Choice of this, which may ferve inftead of many, and 
which 
