The F yages and Obfervations of J. A. de Mandelfloe, Book I. 
774 
laft failed the Fifth in the Mary , and came the fame 
Night in Sight of the City of Daman , where we met with 
one of our Ships that had ftaid for a Portuguese Veffel 
that was to go with us to Goa. The Governor of the City 
lent us a large Veffel with Wine, and divers Refrefhments ; 
for though the City was then befieged by the King of De- 
can , yet the Harbour being open, they had fufficient Sup- 
plies brought them by Sea. The Kingdom of Decan , or 
Cuncam , by fome called Vifiapour from its capital City, 
extends all along that Coaft from Indediva, which is within 
twelve Leagues of Goa to the South, as far as Siffardo . 
The chief maritime Places belonging to it are Gatapour , 
Rcjfapour, Carrapatar , and Dabul but Vifiapour the capi- 
tal City, lies eighty Leagues from Dabul , and eighty-four 
from Goa. This City is about eight Leagues in Circum- 
ference, being encompaffed with a very high Wall of Free- 
ftone, and a broad Ditch, and many Out-works, provided 
with a thoufand Pieces of Iron and Brafs Cannon. The 
Royal Palace is in the very Centre of the City, three thou- 
fand five hundred Paces in Compafs, being divided from 
the Body of the City by two Walls, and as many Ditches. 
The City has no lefs than five Suburbs, where moft of the 
Merchants live •, and in the Suburb Ghampour moft of the 
Jewellers have their Habitations. The Inhabitants are for 
the moft part Natives of the Kingdom of Decan , the reft 
are Banjans , Moguls , and Gentives. 
The City of Dabul is feated on the River Iielewacko , in 
1 7° 40 / on this Side of the Line, being one of the moft 
ancient Cities in the Kingdom of Decan j but is without 
either Gates or Walls, defended only on the River-fide by 
two Batteries. As you enter the River, you fee to the left 
Hand a Wood, and near it a Caftle, as alfo a white Tower, 
which ferves for a Pagod •, but is a good Direftion for Pilots. 
Its Entrance being none of the beft by reafon of a long 
Sand Bank at the very Mouth of it, which at low Water 
is quite dry ; the only fafe way to efcape it is to keep to the 
South Side j there, at low Water, you have five or fix Fa- 
thom Water, though at the very Mouth you have not 
above twelve or fourteen Foot ; within a League before you 
come to the River is very fafe riding for Ships, though the 
Road, in the Bay of Zanquisara , four Leagues thence is 
incomparably better. The Harbour of Ceitapour , the moft 
excellent on all that Coaft, lies twelve Leagues thence, the 
Veffels being fheltered here by an adjacent Iiland againft all 
Winds. It lies in 17 0 io', and twenty Leagues from Goa. 
Three Leagues from the faid Harbour lies the City of Rof- 
fapour , one of the beft maritime Towns of the Kingdom 
of Decan $ and nineteen Leagues thence is the Bay of Win- 
gurla , a very convenient Haven. It lies three Leagues 
from the If as Ljuemadas. We will now come to its Inhabi- 
tants, which are either Banjans , or Mohammedans. 
The chief Trade of the City of Dabul is in Salt and 
Pepper brought thither from Oranubammara. They ufed 
formerly to drive a confiderable Traffick to Perfia , and the 
Red-Sea *, but they fend but few Ships thither now. The 
ordinary Cuftom paid here is 3 /. ior. per Cent, but the 
Englijh pay only one Moiety of it. Though the greateft Part 
of the Inhabitants of the Kingdom of Decan or Cuncam are 
Banjans , yet are they not fo averfe to Flefh as the others 
in the Indies *, for they will feed upon any Flelh, except 
that of an Ox, Cow, Buffaloe, and Swine for the laft 
they have an abfolute Abomination, and the Ox and Cow 
are in great Veneration with them. In their Life and Con- 
vention, Marriages, Purifications, and other Ceremonies, 
they follow the Footfteps of the other Banjans. 
Their Habitations are only Cottages of Straw, the Doors 
being fo low, that one can’t go in without ftooping. Their 
Furniture amounts to no more than a Mat to fieep upon, 
and in the midft of the Hut you fee a Hole in the Ground, 
wherein they beat the Rice. They don’t differ in their 
Habit from the other Banjans , except that they wear 
moftly Wooden Shoes tied up over the Infteps with Leather 
Straps ; but their Children go naked, till they are feven or 
eight Years of Age. Their Arms are the fame with the 
Indofans ; moft of them are Goldfmiths by Trade, though 
fome alfo profefs Phyfick and Surgery 5 they have alfo fome 
Carpenters, Mafons, and Barbers among them. 
The chief Commerce of the Kingdom of Decan confifts 
in Pepper and Provifions. The firft is tranfported thence 
into Perfa , Surat , and Europe , as alfo abundance of Ca- 
lico ; with the latter they furnifh the Provinces of Indo- 
fan, Golconda , and Coromandel who fetch good Quanti- 
ties of Stuffs there. In the Mountains of Balagatta much 
Lacque is made, but does not approach in Goodnefs to that 
of Guzarat . At Vifiapour are abundance of Jewellers that 
deal in Pearls j but they are not fo cheap here as in fome 
other Places. The Portuguese have a confiderable Trade 
in this Kingdom, its Frontiers reaching within four Leagues 
of Goa. There are a fort of People called Venefars in 
Decan , whofe chief Bufinefs is to buy up vaft Quantities of 
Wheat and Rice here, and then carry it in great Caravans 
of . one thoufand Beafts at a time to Indofian , and other 
neighbouring Countries. They carry their Families along 
with them, their Wives being fo expert in managing of the 
Bow, that they ferved them for a Guard againft the Rajh- 
poots, and other Robbers. 
Two forts of Money are current in Decan , the Larins , 
or Laris, which come from Eerfia , and the Pagodas ; eight 
of the firft make a Pagod , which is equivalent to ten Laris 
of Dabul ; their Copper Coin is called Bar far indues, nine 
whereof go to a Piece , and eighteen of thefe to a Larisa 
befides which, each City, nay, each Village of Note, has 
its peculiar Coin, which, together with the Counterfeit 
Coin, breeds no fmall Confufion. Their Weights are the 
fame with thofe of Guzurat , except that twenty Maons of 
Surat make twenty-feven in Decan, the ordinary Maons 
confifting of forty Ceeres , and one Coppeyjes make twenty- 
feven Pounds, each of which has two Marks ; they have a 
particular Weight for Pepper called Geomy, weighing 
twelve Maons , four of which make an hundred Weight 
and twenty a Canday. 
The King of Decan , or Vifiapour , is tributary to the 
Great Mogul, though it be fuppofed he can raife two hun- 
dred thoufand Men ; and thefe Kings have had confider- 
able Wars with the Portuguese , from whom they took 
twice the City of Goa in 1586 j but at laft, finding the 
War deftru&ive to their Commerce, came to a Compofi- 
tion with them, which lafted till 1638, when the Portu- 
guese having feized fome of the King of Decan's Ships, 
which, contrary to their Agreement, were carrying Pepper 
to Mecca and Perfia , they came again to Hoftilities. The 
King of Decan is famous for his great Artillery, of which 
he has more than any of the Indian Princes, and among the 
reft one great Piece of Brafs Cannon, the Ball whereof 
weigheth eight hundred Weight, and requires five hundred 
and forty Pounds of fine Powder. The Engineer who call 
it was an Italian. 
3. But to return to our Voyage, early in the Morning, 
January the 7 th, we came before the City Baccin belong- 
ing to the Portuguese , where we ftaid fome Hours in Ex- 
pectation of a certain Jefuit we were to carry to Goa •, but 
he not coming, we continued our Courfe, but were fcarce 
got a League before we faw a Portuguese Frigate come 
after us ; we back’d our Sails till fhe came near us 0 and found 
her to be a Veffel that came on purpofe to go along with 
us under Englifo Colours, for fear of being interrupted by 
the Dutch ; fhe brought us fome Prefents, viz, three Oxen, 
fome Sheep, Oranges, Citrons and Bread from the Gover- 
nor. The 9th we failed with another Wind by the Ifles of 
Bandera and Bombay , which ftretched along the Coaft from 
Baccim to Vifiapour *, the laft has a good Road for Ancho- 
rage, and is of a pretty large Extent. On the 10th we failed 
by Raffapour within twenty-one Leagues of Goa, and in the 
Afternoon by the City of Vingerla, where the Dutch have 
a Settlement four Leagues from Goa , and in the Evening 
came in Sight of the Iiles about Goa, and of two Fles that 
fecure the Harbour. On the nth we came to an Anchor 
under the Fort de Guarda , which lies not above a Mile from 
the City of Goa ; we faw fix Galleons and a Carrack in the 
Haven s foon after came aboard us a Portuguese Captain to 
complement the Lnglifh Prefident in the Viceroy’s Name, 
and immediately after the Commodore of the Galleons. 
The Harbour of Goa was then blocked up by twelve 
Dutch Ships, notwithstanding which we faw coming in a 
Caravan, confifting of three hundred fmall coafting Vef- 
fels laden with Pepper, Ginger, Cinnamon, Sugar, Rice, 
Fruits, and Pxeferves, befides abundance of Provifions. 
' The 
