77 6 The Voyages anil Qbfervdhons of j. Ai de Mandelfioe, Book I, 
fhewed us any Civilities, and after having taken his Leave, 
the Governor and Commodore of the Galleons fent him a 
Prefent of Cinnamon, Canary, Sheep, Fruits, and among 
the reft a Bottle of Oil made of the Plovers of Cinnamon,. 
4. On the 20th we deft and upon the River met 
with ah hundred fm all Veffels which came from the Coaft of 
Malabar 4 we were no fooner got out of the River, but we 
madL ft rail to the Portugueze Fleet, and went aboard the 
Flag Galleon called Bon Jefus , carrying fixty-foor Guns* 
and Fix hundred Men ; ftie was a very noble Ship, and wei 
Were entertained with extraordinary Civility by the Com- 
modore, who fhewed us likewife all the other Ships; at part- 
ing we had the ufual Salute from the whole Portugueze 
Fleet, as alfo from the Fort de Guar da. As foon as the 
Prefident was come oh Board, he returned them twenty 
Guns, which the Commodore anfwered with as many* and 
fo came to an Anchor in the Road betwixt the Portugueze 
and the Dutch. - ■ ■ ■ 
But before we take our Leave of Goa, it Will not be amifs 
to fay fomething of what we found moft: remarkable in a 
Place, which is the Capital of all belonging to the Portu- 
gueze in the Indies. It lies in the Kingdom of T)ecan % 1 5 0 
on this Side the Line, in ah Ifiand of the fame Name, 
which is divided from the Continent only by a River. The 
Portugueze conquered it the 16th of February 1510, but 
loft it again the 30th of May following, and regained it 
once more the 12th of November in the fame Year, when 
they took k by Storm. It was at that Time a very confi- 
derable Place of Trade, though it has much increafed fince 
the Portugueze have been Matters of it. On the South Side 
is the Ifiand of Salfette , likewife divided from the Conti- 
nent by a fmall River, as is the Ifle of Bardes to the North, 
where there is lafe Anchorage for Ships with all Winds. 
The Fort de Guarda is built at the Foot of a Rock, upon 
which is ere&ed a Tower in Form of a Redoubt, which in 
the Night-time ferves for a Beacon to Mariners; from the 
Mouth of the River to the Harbour is about two Leagues, 
but it has the fame Breadth all along, though in fome Places 
it is fo fhallow, that in a dry Seafon there is not above two 
Foot Water. 
The Ifiand of Goa is fo barren, that it produces nothing 
lit for the Suftenance of Men or Beafts, except a few Fruits 
in the Gardens, and a (lender Share of Grafs for Lambs 
and Goats ; notwithftanding which, they are fo plentifully 
burn idled with Provifions from the two before-mentioned 
Iflands, and the Continent, that in fpight of the Blockade 
of the Dutch , a Hog was then fold for a Crown, fix fuck- 
ing Pigs, ten Pullets, or eight Wild-ducks, for the fame 
Price ; but Beef and Mutton is a great Rarity here. There 
is a Fountain reprefenting Lucretia , out of whofe Wound 
iffues forth as much frefti Water as fupplies the whole City, 
The Ships provide themfelves with frefh Water out of a 
Rivulet, which coming out of a Rock falls into the other 
River near the Cattle. The City has no other Defence 
but the River, having neither Gates nor Walls ; the 
Buildings are generally very handfome, and Perfonsof Note 
ihew a great deal of Magnificence here both in their Build- 
ings and Furniture. 
The Inhabitants are of two forts, either Caftizes , or 
Mefiizes ; the firft are fuch as are born here of Portugueze 
Father and Mother ; the fecond, thofe who were begotten 
by a Portugueze , or an Indian. The laft are inclining to an 
olive Colour, and in the third Generation becomes as black 
as the Natives of the Country, which is alfo obfervable in 
the fourth Generation of the Mftizesj though there is not 
the lead; Mixture among them. The Portugueze are diftin- 
guifhed into feveral Ranks ; Tituladoes are thole in pub- 
lick Employments ; Fidalgos da cafa del Rey , are Gentjemen 
in ordinary to the King’s Houfhold ; Mocas Fidalgos are 
the Sons of the Tituladoes , admitted to Gentility by the 
King, the Cavaleros , Fidalgos , and Efcuderos Fidalgos 
«fe -limply Gentlemen ; thofe called Mocas da Camra , or 
Grooms of the King’s Chamber, pafs alfo for Gentlemen. 
All the reft are Hombres , Honrados , and Soldados ; the firft 
of which are Merchants, and appear as well as any Gentle- 
men, there being fcarce any thing here, except Taylors 
and Shoemakers, but what are ferved by Slaves ; no Perfon 
ftffcualky ever goes on .Foot,- but either on Horfeback, in 
h LitteR or Gondola, one Slave among the reft conftantly 
attending him with an Umbrella. , 
The Portugueze have always had the Reputation of being 
a very proud Nation j but thofe of Goa are fo to fuch an 
Excels - both- in their Geftures' and Actions, as is fcarce to 
be expreffed; however,- they are very ceremonious to one 
another^, to fuch a Punililio; that if for inftance in a Yiftt 
any thing fliould be omitted that is judged ctiftomary, and 
belonging to the Perron that requires it, fuch a Stain. could 
not be wiped off without a Cudgeling, or Blood-fhed ; 
with the firft they are very liberal towards inferior Perfons, 
if they think them to : have -been wanting in, Reipect due to 
thofe of a 1 better Rank, 
The South-weft Winds, which begin to blow here to- 
wards the End of June, bring the Winter Seafon along 
••with them, which continues for four Months all along that 
Coaft, from Diu as far as the Cape Comorin i at which Time 
the frequent Ternpefts make the Sea fo turbulent, thatthere 
are but few Havens where Ships can ride with Safety. 
This, is the more to be admired, inafmuch as in the fame 
Months the Coafts of Coromandel , which extend along the 
fame Peninfula on the other Side, and lies under the fame 
Degree of Latitude, nay, in fome Places are not above twenty 
Leagues diftant from the Coaft of Malabar , is bleffed with 
the moft pleafant Seafon of all the Year. 
This is manifeft to thofe who travel from Cochin by Land 
to St. Thomas , when they muft crofs the Mountain of Ba- 
lagatta , which divides this Demi-IJie (as the Appenine do 
Italy) and no fooner come to the Top of the Mountain, 
but they fee on one Side a moft clear and temperate Air, 
and the Country on the other Side coyered with Waters, by 
the continual Rains and Fogs. The Ships that go from 
Ormuz to the Cape of Rojfalgate have made the fame Ob- 
fervation ; for no fooner have they patted the Cape, but the 
fair Weather that has attended them thither changes on a 
fudden into dreadful Ternpefts, fo that it is evident there 
are but two Seafons in this Country, and the Eaft and Weft 
Winds rule alternately once a Day ; for the Therentes 3 
or Land-winds coming from the Eaft, blow from Mid- 
night to Mid-day, but don’t reach above ten Leagues into 
the Sea ; whereas the Sea Winds coming from the Weft 
(called Virafons) blow all the reft of the Day. 
This fo fudden Change of the Sealbn, as well as conftant 
Variation of the Winds, prove the Occafion of many Di- 
ftempers, efpecially that called Mordexin, which kills 
without Delay, befides Fevers and Bloody-flux, the only 
Remedy againft which here is Bleeding. The Plague 
is not fo much as known in the Indies ; but the Pox de- 
ftroys a great Number, and above all among the Portu -> 
gueze ; for though the Country itfelf furnifhes them with 
Remedies againft this Diftemper, yet the Inclinations be- 
twixt the Sexes are fo ftrong and violent here, that they 
wont afford themfelves a proper Time for the Cure of this 
Difeafe, which is thus propagated beyond all Bounds. As 
the Women in thefe Parts have an exceffive Inclination to 
white Men, and are always kept under Conftraint, they 
will venture very hard to encompafs their Ends ; and to 
purftie this End, frequently make ufe of the Herb Doutro, 
Doutry, or Datura (as it is called by the Indians ) to ftupify 
their Hulband’s Senfes to get an Opportunity of enjoying 
what they fo much delight in. This Herb, called by the 
T urks and Perfians Datula, is a kind of Stramonea, accord- 
ing to the Garfias ab Horto , and Chrijlopher de Ac oft a, being 
fomewhat like our Bears Foot, and grows in the Indies in 
ihady Places ; of this they extract the Juice, whilft it is 
green, or only take the Seed beaten to Powder, and mix 
it either with Preferves, or in the Drink of thofe they in- 
tend to ftupify, which it does effectually for twenty-four 
Hours after he has taken it, being deprived of all Senfe or 
Motion* though with his Eyes open, unlefs fome cold 
Water be applied to the Souls of his Feet, which recovers 
him, as it were, out of a found Sleep. 
Scarce any Portugueze or Meftize Women are feen to 
walk in the Streets ; but if they go abroad upon neceffary 
Occafions, they are carried in Palanquins, or Litters, and 
fo clofely guarded, that it is impoffible to fpeak to them. 
They appear abroad richly dreffed, in Velvets, Silks, and 
Brocades, adorned with Jewels, though at the fame time 
