4 
0 
ries o 
INDIES 
ip 
never have any Rain but in June and but Rice is 
produced in vail Quantities, which fupplies the People 
both .with Meat and Drink :; They have alfo good Aqua 
Vita, or Strong- Waters. Their Fruits are excellent, by t 
all different from ours. Their Palms bear larger Nuts 
than in any Part of Afia \ they are as big as a Man’s 
Hand, and Ihaped like a Cocoa, the Pulp is as white as 
Snow, and taftes like our Almonds, and every one yields a 
confiderable Quantity of Liquor very pleafing to the Pa- 
late. The Gogovier, which refembles our Laurel, is of 
two forts, the one bears a Plumb, green without and red 
within, but the other a yellower Fruit, which is much 
more efteemed. The Papager bears a Fruit like a final! 
Melon, and the Tafte is very delicious. The Arraga, 
which grows upright and tall, like the Maft of a Ship, 
bears Branches only at the Top, and the Fruit is like a 
Nutmeg j they bruife it with Beetle and Chalk, which 
they chew to jmake their Teeth white, Lips vermilion, 
and Breath fweet. 
They have Figs of two forts, the one like ours, the 
others like thofe called Adam's Figs, as long as a Man’s 
Finger. They have a Tree like our Willow, called the 
Powder-tree, becaufe of the Wood burnt into Charcoal, 
they make Gun-powder. The Janbagels grow very high, 
and bear a Fruit refembling a Citrul-Cucumber, which 
has a Pulp like a Pomegranate, and is very pleafant in the 
hot Seafons. Their High- ways are planted with Warr- 
trees, which are a great Convenience for Travellers ; for 
fome of them are fo big that two or three thoufand Men 
might fhelter themfelves under them, fome of their 
Branches being three hundred Paces long, and fupported 
at every twelve Foot with under Branches, which, having 
taken Root, fupport them like fo many Pillars : The Nuts 
.of them, :i which are no bigger than a Walnut, have a Ker- 
nel like Millet, which jferves only for Food for theRere- 
Mice, which make their Neffs there. They have Bodies 
as big as a Pullet, and the Portugueze prefer them before 
it. They have a certain fort of Birds-nefts, as big as a 
Swallow’s, which they diffolvc in Water for Sauces to all 
their Delicacies ; they give a Flavour above all the Spices 
of the Eajt-Indies put together ; they are found only in 
the four Iflands belonging to Cochin-China. The Tunqui- 
nefe alfo catch abundance of Tortoifes in their Seas, which 
they not only efteem excellent Food, and think they can- 
not treat their Friends as they ought to do without them, 
but pickle them up, and fend them abroad, which caufes 
a Trade among them. Tunquin affords a mighty Store of 
Ananas, and Orange-trees, which are of two forts, the 
one no bigger than Apricots, the other bigger than Por- 
tugal Oranges, both well tafted alike, and plentiful for fix 
Months. Their Citrons, which are both green and yel- 
low, are too tart to be eaten, but the Juice is made life of 
to clean fe Copper, Tin, and Iron, for gilding, as alfo to 
feourSilk, whiten Linnen, and take out Spots. 
In Mogulifian they will make their Calicuts fo white with 
the Juice of thefe Citrons, as to dazzle your Eyes. Great 
Quantities of Silk are made in this Country, of which 
both Rich and Poor make their Garments *, and the Hol- 
landers tranfport many into China . They have but one 
fweet- fuelling Flower, called the Bague, which grows 
like a Nofegay. They have abundance of Sugar, and eat 
very much after their Meals for Digeftion, but they eat it 
out of the Cane, not having the true Art to refine it. In 
this whole Kingdom there are neither Lions, Affes, nor 
Sheep, but theft Forefts are full of Tygers, Harts, and 
Apes, and their Fields of Oxen, Cows, and Hogs, Hens, 
Ducks, and Turtles, which are the general Provifions of 
their Feafts, are numberlefs. Their Horfes are well 
Ihaped, and the King always keeps five or fix hundred of 
them in his Stables. Their Elephants are of a prodigious 
Bignefs | there are none fo tall and nimble in all Aft a. 
The King keeps five or fix hundred of them for his Ser- 
vice in his Palace, and Wars. They have no Cats, but 
their Dogs deffroy their Rats and Mice, which are very 
large and mifchievous. They have very few Birds, but 
fuch Multitudes of Gnats, that they are very troublefome 
at Nights, as well by their Noife as Stinging ; they drive 
them away by the Smoak of Rice-Chaff : But the greateft 
Inconvenience of the Country are the white EmmetSjWhofe 
4 
Biting rifes Biifters oft the Skinj for their Teeth are fo iharp* 
that they will gnaw a Poft in two in a little Time, and eat 
a Bale of Silk in twenty-four Hours* as if it Were cut in 
two. 
They have no Mines of Gold or Silver in Tunquin, nei- 
ther do they coin any Money. The chief Commodities 
of this Country are, beitd.es the Silk above-mentioned. 
Lignum- Aloes, of Which there are fome worth a thoufand 
Crowns the Pound, being oily and good : All the Moham- 
medans ufe it to perfume their Boards and Rooms at Vifits, 
and therefore the Portugueze of Goa fent, as a rare Prefenfc 
to the Emperor of Japan , a Piece of Lignum- Aloes fix 
Foot long and round, worth 54000 Livres. The Tun- 
quinefe are very faithful in their Dealings, very unlike their 
Neighbours the Chinefe , who will cheat you if they can ; 
and if they are at any Time over-reached, will pay in light 
Money, for they are blunt and plain. Having no Money* 
they make ufe in Trade of Ingots of Gold, and Bars of 
Silver, which they have from China and Japan for their 
Silks. They are worth from three to fix hundred Livres, 
and therefore in fmall Payments they either cut them in 
Pieces, or pay. in Spanijh Reals. 
The Forces of this King for War is prodigious ; his ufudl 
Army is 12000 Horfe, 2000 Elephants, as well to carry the 
King’s and Nobilities Tents and Baggage as for the Service 
of the Wars 300,000 Foot and 300 Gallics, and fometimes 
the amount is 500,000 Men. The Condition of the Sol- 
diers is very toilfome and laborious ; they are always upon 
the Guard, or attending their Captains in looking after the 
King’s Elephants, and fo breeding them that they need 
not be afraid of Fire, or in building Places of Shelter for 
the King’s Gallies in Winter ; yet their Wages are fo 
fmall that they cannot maintain their Wives and Families, 
but their Wives are forced to follow fome Trade to fup- 
port them. Their Companies conftft of an hundred, or an 
hundred and thirty Men, and the Soldiers are obliged 
to keep all their Arms very neat and bright. The People 
of Tunquin are naturally mild and peaceable, fubmitting 
eafily to Reafon, and condemning the Tranfports of 
Anger, and other Paffions. 
They efteem the Manufactures of other Countries more 
than their own, yet love to live at home, and honour the 
Memories of their Anceftors : Their Speech is foft, and 
pleafing, they have good Memories, and are fluent in their 
Difcourfe. They have good Poets among them,* and their 
People generally love Learning ; both Men and Women 
are well proportioned, but of an olive Complexion, and 
therefore much admire the Whitenefs of the Europeans . 
Their Hair is black, and they wear it very long, and well 
combed and tied upon the Crown of their Heads, or about 
their Necks, to keep it from fluttering into their Eyes. The 
blackeft Teeth, and longeft Nails, they accounted the moll 
beautiful. Their Habit is grave and modeft, being a lono” 
Robe ; for both Sexes girt about with a filken Girdle, mixed 
with Gold and Silver. The Soldiers wear an upper Gar- 
ment, which reaches no farther than the Knees, and Breeches 
that go down to the Middle ; but have neither Hofe, nor 
Shoes. 
The common People, except where the King’s Court is* 
work three Months at the King’s Palace, and two Months 
for the Madams, or great Lords, the reft of the Year is 
left to work for themfelves and Families. One Day in the 
Year they are obliged to lop Trees to feed the Elephants. 
Their Rivers are free from Crocodiles, and other dangerous 
Animals, which haunt the Waters of the Nile and Ganges ; 
but yet once a Year they overflow their Banks, after the 
Rains, with that terrible Violence, that they carry away 
whole Towns and Villages along with them. 
TteTunquinefe cannot marry, without the Confent of their 
Parents ; and if they be dead, the Permiffion of their neareft 
Kindred, and the Allowance of the Governor of the Place 
where the Marriage is made ; for which the Man muff pay 
a certain Sum limited by Law. The People are very in- 
duftrious here, and all the Money the Maids get before 
Marriage is to buy them two or three handfome Garments, 
a Necklace of Coral, or yellow Amber, and Beads to gar- 
nifli their Locks, and for their Portions. There is no 
Wedding without a great Feaft, the poorer fort for three 
Days at leaft, if they are able, and others for nine. The 
Laws 
