836 The Roads to the feveral Roads of India^ Book L 
Town hath good Walls, with Towers, and great Guns, 
and the 10 e is walled round with Gates towards the Land, 
to hinder the Slaves from running away. The Portugueze 
have a Viceroy redding here, with an Archbifhop, Inqui- 
sitor General, and Abundance of Clergymen, as Domini- 
cans, Auftin-Friars, Francifcans, bare-foot Carmelites, 
Jefuits, and Capuchins. The Carmelites are feated in a 
fine Air, and healthy Ground ; the Jefuits have a College, 
which being dedicated to St. Paid , gives them the Name 
of Pauhfts , with a Seminary, Profeffor’s Houfe, Noviciate, 
and an Houfe called the Good Jefus , where they paint ad- 
mirably. There are alfo many fair Churches, and beau- 
tiful Palaces. 
In this City lies buried F. Alberquerque . , who conquered 
it for the Portugueze , and Saint Francis Xavier , the famous 
Indian Miffionary. The Hofpital of Goa was formerly the 
inoft famous in all India , both in regard that the Revenues 
were very great, and the fick Perfons were very carefully 
looked after ; but Once the Change of Government, there 
is but very bad Accommodations, and feveral Europeans , 
who have been put in, have never come out but in their 
Coffins ; but of late they have found out a Way to fave 
fome, by frequent Blood-letting, fpare Diet, and drinking 
Cow’s Pifs. 
16. From Goa you go to Bicholly, which is upon the 
Continent, and fo to Vifiapour. This City is the Metro- 
polis of a Kingdom of the fame Name, whofe King is the 
moll potent of all the Kings of Decan , and is therefore 
called King of Decan , having under him the two Naiques 
of Madura , whofe Territories reach to Cape Comurio and 
Tcmjahar , who has feveral Towns on the Coafts of Coro- 
mandel tributary to him. It is a great fcambling City, 
above five Leagues in Circumference, fortified with, a dou- 
ble Wall, and a great many Cannons mounted, and a flat- 
bottomed Ditch. The King’s Palace is very large, but ill 
built, and the Accefs to it is very dangerous, in regard 
there are an Abundance of Crocodiles in the Ditch, with 
which it is encom palled •, but in the City itfelf there is no- 
thing remarkable as to the publick Edifices or Trade, tho* 
in the Suburbs, which are large, there are feveral Gold- 
fmiths and Jewellers. The King of Vifiapour hath three 
good Ports in his Dominions, Raj ap our , Daboult , and Ca- 
rapatan. This laft is the bell, having fourteen or fifteen 
Fathom Water near the Land, and upon the Top of the 
Mountain adjoining a Fort with a Spring of Water in it. 
It lies about five Days Journey to the North of Goa. 
The Kings of Vifiapour and Golconda were formerly tribu- 
tary to the Great Mogul, but now they are abfolute of 
themfelves. The prefect King of Vifiapour , was only the 
adopted Child of the former King, who died without Chil- 
dren, he fucceeded in his Minority under the Regency of 
the Queen •, but being difturbed by the Revolt of Rajah 
Sevagi , the Son of the late King’s Captain of his Guards, 
he was forced to come to a Compofition with him to efta- 
blifii himfelf, and fo loft all the Coafts of Malabar. 
The great Market, where the King of Vifiapour fells his 
Pepper, is at Rebeque. In the Territories of Vifiapour is 
Mingrela , a large Town, extended half a League in 
Length upon the Sea-coaft ; it is one of the bell Roads in 
all India, where all the Veffels that come from Batavia , 
Japan , Bengal, Ceilon , and thofe that are bound for Surat, 
Ormuz, the Red-Sea, Balfara , &c. both coming and going, 
anchor and take in Provifions, becaufe there is both 
excellent Water and Rice. This Town alfo is very famous 
for Cardamums, which the Eaftern People efteem above all 
Spices *, but not being to be had in any other Country, are 
very fcarce and dear. There is alfo made great Store of 
coarfe Calicuts that are fpent in the Country, and great 
Quantities of coarfe Matting, which Serves for packing up 
of Goods. The Dutch have a Factory for Trade and Pro- 
vifions here, to victual their Ships when they block up Goa, 
which is eight Months in the Year. 
17. From Vifiapour you pafs to Golconda , which is four 
hundred Leagues crofs the Promontory. The moft power- 
ful of the Kings of Decan next to the King of Vifiapour , is 
the King of Golconda ; his Kingdom is bounded on the Haft 
by the Sea of Bengal, on the Weft by the Mountains of 
Orixa , on the South by Bifnagar and Narijingue, which 
belongs to the King cfi Vifiapour, and on the Weft by the 
~ -A 
... • y 
Empire of the Great Mogul. This whole Kingdom, take 
it in general, is a good Country, abounding in Corn, Rice, 
Cattle, Sheep, Poultry, and other Neceffaries for human 
Life, and becaufe there are many Lakes. There are alfo 
many Fiffi, and among others a fort of Smelts, which has 
but one Bone in the Middle, which is moft delicious Food, 
the Lakes being caufed by Nature, and lying in Places 
Somewhat raifed, contribute much to the Fertility of the 
Country, becaufe after the rainy Seafons they let them 
down by Sluices into the adjacent Fields. The capital City 
of the Kingdom is Banagar ; the Perfians call it Aider-abad, 
but the moft common Name is Golconda. It is about four- 
teen or fifteen Leagues from Vifiapour, Situated in 17° 10' 
Latitude, in a very long Plain, hemmed in with little Hills 
at fome Diftance from it. The Air is very wholefome, 
and a great River wafhes the Wall of it on the South-weft 
Side, which, near to Mafslipatan , fails into the Gulph of 
Bengal. 
The City is well built, and full of Windows. In enter- 
ing into it, you muft firft pafs through a large Suburb, but 
the Houfes are only built of Earth, and thatched with 
Straw, fo low, and ill contrived, that they can be reckoned 
little better than Huts. It is at leaft a League in Length, 
and in it dwell all the Merchants, Brokers, Handicrafts- men, 
and all meaner fort of People. Thefe Men are allowed to 
go into the City from ten or eleven in the Morning till four 
or five o’Clock in the Afternoon with the Foreign Mer- 
chants, and then they return to their Houfes. In thofe 
Suburbs are two or three fair Mofques, which ferve for 
Inns for Travellers, and feveral Pagods in the Neighbour- 
hood. The Way to the Fortrefs of Golconda lies through 
thofe Suburbs; out of them you go into the City over a 
moft beautiful Stone Bridge, and enter into a large Street 
that leads to the King’s Palace. On the right Hand are 
fome Houfes of the Lords of the Court, and four or five 
Inns two Stories high, with fair Halls, and large Cham- 
bers to let in the frefh Air. 
At the End of this Street is a large Piazza on which the 
Palace fronts, and in the Middle of the Building is the 
Balcony, wherein the King fits when he pleafeth to give 
Audience to the People. The Gate of the Palace ftands 
not upon this Piazza, but upon another near adjoining. 
Through it you enter into a large Court, furrounded with 
Portico’s, under which lie the King’s Guards. Out of this 
Court you pafs into another, built after the fame manner, 
and furrounded with feverai Apartments, with terraffed 
Roofs, on which are very fair Gardens, and Trees in them, 
of a great Bignefs. The whole Palace is three hundred 
and eighty Paces in Length, and ends in a very lofty Pa- 
villion. The Walls are built of great Stones, and have at 
certain Diftances half Towers. It is very pleafant within, 
and the Water rifes up to the higheft Apartments. No 
Man enters into the Palace without an exprefs Order from 
the King, who grants it very feldom ; fo that fcarce any 
body comes near it. 
At the End of the Palace is a Building, called the Four 
Towers, which has the moft lovely Outfide of any thing in 
the Town, being adorned with Rofes and Feftons pretty 
well cut. In each Tower is four Galleries, which ferve to 
make the Water mount into a Refervatory on the Top, 
from whence it is conveyed into the higheft Apartments of 
the King’s Palace through Pipes. There are feveral Meidans 
in the Town, but the faireft is that before the King’s Pa- 
lace. It hath two Divans, which ferve for the Cotoual, 
who has his Prifons under them. The Palace is on the 
North of it, and there is a Portico over-againft it, where 
the Muficians play feveral times a Day, while the King is 
in the Town in the Middle of it; and in Sight of the Pa- 
lace is a Space for the fighting of Elephants. The City 
for the moft part is inhabited by Perfons of Quality, Of- 
ficers of the King’s Court of Juftice, and of the Army, 
and their Houfes are pretty enough. Three Miles from 
the City ftands a very fair Mofque, wherein are the Tombs 
of the Kings of Golconda , and about four o’clock in the 
Afternoon there is a Dole of Bread and Rice given to all, 
the Poor that come. Upon Feftival Days all the Tombs are ' 
hung with rich Tapeftry, and then they are a moft glori- 
ous Sight. There are many fair Gardens in the Town, and 
near it ; but their Beauty confifts not in Flowers, or Water- 
