I. 
B_gft Obfervations, &c. by Dr. James Cunningham, Book 
Thefe are certainly very furprizing and entertaining 
Paflfages, which carry in them ftrdng Marks of that En- 
thufiafm, which is the Charadteriftick of the Eaftern Ge- 
nius; and which, however wild and extravagant it may 
appear to us in this Fart of the World, has in it, never- 
thelefs, fomething fo finking to fuch as behold it, even tho’ 
Europeans- , that they fall into it by Degrees, and are content 
to adopt the Humour of the Indians , under another Name, 
and for many pretended Reafons. As a Proof of this, we 
need only remark, that the Mohammedan Lords of the 
Mogul's Court, not only allow, but encourage their Wo- 
men to die with them, as a Mark of Affection. It is true, 
that they don’t do this publickly, and in the Sight of the 
Sun, as the Indians do ; but when a Mohammedan Lord dies, 
his Women, the Night after they have paid their Duty at 
the Luneral of the Deceafed, affemble together in fome 
private Part of his Palace at a Diftance from the reft of 
the Building, and out of the Hearing, as much as may be, 
of the Servants ; and there they fet Lire to the Room, 
having firft fecured the Doors, and fo perifh in the Llames. 
In all Probability, this Cuftom has been introduced 
amongft the Mohammedans from a Principle of Vanity, 
flowing from a Defire to fhew that they are not lefs be- 
loved by their Indian Wives, than the Indians themfelves, 
of which, indeed, it is not eafy for them to obtain a 
ftronger Proof than this. 
It is likewife indifputably clear, from our Author’s 
Difcourfe, that the high Spirit and invincible Courage of 
the Indians , both Men and Women, is far enough from 
being extinguifhed ; but then we ought to make a right 
Judgment of the Motive from whence this proceeds. In 
the Men it ftill rifts from Principle and from the Didates 
of Reafon, whether well or ill employed, I fhall not pre- 
tend to fay : But, in the Women, it is, in fome meafure, 
the Effedl of Habit, and, in fome meafure, the Confe- 
quence of Defpair. They fee frequent Examples of Wo- 
men who end their Lives in this Manner, and are highly 
applauded for it. This draws them on to merit the fame 
Praifes, by fhewing the fame Intrepidity. On the other 
hand, they fee Numbers of their Sex, who decline this 
dreadful Trial, reduced to Want and Infamy, and they 
fee no Road open for them to efcape both ; which, as it 
were, drives them to this defperate Refolution of deftroy- 
ing themfelves ; fince they feem thereby, of two great 
Evils to chufe the leaft, which is a glorious Death, rather 
than a Life of Mifery and Contempt. We may from 
hence fairly conclude, that if the true and genuine Doc^ 
trine of the Chriftian Faith were inftilled into the Minds 
of thefe People, they might be brought to make as great a 
Figure in the World as ever their Anceftors did ; and how 
great that was, we have in the preceding Sections, from 
the Momorials left us in feveral Languages, very fully fhewn. 
SECTION XXXI. 
Obfervations and Remarks made during his Refidence on the IJland of Chufan, on the Coajl 
of China, by DoBor James Cunningham, Phyfcian to the Englifh FaBory at that 
Place . 
From his own Accounts. 
I. An introductory Account of the Author , and of the Opportunities he had to come to a true Knowledge of the 
Falls he mentions . 2. An Account of the Voyage to , and a difinSi Defcription of the If and of Chufan. 
3. Of the ancient and modern State of the Country , and the coming of the Englifh to refide there. 4. Of 
their Manner of cultivating Pea in that If and, a?td of feveral Mi fakes made by F. le Compte, and 
F. Martini. 5. Op the Chinefe Agriculture, and the Manner in which the Inhabitants ?nake Salt in Chu- 
fan. 6. Of the famous medicinal Root Hu-chu-u, which prolongs Life, and retards old Age. y. Dr . 
Cunningharn’r Removal to Pulo Condore, with the Rife , Progrefs, and Ruin of that Fadlory. 8. Occa- 
fion of eflablijhing a new Fadiory at Pulolout, of which Dr. Cunningham became Chief 9. The 
Caufes of the total Overthrow of that Fadiory, and the Englifh Trade to Borneo. 
1 . Y hi the Accounts we have hitherto given of the Dif- 
i covery, of the paft,and prefent Situation of the In dies, 
JL we have made Ufe chiefly of foreign Writers, not 
that we prefer them to our own Countrymen, who have tra- 
velled into thofe Parts ; but becaufe, in a Colledlion of this 
Nature, it feemed reafonable to include the Works of 
fuch Authors as were leaft known to the Bulk of our 
Readers. But, to avoid all Sufpicion of Partiality, and 
that, at the fame time, we may fhew that we have not 
been at all negligent in confulting either the old Travel- 
lers or the new, of fuch of the Britijh Nation as have vi- 
fited thefe diftant Climates, we will add a few Inftances of 
their Care and Diligence, in obferving and recording what 
appeared to ( them moft worthy of Notice in the Countries 
into which they were led, either to fatisfy their Curioftty, 
or in Purfuit of Bufinefs. 
We will begin with the Remarks made by Dodtor 
James Cunningham, Fellow of the Royal Society, and Phy- 
fician to the Englijh Factory fettled at Chufan in China. 
He was a Man diftinguifhed both by his naturalParts, and 
by the Accomplifhments he had acquired, being equally 
well verfed in ancient and modern Learning; and, at the 
fame time, a Perfon, who, from his own Diligence, had 
obtained all the Lights that are afforded by Experience. 
Of thefe great Qualities he has left us fufficient Teftimo- 
ny in two Letters of his writing during his Employment 
in the Service of the Eaft-India Company ; and which are 
fo much the more valuable, as they plainly manifeft an In- 
4 
tention not to copy what others had written, or reported, 
but to fet down his own Obfervations, and thereby de- 
fcribe Things as they appeared to him ; nay, and not 
only fo, but to examine and corredt the Miftakes of others, 
which he was the more capable of doing, for two Rea- 
fons ; firft, becaufe he confined himfelf entirely to what 
fell under his immediate Infpedlion : And, next, becaufe 
he writes on fuch Subjedts only as belonged to his Profef- 
fion, in which he mull, of Neceflity, be a better Judge 
than another Man, however learned or intelligent, who 
had not made thofe Things his Study. In this refpecl, 
indeed, I muft affirm, that the Writers of our own 
Country are very much to be preferred to thofe of other 
Nations, becaufe, if their Relations be lefs extenfive, and 
poffibly alfo lefs entertaining ; yet they are written with 
greater Care and Circumfpedtion, as well as a more than 
ordinary Regard to Truth. This I fay in general only, 
and not with any View to injure or raile the Credit of par- 
ticular Perfons. But, to come to the Point ; the firft of 
thefe Letters was written in the Month of September , 
1701, to a Member of th z Royal Society , and follows in the 
Author’s own Words. 
2. My laft to you was from the Eland of Borneo, in 
which I gave you an Account of our A rival there the 
17th of July, where we flayed but two Days, the Seafon 
of the Year being fo far paft ; and from thence made the 
beft of our Way through the Straits of Banda , with fa- 
vourable Winds and Weather, till we came on the Coaft 
