A faccinB ffiftory of the Rife , Progrefs , and Book I. 
Saf -India Company were much too ftrong for the Portu- 
gueze in that Part of the World, and had in a ffiortTime, 
deprived them of their moft valuable Settlements ; yet, in 
the fVeJi- Indies the Portugueze were too hard for the Dutch , 
and had not only recovered Brazil out of their Hands, but 
were alfo in a fair Way of making {till greater Conquefts ; 
and befides all this, their Privateers were fo numerous, that 
the Dutch found their Trade in the Mediterranean , and on 
the Coaft of Africa, very precarious ; fo that notwithftand- 
ing the Advantages made in the Indies , they had no Reafon 
to defire the Continuance of the War. 
The Company however, as if they had been really So- 
vereigns within the Bounds of their Charter, took little or 
no Notice of the Peace ; fo that in the Year 1660, they 
attacked Ccidan on the Coaft of Malabar , and having redu- 
ced it, they next attacked Cananor on the fame Coaft ; of 
which, tho J with fome difficulty, they became Mafters ; 
and tho* their firft Defign was to have demoliffied the Place, 
and to have eftabliffied only a Faftory there ; yet, on fe- 
cond Thoughts, and when they came to confider the 
Conveniency and Importance of its Situation, they changed 
their Minds, and determined to repair their Fortifications, 
and keep it as a Settlement of their own. After the Re- 
duction of Cananor , they next proceeded to Cochin , a City 
of ftill greater Force and greater Confequence, as being a 
Biffiop’s See, and a Place of great Trade. The Dutch 
Commodore Goens met here with greater Refiftance than 
he expefted, and during a Siege of fome Continuance, 
loft a confiderable Number of his People ; but being re- 
folved to mafter it, coft what it would, he profecuted his 
Attempt with fuch Steadinefs, that at laft he prevailed ; 
and the Portugueze , who had loft a vaft Number of Men 
during the Siege, were conftrained to furrender the City 
into his Hands. 
When he was pofleffed of it however, he fcarce knew 
how to act, becaule on the one Hand he faw that the Pre« 
fervation of it was a Thing of great Confequence *, and, on 
the other, that it would require a very numerous Garrifon, 
and a great Expence, to put the Fortification into a proper 
repair : He apply’d himfelf therefore to the General and 
Council at Batavia , who immediately fent him Orders not 
to fpare for any Expence, either of Men or Money, but 
to pufh his Fortune to the utmoft ; and at the' Tame time 
they fent him this Meffage, they fent likewife a freffi Squa- 
dron and a confiderable Body of Troops on board it. 
This fo encouraged Commodore Goens , that he marched 
with his Forces by Land to attack the City of Porca , which 
was the Capital of a little Rajah or Indian Prince, who 
had been fubjeft to the Portugueze : But he not caring to 
difpute with thofe who had beat his Mafters, offered to 
become their Tributary, and to pay them the fame Obe- 
dience which he had formerly done to the Crown of Por- 
tugal , and this being as readily accepted as offered, put an 
End to the War on that Side. 
The City of Cranganor which is fituated between Calli- 
cut and Cochin , fell next into his Hands without a Blow; 
and thus in the Space of one Year, the Dutch expelled the 
Portugueze out of all the Places they held on the Coaft of 
Malabar , and acquired to themfelves a Territory of one 
Hundred and fifty Leagues in Length, with all the Trade 
belonging to it, and which the Portugueze had enjoyed 
without Interruption from the Time of their firft Settle- 
ment in India, They likewife contrafted Alliance with the 
Samorin of C alii cut, the King of Cochin , and other Indian 
Princes. 
They alfo laid hold of this Occafion, to fend a folemn 
Embaffy to Aurenzeb , who had juft mounted the Throne 
of the Mogul , by whom they were moft gracioufly received, 
and an Intercourfe of Friendffiip fettled between them : 
They took the fame Method with refpeft to all the Mo - 
narchs whole Dominions lay on the Gulph of Bengal , and 
with the fame Succefs. It was not long however, before 
they found fome Caufe to differ with the King of Siam : 
Upon which they withdrew their Faftories out of his Do- 
minions, which fo alarmed that Prince, that he imme- 
diately fent Deputies to Batavia , to know the Caufe ; which 
the Council fignified to him by a very refpeftful Letter : 
On receiving which, he fent an Ambaffador to invite them 
back on the ftrongeft Affurances, not only of Redrefs in 
4 
refpeft to the Grievances they complained of, but of any 
other that might happen in Procefs of Time ft and the 
Company accordingly re-fettled their Faftories at Siam and 
Ligor. 
Not long after the compofing thefe Differences, there 
arofe freffi Grounds of Complaint, but on the oppofite 
Side ; for the Crew of a Dutch Bark murdered thirty- five 
Siamefe in cold Blood, after having raviflied their Wives 
and Daughters. But before the Inhabitants or their Mo- 
narch had Time to complain, the Dutch Council at Ma- 
lacca caufed the Offenders to be apprehended ; four of 
whom they broke alive upon the Wheel, and five they 
hang’d ; which gave fuch Satisfaction to the Natives, that 
they never heard any more of this Matter. 
In the midft of all thofe Succeffes, they could not forget 
the Lofs of Formofa , or the Overtures made by the Empe- 
ror of the Tartars in China, for reftoring to them that 
Place. There was the greater Reafon to expeft that this 
Monarch would aft fincerely with them, becaufe Coxenga, 
not fatisfied with Formofa and its Dependencies, had aftually 
made himfelf Mafter of feveral Iflands on the Coaft of 
China , and fome Towns upon the Continent. On the 
Affurances therefore given them by Mr. Barely who was 
their Ambaffador to the Emperor, they fitted out a great 
Fleet, confifting of no lefs than feventeen Sail of large 
Ships, under the Command of Balthafar Berth, with Or- 
ders to join the Tartars , and to aft with the utmoft Vigour 
againft Coxenga. On his Arrival on the Coaft of China , 
he found that Conqueror in Poffeffion of the Ifland of 
Pfuemoy, which the Tartars with all their Force were not 
able to take from him. Th t Dutch Commodore obferving, 
that the principal Fortrefs in this Ifland ftood upon the Sea- 
Coaft, refolved to try whether it was not poffible to take it 
by A (fault •, fuppofing that this would not only ftrike a 
Terror into the Enemy, but alfo raife the Credit of the 
Dutch Army with th ^Tartars ; but he quickly found, upon 
Trial, that the Soldiers of Coxenga did not at all refemble 
any of the Chinefe that he had feen, for they gave him fo 
warm a Reception, that he was very Toon obliged to abandon 
his Defign. 
He next determined to attack their Fleet, while the Ge- 
neral of the Tartars engaged their Forces on Shore ; to 
which the latter confented. This Fleet of Coxenga’s con- 
fifted of Fourfcore large Juncks, and T wenty final! ones, 
all full of Soldiers and Seamen, and very well provided 
with Brafs Cannon. The Battle was very obftinate and 
bloody, and Coxenga diftinguiffied himfelf as a gallant 
Soldier, an experienced Seaman, and a great Captain : But 
the Dutch large Ships tore his Juncks to Pieces, fo that 
after an Engagement which lafted for feveral Hours, he 
was forced to retire ; but he did it in Order and with a 
good Countenance. The Tartar General before the Battle, 
began to draw up his Forces in a regular Line, and while 
it lafted, looked on very quietly : After all was over, he 
expoftulated this Matter a little warmly; but the Tartar 
General anfwered. That he could not prevail upon his 
Men to fight ; but in cafe the Dutch would attack the Ene- 
my a fecond Time, he believed they would behave better. 
Admiral Borth took his Word, and attacked the Fleet of 
Coxenga a fecond Time, and routed them entirely : But 
the Tartar General was ftill a Speftator as before. This 
Viftory however, was of greater Confequence than the for- 
mer, fince it not only coft Coxenga all his new Conquefts, 
but his Life. 
The Tartars laid hold of this Opportunity to demoliffi 
the Fortreffes they had raifed as faft as they left them, and 
the Dutch were very brilk in carrying off whatever they 
met with that was valuable. After this they made them- 
felves Mafters of the Ifland of Amoy , and the Recovery of 
Formofa was looked upon as a Thing certain ; yet when 
they came to attempt it, they were ftrangely difappointed ; 
for old Souja, who had now recovered his Liberty, drew 
together the Fleet and Army of his Nephew, and difpofed 
every thing in fuch a Manner that there was nothing to be 
done but by Force, and even of doing any thing that way 
there was great Uncertainty. The oid Chinefe however, 
being a Man of great Wifdom and Experience, was not 
willing to rifque all, if all might be faved without running 
any Hazard, and therefore had a mind to make Peace 
with 
