'A New Account of East-India and Persia, in Eight Letters. Being Nine Years Travels, Begun 1672. And Finished 1681. Containing Observations made of the Moral, Natural, and Artificial Estate of Those Countries: Namely, of their Government, Religion, Laws, Customs. Of the Soil, Climates, Seasons, Health, Diseases. Of the Animals, Vegetables, Minerals, Jewels. Of their Housing, Cloathing, Manufactures, Trades, Commodities. And of the Coins, Weights, and Measures, Used in the Principal Places of Trade in Those Parts.' [‎42] (83/506)

A Twelve Mon
Letter I.
Sixteen arrive
2r Sufat.
War with
Holland.
The French
take Trirtcoma-
lai from the
Dutch.
St. Thomas
from the •
Moors,
fortify it.
Dutch come
againft it. .
The Viceroy
by a Strata
gem brings in
his Ship.
The French
Tally out uport
the Moors,
The Dutch
appear again.
In the (lead of the Viceroy deceafed, the now reigning fucceeded.
From thence they failed to Surat, where the Great endowed
them with Immunities of Traffick.
fn the mean while a fecond War betwixt Enqland and Holland was
fomented, in the which the French threw oft* the protecting the
Dutch, and Tided with his Majefty of Ettgland. When ntgleding
his newly hatch'd Fadtory at S^rat ( whether out of its not an«
fwxring his expectations, or his earneflnefs in profecuting \\\t HoU
landers by Sea as well as by Land, may be known by thofe that are
more intelligent in his Affairs at Home ), fenfeof Honour, obliged
his Fleet in the Eajl-Indies to New Adventures; and want of Money,
the Merchants at Surat to Trade upon the Credit of the French King.
With fourteen Sail of Ships they roved on the Coafis of Malahar
and ar lafl: came to the Iflind Ce'tlon, fetting upon the Dutch at Trin-
comala't, and forced it; but being deftirute of Provifions forfook it,
alter the iofs of abundance of their Men, and four of thdr Ships.
From whence they pafled along the Coaft of Corcmandel, and with
Ten Sail camd before St. Thomas, demanding Victuals of the Moors;
but they denying, they brought their Ships to bear upon thl Fort',
and landing fome (mall Pieces they ftormed it, driving the Moors to
thcfcarchof hew Dwellings. . 1.
After they had taken it, ^hey br^ke up their weather-beaten Vcflels,
and brought afhore their Ordnance, keeping their Trenches within,
and mounting it with the Sea without; they flill maintain it maugre
all the great Armies the King of Gulconda has fent agoinft it.
• ^ now the i8 lh Month of itsSiege, and the fourth yearof their
leaving France, Dutch Batavia^ in revenge of the Inroads the
French made on their Countrey at home, undertaking to vva}-
lay them, that no Suftenance might be brought to them by Sea,
came againft it with 20 Sail, Men of War, great Ships, fome
oi yx Brafs Guns apiece, well mann'd.
For all that, the Viceroy, who had then been gone out with four
Sail, but returning alone, got betwixt them and the Fort with his
finale Ship in the Night: The Device this; HeJeft his Light upon
a Catamaran, fo that they thought him at an Anchor without them,
ii ler ,i] '~ n ext MoJ'n he p!a>'d upon them from under the^Forc:
us Exploit, and the bruit of our Appr6ach, made them withdraw
t0 wk r 0r fre111 Recruits Men and Ammunition.
r u 11 1! 1 ^ ave t ^ e French encouragement to fally out upon the Moors
t they berore being beaten from their Works near the City, hadde-
camped Seven Miles off St.rwfj), and with an hand full of Med
pi age and iec fire to their Fents, foragins; the Countrey round
about, returning loaden with Spoils. -
Three da \s after our Ships departed, the Bat avians came again,
w- 1 ^ . nc ^ or over "againft St. Thomas v«kh their Flags flying; in
e cerno sn they received fome Shot from the French Fort and the
nips t at ay m the Road : The next day all but five weighed, who
^ ^ n 7 • ^ e ' 0i;e the y followed the reft to Polkat, a
^rong iO.vi o theirs, but 5-0 Miles Morth'oi us: Where we leave
r Kp* 1 ^ qk • ]and i n g 700 Men, to join with the Moors by Land, and
AnA r l S a 0 wait " pon ours ' u P on their repair for Fort St. George:
a a diitance becaufe too near an Intrufion w ould but exafpe-
rate