The six voyages of John Baptista Tavernier, Baron of Aubonne through Turky, into Persia and the East-Indies, for the space of forty years : giving an account of the present state of those countries, viz. of the religion, government, customs, and commerce of every country, and the figures, weight, and value of the money currant all over Asia : to which is added A new description of the Seraglio / made English by J.P. ; added likewise, A voyage into the Indies, &c. by an English traveller, never before printed ; publish'd by Dr. Daniel Cox

CHAP. XVI. The Road from Goa to Maslipatan through Cochin, here describ'd in the story of the taking of that City by the Hollanders.

AFter the Dutch had dispossess'd the Portugals of whatever they had in Cey∣lan, they cast their eyes upon Cochin, in the Territories whereof grows the Bastard Cinnamon, which hinder'd the utterance of Ceylan Cinnamon. For the Merchants seeing that the Hollanders kept up their Cinnamon so dear, bought up that of Cochin, which they had very cheap; and that coming into request, was transported to Gomron, and distributed there among the Merchants that came from Persia, from Tartary, from Moscovia, from Georgia, Mingrela, and all the places upon the black Sea. It was also carried away in great quantities by the Merchants of Balsara and Bagdat, who furnish Arabia; as also by the Merchants of Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Constantinople, Romania, Hungary, and Po∣land: For in all those Countries, they use it either whole or beaten in most of their meats, to heighten the taste thereof.

The Army which was commanded out of Batavia for the Siege of Cochin, landed at a place call'd Belli-Porto; where the Hollanders had a Fort made of Palm-Trees. It is near to Cranganor, a small City which the Hollanders took the year before; not being able to take Cochin then though they had made some attempts upon it. So soon as the Army landed, they murch'd within Cannon-shot of the City, there being a River between them and the City. That part where the Hollanders encamp'd, is call'd Belle-Epine, where after they had fortifi'd themselves, as well as the Nature of the place would permit, they rais'd some Batteries, which could not much annoy the City, by reason of the distance. They lay there till they had recruits of more men; for they had but three Ships full, though he that commanded them were one of the bravest Captains of his time. Some few days after, the Governour of Amboyna ar∣riv'd with two Ships more, and afterwards a Dutch Captain brought a great number of Chinglas, who are the Natives of the Island of Ceylan. For the Forces of the Hollander would not be so considerable as they are, did they not make use of the Natives of the Country to fill up the Companies which they bring out of Europe. The Natives of Ceylan, are good for digging Trenches, and raising Batteries, but for a Storm they signifie little. Those of Amboyna are good Soldiers, four hundred of which were left at Belle-Epine. The Body of the Army took Shipping again, and landed near to Cochin, not far from a Church dedicated to St. Andrew; where the Portugals, with certain Malavares, seem'd to have stay'd ashore for the Hollanders coming: But seeing the Enemy to land with so much resolution, they only gave them one Volly and retreated. In their March the Hollanders descry'd certain Companies of Portugueses near the Sea-shore, others somewhat farther up in the Land, in a Church call'd St. Johns. Thereupon they sent out some Horsemen to discover their number; but the Portugals still retreated, after they had set fire to the Church. Thereupon the Hollanders made their approaches to the Town; and after they had besieg'd it for some time, a French Soldier, who was under their pay, seeing a Pannier ty'd at the end of a Cord, hanging over one of the Bastions, ventur'd not∣withstanding all the Bullets that flew about his Ears, to see what was in it. But he was strangely surpriz'd, to find nothing but a languishing infant, which the Mother had hung there, that she might not see it perish for hunger. The Soldier mov'd to compassion, took the Infant and gave it such as he had to eat; at which the Dutch General was so incens'd, saying that the Soldier should have let the Infant perish, that he call'd a Council of War, where he would have had the Soldier run the Gauntlet, which was very cruel; but the Coun∣cil, moderating the sentence, condemn'd him only to the Strappado.

The same day ten Soldiers out of every Company were commanded to go to one of the Houses of the King of Cochin; but they found no body there,

having plunder'd it the year before. At which time the Hollanders slew four Kings of the Country, and six hundred Blacks; nor did there escape but only one ancient Queen, who was taken alive by a common Soldier, call'd Van Rez, whom the Commander of the Army made a Captain immediately, for his re∣ward. They left one Company in that House; but the Queen stay'd there but six days, for they gave her into the custody of Savarin, one of the most potent of the petty Kings upon that Coast, to whom the Hollanders had promis'd to give the City of Cranganor, if they took Cochim, provided he would be faith∣ful to them.

Six weeks pass'd ere any thing considerable was done; but then the Hol∣landers, storming the Town by night, were repuls'd, and lost abundance of men, slain and taken Prisoners, through the Governour of Cranganors fault, who commanded them, and was drunk when the assault was made. Two months after, the General of the Hollanders resolv'd to make another assault in the same place; and because he would not want men, he sent for those that lay upon the side of Belle-epine. But by misfortune the Frigat struck upon the Sands, and splitting, abundance of the Soldiers were drown'd. They that could swim, got to land near Cochin, not finding any other place convenient, and were all taken Prisoners by the Portugals, being not above ten in all, Soldiers and Mariners. The General however would not give over the assault, but causing the Sea-men to land, he arm'd some with half-Pikes, others with Swords, to others he gave hand-Granadoes, and about ten a Clock in the morning he began the assault, with four Companies, consisting each of a hundred and fifty men. The Hollanders lost abundance of men in this last assault, and so did the Portu∣gueses, for they defended themselves stoutly, being seconded by two hundred Soldiers, who were all Dutch-men, tho they sided with the Portugueses, because their Countrymen had bated them six months and a half pay for the loss of Touan. Without the assistance of these Soldiers, the City had never held out two months, there being among them one of the best Dutch Engineers of his time, who had left his Countrymen by reason of their ill usage of him.

At length the Hollanders having enter'd the Town toward evening, on Cali∣vete side, and being Masters of the chief Bulwark, the Portugals came to a Capitulation, and the City was surrender'd. The Portugals by their Articles march'd out of Cochin with their Arms and Baggage; but when they came out of the City where the Hollanders were drawn up in Battalia, they were all forc'd to quit their Arms, and to lay them at the Generals feet; except the Officers, who kept their Swords. The General had promis'd the Soldiers the Pillage of the Town, but not being able to keep his word, for several plausible reasons which he told, he promis'd them six months pay, which in a few days after was reduc'd to eight Roupies a man. Samarin also demanded of him the City of Cranganor, according to his promise; which the General made good; but he caus'd all the Fortifications to be slighted first, and left Samarin nothing but the bare Walls. For being of a very mean Extraction, he was naturally as cruel and barbarous in his disposition. One time the Soldiers being so put to it for four days together, that they could get no food for money, two of them had somewhere taken a Cow and kill'd her; for which the General, when he came to know of it, caus'd one of them to be hang'd immediately, and had or∣der'd the other to have run the Gauntlet, had not King Perca interceded for him.

King Perca was a petty King of that Country, with whom the General was then in Treaty; and the Treaty being at length concluded, the General muster'd all his Land and Sea-men, to the number of about six thousand men. A few days after, he sent some Companies to besiege the City of Cananor, which sur∣render'd without any resistance. When they return'd, the General caus'd a Crown to be made for the new King of Cochin, the other being expell'd his Country. And upon the day which he had appointed for this most solemn Coronation, the Ge∣neral sat upon a kind of a Throne, at the foot whereof, a Malavare or Pirat, being led thither between three Captains of each side, fell upon his knees to receive the Crown from the Generals hand, and to do homage for a petty Kingdom, that is to say, the little City of Cochin and its Territories, which

were very small. The King and the King-maker were both alike. For no doubt it could not but be a pleasant sight, to see a Hollander, that had been only the Cook of a Ship, crowning a miserable Pirat with those hands that had oft'ner handled a Ladle than a Sword.

In the mean time the Ships that carried the Inhabitants of Cochin to Goa, return'd laden with the spoils of those distressed people; for contrary to the Articles of Capitulation, the Hollanders were no sooner out at Sea, but they took from those poor Creatures whatever they had, rifling both men and women, without any regard to sex or modesty.

The General being return'd into Batavia, they sent a Governour to Cochin, who to make the place the stronger, demolish'd a great part of the City. But this Governour us'd the greatest rigor imaginable, even towards the Soldiers; he shut them up in the City as if they had been in a Prison; nor could they drink either Wine, or Sury, or Strong-water, by reason of the great Imposts which he laid upon them. (Sury is a drink which flows from the Palm-trees.) So that when the Portugueses kept Cochin, men might live better for five or six Sous, than under the Hollander for ten. This Governour was so severe, that he would banish a man for the smallest fault in the world, to the Island of Cey∣lan, to a place where they made Brick, sometimes for five or six years, some∣times as along as the party liv'd. For it is oftentimes observ'd, that when any one is banish'd thither, though the sentence be only for a term of years, yet the Exile never obtains his freedom afterwards.