Title
A Voyage to the East Indies: Page 59
Description
Their sepoys make excellent Soldiers, are kept in high discipline, and seldom disent; they have now commission’d officers of their own, but all the commission’d officers are white Men. A Coolness has long prevail’d betwixt the military & civil Lines, the former of which are subordinate to the latter. This Coolness extends so far as even to affect a Young Man coming out in either Line . .
Up the Country are innumerable small settlements at which they manufacture Cloth, Muslins, Cambries etc. which, with precious stones, constitute the Export Trade of this Coast. Its Situation is very much against it, as a Place of Trade, as a violent surf always beats on the Beach, by which the Boats often overset, and never a Year passes without Lives being thus lost. It would be impossible for european Boats to land there without being Stove to Pieces, wherefore they have Boats constructed on Purpose, being sown together with Rope made of the Plantain Tree that they may give way to every wave. . There are a Set of Men at Madras call’d Juglars whose Feats are really curious & astonishing but some of them at the same Time disgusting, such as thrusting a naked sword, down their Throats, swallowing large Quantities of Hair etc. passing a crooked Instrument thro’ their Nostrils, which coming out at their Mouths they fasten a Fire Wheel to it and set it off. They likewise carry about snakes of various sizes and Kinds. [end page 59]
Up the Country are innumerable small settlements at which they manufacture Cloth, Muslins, Cambries etc. which, with precious stones, constitute the Export Trade of this Coast. Its Situation is very much against it, as a Place of Trade, as a violent surf always beats on the Beach, by which the Boats often overset, and never a Year passes without Lives being thus lost. It would be impossible for european Boats to land there without being Stove to Pieces, wherefore they have Boats constructed on Purpose, being sown together with Rope made of the Plantain Tree that they may give way to every wave. . There are a Set of Men at Madras call’d Juglars whose Feats are really curious & astonishing but some of them at the same Time disgusting, such as thrusting a naked sword, down their Throats, swallowing large Quantities of Hair etc. passing a crooked Instrument thro’ their Nostrils, which coming out at their Mouths they fasten a Fire Wheel to it and set it off. They likewise carry about snakes of various sizes and Kinds. [end page 59]
