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A53649 A voyage to Suratt in the year 1689 giving a large account of that city and its inhabitants and of the English factory there : likewise a description of Madiera, St. Jago, Annobon, Cabenda, and Malemba (upon the coast of by J. Ovington. Ovington, J. (John), 1653-1731. 1696 (1696) Wing O701; ESTC R26896 238,999 640

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Observation of Sea-men That a Tempest ceases about the same time generally that it does arise And because I am fallen upon this Subject I shall before I enter any farther upon Bombay give a brief Account of the Nature of these Mussouns in India A Description of the Mussouns This is the only proper Season of the Year for Rain which falls here with such violence and on all the Coasts of Malabar that it hinders all Navigation and puts a general stop to all Journeys by Land For during this time all the Land Carriages cease and all the Ships both European and Indian are laid up in Harbour It continues in these parts for the space of three or four Months The time of its Continuance from the latter end of May 'till the middle of September but in June and July do fall the most plentiful Showers and that sometimes without intermission for ten or fifteen days together It s Violence intercepting the appearance of either Sun or Star all that while The whole Hemisphere then is most sullenly Dark and the Sky over-cast with the thickest weighty Clouds so that the Earth seems rather inclosed within a huge Ocean of Water than only a few watry Clouds whose black and lowring Aspect is so very melancholy that it gives the fairest representation imaginable of the terrours of a second universal Deluge Sometimes in Three or Four Hours time such Showers fall from these full Clouds that the Currents run along the Streets swelled to that height that they are scare fordable on Horse-back After this Excess in July the Showers gradually decrease the Horizon clears up like the first dawning of the Day 'till at length the Heavens are all over Bright and the benighted Sun displays his vigour and banish'd Rays again The Bannians Offerings to the Ocean to appease it Then do the Bannians endeavour to appease the incensed Ocean by Offerings to its inraged Waves and in great plenty throw their gilded Coco-nuts into the Sea to pacifie its storms and Fury and render it peaceable and calm And after these Ceremonious Oblations are past the Oraculous Bramins declare safety to the Ships that will venture upon the Ocean before which not one of them will offer to weigh an Anchor The Young Boys are much delighted with this Custom for whatever Coco-nuts are thrown into the Water they immediately swim in and fetch them out Rains fall only at these times The Mussouns are the only Season for watering of their Fields their Meadows and Arable Land And for the preservation of this Element wherever they sow their Rice they endeavour to reduce the Ground to a Level that nothing of this Heavenly Moisture may be lost The foulest Weather when the Sun is nearest The Sun's approach to the Natives of Europe promiseth them the fairest Weather and here the fowlest The reason of which is his Vertical Exaltation which with great violence Exhales the Vapours of the Earth and returns them as plentifully again Therefore both under the Aequator and the Tropick when the Sun has been in the Zenith I have perceiv'd the Air has been more temperate and the Weather cooler than at ten or twelve Degrees distance from it And that abundant moisture which is always powerfully drawn up near the Aequator from which the Sun is never very far distant abates that scorching Heat of his Influence which otherwise would be scarce tolerable to either Animal or Plant. And therefore in the middle of May before the Southerly Winds set in which bring the Rains along with them Ink dried up in the Pen by the Heat the Air at Surat is so very dry that it licks up the Moisture in the Pen before we are able to write it out and so intensly Hot especially about 3 in the Afternoon that we cannot well endure the standing for any long time upon the Grass where the Sun's Beams have their full force This causes our sprinkling the Floors of our Chambers frequently with Water The Floors commonly sprinkled with Water to create a kind of Fresco in them during this Season and makes us Employ our Peons in Fanning of us with Murchals made of Peacocks Feathers Murchals four or five Foot long in the time of our Entertainments and when we take our Repose Now as in other Countries the periods of the variety of Weather are uncertain the Fair and Foul succeeding one another with great variety and alteration and as in India they have stated and fixt times without any doubtful vicissitudes so likewise even there they do not observe throughout all places the same Months The time of the Mussouns different in some places For upon the East side of Cape Comorin on the Coast of Coromondel from April to September the Weather is Fair and in the other Months is the Winter-like Weather whereas on the Coast of Malabar which lies to the West the Fair Weather begins in September and ends in May. So that in passing over-land from one Coast to the other the Travellers who are unacquainted with it are at a stand to find two different Seasons of Winter and Summer in 20 or 30 Leagues distance The Rains likewise come from different Quarters in these different Regions The Mussouns arise from several quarters some from the South some from the West and some from the East And at the Maldive Islands which are reckoned 12 Thousand the Rains follow the Course of the Waters from the West which are carried by an impetuous Current for six Months together towards the East that is from April to September the other six Months are Hot and Calm with the Winds setled from the East The Mussouns are rude and Boisterous in their departure The Stormy Seasons of the Mussouns as well as at their coming in which two Seasons are call'd the Elephant in India and just before their breaking up take their farewell for the most part in very ruggid huffing weather As if they were constrain'd to force their Entrance and Combat the fair Seasons before they could make way for their admittance and were likewise resolv'd to try their utmost effort sooner than tamely resign their Empire and quit the Coast For Nature must needs be under great Conflicts and disorder by such a suddain Change from an uninterrupted Sun-shine to such constant Rains When once the Mussouns are past India wants Rain for 8 or 9 Months the other Months are under the serenest influence of the Heavens without one Fertile Cloud for several succeeding Months visible in the whole Firmament but the chearful Sun from six to six is never veil'd with gloomy Meteors or Eclipsed with dark and Melancholy Exhalations from the Earth But all the Animal Generations bask themselves in his warm Rays without any fear of Rain or Tempests or chilly nipping Weather And now the Vegetable Race below Trees and Corn Flowers and Herbs grace the World with infinite variety of delightful Forms and
sometimes with the residence of the King when his Revenues come from Socatra For as his Royalties are very small and his Income inconsiderable because his Subjects are both Poor and Slavish so is he hereby debar'd from maintaining a Princely Pomp or making a show in any Magnificent Appearance and therefore very often turns Merchant himself for hopes of Advantage and for supporting his Royal State and Grandeur Several Gelva's come hither freighted with Rice Its Commodities Dates Camlees which are a sort of Hair Coats made in Persia and Red and White Callicoes which are barter'd for Olibanum Aloes and Butter For the Necessities of the Natives incline them rather to an Exchange of Commodities than a Traffick for Silver which loses its Esteem here as much as it is Idoliz'd in other parts Some Coins however are current among them viz. Dollars Abassees and Mamoodees Seed used here instead of Coin That which is here esteem'd instead of Money is a sort of Seed which passes in the room of small Coins and is distributed commonly by handfuls Here the Natives are mainly addicted to those mean Vices of Cozenage and stealth and think they make a good purchase of any thing which they can compass by Fraud and Cheating Another sin to which they are often given is so vile that the foulness of it I cannot without Immodesty mention The proper Season of the Year for Trade is May June and July Seer A place next to this much more noted both for the Civil Deportment of the Natives and for the Convenience of a Port for a greater concourse of People and for Traffick is Seer which is much frequented by Ships from several Ports viz. Muscatt Gombroon Suratt and Gella and some other places on the Abasseen Shore from whence they bring Butter Myrrh and Slaves and those from Muscatt and Suratt transport with them Olibanum Aloes and what the Port affords Aden Aden which is situated in 12 deg 20 m. No. is one of the Ancientest Fairest and most Pleasant Cities of all Arabia surrounded with Walls on one side and Mountains on the other It was formerly in the Possession of the Portuguese when they were renown'd for their Conquests in the East but by Treachery the Turks made themselves the Masters of it after some time 'till the puissant King of Hyaman became Victorious over the Turks and seiz'd it for his own Inheritance This Prince is here Invested with the Title of the King of Hyaman or Yeoman as the Natives seem to pronounce it which signifies Arabia Felix not that his Dominions stretch so far but because the extent of his Territories and vast Treasures do much exceed all the rest of the Kings that inhabit Arabia For his Kingdom reaches near 400 Miles on the Red Sea from Aden as far as Geron. Aden formerly surpass'd all the rest of the Neighbouring Ports upon this Shore Formerly Noted for Traffick was a famous Magazine for the various Commodities of India Persia Arabia and what was brought hither by the Abasseens and was Inhabited by a Miscellany of People Turks and Arabians Persians Indians and Ethiopians who resided here for the Advantages of that mighty Trade The Houses were built both neat and strong and the Castles from the top of the Mountains afforded a curious divertive Prospect Nature gave it such a fortified Situation that it was a Garrison without Art and was able to defend it self with a small Force from a potent Enemy that might Invade it either by Sea or Land 'Till the Eastern Luxury which is more intent upon Indulgence and Ease than building Forts and raising Sieges made them neglect their Fortifications and leave it open and defenceless for the first bold Assailant The proper Months for Trade here are April May June July Months proper to Trade in and some part of August at which time all the Ships in the Sea take their Departure because of the Change of the Mussouns which always happen towards the end of that Month. They carry nothing from hence but Coffee Aloes Olibanum and Myrrh the three last of which are not the product of the Country I should now take leave of this place and proceed to give some account of Mocha were it not convenient before my departure to insist a little upon the Discovery of some Ports and Passages hereabouts to instruct such as design to Travel into these Seas The Land of Aden because it makes like an Island was formerly reputed to have been one from whence steering W. and W. by N. you will come to the Babbs which in the Arabian Language signifies Gate or Door The Babbs is a small Island opening to the Red Sea The Babbs and makes in form very like a Garr-Fish being low and flat Between this and the Main Land is a safe Passage if you keep the Mid-Channel where is 10 11 and 12 fathom Water But the great Ships for better Security chuse rather to go on the outside where is seldom less than Forty Fathom 'till they hale in for Shore which is commonly done as soon as they are past the Streights Here are seven Islands but none of them so remarkable as the Babbs The Streights here are commonly called those of Babel Mandel Babell-Mandell which are about 7 Leagues over from main Land to main Land about 20 Leagues from Aden and 12 or 13 from Mocha The Course from the Babbs is about N. by West and N. North West Before you come to these Streights you will make a very high Table Land and an opening to the Southward of it which appears very like the passage into the Red Sea but then you will discover the said Babbs Island to rectifie you thro' which steering North or N. by W. as you see occasion there is opening to the Southward of the said high Land a great River that leads to Gella which is the greatest Port on the Abasseen side without the said Babbs Steering up the Arabian Coast before the Arrival at Mocha is a seeming Wood which is several Date-Trees and Gardens to the Northward of which is Mocha which yields a more beautiful prospect at Sea than on Shore Here you must not come into less than 7 Fathom nearer are so many dangerous Over-falls that they will be apt to scare a young unexpert Pilot. When the Southermost Mosque is once brought to bear E. by S. the Ships may luff up or bear into the Road and Anchor in 4 5 6 or 7 Fathom Before this Road lies a long Ridge of Sands which has seldom above two Fathom Water which renders it dangerous for those that enter to go in 'till they have the Bearings abovesaid Near the Southern Fort is a Channel for the Grabbs that use these parts that gives them a passage in or out but is dangerous for Europeans without the assistance of Pilots Mocha its great Trade Mocha lies in 13 Deg. 30 M. North and has been of late the principal Port