274 CHAP. QUEEN ELIZABETH'S LETTER. The town of Siam stands upon the large river Mecan, which springs from the famous lake Chiamay; Siam has a stately wall, and contains thirty thousand houses, with a castle strongly fortified, built upon the water, like Penivitan and Venice. The country breeds elephants, rhinoceroses, giraffes, tigers, lions, leopards; the fairest ermines, camels, dromedaries, and some say unicorns; which, being very timorous beasts, seldom appear in sight*. SUMATRA. "OUR English first had trade at Sumatra in the last years of queen Elizabeth, whose name was then famous, for her exploits against the Spaniards. The queen's letter directed to the king, Sultan Aladin, was received with great state. First, he entertained the messenger with a banquet; gave him a robe and a piece of calico wrought with gold; and offered pledges for the general's safety, for whom he sent six elephants, with drums, trumpets, streamers, and many people. The greatest elephant, being thirteen or fourteen feet high, had a small castle like a coach, covered with velvet, on his back; in which was placed a great golden bason, with a rich covering of silk, wherein the letter was laid. The general was mounted on another elephant; but staid at the court gate, till the king's pleasure and licence was again sent. The king gave him a feast; the dishes were of gold or tambaycke, which is gold and brass mixed. Their wine is of rice, as strong as aqua vitæ: the king drank to the general out of his gallery, a fathom * Vide Le Blanc, p. 105. We are always tantalized with the hope of finding one of these animals. An Unicorn is reported to have been seen by a British officer, in the thick woods near Aracan, in July, 1825. A COCK FIGHTING MONARCH. higher than where they sat. After the feast, there were music and dancing by the king's damsels; which was a great favor, as they are not commonly seen. The chief prelate was appointed one of the commissioners for articles of league, which were concluded. They took a prize of nine hundred tons, and were like to be taken themselves by a strange water spout, which fell not far from them, as in one whole drop, enough to have sunk any ship. The king sent a letter and presents to the queen: and, at their departure, asked if they had the psalms of David, and caused them to sing one; which he and his nobles seconded with a psalm (as he said) for their prosperity. The court hath three guards, between each of which there is a great green. The walls of the house are hung sometimes with cloth of gold, velvet, or damask. The king sits cross-legged, with four crisses, two before, and two behind, very rich. Forty women attend him with fans, clothes, singing, and other offices. He eateth and drinketh all day; or is chewing betel and areca, talking of venery and cockfighting. This king had a hundred gallies, of which some will carry four hundred men; they are without decks; their oars are like shovels, four feet long, and are managed with one hand. A woman was admiral, he not daring, through self-guiltiness, to trust men. They have a tradition that Acheen is Ophir*." "The king of Acheen places his strength in nine hundred elephants. I have seen three hundred at a time in the court of the palace+." * Sir James Lancaster. Purchas, Vol. I. 548. + Commodore Beaulieu. Harris's Voy. Vol. I. 745. 275 CHAP. CHAPTER VIII. Hindostan. Heroism of the Indian Ladies. Court Pa rades of the Emperors Akbar, Jehanghir, and Aurungzeb.Combats of Elephants with Horses; of English Mastiffs with Elephants; of Crocodiles with Horses. CHAP. HINDOSTAN being the country which has furnished the Greeks, VIII. Romans, and Persians, with elephants, from the earliest times, a few interesting extracts have been selected, to shew the numbers of those animals with which that country abounds; and also for the purpose, in later times, of exhibiting the customs of the Moguls, who are descendants of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane. In the ninth century of the Christian era, two Arabians visited India. "The king of Tafek," say they, "has the finest white women in all India. He is awed by the kings about him, his army being small, and bordering on the lands of a king called Rami, who is at war with the king of Haraz, and with the Balhara also. They say, that Rami's forces are very numerous; and that he takes the field with ten or fifteen thousand tents, and appears at the head of fifty thousand elephants*. The Balhara reigned at Kanoge, the capital of Porus: and which, in the sixth century, contained thirty thousand shops for the sale of Betel-nut. See Rennel's Memoir, p. 54. Abul Ghazi, Vol. II. p. 754; and Harris's Voyages, Vol. I. p. 525. THREE HUNDRED ELEPHANTS INTOXICATED. Mamood, Emperor of Ghizni, in his eleventh expedition, marched again by the way of Lahore, in the year 1023, against Nunda, the prince of Callinger, with a great army. Passing by the fort of Gualior, he ordered it to be besieged; but the prince of the province prevailed on him to remove from before that place, in a few days, by means of rich presents and thirty-five elephants. Mamood, immediately directed his march to Callinger, invested that city, and Nunda offered him three hundred elephants and other presents for peace; which terms were agreed to. The Raja, to try the bravery of the sultan's troops, intoxicated the elephants with certain drugs, and let them loose without riders into the camp. Mamood, seing the animals advancing, perceived the trick by the wildness of their motions, and immediately ordered a party of his best horse, to seize, kill, and drive them from the camp. Some of the Turks, emulous to display their bravery in the presence of their king, and of both armies, mounted the greatest part of the elephants, and drove the rest into an adjacent wood, where they were soon reduced to obedience†. English travellers mention immense numbers. Wm. Clarke, who served the Mogul many years, saith, that he hath seen in one army twenty thousand elephants, whereof four thousand were for war, the rest females for burthen, young, &c. (Purchas, (B) Vol. I. p. 640.) "The king keepeth thirty thousand elephants in his whole kingdom; 277 CHAP. 278 CHAP. AN AFFECTIONATE WHITE ELEPHANT. some thirteen feet and a half high." (T. Coryate from Asmeer, Purchas, II. 592.) Jehanghir hath twenty thousand camels, four thousand ounces for game, one hundred tame lions, four thousand hawks, twelve thousand elephants, five thousand of which with teeth. Of his and his nobles, there are thought to be forty thousand elephants in his empire." (Captain Hawkins. Purchas, I. 545. (B) Vol. I. p. 594.) Cuttub presented the king with above three hundred elephants, taken from the Raja of Benares; the riders had a signal given to them to make all the elephants at once fall upon their knees to the king; which they did, except a favorite white one. This animal was considered inestimable; and, though extremely tractable, he, on this occasion, had nearly killed his rider, when he endeavoured to force him to pay his obedience. The king, on setting out for Ghizni, sent the white elephant in a present to Cuttub, who rode it ever after, till his death; when the affectionate animal, with visible sorrow, pined and expired the third day after t. Sultan Baber took the route of Lahore, and, on the way, hunted rhinoceroses, with which that country abounded; many were killed, and some taken in toils. This gave him an opportunity to put the personal bravery of the chiefs to trial . + Dow's Hindostan, A. D. 1205. Dow, A. D. 1525. |