‘The travels of Sig. Pietro della Valle, a noble Roman, into East-India and Arabia Deserta. In which, the several countries, together with the customs, manners, traffique, and rites both religious and civil, of those Oriental princes and nations, are faithfully described: In familiar letters to his friend Signior Mario Schipano. Whereunto is added a relation of Sir Thomas Roe’s voyage into the East-Indies’ [‎69] (90/508)

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Into the E A S T-IN131E S.
receive me, snd csrry drne tolod^c in the OolledgCj which iri
reference to that fmall City is large enough and well built. He
fent Mariam Tenatim^ in a Valanchino^ or Indian Litter, (wherein
people are carry'd lying along as twere in a Couchj and thofe
of Women are cover'd) to the Houfe oi a Portugal Gentlewoman-j
and advis'd me that fince the CafiU was departed, I (hould
oo in the fame Veffel to meet it at Bajfaim, where it was to
touch 5 and for that day reft a little in Daman as accordingly
f did ■
The City of Daman is fmall 5 but of good building and hath 11E
long, large, and ftrait ftreets. It hath noBifhop, as neither have ^
the other Cities of the Fortugals upon this coaft 3 being fubjedt f
in fpirituals to the Arch-Bifhop of God', but in every one of ^v
them refides a Vicar, whom they call da J/ara , that isj of the ^ ~ %
Vicrge or Mace 5 ( which is the^ badg of Authority ) v/ith fu-
pream power. Befides the Jefuits and the Church ot the See,
(as they call the Duo mo, or Cathedral^ here are Dominican^
Francijcans, and, as I remember, Angujtines too ^ allg who have
good Churches and Covents. The City is environ'd with ftrong
walls of good fortification, andhafh a large Territory and many
Townsunder it 5 and becaufe they are frequently at war with
Ni&amJciahsWhofe State(being govern d at this day by his famous
Abiffine-Slave Melik^Ambar ) borders upon it by Land ^ there
fore the Portugals here are all Horfe-men, and keep many good
Arabian Hories, as they are oblig'd to do , going trequently
out to war in defence of their Territory when occafion requires,
though during my time here they were at peace. In Daman I
fir ft tafted at the Father Rcftor's Table many ftrange Indian
Fruits, fome of which are defcrib d by Carolus ClufiHs, and others
not, which, as I was told, were after the writing of his Books
brought into Eaji India from Brajilj or New Spain $ namely, Pa~
paia, Cafu or Cagiu , Ciambo, Manga or Amba, and Ananas $
all which feem'd tome paffibly good, and, though of different
tafrs, not inferior to ours of Europe, efpecially Papaia, which is
little efteem d in India ^ and, if I miftake not, is not mention d
by the abovefaid Writer The lowest of the four classes into which East India Company civil servants were divided. A Writer’s duties originally consisted mostly of copying documents and book-keeping. 5 in (hape and tafte, it much refembles
our Melons, but is fweeter, and confequently to me feem d bet
ter. Ananas is juftly efteem'd, being of a laudable tafte, though
fbmething uncouth, inclining more to (harpnefs, which, with a
mixture of fweetnefs renders it plealant. And becauie the
faid Books mention it not, I ftiall briefly add, that to the out
ward view it (eems, when it is whole^ to refemble our Pine-
Apple, both in the divifions and the colour 3 faving that at the
top it hath a kind of tuft of long ftrait leaves between green and
white, which the Pine-Apple hath not, and which render it prety
to look upon 5 'tis alfo different from the Pine-Apple, in that
the hufks are not hard, but tender like the common fkin of
Fruits ^ nor is it needful to take them off one by one, neither is
any feed eaten, as the Pine-Nuts, which are within the hulks,-
but
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