"رحلات السيد بيترو ديلا فالي، وهو نبيل روماني، إلى الهند الشرقية وصحراء الجزيرة العربية. وفيها يصف بدقة البلدان المختلفة، وكذلك العادات، الأعراف، التجارة، الطقوس الدينية والمدنية، لهؤلاء الأمراء وتلك الأمم الشرقية: في رسائل وديّة إلى صديقه السيد ماريو سكيبانو. وتم إضافة سرد عن رحلة السير توماس رو إلى جزر الهند الشرقية" [‎٦‎٩] (٥٠٨/٩٠)

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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 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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