they would give me a place opposite the fort at Pullicatt, with all the privileges I could wish, and many other fair promises.  But remembering how I and the James had been entertained there, I could give little credit to these assurances; yet, at length, it was agreed, that one of the messengers should remain with me while the other two went back with one of my people, by whom I sent letters to the before-mentioned persons, as also to the king, in which, after recapitulating the bad entertainment we had formerly received at Pullicatt, I offered that we would return to trade in the country, if they would send us the king’s caul, or safe conduct, in due form.

The 29th of July, four persons arrived as ambassadors, accompanied by my man Wengali.  These men came from Wencatad Rajah, the great king of Narsiaga or Velore,[392] bringing me a caul, or safe conduct and licence, with an Abestiam, which is a white cloth on which the king’s own hand is printed in sandal or saffron; as also a caul from the queen of Pullicatt, together with letters from Jaga Rajah, Tima Rajah, Assa Condaia, and others.  The king’s letter was written on a leaf of gold, in which, after apologising for the former faults committed against us in Pullicatt, he desired us to return into his country, and chuse a place to our own liking, where we might build a house or castle according to our own pleasure, with other privileges.  He even gave me a town of about 400 pounds of yearly revenue, with a promise to do more for me at my arrival.  The Hollanders had wrought much against this; but their words had not now so much force, and the inhabitants grieved to see the English ships passing by every year without any profit to them, and therefore, making their complaints to the king, had occasioned these friendly offers.  My man Wengali had been in the presence of the king, and even had spoken with him, the king having laid his hand on his head, and presented him with a tesseriffe.[393] I kept the ambassadors with me, allowing their daily charges, till the ship might come into the road, and that I had time to consider the proposals.

[Footnote 392:  Narsinga appears at this place equivalent to the Carnatic, and Velore seems to have been the residence of the king.—­E.]

[Footnote 393:  In all probability a dress, the ordinary mark of honour given by princes in the east.—­E.]

In August there was a greater flood at Narsipoor than had ever been known, at least for the last twenty-nine years.  So much so, that whole hills of salt, many towns, and vast quantities of rice, were swept away, and many thousands of men and cattle drowned.  In this great inundation, the water was three yards deep on the common highways.  In Golconda, which has a branch of this river that is dry in summer, above 4000 houses were washed away.  Two stone bridges, one of nineteen and the other of fifteen arches, as artificially built in my judgment as any in Europe, which are ordinarily at least three fathoms above the water, were three feet under water on this occasion, and six arches of the nineteen were washed away.  This bridge might well compare with the one at Rochester in England.