All the water along this low flat coast, to the south of Cranganore, has the very bad quality of occasioning swelled legs to those who drink it.  This disease sometimes only affects one leg, but sometimes both, and the swelling is often so great as to measure a yard round at the ancles.  It occasions no pain, but great itching, neither does the swelled leg feel any heavier than that which occasionally remains unaffected.  To avoid this disease, the Dutch who reside at Cochin, send boats daily to Virapell, from which they bring water in small casks of about ten or twelve gallons, to serve the city.  This water is given free to the servants of the Company, but private persons have to pay six-pence for each cask-full, which is brought to their houses at that price.  Still, however, both Dutch men and women are sometimes afflicted with this disease, and no means have hitherto been found out for prevention or cure.  The old legend imputes this disease to the curse laid by St Thomas upon his murderers and their posterity, as an odious mark to distinguish them:  But St Thomas was slain by the Tilnigue[3] priests at Miliapoor in Coromandel, above four hundred miles from this coast; and the natives there have no touch of this malady.

[Footnote 3:  This word ought assuredly to have been Telinga.—­E.]

Cochin is washed by the greatest outlet on this coast, and being near the sea, its situation is strong by nature, but art has not been wanting to strengthen it.  As built by the Portugueze, it was a mile and a half long by a mile in breadth.  The Dutch took it in 1662, when Heitloff van Chowz was commander of the forces by sea and land.  The insolence of the Portuguese had made several of the neighbouring princes their enemies, who joined with the Dutch to drive them out of that country, and the king of Cochin in particular assisted them with twenty thousand men.  Not long after the Dutch had invested the town, Van Chowz received notice of a peace having been concluded between Portugal and Holland, but kept the secret to himself and pushed on the siege.  Having made a breach in the weakest part of the fortifications, he proceeded to a furious assault, which was kept up for eight days and nights incessantly, relieving the assailants every three hours, while the Portuguese were kept on continual duty the whole time, and were quite worn out with fatigue.  Finding the city in danger of being taken by storm, the Portuguese at length capitulated and gave up the place.  There were at this time four hundred topasses in the garrison, who had done good service to the Portuguese, but were not comprehended in the capitulation.  On discovering this omission, and knowing the cruel and licentious character of the Dutch soldiery in India, they drew up close to the gate at which the Portuguese were to march out, and the Dutch to enter, declaring, unless they had equally favourable terms granted them with the Portugueze, they would massacre them all,