[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Dark Ages](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages) › [Travellers (1500–1858)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel) › [Les six voyages de Jean-Baptiste Tavernier](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier) › [Travels in India (Ball)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball) › 31 # Travels in India (Tavernier) 31: Remarks upon the present condition of the town of Goa Travels in India (Ball) 31 - **Language:** English ## Contents - [31.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.1) — 7 parts - [31.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.2) — 7 parts ### Remarks upon the present condition of the town of Goa ### [31.1.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.1.1) Goa is situated in latitude 15° 32", in an island of six or seven leagues circuit, upon the river Mandavi, which two leagues farther down discharges itself into the sea. The island abounds in corn and rice, and produces numerous fruits, as mangues, ananas, figues d'Adam, and cocos; but certainly a good pippin is worth more than all these fruits. All those who have seen both Europe and Asia thoroughly agree with me that the port of Goa, that of Constantinople, and that of Toulon, are the three finest ports of our great Continent. The town is very large, and its walls are of fine stone. The houses, for the most part, are superbly built, and this is particularly the case with the palace of the Viceroy. It has numerous rooms, and in some of the halls and chambers, which are very large, you see many pictures representing separately the vessels which come from Lisbon to Goa, and those which leave Goa for Lisbon, each with the name of the vessel and that of the captain, and the number of guns with which it is armed. If the town were not so shut in by the mountains which surround it, it would without doubt be more numerously inhabited, and residence there would be more healthy. But these mountains prevent the winds from refreshing it; this is the cause of great heat. Beef and pork afford the ordinary food of the inhabitants of Goa. They have also fowls, but few pigeons, and although they are close to the sea fish is scarce. ### [31.1.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.1.2) As for confectionery, they have many kinds, and eat a large quantity. Before the Dutch had beaten down the power of the Portuguese in India, one saw at Goa nothing but magnificence and wealth, but since these late comers have deprived them of their trade in all directions, they have lost the sources of their gold and silver, and are altogether come down from their former splendour. On my first journey to Goa I saw people who had property yielding up to 2000 écus of income, who on my second journey came secretly in the evening to ask alms of me without abating anything of their pride, especially the women, who, coming in pallankeens, remained at the door of the house, whilst a boy, who attended them, came to present their compliments. You sent them then what you wished, or you took it yourself when you were curious to see their faces; this happened rarely, because they cover all the head with a veil. Otherwise when one goes in person to give them charity at the door, they generally offer a letter from some religious person who recommends them, and makes mention of the wealth which the person formerly had, and the poverty into which she has fallen. Thus you generally enter into conversation with the fair one, and in honour bound invite her in to partake of refreshment, which lasts sometimes till the following day. ### [31.1.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.1.3) If the Portuguese had not been so much occupied with guarding so many fortresses on land, and if, in the contempt they had for the Dutch at first, they had not neglected their affairs, they would not be to-day reduced to so low a condition. The Portuguese who go to India have no sooner passed the Cape of Good Hope than they all become Fidalgos or gentlemen, and add Dom to the simple name of Pedro or Jeronimo which they carried when they embarked ; this is the reason why they are commonly called in derision “ Fidalgos of the Cape of Good Hope.” As they change in their status so also they change in their nature, and it may be said that the Portuguese dwelling in India are the most vindictive and the most jealous of their women of all the people in the world. As soon as they entertain the least suspicion about their women they will, without scruple, make away with them by poison or the dagger. When they have an enemy they never forgive him. If they are of equal strength and dare not come to a struggle, they have black slaves, who will blindly obey their master’s order to go and kill any one ; and this is done generally with a stroke of a dagger, or the shot of a blunderbuss, or by felling the man with a large stick of the length of a short pike which they are accustomed to carry. ### [31.1.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.1.4) If it should happen that they spend too long a time in finding the man whom they wish to murder, and are unable to meet with him in the fields or in the town, then without the slightest regard for sacred things they slay him at the altar; and I have myself seen two examples of this — one at Damān, and the other at Goa. Three or four of these black slaves having perceived some persons whose lives they wanted to take, and who were attending mass in a church, discharged blunderbusses at them through the windows, without reflecting whether they might not wound others who had no part in the quarrel. It happened so at Goa, and there were seven men slain near the altar, the priest who was saying mass having been seriously wounded. The law takes no cognisance of these crimes, because generally their authors are the first in the land. As for trials, they never come to an end. They are in the hands of the Kanarins who are natives of the country, who practice the professions of solicitors and procurators, and there are no people in the world more cunning and subtle. To return to the ancient power of the Portuguese in India, it is certain that if the Dutch had never come to India you would not have found to-day a scrap of iron in the majority of the houses of the Portuguese; ### [31.1.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.1.5) all would have been gold or silver, for it required them to make but two or three voyages to Japan, to the Philippines, to the Moluccas, or to China, to acquire riches, and to gain on their return five or six fold, and even up to tenfold on the more important articles. Private soldiers as well as governors and captains acquired great wealth by trade. It is only the Viceroy who does not trade, or if he does, it is under the name of another; and, moreover, he has a sufficient income without it. It was formerly one of the most splendid posts in the world for a noble to be Viceroy of Goa, and there are few monarchs who are able to bestow governments worth so much as are those which depend upon this Viceroy. The first of these Governments is that of Mozambique, and the appointment is for three years. In these three years the Governor makes a profit of 400,000 or 500,000 crowns, and sometimes more, if during the time they have no losses with the Cafres. These Cafres are the black people who come from many quarters of Africa to obtain cotton goods and hardware from the Commandant, who dwells on the Rio de Saine, and who is merely the agent of the Governor of Mozambique. These Cafres bring gold for the goods which they carry away, but if one of them happens to die when going or returning, what has been entrusted to him is lost beyond remedy. ### [31.1.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.1.6) The Governor of Mozambique trades also with the Negroes who inhabit the length of the coast of Melinda, and they generally pay for the goods which they take with ivory or with ambergris. On my last voyage to India the Governor of Mozambique, who returned to Goa after having completed the three years of his government, had a parcel of ambergris which was alone worth about 200,000 écus, without counting the gold and ivory, which amounted to a larger sum. The second Government was formerly that of Malacca, on account of the dues which had to be paid there. For it is a strait where all the vessels which leave Goa for Japan, China, Cochinchina, Java, Macassar, the Philippines, and other places must pass. They are indeed able to pursue another route along the western coast of the island of Sumatra, and either traverse the Strait of Sonde, or leave the island of Java to the north; but when the vessels return to Goa they are required to show the free pass of the Malacca custom-house — this compels them to follow that route. ### [31.1.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.1.7) The third Government was that of Hormuz, on account of its great trade, and of the dues which all vessels had to pay, whether entering or leaving the Persian Gulf. The Governor of Hormuz also levied considerable dues from those who were going to the island of Bahrein to the pearl fishery, and if they did not obtain a passport from him he sent their vessels to the bottom by means of his galeasses. The Persians receive this tax at present with the English, who share a small part of it, as I have said in my accounts of Persia; but although they treat the merchants roughly, nevertheless they do not derive from this revenue nearly as much as the Portuguese did. It is the same with the Dutch at Malacca, who experience difficulty in raising sufficient to pay for the garrison which they keep there. ### [31.2.1](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.2.1) The fourth Government was that of Muscat, which was also one with a considerable income. For all the vessels coming to India from the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the coasts of Melinda have to make the point of Muscat, and generally take in water there. If any vessels did not come to an anchor, the Governor sent to claim the custom, which was 4 per cent, and if they made any resistance they ran the risk of being sent to the bottom by his galeasses. The fifth Government was that of the island of Ceylon, to which were subject all the places which the Portuguese had both on the coast of Malabar and on the Gulf of Bengal and other parts of India, and the least of these petty Governments yielded 10,000 écus per annum. Besides these five principal Governments which were at the disposition of the Viceroy, he had also the patronage of a number of offices in Goa and other towns of India. The day upon which he makes his entry into Goa, his Captain of the Guards receives nearly 4000 écus of profit. The three offices of Engineer Major, of Inspector of the Fortresses, and of Grand Master of Artillery yielded 20,000 pardos per annum, and the pardo is worth 27 sols of our money. The Portuguese were then all rich — the nobles on account of the governments and other offices, and the merchants by the trade which they engaged in, before the English and Dutch came to cut the ground from under their feet. ### [31.2.2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.2.2) During the time they held Hormuz they did not allow any merchant to travel to India by sea, and all were therefore compelled to take the route by land through Kandahar. When the Turkish, Persian, Arab, Moscovite, Polish, and other merchants arrived at Bandar-'Abbas, they constituted but one united body, and from it four of the most experienced were deputed to go and see all the different kinds of merchandise, and to ascertain the quality and price. After having made their report to the others the price was settled and the goods removed, which were then distributed to each nation in proportion to the number of merchants who had come from these different countries. It is the custom throughout Asia that nothing is sold except in the presence of a broker, and each class of goods has its own separate one. These brokers pay the money to those who have sold, and receive it from those who have bought; there are certain classes of goods for which the fee due to them is 1 per cent, others for which it amounts to 1½ and even to 2 per cent. The Portuguese then in those times made great profits, and suffered no losses from bankruptcies. As to the pirates, the Viceroy took effectual steps, for when the rains were over and the season for embarkation had arrived, according to the number of vessels laden with goods, he gave a sufficient number of galiotes to escort them to sea for from 25 to 30 leagues — the Malabaris not going farther from the coast than 15 or 20. ### [31.2.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.2.3) The captains of the galiotes and even the marines did some little trade during the voyage, and as they paid no customs, they were able to acquire something to maintain themselves in comfort during the rains, when they had to remain in quarters. There was also a good arrangement for the military, by which the soldiers were promoted, for all those who had come from Portugal, after nine years of service, received some appointment at sea or on land, and if they did not wish to accept of it they were permitted to travel as merchants. If there happened to be among them any one of intelligence, he did not fail to acquire a fortune, having all the credit he could desire, and he found numbers of people very willing to employ their money, giving it to him on the chance of 100 per cent profit on his return from a journey. If the vessel was lost, those who had lent lost their money or their goods, but, when it arrived safely, for one écu they received three or four. ### [31.2.4](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.2.4) The people of the country called Kanarese do not hold any offices under the Portuguese save in reference to law as agents, solicitors, or scribes, and they are kept in subjection. If one of these Kanarese or black men struck a white or European, there was no pardon for him, and he had to have his hand cut off. Both Spaniards and Portuguese, especially the Spaniards, use them as receivers and men of business, and in the islands of Manilla or Philippines there are blacks so rich that some of them have offered the Viceroy up to 20,000 croisats for permission to wear hose and shoes — this was not allowed them. You see certain of these blacks with bare feet, though followed by thirty slaves, and superbly clad; and if the Portuguese had been pleased to allow them to equip vessels, and to appoint the captains and other officers according to their own wishes, the former would not have made so many conquests in India, or at least would not have made them so easily. These blacks have much intelligence and are good soldiers, and the clerics have assured me that they learn more in the colleges in six months than the Portuguese children do in a year, whatever the science may be to which they apply themselves. It is for this reason that the Portuguese keep them down. ### [31.2.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.2.5) The natives of the country about Goa are idolaters, and do homage to many kinds of idols, of which I have given likenesses in this book, saying that the idols resemble those who have done good works in former times, to whom they should offer homage by adoring their portraits. There are many of these idolaters who worship monkeys, and also, in many parts of India, as I have elsewhere said, they have built pagodas, which have been endowed in order to feed a certain number, besides others from outside, which come twice a week in order to obtain food. In a village of the island of Salsette, there was a pagoda in which the idolaters kept, in a kind of tomb made of silver, the bones and nails of a monkey which, they said, had rendered great services to their gods by the diligence with which he conveyed news and advice from one to the other, when persecuted by some hostile princes, even to the extent of traversing the sea by swimming. People came from many parts of India in procession to this idol to make offerings to this pagoda ; but the clergy of Goa, and especially the Inquisitor, went one day to carry away this tomb and brought it to Goa, where it remained some time on account of the dispute which it gave rise to between the ecclesiastics and the people. For when the idolaters offered to give a large sum to ransom their relics, the people were of opinion that it should be accepted, because they said it could be used to make war against their enemies or for assisting the poor ; ### [31.2.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.2.6) but the clergy held a contrary opinion, and maintained that for no reason whatever should this idolatry be permitted. At length the Archbishop and the Inquisitor of their own authority removed the tomb, and, having put it on a vessel which went out about 20 leagues from land, it was thrown into the sea. They would have burned it, but that the idolaters would have been able to collect the ashes, which would have served as material for some new superstition. ### [31.2.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.2.7) There are in Goa numbers of people connected with the Church, and besides the Archbishop and his clergy you see Dominicans, Augustins, Cordeliers, Barefoot Carmelites, Jesuits, and Capuchins, who are like the Recollects, with two houses of nuns, of which the Augustins are the Directors. The Carmelites, who are the last comers, are the best situated of all, and, if they are a little removed from the heart of the town, they have otherwise the advantages of enjoying fresh air, and of having the most healthy house in all Goa. It is on a fine elevation, where the wind blows about it, and is well built, with two galleries, one above the other. The Augustins, who were the first comers in Goa, were well situated at the base of a small elevation, their church being on the main street with a handsome square in front. But the Jesuits, having built a house, begged the Augustins to sell them the elevated ground, which was then unoccupied, under pretext of wishing to make a garden for the recreation of their scholars; and, having at length purchased it, they built a splendid college, which shut out the convent of the Augustins, and prevented it from receiving any fresh air. They have had great disputes with one another over this matter, but the Jesuits have at length gained their case. ### [31.3](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31.3) The Jesuit Fathers are known at Goa by the name of Paulists, on account of their grand church dedicated to St. Paul. They do not wear hats nor three-cornered caps as in Europe, but a kind of cap which resembles, in form, a hat from which the brim has been removed, and it is somewhat like the caps of the slaves of the Grand Seigneur, which I have described in my account of the Seraglio. They have five houses in Goa, which are, the College of St. Paul, the Seminary, the Monks’ House, the Noviciate, and the Bon Jesus. The paintings of the ceiling of this last church are admirable. In the year 1663 the greater part of the College was burnt by an accident which happened in the night, and it cost them near 60,000 écus to rebuild it. The hospital at Goa was formerly renowned throughout India; and, as it possessed a considerable income, sick persons were very well attended to. This was still the case when I first went to Goa ; but, since this hospital has changed its managers, patients are badly treated, and many Europeans who enter it do not leave it except to go to the tomb. It is but a short time since the secret of treating by frequent bleedings has been discovered ; and it is practiced according to need up to thirty or forty times, as long as bad blood comes, as was done to myself on one occasion when at Surat ; and as soon as the bad blood is removed, which is like an aposthume, the sick person is out of danger. Butter and meat are to him as poison, and if he eats of them he puts his life in danger. Formerly some small ragouts were made for the convalescent, but they must nowadays content themselves with beef-tea and a basin of rice. Generally all the poor people who begin to recover their health cry out from thirst, and beg for a little water to drink ; but those who wait upon them, who are at present blacks or Mestifs — avaricious persons, and without mercy — do not give a drop without receiving something, that is to say, unless some money is placed in their hands, and to give colour to this wickedness they give it in secret, saying that the physician forbids it. Sweets and confectionery are not wanting, but this does not contribute much to the establishment of health, which in a hot country rather requires nourishing food. I forgot to make a remark upon the frequent bleedings in reference to Europeans — namely, that in order to recover their colour and get themselves into perfect health, it is prescribed for them to drink for twelve days three glasses of . . . — one in the morning, one at midday, and one in the evening ; but, as this drink cannot but be very disagreeable, the convalescent swallows as little of it as possible, however much he may desire to recover his health. This remedy has been learnt from the idolaters of the country, and whether the convalescent makes use of it or not, he is not allowed to leave the hospital till the twelve days have expired during which he is expected to take this drink. --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31](https://indike.org/pramana/in.darkages.travel.tavernier~en-ball.31) · Pramāṇa