This was a Portuguese ship of four or five hundred tons, lately arrived from Bengal and Pegu, laden with rice, grain, Bengal cloths, butter, sugar, gum lack, hard wax, drugs, and other things.  The 12th we espied another ship, to which we gave chase, and came up with about midnight, when she surrendered at the first shot.[171] I sent for her chief men on board my ship, the others being three or four miles a-stern, and set some of my people on board the prize, with strict charges to hurt no person.  There were in this ship eighteen or twenty Portuguese, and about eighty others, men, women, and children.  Her chief loading was rice, butter, sugar, lack, drugs, and Bengal cloths.  We offered these people our first prize, with victuals to carry them ashore, which they refused, as fearing to be ill-used by the Malabars, having lately escaped with difficulty from a fleet of theirs of fourteen sail.  Next day we landed them where they desired, and allowed them to go away unsearched for money or jewels.  We had now three English ships[172] and three prizes.

[Footnote 171:  These prizes were taken from the Portuguese in part satisfaction for their unjust vexations and hostilities at Surat and other places.—­Purch.]

[Footnote 172:  No notice is taken of the fourth ship, the Lion, probably left at Surat; indeed, the whole of this relation is exceedingly vague and unsatisfactory, the name even of the general never being once mentioned.—­E.]

The 14th we arrived at Brinion, in lat. 8 deg. 30’, where we took out of the first prize what we thought useful, and then set her adrift.  At Brinion there is a small town in a round bay, which may be known by a long white beach to the north, and to the south is all high land, having a red cliff two leagues to the south, close to the sea.  From thence to cape Comorin is sixteen leagues, the course being S.E. by S. along a bold free coast.  The inhabitants of Brinion[173] are no way subject to the Portuguese.  The 1st of April the island of Ceylon bore E. by S. seven leagues off.  On the 10th the Peak of Adam bore north.  I this day took my leave of the general, the Dragon and Pepper-corn being bound for Acheen, while I, in the Expedition, went for Priaman, Tecoo, and Bantam.

[Footnote 173:  In 8 deg. 22’ N. at the distance indicated from cape Comorin, is a place called Billingham, which may possibly be the Brinion of the text.—­E.]

It is good to remain in Brinion till the end of March, when the easterly monsoon ends, and not to pass cape Comorin sooner, on account of calms, and because the southerly current sets towards the Maldives.  All who come from the west for Priaman and Tecoo, ought to continue so as to have sufficient day-light for passing between Nimptan[174] and the other adjacent islands, the best channel being to the north of that island.  On the 30th of April I met the Advice going for Tecoo; but, at my request, she returned