tories. Add to thefe, rich embroideries o f various kinds, and a
great trade in various works in agate and cornelians, found in
the rivers, which are turned into bowls, handles for knives,
fabres, and various other things.
N a c r a . N e a r Cambay are the veftiges o f another antient city called
Nagra, perhaps the Comanes o f Ptolemy. Almeyda, when he
viiited the coaft o f Cambay, obferved a very antient town, with a
large mofque, and near it a fpatious place, covered with tumuli*.
The moft learned o f the natives informed him, that they un-
derftood by their records that Hercules, in his expedition to
India, had here two great engagements with an Indian prince,
and was defeated, and that the tumuli were the graves of the
conquered. I mention this part only to ihew how exaCl the
Indians have been to preferve their hiftory, founded, as part
may have beep, upon fable. Arrian, i. Exped. Alex. p. 306.
fufpects that he was never in India, but that the inhabitants,
hearing of his fame, adopted him among the gods o f their
country t.
G r e a t numbers o f the inhabitants of the city of Cambay are
Hindoos, who retain all their cuftoms, and all their fuperftition,
in the fulleft primaeval manner. One tenor o f their religion is
to pay the utmoft attention to the brute creation; this they
obferve with a charity that would be incredible, was it not fo
well attefted by travellers. The account given by Pietro de la
Valle, who viiited this city in 1623, cannot but be acceptable to
readers of curiolity.
H o s p i t a l f o r “ T he fame day o f our arrival,” fays he, p. 35, “ after we
B i r d s . <{ jja(j dined, and refted a while, we caufed ourfelves to be con-
* Oforio. lib. vi. p. 345. Gibb’s Tranf.
6
f Arrian, Rerum. Indie, i. p. 523*
“ dueled
« ducfted to fee a famous hofpital o f birds, o f all forts, which,
i< for being lick, lame, deprived of their mates, or otherwife
4 needing food, and cure, are kept and tended there with dili-
“ gence ; as alfo the men who take care o f them are maintained
1 by the public alms; the Indian Gentiles (who, with Pythago-
“ ras, and the antient Egyptians, the firft authors of this" opi-
“ nion, according to Herodotus, believe the tranfmigration o f
“ fouls, not only from man to man, but alfo from man to brute
“ beaft) conceiving it no lefs a work of charity to do good to
“ beafts, than to men. The houfe of this hofpital is fmall, a
4S little room fufficing for many birds : Yet I faw it full of birds
“ of all forts which need tendance, as cocks, hens, pigeons,
m peacocks, ducks, and fmall birds, which during their being
“ lame or lick, or matelefs, are kept here; but, being recovered
“ and in good plight, if they be wild, they are let go at liberty;
“ i f domeftic, they are given to fome pious perfon, who keeps
“ them in' his houfe. The moft curiohs thing I faw in this
“ place, -was certain little mice, who, being found orphans
“ without lire or dam to tend them, were put into this hofpi-
“ tal, and a venerable old man with a white beard, keeping
“ them in a box amongft cotton, very diligently tended them,
M with his fpedtacles on his nofe, giving them milk to eat with
“ a bird’s feather, becaufe they were fo little that as yet they
“ could eat nothing elfe; and, as he told us., he intended when
“ they were grown up to let them go free whither they
“ pleafed.
“ T h e next morning,” (p. 36) adds he, “ we faw another F o r G o a t s , & c .
“ hofpital of goats, kids, iheep, and wethers, either fick or lame;
V ol. I. K - w and