'Collections of travels through Turky into Persia, and the East Indies. Giving an account of the present state of those countries, as also a full relation of the five years wars, between Aureng-Zebe and his brothers in their father's life time, about the succession. And a voyage made by the Great Mogul (Aureng-Zebe) with his Army from Dehli to Lahor, from Lahor to Bember, and from thence to the Kingdom of Kachemire, by the Mogols, call'd, the Paradise of the Indies. Together with a relation of the Kingdom of Japan and Tunkin, and of their particular manners and trade. To which is added a new description of the Grand Seignior's Seraglio, and also of all the Kingdoms that encompass the Euxine and Caspian Seas, being the travels of Monsieur TavernierBernier, and other great men.' [‎8] (37/1024)

‘The Persian Travels. Book. I
-- - ft
defrays the Ejipences upon the Road ; and the remainder is the Captain of the Ca
ravstn’s Profit.
Having pafs’d this Mountain, you come to lodge in a Plain which they call Gio-
ganderefey and from thence to Erzerom you meet only with three Villages by th"
way, Ackikdld-) Ginnis, and Higia y which are the Caravans Stages. During thefe
three laft days journeys, you keep all along the Banks of for the'mofi parf
which is yet but narrow, taking its fource Northward of Er&erom. Tis a wonderful
thing to fee the vaft quantities of large Aftaragiu that grow ail along the River
with which you may load feveral Camels. J
A League on this fide Ertercm the Caravan is conflrain’d to flop ; for the Officer
of the Cuftom-Houfe accompanPd with the Bajha’s Lieutenant, comes here and
tyes all the Bales and Chefts with a crofs Cord, upon which fee puts a Seal, to the
end that when the Merchants come to the Town, they may not be able to take
out any Bags of Money, or any pieces of Stuff on purpofe to hide them till they
go away. The particular Bufinefs of the Bajhas Lieutenant in meeting the Caravan
is. to fee whether the Merchants be. well provided with Wines. And if he defire
any Bottles, whether it be then, or in the City, where they are not affiam’d to
vifit every Merchant, there is no refufing them. For there grows no Wine at
£rz.erom y all that is drank there being a fmall Wine of A4ingrelia y which is always
green: which forces the Merchants to furnifh themfelves'with Wine at Tocat
which they may do fufficiently to laft them into Berfia. The Officer of the Cuftom-
Houfe generally allows the Caravan three days to reft *, during which time, he fends
to the principal Merchants fome Fruit and other fmall Refrefhments, by which he
isnolofer. After the three days are over, becomes and opens all the Bales and
Chefts, and takes a particular account of all the Merchandizes. This Search and the
changing of Beafi^, caufes the Caravm to'ftay generally twenty or five and twenty
days at Erz^erom. *
Erzerom is a frontier Town of Turkic toward Perjia. It is fituated at the end
of a large Plain environ’d with Mountains, the Plain being beautified with many
fair Villages. If you take in the Caftle and the Suburbs, it may pafs for a City,
but the Houfes are ill built of Wood, without ajiy neatnels or proportion. There
are fome Remains of Churches and of the ancient Buildings of the t/Trmenians y by
which you may conjedure that it never was very beautiful. The Fortrefs (lands
upon a high ground, with a double Wall, fquare Towers clofe one to another
and a pitiful Moat. The^^refides there but in a very ill Houfe, all the Buildings
about the Fortrefs being in a bad condition. In the fame Enclofure there is a
litfle rifing Ground upon which they have rais’d a fmall Fort, wherein the Janifary-
^lives, and where the Bajha has no Power. When the Grand Sionor has a
mind to the Head of this Bajha, or any other confiderable Perfon in the*Province
he fends a Capjgi, with order to the Janifary to fend for the Perfon to the little
Fort, where the Execution is prefently done. One Example hereof I faw in my
laft Travels into Pcrfia : For the Bajha of Erzerom not having fent Twelve thoufand
men fo foon as the Grand Signor requir’d them for his Wars in Candy, the fame
Capgi that brought the Sentence of his Death, had the fame Order for the Exe
cution of the Bajhaof Kars ; and meeting this Capigi upon the Road in a Village,
upon his return for Conflaminople, he would needs (hew me whether I would or no,
the Heads' of the two Bajha's, which he was carrying to the Grand Signor in a
Between the firft and fecond Gate of the Fortrefs are to be feen four and twenty
I ieces of Cannon, moft excellent Guns, but lying one upon another without Car
riages. They lye at Erzerom to be ready upon all occafions when the Grand Signor
makes war againft the Perfians. ^
There are in Erzerom feveral great Inns*, this City, like Tocat, being one of
the greateft Thoroughfares in Twkie. The Country about it bears Wine, but
not very good, and in regard the People are ftridly forbid to drink Wine, the
Merchants are forc’d to buy it very privately, for fear it ffiould come to the know
ledge of the Cadi. Though it be very cold at Erzerom, Barly grows there in
fouity days, and Wheat in fixty, which is very remarkable. The Cuftoms paid
there for the carrying out of the Gold and Silver, and upon all other Commodities,
is very fevere. Silk, that comes out of Perjia, pays {our and twenty Crowns for a
Camefs