'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.' [‎105] (144/1024)

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Chap. III. of Monfieur Tavernier.
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From Cocbakan, to Carakan, a bad Ipn i where you enter among the Mountains,
that being full of Torrents reach as far as Btelii,
From Caravan toBstlis, a City belonging to a Bey or Prince of the Country, the
moft potent and moft confiderable of all the reft for he neither acknowledges the
Grand Signor nor the Perfian : whereas all the other Beys are Tributary either to the
one or the other. And it is the Intereft of thofe twg Potentates to correfpond with
him ^ for it’s an eafie thing for him to ftop up the paffage from to
r#, or from Tauris to Aleppo ^ the Streighfs of the Mountains being fo narrow,
that ten Men may defend them againft a thoufand. Coming near Betlis you muft
travel a whole day among high fteep Mountains, that reach two miles beyond, with
Torrents on each hde j the way being cut out of the Rock on each fide, where there
is but juft room for a Camel to pafs. The City ftands between two high Mountains^
equally diftant one from the other, and about the height of Montmartre. It is built
like a Sugar-loaf, the afcent being fo fteep on every fide, that there is no getting
to the top,but by wheeling and winding about the Mountain. The top of all is a Plat
form, where ftands a Caftle well built, at the Gate whereof is a Draw-Bridge. Then
you pafs through two great Courts, and then into a third, oppofite to the Be/s
Apartment. It is very troublefom to get up to the top of the Caftle, and a Man
muft be very well Hors’d that does it. There is no other perfon but the Bey and his
Efquire, who is permitted to ride up on Horfe back. There is one Inn within the
City, and another as it were without, in which the Merchants rather choofe to
lye than in the other, by reafon that it is ready to be overflown when the Torrents
fwell, that run throngh every Street. The Bey, befide the ftrength of his Paffes*
is able to brbg above five and twenty thoufand Horfe into the Field j and a very
conliderable Body of Foot, compos’d of the Shepherds of the Country, who are to
be ready at a Call. I went to wait upon the Bey himfelf, and made him a Prefent
of two pieces of Satin, the oneftreakt with Silver, and the other with Gold; two
white Bonnets, fuch as the Turfy wear, very fine, and adorn’d with Silver at the top j
together with a fute of HandkerchifFs, ftreak’d with Red and Silver. While I
ftaid with the Bey, who fent for Coffee for me according to the cuftom/a Courier
came to him from the Bajha of Aleppo, to defire him that he would deliver up into
his hands a French Chirurgeon that was his Slave, having been tak’n in Candia*
complaining withall, that he had run away from him with the value of three thou
fand Crowns. 'Ths Bey, who underftood what belong’d to a Sandhjary, and was
refolv’d to proted the French-man, fchool’d the Meffehger fo fevirdy, that he
threaten’d to put him to death if he did not get him gone prefentlyT charging him
to tell his.Mafter withal, that he would complain to the Grand Signor of his info-
lence i and that if he were ftrangl’d, he might thank himfelf. And indeed it
behov’d the Great TurJ^to keep fair correfpondence vdth him} in regard that if the
Perjjans fhould at any time befiege Van, the Grand kignor muft march through the
Beys Country to relieve it j Who has Forces enow to oppofe him if he (hould be his
Enemy. -:'T . _ : ;'V > . •
But to travd through the Country of the Curds is very *pleafant: for if on the
one fide the ways are bad, and difficult to be traveil’d, in other places you have a
profped of feveral forts of Trees, as Oaks and Walnuts, and not a Tree which is
not embrac d with a wild Vine. Below the Mountains, in the Level, grows the beft
Wheat and Bailey in all the Country.
From Betlif, where you pay five Pia(iers for every Horfe-load, to T aduan, where
you pay two. ^ ^ : r ;
Taduan is a great Town within a Cannon-Ihot of the Lake of Van, in fuch a port,
where hJature has made a Hav’n, ftidter d from all the Winds > being clos’d on all
fides with high Mountains, the entry into Which though it feero narrow, is very
free. It is able to contain twenty or thirty great Barks > and when it is fair Wea
ther, and that the Wind ferves, the Merchants generally Ship off their Goods
from thence to Van\: from whence it is but four and twenty hours fail, and a very
good paffage j whereas by Land from Taduan to Van it is eight days journey on
Horfe-back. Returning back, you mayalfo take Water at Van for Taduan,
r rom Taduan to Karmoufhe,
From Karmoujbe to Kellat,
from Kellat to Algiaoux, a fmall City, where you pay one Tiafier for every Load.
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