'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.' [‎18] (337/1024)

i8
Travels' i« I n d i a.
j fo II.
imagining what would fall out. As it pafs’d before the'Cultomdioui~~T 7 ~^-
Governors or the Cha-bander , and the Mint-Mafters were fitting in tl iv e
they fail’d not to top him j and as the Slave went forward with the Phr 6
they told his Mailer that he mult come into the Cultom-houfe a ,,' c ] r ^ 0Ver ’ ( l 1
mult fee what he carried. The more the Englifi-mm cry’d, that the si they
ried nothing that faid any Duties , the lefs he was believ’d ; fo that aflr^Y* 1 ’"
debate he took the Plate from his SlaVe, and carried it himfelf into the rv S
theGovernourand the Cha-bander, gravely ask’d him, why he would not'K?’
dient to the Laws ? Upon which the EngHJh-razn, replying in a great hMcu
he carried nothing which paid any duty, threw the Pigg among them wifi! r?
a fury, that the Sawce, and Pigg flew all upon their Garments. Now in “I
that Swines-flelh is an abomination to the Mahometans, who believe evervue ■
defil’d that touches it • they were forc’d to change their Clothes, take dol„!? §
Tapeitry of the Dimn, to pull down the Divan it felf, and build anorher “ e
daring to fay any thing to the Engtifi-maa j for the tiha-bander, and Mint
are very obfervant to the Company , by whom they reap a great deal of 2 ?
As for what concerns tbs'Heads of the Companies, as well Englifl, asiwf
their Alfociates, they have fo great a refpedt for them, that they never fie
them at all, when they come a-lhore y though they will not Hick to.concealrf,'
Gold, like particular Merchants, and to carry it about them. The Tradeoff
formerly very great, begins now to decay, becaiife the Mouth of the River vm®’
more dangerous, and full of lhallows every day more than other, the Wum
having almoft choak’d it up.
The Englifi finding they had team’d the trick of rifling their Cloatlis fludi’r)
out other little ways and contrivances to conceal their Gold: And the fafhion n f
wearing Pernwigs being newly come out of Europe, th 6 y hid theit Jacobus, hi
Nobles, and Ducats in the Net of their Perriwigs, every time they came a-(hore
There was a Merchant that had a mind to convey fome Boxes of Coral inm
Suratt, without the knowledge of the Cuftomers. He Swam then into the Town
fome days before the Ship was unladen, when it might be done fecurely before
the Cutomers had any fufpmon of any thing. But the Merchant repented him
afterwards, the Commodity being fpoyl’d. For the Water of River bek
always thick and muddy, there clung to the Coral, which had Iain a Iona time in
the Water, a flime like a white cruft or skin, which was difficult to be sot off-
io that after the ooral was polilh d, he loft by it above twelve per Cent. ’
I come now to the Money which goes for currant through the whole extent of
the GveatMogul s Dominions; and to all the forts of Gold and Silver, whichis
earn d thither m Ingots to make profit thereof.
In the firfl place you mull obferve that it is very profitable to buy Gold and
i ver w ich has been wrought, to melt it into Ingots^ and to refine it to the
iiighelt purity: For being refin’d, you pay not for the Portage of the Alloy, which
was mix d with it before: And carrying the Gold and Silver in Wedges,you pay
Fnuce nor to the Mint what they exadt for Coinage. If you carry
coin d Gold, the bell Pieces are Jacobus’s^ Rofe-Nobles, Albert us andotheranci-
ent Pieces, as well oi Port ugal y as of other Countries, and all forts of Gold that
aye been com d m former Ages. For by all thofe old Pieces the Merchant is
ui e to guiru You may alfb reckon for good Gold , and which is proper to be
earn d thither, all the Ducats of Germany^ as well thofe coin’d by the feveral Prin
ces, as by the Imperial Towns , together with the Ducats ot Poland ,
bwedelandjmd and indeed all forts of Ducats are taken to be of the
iame goodnefs. The Venetian Ducats of Gold formerly pafs’d for the bell, and
were worth four or five of our Sous^ more than any others; but about a dozen
^ rs 4§° t ^ le y feeui to have been alter’d, not going now for any more than the
relt. 1 here are alio Ducats which the Grand Seignior Coins at Cairo^ and thofe of
Sally and Morocco : But tfiefe three forts are not To good as the others, and are not
vrorth fo much as they by four Sous of our Money.
* Empire of the Great Mogul, all the Gold and Silver is weigh’d
with Weights, which they call To Ha which weigh nine Deneers, and eight grains
oi our Weights. When they have any quantity ofGold and Silver to fell, the/#-
' h1ns u e yellow Copper-Weights, with the King’s mark, to avoid coufenage. And
with