'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.' [‎139] (810/1024)

Tbe Paradife of Indoftan.
i
Jrtfrver to thz third Demand, which is concerning^ the Regularity of the Cur
rent of the Sea, and of */;eWin&s in the Indies.
^ •
A S foon as the Rains do ceafe ( which ordinarily comes to pafs toward s themonth
of Offober, }it is obferved, that the Sea taketh its courfe Southward, and that
the cold Northern VVinds arifeth. This Wind blows for four or five months without
intermiflion and without dorms, always keeping the fame equality as to its ftrength
and quarter, unlefs it change or ceafe a day or fo by accident, but then it returns again
unto its former place and temper. After that timej for two months or there about the
other Winds do reign without any rule. Thefe two months being pad, which is call
ed the Intermediate fcafon, or, according to the Hollanders, the Wavering or Changing
Seafon, the Sea returns back from South to North, and the South-wind rifeth to reign
alfo in his turn for four or five months, as the Current of the Sea doth: fothat them
pafs two months of intermediate feafon i during which, Navigationis very difficult
and dangerous, whereas during the two Seafons it is very eafie, pleafant and without
peril, except it be about the end of the feafon of the South-wind. Hence you may find
caufenot to wonder, if you hear that the Indians^ though elfe very timorous and inex
pert in the art of Na vigation, do notwithdanding make pretty long and confiderable
Voyages i as when they fail from Bengale to TanaJJ'ery, Achem, Mslaque, Sian and Ma-
fyjfar j or to Mj flip at an, Ceilan, the Maldives, Moka, and Bender-Abaffy *, becaufe they
take their time to go with one good Seafon, and to return with the other. ’Tis true
that oft enough they are furprifed and cad away j but that is, when they cannot dif-
patch their affairs in good time, or fail of taking their meafures. Our Europeans a\fo
do fometimes lofe themfelves, though they be far better Sea-men, bolder and more
underftanding, and their Ships better condition’d and equipped.
Of thefe two intermediate Seafons, that which maketh the South-wind is incompar
ably more dangerous than the other, and much more fubjedt to tempeds and dorms:
And even in the Seafon it felf this wind is ordinarily much more impetuous and unequ
al than that of the North. And here I mud not omit to give you a remark, which is,
that about the end of the Seafon of the South-wind, during the time of 1 the rain, al
though there be a great calm out at Sea, yet ’tis very tempeduous near the Goads» to
thediftanceof fikeenor twenty leagues: whence the Ships of Europe or others, when
they will approach the Indian Goads, for example, of Suratte, or Majlipatan, muft
be very careful of taking their time to arrive jud after the Rains > or elfe they run great
hazard of being fplit and lod upon the Goad.
This is very near what I could obferve of the Seafons in thefe parts» of which I
nwch wi(h I could give you a good reafon. I (hall venture to tell you, that it came
into my thoughts, that the Air, which environs the Globe of the Earth, ought
to beedeemed to have a (hare in it, as alfo the Water of the Sea and Rivers, forafmuch
2 s both the one and the other gravitate upon this Globe, tend to the fame Center of
,f > a nd fo are in fome manner united and faden’d to it) fo that from thefe three Bo
dies, the Air, the Water and the Earth, there refults as’twere one great Globe. Next,
that the Globe of the Earth being fufpended and balanced, asitis> in its place, in that
free and un-refided fpace, where the Creator thought good to place it, would be cap-
able to be eafily mov’d, if fome adventitious Body diould come againd it and hit it.
Thirdly, thzt the Sun having pad the Line to move towards one of the Poles, fbrexam-
P the Arttiqicc, coming to cad its rays that way, maketh there impreffion enough to
deprefs a little die Arfiiqxe Pole, and to do that more and more according as it advan-
ceth towards the 1 ‘ropiqne y letting it rife again by little and little, according as he returns
towards the Line, untill by the force of his rayeshedo the like on the fide of the^«tar-
tiqite Pole,
. Rthefe fuppofitions, joyn’d to that of theViurnal Motion of the Earth, were true,
it were not mothinks, without reafon what is commonly affirm’d in the viz.
*hatthe concludes and carries with him the Sea and Wind. For ifit be true, that
having p a flp cc j t j ie Lj ne to go towards one of the Poles, he caufeth a change inthedi-
jediion of the Axis of the Earth, and a depreffion in the Pole on that fide, the other
‘°le mud needs be raifed, and that confcquently the Sea and the Air, being two fluid
a nd heavy Bodies, run down in this inclination : fo that it would be true to fay, that
tlle Sun advancing towards one Pole, caufeth on that fide two gieat regular Currents,
- viz.
IBC&maonnm