'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.' [‎60] (1015/1024)

The C OMMODITIES of~ the
It is fold by the Mein ,which in thofe places contains 60 Senes, or 5 x and
three quarters of our pounds. The ufual price is from 3 6 to 40 Roupies.
There grows alfo Indigo foine 36 leagues from Br am four , about a great
Village call’d Knout , and round about the neighbouring Towns in the
road to Sunt: Of which the Natives ufuallymake above a hunder’d-
thoufand Roupies.
There comes Indigo alfo from Bengda , which the /MW-Company
tranfports for Mafipatw. But they buy this and that of Brampour
and Amaddnt, cheaper by 24 in the hunder'd, then that of Agra.
Indigo is made of an Herb which they low every year after the rains are
over : which when it is grown up, is very like our Hemp. They cut it
three times a year; firft when it is about two or three foot high. and
they cut it within half a foot of the ground ; the firft cutting far exceeds
the two latter. . The fecond cutting is worfe then the firft by ten or
twelve in thehunder’d. And the third worfe then the fecond by 12 in the
hunder’d. The difference is found by breaking a piece of the Pafte, and
obferving the colour. The colour of that Indigo which is made of the firft
cutting, is a Violet-blue, but more brisk and lively than the two others:
and that which is made ofthe fecond is more lively then the third.
When they have cut the Herb, they throw it into Pits which they
make with Lime, which becomes fo hard, that you would jud^ it to be
one inure piece of Marble. They are generally fourfcore or a hunder’d
paces in circuit; and being half full of water, they fill them quire A booklet formed of a single gathering of nested bifolia. up
with the Herb. Then they bruile and jumble it in the water till the leaf,
tor the ftalkis worth nothing, becomes like a kind of thick mud. This
~” ln § done, they let it fettle for fomedays 5 and when the letling is all at
the bottom, and the water clear above, they let out all the water. When
the water is al drain’d out, they fill feveral baskets with this llime, and
in a plain Field you lhall fee feveral men at work, every one at his own
basket, making up little pieces of Indigo flat at the bottom, at the top
jharp like an egg. Though at Amndabat they make their pieces quite flat
like a (mall cake. Here you are to take particular notice, that the Mer
chants, becaufe they would not pay cuftom for an unneceffary weight,
before they tranfport their Indigo out of Afu into Europe, are very careful
to caufe it to be fifted, to feparate the duft from it; which they fell
afterwards to the Nativ :s of the Countrey to dye their Calicuts. They
that lift this Indigo muft be careful to keep a Linnen-cloath before their
aces, and that their noftrils be well-ftopt, leaving only two little holes
tor their eyes. Befides, they muftevery half hour be fure to drink milk,
which is a great prelervative againft the piercing quality of theduft.
Yet notwithftandmg alt this caution , they that have fifted Indigo for
nine or ten days, fhall fpit nothing but blew fora good while toge
ther. Once I laid an Egg in the morning among the fifters, and when I
came to break it in the evening it was all blew within.
^ As they take the Pafte out of the Baskets with their Fingers dipt in
Oil, and make it into Lumps, or Cakes, they lay them in the Sun to dry.
W idh is the teafon that when the Merchants buy Indigo, they burn
ionic pieces of it, to try whether there be any duft among it. For the
atives wbtvtakc the Pafte out of the Baskets to make it into Lumps,
!t y, ^ lnt L ieSa , ’ whlt h mixes with the Pafte, and fouls it. Butwhen
the Merchants burn it, the indigo turns to Afhes, and the Sand remains.
• ovettoours do what they can to make the Natives leave their
Knavery;