AD. THE ENGLISH VOYAGES 



1563-81. 



woods without any labour of man, and when the bole 

 thereof is growen round as bigge as an Orenge, then 

 they take care onely to gather them. About sixteene 

 yeeres past, this king with his kingdome were destroyed 

 by the king of Patane, which was also king of the greatest 

 part of Bengala, and when he had got the kingdome, 

 he set custome there twenty pro cento, as Marchants 

 paide in his kingdome : but this tyrant enjoyed his king- 

 dome but a small time, but was conquered by another 

 tyrant, which was the great Mogol king of Agra, Delly, 

 and of all Cambaia, without any resistance. I departed 

 from Orisa to Bengala, to the harbour Piqueno, which is 

 distant from Orisa towardes the East a hundred and 

 seventie miles. They goe as it were rowing alongst the 

 coast fiftie and foure miles, and then we enter into the 

 The river of river Ganges : from the mouth of this river, to a citie 

 ^^nges. called Satagan, where the marchants gather themselves 

 together with their trade, are a hundred miles, which they 

 rowe in eighteene houres with the increase of the water : 

 in which river it floweth and ebbeth as it doth in the 

 Thamis, and when the ebbing water is come, they are 

 not able to rowe against it, by reason of the swiftnesse 

 of the water, yet their barkes be light and armed with 

 oares, like to Foistes, yet they cannot prevaile against 

 that streame, but for refuge must make them fast to the 

 banke of the river untill the next flowing water, and they 

 call these barkes Bazaras and Patvas : they rowe as well 

 as a Galliot, or as well as ever I have seene any. A good 

 tides rowing before you come to Satagan, you shall have 

 a place which is called Buttor, and from thence upwards 

 the ships doe not goe, because that upwardes the river 

 is very shallowe, and litle water. Every yeere at Buttor 

 they make and unmake a Village, with houses and 

 shoppes made of strawe, and with all things necessarie 

 to their uses, and this village standeth as long as the 

 ships ride there, and till they depart for the Indies, and 

 when they are departed, every man goeth to his plot of 

 houses, and there setteth fire on them, which thing made 



410 



