Chap. VIII. of Monfieur T a v e a n i e r. 89 



Turks (hould remain peaceable Matters of the City , where they have a B.iflui for 

 Governour. But this Treaty endur'd not long 5 for in the middle of the City there 

 is a Cittadel, call'd Anjhel Bafta, or the Bafta s Court , which the Turks built } fo 

 that the Garrifofl being Turk* and the Inhabitants Arabians y who could not endure 

 tobecurb'd , they oft-times quarrell'd with the Turks and came to blows. There- 

 upon the Arabians of the Dci'crt came to the relief of the Citizens and befieg'd the 

 gaflta in the Fortrcfs. At length becaufe there could be no fuch agreement made , 

 but that one party or other took an occafion prefently to break it , there was one 

 Bajha whofe name was^W, who after many contefts and revolts which had almofl 

 tyr'dhim, refolv'd to rid himfclf of the trouble, and fold his Government for forty 

 thouf and Piaficrs to a rich Lord in the Country , who prefently rais'd a fufficient 

 number of Souldicrs to keep the people in awe. This great man took upon him the 

 name of Efrafias Bafia , being the Grandfather of Huffen Baflia, who was Gover- 

 nour at the time when I pafs'd through before. This Efrafias threw off the Turkic 

 yoak , and took upon him the title of Prince of BaJfara. As for the Bajha that fold 

 nis Government, he no fooncr arriv'd 'dtConflantinople , but he wasftrangl'd. But 

 after Amurath had taken Bagdat , the Prince of Balfara was glad to feed him conti- 

 nually with Prefents that chiefly confided in Horfes , which are very beautiful in that 

 Country. The Great Sha-Abas having taken Ormw , fent a powerful Army under 

 theGommand of Iman-Kouli-Kan Governour of Sbiras,to take in Balfara. Whereupon 

 the Prince finding himfelf too weak to refift fo great a Pow'r, made an agreement with 

 the Defcrt Arabians to break down the Dam that ftops the Sea. Which being per- 

 forate! , in came the Sea tumbling fifteen Leagues to Baifara , and four Leagues be- 

 yond it, which conftrain'd the c Perfians, furrounded with water, and hearing at 

 the fame time of the death ofSha-Ahasf.0 raife their Sicge.Since that inundation,feveraJ 

 Lands and Gardens have been utterly barren , or have born very little , by reafon of 

 the Salt which the Sea has left behind. 



The Prince of Balfara has enter'd into Leagues with fevcral ftrange Nations , fo 

 that whencefoever you come , you may be welcom. There is fo much liberty and fo 

 good order in the City, that you may walk all night long in the Streets without mo- 

 iefhtion. The Hollanders bring Spices thither every year. The gngUfb carry Pepper 

 and fomefew Cloves*, but the Tortugals have no Trade at all thither. The Indians 

 bring Calicuts, Indigo, and all forts of Merchandize. In fliort , there are Mer- 

 chants of all Country's, from Confi ant 1 nop le , Smyrna, Aleppo, Damafcus, Cairo, 

 and other parts of Tirrkie , to buy fuch Merchandizes as come from the Indies, with 

 which they lade the young Camels which they buy in that place:, for thither the 

 Arabians bring them to put them to fale. They that come from Diarbcqnir , Moh~ 

 fful, Bagdat , Mcfopotamia , and Affyria, fend their Merchandizes up the Tigris 

 by Water , but with great trouble and expence. In regard the Boats are to be tow'd 

 by men, that cannot go above two Leagues and a half in a day, and againftthe 

 Wind they cannot ftir, which makes them oft-times between 'Balfara and Bagdat 

 to be above fixty days , nay there have been fome that have been three months upon 

 the Water. 



The Cuftoms of Balfara amount to five in the hundred , but generally you have 

 fome favour fhew'd you , either bv the Cuftomer or the Prince himfelf, that the 

 Merchant docs not really pay above four in the hundred. 1 he Prince of Balfara is 

 fo good a Husband , that he lay* up three millions of Liners in a year. His chiefeft 

 Revenue is in four things, phoney, Horfes, Camels, and Date-trees-, but in the 

 lad confifts his chiefeft wealth. For all the Country from the meeting of the two 

 Rivers to the Sea, for the-fp^ce of thirty Leagues togother,is all cover'd with thefeTrees; 

 nor does any one dare to, touch a Date , 'till he has paid for every Tree three fourths 

 of a Larin , or nine S01L French. The profit which the Prince makes upon money , 

 proceeds from this, that the Merchants that come from abroad are oblig'd to carry 

 their Reals to his Mii/t , where they are Covn'd and converted into Larins , which 

 is worth to him eighji in the hundred. As for his Horfes , there is no place in the 

 world , where therp are more fit for travel , or handibmer fhap'd •, for there are 

 fome that will travel thirty hours together and never draw bit , especially the 

 Mares. But to return to the Palm-trees it is worth obfervation , that there is more 

 Art to bring up tl/ofe Trees than any other. The Natives dig a hole in the ground, 

 wherein they hc4p a great quantity of Date-nuts in a Pyramid ical form, the top 



M whcreoJt 



