Book I Travels in India. 21 



bring him back fome rarities which I had promis'd him, as he made me be- 

 lieve he did. All the while I talk'd, he laugh'd, and afterwards fent for the 

 Horfe which his Father in his life time us'd to ride upon. It was a tall Per- 

 fianHotic, that had formerly coftrive thoufand Crowns, but was then twenty 

 eight years ; old. They brought him bridl'd and faddl'd, and the Prince would 

 needs have me get up in his prefence. He had one of the moft ftately walks 

 that ever I knew in a Horfe ; and when I alighted, well, faid he, art thou fa- 

 risfied? I dare fay, that Horfe will never give thee a fall. I thank'd him, 

 and at the fame time took my leave of him j and the next day, before my 

 departure, he fent me a great Basket of Apples. It was one of the fix that Cba- 

 jehan had fent him, as they came from the Kingdom of Kachemir -, there was 

 in the Basket alfo a great Per Jian Melon : All this might be worth a hundred 

 Roupies, which I prefented to the Holland Commanders Wife. As for the 

 Horfe, I rode him to Golconda, where I fold him for five hundred Roupies, 

 as old as he was, being a good lufty Beaft. 



To return to our difcourfe of Money, I will add this to what I have 

 faid already, that you muft never carry Louis's of Gold to the Indies , nor 

 Spanijh nor Italian Piftols, nor any other fort of Money coin'd within thefe 

 few years ; for there is great lofs by it j for the Indians refine all, and count 

 only upon- the refinings. Laftly., every one ftrives to fteal .the cuftom of their, 

 Gold ; and when the Merchant has got the knack of concealing it, he may 

 gain five or fix of our Sous in every Ducat. 



I come now to the forts of Silver Money j which you muft diftinguiih in- 

 to Money of the Country, and Forreign Money : And firft of the Forreign 

 Coins. 



The Forreign Silver Coins which are carried into the Indies, are the Rix- 

 dolla'rs of Germany and the Reals of Spain. The firft are brought by the Merchants 

 that come from Poland, from the LefTer Tartarj, and the Borders of Mvfco- 

 Qtii The others by thofe that come from Confiantinople, Smjma, and Aleppo; 

 and the greateft part by the Armenians, who fell their Silk into Europe. All 

 thefe Merchants endeavour to convey their Silver through Perfia without be- 

 ing difcovered ; for if the Cuftomers find it out, they will be forced to carry 

 their Silver to the Mint-Mafters to be coined into Abaffi s t which is the Kings 

 Coin ; and thefe Abaffi s being carried into India, are again coined into Rou- 

 pies, whereby the Merchant lofes ten and a quarter per Cent, as well by reafon of 

 the coinage, as by paying the Kings duties in Perfia. 



To let you underitand in a few words, how they came to lofe this ten and 

 a quarter pet Cent, from Perfia to the Indies, and fometimes more, according 

 to the nature of the Reals, which they ufually carry into Perfia-, you mult 

 call to mind, what I have already faid concerning the Money and Exchanges 

 of Perfia, in the firft Volume. I obferv'd, that a Real in Perfia goes for 25 

 Cbaez,, which make three Abaffi s and a quarter } and that fometimes, when 

 Silver is fcarce, they will give a Cbaez. and a half for one. That the Abaffi 

 is worth four Cbaez., and the Toman fifty Abaffi' s, or two hundred Qbaez.. If 

 you carry fix Tomans and a half to the Indies, you have for every Toman twenty- 

 nine Roupies and a half} and confequently for fix Tomans anda half, -a hundred 

 and ninety-one Roupies and a quarter. If you carry to the Indies Reals of Sevile, 

 for a hundred you (hall have from 213 to 21 j Roupies. If you carry Mexi- 

 can Reals, for a hundred you (hall have no more than 212. So that when 

 for a hundred Reals you have but two hundred and twelve Roupies, you gain 

 ten Reals and a quarter, in an hundred Reals j but by the SevUUan Reals you 

 profit eleven per Cent. ..... 



There are three or four forts of Spamjh Reals, and they give for a hundred 

 according to their goodnefs, from 218 to 214 and 215 Roupies. The belt 

 of all are thofe of Sevil, for when they are full weight, they will give for 

 a hundred, 213 Roupies } and fometimes 2ij, according as Silver is either 

 fcarce or plentiful. 



The Real of Spain ought to weigh three Drams, feven Grains and a half 



more than two Roupies. But the Silver of the Roupies is much better. For 



the Roupy is in weight eleven Deneers and fourteen Grains j but the &yil 



U b Real/ 



