Travels in India. 



Part n. 



imagining what would fall out. As it pafs'd before the Cuftom-houfe, while the 

 Governors or the Cha-bander, and the Mint-Mafter were fitting in the Divan , 

 they fail'd not to ftop him; and as the Slave went forward with the Plate cover'd, 

 they told his Mafter that he muft come into the Cuftom-houfe, and that they 

 muft fee Avhat he carried. The more the Englijh-mzn cry'd, that the Slave car- 

 ried nothing that -paid any duties, the lefs he was believ'd ; fb that after a long 

 debate he took the Plate from his Slave, and carried it himfelf into the Divan , 

 the Governour and the Cha-bander, gravely ask'd him, why he would not be obe- 

 dient to the Laws ? Upon which the Englijh-mzn, replying in a great heat, that he 

 carried nothing which paid any duty, threw the Pigg among them with fuch a fù- 

 ry, that the Sawce and Pigg flew all upon their Garments. Now in regard thac 

 Swines-flefh is an abomination to the Mahometans, who believe every thing de- 

 fil'd that touches it ; they were fore'd to change their Clothes, take down the 

 Tapeftry of the Divan, to pull down the Divan it felf, and build another, not da- 

 ring to fey any thing to the Engli/h-imn ; for the Cha-bander, and Mint-malter 

 are very obfervant to the Company, by whom they reap a great deal of profit. 

 As for what concerns the Heads of the Companies, as well EngUJh, as Dutch, and 

 their Affociates, they have fo great a refpe<ft for them, that they never fearch" 

 them at all, when they come a-fhore } though they will not ftick to conceal their j 

 Gold, like particular Merchants, and to carry it about them. The Trade of Tataf 

 formerly very great,begins now to decay, becaufe the Mouth of the Rivers grows 

 more dangerous, and full of (hallows every day more than other, the Sand-hills 

 having almoft choak'd it up. 



The EngUJh finding they had learn'd the trick of rifling their Clothes, ftudi'd out 

 other little ways and contrivances to conceal their Gold : And the fafhion of wear- 1 

 ing Perriwig's being newly come out of Europe, they hid their facobus's, Rofe~ | 

 Nobles, and Ducats in the net of their Perriwigs, every time they came a-fhore, 

 There was a Merchant that had a mind to convey fome boxes of Coral into 

 Suratt, without the knowledg of the Cuftomers. He fvvam then into the Town, 

 fome days before the Ship was unladed, when it might be done fecurely before 

 the Cuftomers had any fufpition of any thing. But the Merchant repented hiir 

 afterwards, the Commodity being fpol'd. For the water of Surah River being al- 

 ways thick and muddy, there clung to the Coral, which had Iain a long time ir 

 the water, a flime like a white cruit or skin, which was difficult to be got off j fc 

 that after the Coral was poiifh'd, he loft by it above twelve per Cent. 



I come now to the Money which goes for currant through the whole extent o' 

 the Great Mogul's Dominions ; and to all the forts of Gold and Silver, which ii 

 carri'd thither in Ingots to make profit thereof. 



In the firft place you muft obferve that it is very profitable to buy Gold anc 

 Silver which has been wrought, to melt it into Ingots 3 and to refine it to thr 

 higheft purity : For being rehVd, you pay not for the portage of the Alloy, whid 

 was mix'd with it before : And carrying the Gold and Silver in wedges, you pa} 

 neither to the Prince nor to the Mint what they exact for Coinage. If you carrj 

 coin'd Gold, the beft pieces are Jacobus's, Rofe-Nobles, Albertus's, and other and 

 ent Pieces, as well of Portugal, as of other Countreys,, and all forts of Gold tha 

 have been coin'd in former Ages. For by all thofe old Pieces the Merchant i 

 fure to gain. You may alfo reckon for good Gold, and which is proper to be car 

 ri'd thither, all the Ducats of Germany 3 as well thofe coin'd by the feveral Prin- 

 ces, as by the Imperial Towns, together with the Ducats of Poland, Hungary 

 Swede land and Danemark^; and indeed all forts of Ducat s are taken to be of thi 

 feme goodnefs. The Venetian Ducats of Gold formerly pafs'd for the beft, aiw 

 were worth four or five of our Sous, more than any others j but about a dozei 

 years ago they feem to have been alter'd, not going now for any more than th< 

 reft. There are alfo Ducats which the Grand Seignior coins at Cairo, and thofe O 

 Sally, and Morocco : But thefe three forts are not fo good as the others, and an 

 not worth fo much as they by four Sous of our Money. 



Over all the Empire of the Great Mogul, all the Gold and Silver is weight 

 with weights, which they call Tolla ; which weigh nine Deneers, and eight grain: 

 of our weights. When they have any quantity of Gold and Silver to fell, the In 

 diani ufe yellow Copper- weights, with the King's mark, to avoid coufenage, Anc 



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