Book I 



21 



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

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

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

 fian Horle, that had formerly coft five 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 Horle ; and when I alighted, well, faid he, art thou fa- 

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

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

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

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

 in the Basket alfo a great Pcrjian 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 

 laid 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 thele 

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

 only upon the refinings: Laftly, every one ftrives to fteal the cuftora 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 ; which you muft diftinguifh 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- 

 dollars of Germany and the Reals of Spain. The firft are brought by the Merchants 

 that come from Poland, from the Lefier Tartary, and the Borders of Alvfco- 

 Dia. The others by thole that come from Confiant inople, Smyrna, and Aleppo, 

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

 thele 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, which is the Kings 

 Coin 5 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 underftand in a few words, how they came to lofe this ten and 

 a quarter per 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 23 

 Chaez,, which make three Abajfi's and a quarter ; and that fometimes, when 

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

 is worth four Chaez., and the Toman fifty Abaffi' s, or two hundred Chaez,. 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 and a half, a hundred 

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

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

 can Reals, for a hundred you fhall 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 Sevillian Reals you 

 profit eleven per Cent. , 



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

 according to their goodnefs, from 218 to 214 and 2ij Roupies. The beft 

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

 a hundred, 213 Roupies j and fometimes 2iy, 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 Sévit 



Real/ 



