"Travels in India, 



Partll 



and which liVCs all the yearlong under the trees. The Silks which are made 

 of this Silk glift'n very much, but they fret prefently. The Country produces 

 alfo great ftore of Gum-Lake j of which there is two forts, one grows under 

 the trees of a red colour, wherewith they paint their Linnen and Stuffs ; and 

 when they have drawn out the red juice, the remaining fubftance fèrves to var- 

 nifh Cabinets, and to make Wax ; being the beft Lake in Afia for fhofe ufes. 

 As for their Gold they never fuffer it to be tranfported out of the Kingdom,, 

 nor do they make any Money of it ; but they preferve it all in Ingots, "which 

 fafs in trade among the Inhabitants ; but as for the Silver, the King coins 

 it into Money, as is already defer ib'd. 



Though the Country be very plentiful of all things, yet there is no flefh which 

 they efteem fo much as Dogsfiefh ; which is the greateft delicacy at all Feafts ; 

 and is fold every month in every City of the Kingdom upon their Market-days. 

 There are alfo great ftore of Vines, and very good Grapes, but they never make 

 any Wine j only they dry the Grapes to make Aqua Vit*. As for Salt they have 

 none but what is artificial, which they make two ways. Firft they raife great 

 heaps of that green Stuff that fwims at the top of ftanding waters, Which the 

 Ducks and Frogs eat. This they dry and burn ; and the allies thereof being 

 boil'd in a Cloth in water, become very good Salt. The other way moft in ufe 

 is to take the leaves of Adams Fig-tree, which they dry and burn; the afhes 

 whereof make a Salt fo tart, that it is impoflible to eat it until the tartnefs 

 be tak'n away ; which they do by putting the afhes in water, where they Itir 

 them ten or twelve hours together ; then they ftrain the fubftance through a 

 Linnen Cloth and boif it ; as the water boils away, the bottom thick'ns ; and 

 when the water is all boil'd away, they find at the bottom very good and white 

 Salt. 



Of the afhes of thefe Fig-leaves they make a Lye, wherewith they wafh therr 

 Silk, which makes it as white as Snow ; but they have not enough to whiten 

 half the Silk that grows in the Country. 



Kemeroof is the name of the City where the King of Afcm keeps his Court ; 

 twenty-five or thirty days journey from that which was formerly the Capital 

 City, and bore the fame name. The King requires no Subfidies of his peo- 

 ple ; but all the Mines in his Kingdom are his own ; where for the eafe of his 

 Subjects, he has none but flaves that work ; fo that all the Natives of A fan 

 live at their eafe, and every one has his houfe by himfclf, and in the middle of 

 his ground a fountain encompafs'd with trees ; and moft commonly every one 

 an Elephant to carry their Wives ; for they have four Wives, and when they 

 marry, they lay to one, I take thee to ferve me in fuch a thing ; to the other, 

 I appoint thee to do fuch bufinefs; fo that every one of the Wives knows what 

 fhe has to do in the Houfe. The men and women are generally well complexi- 

 on'd j only thole that live more Southerly are more fwarthy, and not fo fub- 

 jeft to Wens in their throats ; neither are they fo well featur'd, befides that the 

 women are fomewhat flat Nos'd. In the Southern parts the people go ftark 

 naked, only covering their private parts, with a Bonnet like a blew Cap upon 

 their heads, hung about with Swines teeth. They pierce holes in their ears, that 

 you may thruft your thumb in, whete they hang pieces of Gold and Silver. 

 Bracelets alfo of Tortoife-fhclls, and Sea- {hells as long as an egg, which they 

 ûw into Circles, are in great efteem among the meaner fort j as Bracelets of 

 Coral and yellow Amber among thofe that are rich. When they bury a man, 

 all his Friends and Relations muft come to the burial j and when they lay the 

 body in the ground, they all takeoff their Bracelets from their Armsand Legs, 

 and bury them, with the Corps, 



G H A P. 



