Had Sea.] 



ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 



(11 



at Surat, and not by you. If you can prevail upon them to do this, it will 

 considerably increase your freight, as they have large consignments from 

 thence in Guzerat, Cossimbuzar, and Bengal piece-goods, &c and conse- 

 quently have large remittances to make. 



Probably, if the prices of goods are low at Judda, and you do not sell 

 at the first offer, your Arab writer will endeavour to persuade you to send 

 them to Mecca, in hopes of their being entrusted to his care, and himself 

 with the sale at the Hodjee, and have the commissions ; they will furnish 

 you with very specious and favourable accounts of the markets, as well as 

 bringing numbers of people to recommend them, as being well acquainted 

 with the markets, and of the highest integrity. But do not on any account 

 fall into this snare ; for as certain as you send goods to Mecca on your own 

 account, to be sold at the Hodjee, you will be a considerable loser (if not 

 lose the whole) by the speculation. 



The customs upon your China ware and goods will be settled by the 

 Government, and (though it may be extravagantly exorbitant, complaint is 

 useless, as you can have no redress) from the account you give them, and 

 which should be done by the supercargo or purser, in the public custom- 

 house ; as it is a necessary form, it ought to be complied with. 



Your musk and agala-wood they will weigh in the custom-house, and 

 probably want to open it there, to satisfy themselves ; but you must not 

 allow it to be done. If they want to see the contents of your packages, let 

 them come to your house ; for if you open any thing in the custom-house, 

 you may rest assured of losing 25 per cent., and you cannot possibly help it, 

 they are such expert thieves. 



Upon both piece-goods and gruff cargo they charge you, under the head 

 of Calum and Xeralphie, 10 per cent upon the amount of your customs, 

 which they call fees, for the different writers and people attached to fhe 

 custom-house, By a small fee you may prevail upon them to take your 

 China ware at five per cent, without unpacking or counting, which will re- 

 duce the whole of your customs to about 1 1 or 12 percent ; and if the time 

 before the Hodjee is short, the Government will readily agree to this; but 

 will take teu cups from every chest of China ware, exclusive of the customs. 

 As you generally sell your China ware by the corge, which is 20 in all parts 

 of India, you are to recollect that the corge is 22 at Judda. 



When you sell your sugar-candy, or any thing else by weight, send for 

 the custom-house steelyards (as it will prevent disputes), aud have the goods 

 weighed and delivered at your own house. They make arbitrary deductions 

 from 5 to 20 percent, for tare of the packages ; therefore agree previously 

 about the tare. Sugar-candy is about 10 per cent ; upon this account a 



