60 



ORIENTAL COMMERCE. 



[lied Sen. 



small present to the custom-house weighman (conveyed privately) may be 

 advantageously disposed of, as he generally iixes the tare; and as well as his 

 present, give him a few cruse and a bottle of arrack occasionally. If the 

 Bashaw purchases your cargo, or any part of it, the weighman dares not shew 

 you the smallest favour in the delivery ; on the contrary, you may expect 

 the reverse: but even in this your present will not be misapplied, as he will, 

 for arrack and a few cruse, do all he dares to serve you. 



Insist upon your shroff having the weighing of your musk : it wilJ save 

 you a great deal. Musk sells by the rattle (of 400 drams). 



You pay 1,000 to 1,200 cruse anchorage, with about 350 cruse when 

 you get on the coast, which will be nil the charges, beside the pilotage, you 

 have to pay at Judda. 



It may be now necessary to caution you against disputes, which will 

 unavoidably arise (either about your prices, payments, money, or goods). 

 They should be settled amicably, if possible, by your shroff, or by merchants 

 of respectability ; but if you are under the necessity of referring the dispute 

 to the Government, apply to him who has the most weight at Judda, either 

 the Bashaw or the Xeritf, but not without a present If your application 

 is to the Bashaw, go yourself personally ; and if to the XerifT, go to his 

 house in Judda: if he is absent, write to him at Mecca, through your Arab 

 writer. But all this is only upon the most urgent necessity ; for all commu- 

 nication with the Government ought to cease immediately after making 

 your present, and paying your customs. 



Having finished your business at Judda, which will probably be at the 

 end of July, and able to sail by the 1st of August, you will perhaps get to 

 Mocha by the 10th, of which you should inform the broker before you leave 

 Mocha, to go up the Red Sea, and desire him to procure you all the freight 

 he* can, and have it ready by this time. The freight from Mocha to 

 Bombay is 2^ per cent, for treasure, and to Surat, to be delivered free of all 

 charges to the consignees, 3 per cent, for gold, and 4£ for silver ; by this 

 mode you will be able to do all your business, and leave Mocha, perhaps with 

 a full freight, by the 20th of August, (particularly if it should be a year 

 when there is no Company's ship there ; then there will be little doubt of 

 your getting full of freight), by which means you will get to Bombay in the 

 early part of September, and have fine weather, and the whole season before 

 you, to go to Surat, if necessary. 



The customs upon piece-goods being taken in kind at Judda, the Go- 

 vernment allow the purser and linguist the customs payable to it, of two bales, 

 viz. one bale each, and giv e them leave to pick the two richest bales in the 

 cargo for themselves. The Captain being generally his own purser, this is 



