Part m. Travels into thel'N'Dl'ES. 57 
C H A p. V. 
Of the hhditants of Bagnagar. 
THere are many Officers and Men of Law at Bagnagar^ but the moft juj^jy. 
confiderable is the Cotoual: He is not only Governoutof the Town, rants of bJ^- 
butalfo chief Ciiftomer of the Kingdom. He isbefides, Mafter o{ the „agar. 
Mint-hoLifej and Supream Judge of the City, as well in Civil as Criminal 
matters ^ he rents all thefe places of the King, for which he pays a good 
deal of Money. There are in this Town many Rich Merchants, Bankers 
and Jewellers, and vaft numbers of very skilful Artifans. Amongft the 
Inhabitants of Bagnagar^ we are to recken the forty thoufand Horfe, Ter~ 
Jians, Moguls^ or Tartars, whom the Kmg entertains, that he may not be 
again furprifed, as he hath been heretofore by liis Enemies. 
Befides the Indian Merchants that are at Bagnagar, there are many Terfians 
znd Armenians^ but through the weaknefsof the Government, the Owr^ 
fometimes fqueeze them ^ and whil'ft I was there, an Omra detained in his 
Houfe a Gentile Banker whom he had fent for, and made him give him 
five thoufand Chequins ^ upon the report of this Extortion, the Bankers 
ihut up their Offices, but the King Commanded all to be reftored to the 
Gentile, and fo the matter was taken up. 
The Tradefmenof the Town, and thofe who cultivate the Land, are 
Natives of the Country.There are many Franks alfo in the Kingdome, but 
moft of them are Tortuguefe^ who have fled thither for Crimes they have 
committed : However the Ewglifli and Dutch have lately fetled there, and 
the laft make great profits. They cftabliflied a Fadory there, (three years 
fince) where they buy up for the Company, may Chites and other Cloathsg 
which they vent elfe where in the Indies. They bring frorh Mafulipatan up- 
on Oxen, the Goods which they know to be of readieft fale in Bagnagar^ 
and other Towns of the Kingdom, as Cloves, Pepper, Cinnamon, Silver, 
Copper, Tin, and Lead, and thereby gain very much -, for they fay, they 
get five an twenty for one, of profit -, and I was afliired that this profit a- 
moiinted yearly to eleven or twelve hundred thoufand French Livres. They 
are made welcome in that Countrey,becaufe they make many Prefents,and 
a few days before I parted from Bagnagar, their Governour began to have 
Trumpets and Tymbals , and a Standard carried before him, by Orders 
from his Superiours. 
Publick Women are allowed in the Kingdom, fo that no body minds it p^yj^j ^ 
when they fee a Man go to their Houfes, and they arc often at their Doors " ^ °' 
men. 
well dreft, to draw in PaflTengers : But they fay, moft of them are fpoiled. 
The common People give their Wives great Liberty : When a Man is to The liberty of 
be Married, the Father and Mother of his Bride, make him promife that Wives incol- 
he will not take it ill, that his Wife go and walk through the Town, or 
vifit her Neighbours, nay and drink Tary, a drink that the hidians of Gol- 
conda are extreamly fond of. 
When a Theft is committed at Bagnagar, or elfewhere, they punifli the 
Thief by cutting off both his Hands-, which is the Cuftome alfo in moft 
Countries of the Indies. 
The moft currant Money in this Kingdom, are the Tagods, Roupies o( r^^^yi^^^y^^^ 
Mogul, the halk Roupies, quzrter Roupies a.nd Péchas. The Tagods :ir:e pieces Golcond/f. 
of Gold, of whjch there are old and new ones -, when I was at Bagnagar, 
the old were worth five Roupies and a half, that's to fay, about eight French 
Livres, becaufe they were fcarce then, and the new were only worth four 
Roupies, that's about fix Livres ^ but both rife and fall, according as People 
O 2 ftand 
