Chap. II. 
6f the East Indie 
s. 
pit pail i firft between the Arabs and the 'Tartars, and 
fince between the Perjians and the Turks *. 
Yet ilill the old Rout is, in fome Meafure, preferred 
by the Caravans that pafs from Perjia to Aleppo ; which 
fhews of how great Confequence it is, to have the Rout of 
an advantagious Commerce once laid down through any 
Country : For though, through the Alterations and Re- 
volutions to which all Places are, in fome meafure, liable, 
it may be for fome Time interrupted or difufed, yet fooner 
or later it is again revived, tho’ perhaps not exactly in the 
old manner, yet fo near it, that the Inhabitants are feldom 
totally deprived of the Benefits refulting from it e . 
It has been of late apprehended, that the prefent Mo- 
narch of Perjia , Kouli Khan , has it in View to ruin this 
Commerce intirely, as prejudicial to his Subjects, or ra- 
ther detrimental to his Plan of Power, which is to draw 
the Commerce Northward, and make himfelf foie Mafter 
of the Trade to the Indies through his Dominions. But 
there, is good Reafon to doubt, whether this be not a 
Scheme too large for him to execute in his Life-time ; 
and whether his Succeffors may not be brought to alter it, 
and to put things again upon their old Foot : Yet thus 
much is certain, that if this Monarch and his Succeffors 
Ihould ever compafs this Defign, and divert the whole 
Trade of their Dominions to the Cafpian-Sea , it will have 
its Effects with Refpedt to Aleppo and the other Towns on 
that Coaft, and that in the fame Manner, and to as high 
a Degree, as the Difcovery of the Paffage to the Indies 
has had on the Port of Alexandria in Egypt. 
ii. As the Arabian Empire took Rife in the Peninfula 
of Arabia , fo as foon as the Princes of that new Power 
had any Leifure to form a Scheme of Politicks, they be- 
gan to frame a Defign ofattradling the Indian Trade from 
the Country of Perjia where it then centered, as near as 
poffible to the Place of their own Refidence. It was with 
this View, that Omar the Second Khaliff, in the 15th 
Year of the Hegira, A. D. 636, caufed the City of Baf- 
fora , or Balfora ; to be built a little above the Entrance in- 
to the Perjian Gulph. 
There never was perhaps a City more happily eredted, 
or which fooner came to anfwer the End for which it was 
eredted than this. The Khaliffs did not indeed make it 
the Place of their Refidence, and if they had, it is highly 
probable it would have been rather difad vantagious than 
ferviceable to it. But they always fent thither a Perfon 
of Diftindtion as Governor, and made it the grand Port 
of their Dominions. It became by this Means, and by 
the Priviledges allowed to all Merchants that fettled there, 
exceedingly rich and very populous ; and that too in a fur- 
prizing fhort Space of Time. 
It was for feveral Ages, a Place of the greateft Con- 
tour fe, and of the greateft Trade in the known World. 
The richeft Commodities in the Eaft, but more efpecially 
Spices, Precious Stones, Drugs, Silk and Cotton Manu- 
factures were brought hither, and difperfed from hence 
by Caravans, till fuch Times as the Portugueze became 
Matters of the City and Ifland of Ormuz on the Coaft 
of Perfia ; which, ■ for a long Time funk the Commerce 
of Bajfora. But after the Shah Abbas , with the Affiftance 
of the Englijh , made himfelf Mafter of that Ifland, and 
raifed the famous Emporium of Bander Abajfi^ or Gam- 
hroon , on the oppofite Coaft of Perfia , the Trade of Ba- 
fora began to revive, and has been ever fince confidered as 
beyond Comparifon, the greateft Mart of this Part of the 
World ; as ingrafting all the Trade of the Perfian Gulph. 
It was, as we have already fhewn, originally in the 
Hands of the Arabs ; the Perfians became afterwards its 
Matters : But fince the Year 1668 it has belonged to the 
Turks. 
At the fame Time that the Khaliffs fecured to their 
Subjects all the Trade on this Side, by opening fo conve- 
nient a Port as that of Bajfora , they took no lefs Care of 
the Arabian Gulph, and of the Trade carried on thereby; 
for they directed a Canal to be cut from Cairo to Suez , 
which is ftill vifibie, though at prefent choaked up with 
^and 1 and partly by Shipping, partly by Caravans, efta- 
3 
$19 
bliflied fuch a Trade there, as very near equalled that car- 
ried on in the Days of the Romans. Thus the Reader fees 
that, for a long TraCt of Time, the whole Trade of the 
Indies was in the Hands of the Mohammedans , and carried 
on by them with all the Caution and Succels imaginable. 
It is true, that this is now in a great meafure in the 
Hands of the Europeans , who are eftablifhed in all the 
Ports in this Part of the World, and carry on a prodigious 
Trade in their own Bottoms. But, notwithftanding this, 
perhaps we yet owe the Trade of the Indies more to the 
Weaknefi of the Turkifh Policy, than to any other Caufe 
whatever ; for, notwithftanding our Superiority in Mari- 
time Skill and Maritime Force, if the Turks were a People 
in any degree addicted to Trade, they might ftill drive a 
great Part of that to the Indies by the old Rout through 
the Red-Sea , in fpight of all our Power and of all our Set- 
tlements. 
This will appear clearly to the Reader, if he confiders 
that Surat is fo well fituated, that it might be very eafily 
made the Centre of all the Commerce of the Indies. From 
Surat to Suez is not above a Month or five Weeks Sail ; 
and from Suez to Cairo is a Journey of no more than three 
Days ; from Cairo to Alexandria Goods may be conveyed in 
the fame Space of Time ; and from Alexandria to Mar- 
feilles is a Voyage only of a Fortnight or three Weeks. So 
that taking this altogether, it appears far from being an 
Impoffibilify for a Perfon to go from Alar feilles to Surat in 
the Space of two Months, or ten Weeks. It may indeed 
be objected, that the Voyage from Suez to Surat , and con- 
fequently that from Surat to Suez, depends on the Mon- 
foons ; but, notwithftanding this, if proper Magazines were 
ereCted at both Ports, and Fleets went regularly between 
them at Spring and Fall, an immenfe Quantity of Indian 
Goods might be this Way brought into Europe much 
freiher, and in much better Condition than they are at 
prefent c . 
This is a ProjeCt the French have often had in their 
Heads ; and if ever they Ihould prevail with the Ottoman 
Port to concur with them in carrying it into Execution, 
there is no anfwering for its Confequences. It muft be 
owned, that an Attempt of this fort might in the Begin- 
ning meet with many Qbftacles j but if once the Turks tailed 
the Sweets of this Commerce, or were tempted by the Of- 
fer of a large' Sum of Money to be p£id annually at Con- 
Jlantinople , as an Equivalent for the Duties with which 
Goods coming this way into Europe might be charged, it 
is not eafy to fay how far this might operate ; for how in- 
dolent and negligent foever they may be with regard to 
Trade and Navigation, yet there is no Nation in the World 
more avaricious than they, or more ready to do any thing 
to which they are prompted for Money. 
12. The laft Rout we fliall mention, is one not very 
ancient, and which neverthelefs is now, in a manner, abfo- 
Jutely forgot. The Genoefe had it formerly in their 
Hands : And is no other than the Port of Caff a, in 
Crim Tartary. This Country was anciently called the 
Cherfonefus Taurica ; and this City is very often mentioned 
by old Writers under the Name of Theudojia f . It was ta- 
ken from the Genoefe , who, while they poffeffed it, were 
Mailers of the Trade of the Black-Sea, by Mohammed the 
Great, A.D. 1475. It was then in a very flourifliing 
Condition, and was one of the bell-built and richeft 
Places of its Size in Europe. 
It Hands at the Foot of a fniall Hill upon the Sea-Shore, 
North and South, with long Walls firetching on both 
Sides down to the Sea ; fo that from the Port, which is very 
large, very fafe and very commodious, it makes a very 
agreeable Appearance : There is a Caftle on the South 
Side, in which the Turkifh Bafhaw refides, with his Gar- 
rifon. The Number of Houfes in the Place are about 
4000 ; of which, 800 belong to Chriftians, the reft to 
Turks and Tartars , but the former are Mailers here, and 
it is the only Place the Grand Seignor has in Tartary. 
After the Genoefe were driven from hence, they carried 
on for a long time a very advantagious Trade with the 
Inhabitants, who, by the way of the Cafpian-Sea , found 
means 
* P , See the 3 Tf Ba ^ eck m He rbeIot. c All this Commerce has been carried one Way, though not confhatly in the Hands of one' Peopl 
t,lmaan. Flip, haracen. p. ,91 e I take moft of thefe Particulars from the Defcription of Egypt, compiled from the Papers of M. Mallet, the Fren 
vonful. :• f Cellar. Geograph. Antip. Vo!. I. p. 400. ‘ y r ? 
