Chap. II. through feveral Countries of the INDIES, 
771 
Charity for the Conveniency of Travellers, and thefe Cara- 
vanferas have no other Accommodations but four bare 'Walls, 
and a Covering over Head. They travel with Camels, 
Horfes, Mules, and Oxen. They make ufe alfo of a 
certain kind of Coaches, drawn by Oxen, which will tra- 
vel ten or twelve Leagues a Day ; they are covered with 
Velvet on the upper Part, but thofe for the Women are 
fo covered on all Sides. Perfons of Quality travel for the 
moft Part on Elephants, or are carried in Palanquines, or 
Litters, carried by two Men upon their Shoulders, with a 
Bar. They are very careful in breeding up their Ele- 
phants. Hawking and Hunting is their chief Sport. 
Their Greyhounds are lefs than ours, but they make ufe 
of tame Leopards, and Tygers in Hunting, which are the 
befit in the World at furprizing a wild Beaft, but never pur- 
sue it. They catch Water-fowl by the Skin of a wild 
Duck, filled with Hay, which being tied to the decoy 
Duck, they fwim up the Water till they get infenfibly 
among the reft without flighting them. Their Bows 
are made of wild Ox Plorns, and their Arrows of Cane, 
and they manage them with fo much Dexterity, that they 
kill Birds flying. Their Games are Chefs, and fome at 
Cards. They are great Lovers of Mufick, though theirs 
be fo rough ; but judicial Aftrology has got fuch an Af- 
cendant among them, that nothing of Moment is to be 
undertaken here without firft confultihg thofe who profefs 
it. They are not quite deftitute of Books, Arifiotlf s 
Works, or at leaft moft of them, are to be met with 
here, tranflated into the Arabian Tongue •, as likewife cer- 
tain Treatifes of Avicenna , who is in great Requeft with 
them, as being born at Samarcand , under the Jurifdiftion 
of Timur? or Tamerlane : Their Writings are not defpica- 
ble, and have fomething of Rhetorick in them ; and their 
Annals are fo well, and exadlly kept, as to furnifh fuffici- 
ent Matter for a good Hiftory. 
Though their Language be divided into feveral Dia- 
lers, yet it is to be learnt without much Difficulty ; they 
write from the left-hand to the right ; the Perfian is the 
Court Language in Indojtan , and fome have likewife a 
Tafte of the Air abide , which is the learned Language. 
The Rloody-ftux and Fevers are the moft common Difeafes 
in the Indies? againft which they ufe fcarce any other Re- 
medy but Abftinence. They don’t want Phyfician>, but 
have no Surgeons. Their Barbers let Blood, and apply 
Leeches,, which is all the Operations they ufe. The Win- 
ter begins in Guzarat \njune , and holds till September 
but the Rains are not as at Goa. There are but two. 
Winds which reign on this Coaft, viz. the North and 
South Winds, which blow each for fix Months without 
Interruption. Their greateft Heat is in April and May , 
and the Beginning of June , but the Sultrinefs of the Sea- 
Ion is fomewhat temperated by the frequent Breezes, which, 
however, brings this inconveniency along with them, that 
they raife the Dull to fuch a Degree, as robs you of the 
very Sight of the Sun at Noon-day. 
22. The chief Commodities at Guzarat are Calicoes, 
and fiik Stuffs, as Sattins, Taffaties, Potolas, Comerbands, 
Orris of Gold and Silver, ufed for Veils for Women, Bro- 
cades, Tapeftry, ftflped Carpets, Quilts, Tents, Bed- 
fteds, and Cabinets, lacque Beds, Chains, Buttons, and 
Rings, of Ivory, Amber, Rock Chryftal, and Agat. 
In a Village called Cherchees , near Amadabat , is the belt 
Indigo made. The Herb is like that of a 'yellow Parfnip, 
but fomewhat fhorter and more bitter. It fprouts forth 
into Branches like a Reed, and fometimes rijes fix or fe- 
ven Feet high. Its Flower is like that of a Thiftle, and 
its Seed refembles Fenugreek ; they fow it in June , and 
cut it in November or December. It is Town but once eve- 
ry three Years; the firft Year they cut off the Leaves 
within a Foot of the Ground, and after they have clear’d 
them from the Stalk dry them in the Sun, and afterwards 
lay them a foaking in a ftone trough, which has fix or fe- 
yen Feet Water in it, ftirring it very frequently, till they 
think the Water has fufficiently extracted all the Colour 
and Virtue of the Herb •, then they draw that Water off 
into another Veflel, which being well, fettled all Night, 
they take it off the next Day, and the Settlement in the 
Bottom is- {trained through a coarfe Cloth, and dried in the 
Sun. This is the bell Indigo, which is adulterated by the 
Inhabitants by the Mixture of a certain Earth of the fame 
Colour, and fome Oil, to make it fwim upon the Water, 
the Goodnefs of this Drug being commonly judged by its 
Lightnefs. 
The Stalks left the firft Year produces Leaves the 
next; but thefe are not to be compared in Goodnefs to 
thofe of the firft, tho 5 they exceed thofe of the wild Indi- 
go. The fecond Year is that which produces the Seed ; 
the Produdt is never tranfported beyond the . Seas, but 
kept by the Country People for their own Dying. ^ The 
belt Indigo, which they call Anil , Is inclining to a Violet 
Colour, and has fomewhat of that Smell it burnt. 1 hey 
always let the Ground lie fallow alter the three ieais are 
expired, for twelve Months. 
There is alfo a great deal of Salt-petre vended at Suraf 
which is made at Ajmer? fixty Leagues from Agra? out of 
the fatteft Ground. After it has lain tallow for a confi- 
derable Time, they dig certain Trenches, which after they 
have filled with fait Earth, they let in as much Water as 
is fufficient to reduce it to the Contiftency of thick Mud, and 
to foak it the better, they frequently tread it with them 
Feet. When they judge the Water has diffolved all the 
faline Subftance that was in the Earth, they draw up the 
Water into another Trench, where in fome time it thickens, 
when they boil it like Salt, fkumming it continually, and 
afterwards put it into earthen Pots, where the Dregs fettle 
to the Bottom ; they take it out again, and dry it to a 
hard Subftance in the Sun. Borax, weft known for its 
Ufefulnefs in refining of Gold and Silver, is found near a 
Mountain in the Province of Purbet , upon the Borders of 
Great Tartary? which Country alfo produces Spikenard, 
Quickfilver, Mufk, and Copper, and a certain Colour 
which dyes the moft beautiful Brown in the World. The 
Borax grows like Coral, in the Bottom of the River Jan- 
kenckar , which coming down from the Mountain, joins 
its Stream with the River Mafnoor? which paffes through 
the faid Province, and furnifhes it with this Drug. The 
Indojians call it Jankenckar? from the before-mentioned 
River, and keep it for its Prefervation in Bags, made of 
Sheep-fkins, filled with Oil. 
The greateft Part of our Affaftetida is brought from 
Perfia •? but that which is brought from the Province of 
Utrad , in the Indies? is preferred before it. There are 
two kinds of this Plant ; one grows like a Shrub, with 
fmall Leaves like Rue, the other has Leaves as big as 
Turnips, and in Colour refembling Fig-tree Leaves. It 
grows commonly in Tandy and ftony Ground. Its Gum 
comes forth in the latter End of Summer, and is gathered 
in Autumn. The Banjans in Guzarat are fuch Admirers 
of it, that they ufe it in their Sauces, and rub their eat- 
ing and drinking Veffels with it. There is abundance of 
Amphion, or Opium, brought from Cayro into Europe ■, 
that which comes from the Province of Gualor in Indofian , 
and is vended all over the Indies , is only the coagulated 
Juice of Poppy, which is gathered by making an Intifion 
therein, when it begins to be ripe. All the Eaftern Nati- 
ons are fo addicted to the Ufe of it, that thofe who can- 
not come at the Juice, will make and ufe the Decoftion 
of Poppy. The Perfians boaft themfelves to be the firft 
Inventors of it. They take every Day the Quantity of a 
fmall Pea of it, made up into a little Pill, not fo much 
with an Intention to make themfelves deep, as to raife Vi- 
gour in them, more efpecially in the Exercile of venereal 
Adds, for which Purpofe it is chiefly ufed by the Indians. 
They ufe themfelves to it by taking a little and a little by 
Degrees, without attending to which it is mortal. It draws 
this Inconvenience after it, that it quite ftupifies the Sen- 
fes, unlefs they continue it for ever. 
Of Lacque we have faid fomething before, and fhall 
fay more hereafter. The Province of Guzarat produces 
abundance of Cummin, Ginger, and Mirobalans, which 
they preferve with brown Sugar, befides which they have 
feveral phyfical Drugs. Diamonds are likewife one of the 
chief Drugs of this Province, but not many, yet they 
have Abundance of Pearls, Emeralds, Garnets, Agats,, 
Alabafter, red Marble, and Jafper-ftone, which are better 
poliffied here than any where elfe. 
They ufe but one kind of Weight all over Guzarat , 
which m called Maon % and contains forty Cecrs, in the 
whole 
