gio - A Supplemental Account of the Commodities, &C. Book I. 
direct Navigation to the Indies , which they all along appre- 
hended to be the Duke of Holftein 1 * * * * * * * 9 , s Defign, and therefore 
tfipught, and very juftiy too, that a better Method than 
this could not be deviled to defeat it. This likewife ac- 
counts for the rendering the Embaffador’s and our Author’s 
Accounts publick, in which, though all the Tranfa&ions 
are in themfelves equally curious and entertaining, yet they 
make known little or nothing that relates to the Duke’s 
real Projects, and are therefore confidered in this Light 
nothing more than political Amufements. 
It mull, however, be acknowledged, that all thefe fine 
Schemes, though built upon juft Principles, and purfued 
with great Wifdom and Prudence, proved in the End ab- 
folutely ineffectual, which was owing to the Wars and other 
Confufions that fell out foon after, both in Germany and 
Rujfa in the firft of which the Duke of Holftein himfelf 
had his Share, fo that the Event ought not in the leaft to 
prejudice our Opinion againft the Duke’s Defign, which 
has been fince revived by other great Princes, and will be 
fome Time or other effectually executed, and thereby a 
new Turn given to the Commerce of the Indies. The 
Czar Alexis Michael , in the Year 1668, revived this Pro- 
ject, which was then difappointed by the Rebellion of the 
Cojfacks , who made themfelves Matters of the City of 
Aftracan , and thereby cut off for a Time the Correfpondence 
between Ruftia and Perjia. It was with this View alfo, that 
the late Czar Peter the Great y who underftood all thofe 
Points better than any of his Predeceffors, and perhaps 
better than any other Prince of his Time in Europe , made 
himfelf Mafter of all the Provinces bordering on his Side 
the Cafpian Sea, and thereby bid very fair for engroffing 
the whole Silk Trade, that is, fo far as it depends upon 
Perjia. 
I might there put the Reader in mind, that we too have 
very lately proceeded upon this Plan, and have very hap- 
pily begun to eftablilh, by the Means of our Ruffian Com- 
pany, this very Commerce with Perfia through the Mufco- 
vite Empire, which is more than fufficient to fliew, that 
the Duke of Holftein’s Scheme, though it actually failed by 
unforefeen and unavoidable Accidents, was in its Nature 
perfectly juft, and well founded, fince, if it can be rendered 
ufeful and practicable to us, it muft not only have been 
more ufeful, and more practicable to him, who was fo near 
a Neighbour to Ruffia , but all Circumftances confidered, 
the wifeft and belt laid Scheme for the Improvement of his 
Dominions, that perhaps it was within the Compafs of the 
human Underftanding to invent or contrive. Thus I have 
done all that lies in my Power to render thefe Voyages in- 
telligible to the Englijh Reader in their utmoft Extent, by 
explaining many things that have hitherto flept in Obfcurity, 
and might poflibly have been buried therein for ever, if 
thefe Voyages had not been made a Part of this Col- 
lection, 
SECTION XXVIIL 
A Supplemental Accoimt of the Commodities , ManufaElures , and Produce of the feveral 
Countries of the Indies, together with Remarks on the Nature and Value of that Trade 
in refpeEl to Europe. 
From the Works of John Baptijl 'Tavernier . 
1. An Introductory Accoimt of the Contents of the Section. 2. A faccinCt View of the Siik , Cotton , Indigo] 
Spice and Drug Trade in the Indies. 3. The Nature of the Diamond Mines , the Manner of their work- 
ing them , and the Value of their Produce. 4. The Mines in the Ifland of Borneo, the Nature of the Stones 
found there , and an Account of the largefl Diamonds in the World. 5. Of coloured Stones , fuch as Rubies y 
Opals , Saphires , Turquoifes, and Emeralds. 6. Of the Pearl Fijheries in the Eafl and Weft-Indies, and 
of the Difference in point of Size y Shape and Colour of thofe Jewels. 7. Of Coral Fijheries , and of the 
Value of this Commodity in the Indies. 8. Of Amber, Amber greece, Mufk y and other Perfumes. 9. Of 
the Bezoar in Cows , Goafs , and Apes , their different Virtues and Values y and of the Porcupine and Serpent 
Stones. 10. Of the Gold , Silver , and Tin Mines of the Indies, u. A Defcription of the Kingdom of 
Kachemire, called the Par adife of the Indies, and its Produce. 12. Of the Provinces of Multan, Can- 
dahar, Cabuliftan, and Lahor. 13. Of the Provinces of Haoud and Varad, and of the Fruits and Com- 
modities which they produce. 14. Of other Provinces oj the Mogul Empire , and of what is mofi remark- 
able in each of them. 15. A Defcription of the Country of Bengal, one of the pleajanteft and moft fruitful 
Countries of the Indies. 16. Of the rich Kingdom of Boutan, its Inhabitants , Commodities y and Manu- 
factures. 17. Of the Power , Splendor , and Magnificence of the Monarch of that Country. 18. Of the 
Kingdom of Tipra, and of the Gold and Silk Trade carried on there, ig. Of the noble Kingdom of Afem, 
and of the rich Mines in that Country y as alfo of Gum Lac , and other valuable Commodities which it 
produces. 20. O/’Tonquin, and its Products. 21. A concife Hifiory of that famous Kingdom . 
1. S we have in the foregoing Sections given great 
ZJs Lights into the Commerce of the Indies from 
X JL Authors beft acquainted with them, and of the 
higheft Reputation, fo, by way of Supplement to thefe, we 
fhall add fuch Chapters of Mr. Tavernier's Travels as are 
fitted: to compleat that Defign, referving the red: of his 
Work for the fucceeding Volume, to which it properly be- 
longs. His Character is fo well known and eftablifhed in 
the World, that it may feem very unneceffary to fay any 
thing of it in this Place, and therefore we fhall content our- 
felves with a very few Obfervations that feem more imme- 
diately requifite, in order to conned - what we have taken 
from him with what we have given before on the fame Sub- 
jed from others. He was not only a Traveller, but a 
Merchant alfo, and therefore fpoke from a perfed Know- 
ledge and Experience in the Matters of which he writes, 
and more particularly with regard to the Commodities and 
Manufactures of thefe Countries, in which he dealt for 
many Years with great Succefs. 
He is more copious, and at the fame time no lefs exad, 
than any of the Authors who have attempted to point out 
the Advantages derived from our Commerce in the Eaft, 
by which I mean in general the Commerce of the Europe- 
ans. We difeover in his Writings a greater Compafs of 
Thought, and a more mafterly Turn in his Obfervations, 
than in almoft any other Book of the kind, which is owing 
to his having confidered thefe things over and over, in con- 
fequence of the feveral Voyages he had made to the Indies , 
and the Pains he had taken to make himfelf Mafter of every 
thing that had any Relation to the Difpofition of Indian 
Commodities after they were brought to Europe. It muft 
be allowed, that this fometimes tempts him to digrefs a 
little from his Subjed, and run into a general Reprefenta- 
tion of the State of the fame fort of Commerce in other 
Parts 
