Countries of the 1 'N T) I E S 
upon all Merchandize ; but the Merchants usually bargain 
with the Cuftomer before they proceed, for they bring 
it down tp.feven or eight in the Way froni G.wrochepour. 
For eight or nine Days Journey the Caravan buffers much 
Hardship, for the Country is nothing. but, Forefts, and full 
of wild Elephants •, fo that the Merchan ts, inftead of taking 
tlleir reft, are forced to watch, keep Fires, . and ftfpot off 
their Mufleets all the Night long ; for the Elephants, who 
make no Nolle in treading, will otherwife come upon them 
unawares f not that they will do any Mifchief to the Men, 
but will plunder the Caravan of their Victuals. Five or fix 
Leagues thence you enter into the Territories of the Rajah 
of Nupdf which extends to the Frontiers of the Kingdom 
of Bout an f lie is a tributary to the Great Mogul, and is to 
pay him every Year an Elephant for his Homage. The 
Me tropolis' where he refides is of the fame Name ; but there 
is little either of Trade or Money in this Country, .becaufe 
it is all Wood and Forefts. Having palled his Territories, 
you come to certain Mountains, , which are upon the Con- 
iines of Banian : All this Road you may travel in Palleki’s ; 
but generally the Travellers ride upon Oxen, Camels, or 
Horfes, bred up in the Country, which, though very fmall 
and dear, 'yet are ftrong, and will travel twenty Leagues 
without baiting ; and indeed you can ufe no other fort of 
Carriage crofs thefe Mountains, becaufe of the Narrownefs 
and Ruggednefs of the Ihifies. 
When the Caravan arrives at the Foot of the Mountains 
called Naugrocot , abundance of People come from all Parts 
of them ; but the greateft Part of them are Women and 
Girls, who agree with the Merchants to carry them their 
Goods and Provifions over the Mountains, which is eight. 
Days Journey. Thefe Women carry upon each Shoulder 
a Woollen Roll, to which is fattened a large Cufhion, that 
hangs down upon their Backs, upon which they carry Seats. 
There are three Women to carry one Man, relieving one 
another by Turns ; and for their Luggage and Provifions, 
they lay them upon Goats that will carry a hundred and 
fifty Pound Weight apiece : Thofe that will ride, are forced 
to have their Horfes hoifted up with Cords. The Women 
that carry the Men get for their eight Days Travel two 
Rupees apiece, and as much for every Burthen that the 
Goats carry, and for every Horfe which they load. Hav- 
ing paffed over thofe Mountains, you may go the reft of 
the Journey to Boutan , upon Oxen, Camels, Horfes, or 
Palleki’s. The Country is good, abounding in Rice, Corn, 
Pulfe, and Store of Wine. All the People, both Men and 
Women, are clad in the Summer with a large Piece of 
Fuftian, or Hempen Cloth, and in the Winter with a 
-thick Cloth almoft like Felt. Both Men and Women wear 
upon their Heads a kind of Bonnet much like Drinking- 
Cans, which they adorn with Boars Teeth, and with 
round and fquare Pieces of Tortoife-lhell ; the richer fort 
mix with them Pieces of Coral and Amber Beads, of which 
their Women make themfelves Necklaces. The Men, as 
well as the Women, wear Bracelets upon their left Hands 
only from the Wrift to the Elbow. The Women wear 
them ftrait, and the Men loofe. About their Necks they 
wear a Silver Twift, at the End whereof hangs a Bead of 
yellow Amber, or Coral, or a Boar’s Tooth, which dangles 
upon their Breaft. Upon their left Sides their Girdles are 
buckled with Beads of the fame. Though they be Idola- 
ters, yet they feed upon all forts of Food, except the Flelh 
of the Cow, which they adore, as the common Nurfe of all 
Men. They are great Lovers of ftrong Waters. They 
obferve alfo fome Ceremonies from the Chinefe , burning 
Amber at the Clofe of their Feafts, though they do not 
worfhip Fire, as the Chinefe do. 
Upon thefe Accounts Amber and Coral are good Com- 
modities at Boutan •, a Piece of yellow Amber as big as a 
Nut, bright, and clear, is worth forty-five Rupees, and a 
Piece of nine Ounces two hundred and fifty, or three hundred 
Rupees. Coral rough, or wrought into Beads, yields a 
proportionable Advantage-, but they had rather have it 
rough, to lhape it into what Figure they pleafe themfelves. 
The Women and Maids are generally the Artifts among 
them, as to their Toys. The moft excellent Rhubarb 
comes from this Country of Boutan. It is a Root which 
they cut in Pieces, and ftringing them by ten or twelve to- 
gether, hang them up a drying V being dried, the Merchants 
Numb. 55, 
rriuft carry them carefully; for if it takes wet, it is utterly 
fpoiled, and they had need to Carry it the moft fpeedy 
Way, for it is liable to corrupt^ or if not, it is apt td eat out 
its own Virtue. This Kingdom alfo produces Lome Mufiq 
and Plenty of Furs; They have good Store of Martins in 
their Country, whcth yield a very rich Fur ; but not having 
the Skill that the Miifcovites have to take them, they lofe 
the Profit of that Commodity, which the Mufcovites have j 
for no fooner does that Creature peep out of its Hole, but 
the Mufcovites^ who lie upon the Watch, have them pre- 
sently, fhooting them, either in the Nofe or Eyes 5 for 
fhould they hit them in the Body, the Blood would quite 
fpoil the Skin : From hence alfo is brought the Seed, which 
is accounted fo good againft Worms, called therefore 
Worm-feed. It is the Seed of a certain Plant which grows 
in the Fields, but miift not be gathered till the Plant is 
dead, which is the Reafon that the Wind fcatters the 
greateft Part of it before it can be gathered, which makes 
it fcarce. When they gather the Seed, they take two little 
Hampers, and as they go along the Fields, they move 
them backward and forward, as if they were mowing tha 
Herb, and fo bowing it at the Top, the Seed falls into the 
Hampers. 
17. The King and all his People are Idolaters, and 
worfhip Monfters, as the other Heathen Indians do. 
There is no King in the World more feared and refpebled 
by his Subjefts than the King of Boutan , being in a man- 
ner adored by them. When he fits to do Juftice, or give 
Audience, all that appear in his Prefence hold their Flands 
clofe together above their Forheads, and, at a Diftance 
from the Throne, proftrate themfelves upon the Ground, 
not daring to lift up their Heads. In this humble Pofture 
they prefent all their Petitions to the King, and when 
they retire they go backwards, till they are quite out of 
Sight. It is affirmed, then when the King does the Deeds 
of Nature, fuch as are about him preferve it, and dry and 
powder it, like Sneezing-powder, and fell it to the Mer- 
chants and Farmers, who buy it as a great Rarity, and at 
their Feafts ftrew it upon their Meat. This King has con- 
ftantly about him feven or eight thoufand Men for his 
Guard. Their Weapons for the moft part are Bows and 
Arrows, but fome of them carry Battle-Axes and Buck- 
lers. They have had the Ufe of Mufkets and Cannon 
a long Time : The Grain of their Gun-powder is long, 
but of an extraordinary Force ; and their Cannon have 
Letters and Figures upon them, by which it appears that 
fome of them are above five hundred Years old. 
No Man may ftir out of the Kingdom without the Go- 
vernor’s Leave ; nor is any allowed to carry a Mulket 
along with him, unlefs their next Kindred will undertake 
for them that they fhall bring them back. Their Guns 
are poliffied within as fmooth as a Looking-glafs, and o- a r- 
nifhed without with emboffed Wires, and Flowers of Gold 
and Silver inlaid, and carry large Bullets. There are al- 
ways fifty Elephants, and twenty-five Camels, with each a 
Piece of Artillery mounted upon his Back, which carry 
half a Pound Ball ; behind it fits a Cannoneer to manage 
and level it as he pleafes. The Natives of Boutan are 
ftrong, and well proportioned, but their Nofes are fome- 
what fiat. The Women are bigger, and more vigorous 
than the Men, but are troubled with Swellings in the 
Throat more than the Men are, for few of them efcape 
that Difeafe. ft hey know not what War is, having no 
Enemy to fear but the Mogul ; and from him they are 
fenced with high, fteep, craggy and fnowy Mountains, 
which he never thought worth his Trouble to pafs. 
Northward there are nothing but vaft Forefts and Snows ; 
Eaft and Weft no Water but what is bitter. And as for 
the Rajahs near them, they are Princes of fmall Force. 
They have a Silver-Mine in the Kingdom of Boutan , for 
the King coins much Silver in Pieces of the Value of a 
Roupee ; but they have a little Gold, and what they have 
is by the Merchants brought them out of the Eaft era 
Countries. 
18. The Kingdom of Tipra lies on the N. W. of the 
Kingdom of Aragan ,' twelwe Days Journey from Baca ; 
It is about fifteen Days Journey a-crofs, They ride upon 
Oxen and Horfes, which are very low, but very hardy. 
The anc ^ Nobility ride in Palleki’s or upon Elephants 
9 X ‘ of 
