The Roads to the feveral Roads of India, 
Year they are coined In, are valued at a Pecha more than 
thofe of the foregoing Year, becaufe the Coiners pretend 
that the Silver wears daily. They have alfo another Silver 
Coin called Mahmoudi , which is ten, or about ten Sols and 
an half, or eight-pence Halfpenny Sterling ; but it goes no 
where but in Surat, and in the Province of Guzurat. A 
Bajfis brought out of Perfia goes alfo in the Indies, but for 
lefs than in their own Country, viz. at nineteen Pecha' s , 
or fixteen French Sols , which is one Shilling and Two- 
pence. The Pecha (of which they have half, double, and 
four-fold) is a Piece of Copper Money as big and thick as 
a Rupee, but in Value about half a Sous , or fomething lefs 
than half a Penny Englifh. A Rupee is worth more or 
lefs of thofe Pecha' s, according as you are nearer or farther 
from the Copper Mines. At Agra and Gehanabat they are 
worth fifty-five or fixty-five Pecha' s, and at Surat fomc- 
times but forty-fix, and fometimes fifty, becaufe it is at a 
fmall Diftance from the Copper Mines. 
Inftead of fmall Money, they ufe certain Shells, which 
they call Coris , brought from the Maldives , of which they 
give fifty or more for a Pecha , or if they are near the Sea- 
ihore, where they are brought in, fixty. In the Province 
of Guzurat, and the chief Cities whereof Guzurat , Cambay a, 
Boudra , and Amadabat , Mahmoudi's , half Mahmoudis, and 
Almonds , are accounted current Money : A Mahmoudi is 
about nine Sous, three Derniers, or Eight-pence Englifh in 
Value. The Almonds, which they call Baden, are brought 
from Ormuz, and grow in the Defarts of the Kingdom of 
Lar. They give fixty-eight Almonds for a Pecha , and 
twenty Pecha's for a Mahmoudi. There is no fear that the 
Children fhculd crack thefe Almonds, and fo deftroy their 
Money, for they are as bitter as ColJoquintida. Some 
Years the Almond-trees don’t bear, and then their Price is 
much raifed ; for then you will not have above forty or 
forty-four for a Pecha. The Rupee of Gold is valued in 
the Country at fourteen Rupees of Silver, and the half and 
Quarter Rupee proportionably. Great Sums of Money 
are reckoned by Leeks, Crores , or Courors, Padans, and 
Nils’, 100,000 Rupees make a Leek , 100,000 Leks a 
Courors, 100,00 Courors a Padan, 100,000 Padans a Nil. 
If you bring Gold into the Indies in Ingots, or European 
Ducats, you fhall always have feven and an half Profit, if 
you can efcape paying the Cuftoms ; but if you pay them, 
your Gain is loft. 
3. The City of Surat lies in twenty-one Degrees, and a 
few Minutes Northern Latitude, and is watered by the 
River Tapty. It is inhabited by three Nations, as they di- 
ftinguilh themfelves, viz . Moors , under which Name they 
comprehend all Mohammedans , though they differ in their 
Opinions, being fome Sunnis, and others Chiais , viz. 
Moguls ^.P erf ans, Arabians, and Lurks ; 2. Heathens, who 
adore Idols, of whom there are feveral forts *, 3. Perfes, 
who are alfo called Gaurs, or Atoch-perefl , i. e. Adorers of 
the Fire, which was the Worfhip of the ancient Perfians. 
Thefe Men retreated into the Indies, when the Khaliff 
Omar reduced the Kingdom of Perfia under the Power of 
Mohammedans : Among thefe, indeed, there are fome Franks, 
and other Chrifians, but they are not accounted among the 
Inhabitants, becaufe their Number is inconfiderable, in 
Comparifon of the other Parts. There are fome Merchants 
in Surat vaftly rich. 
One Vergivora , a Banyan, was reckoned worth at leaft 
eight Millions. The City is but of an indifferent Bignefs, 
and *tis hard to know the Number of the Inhabitants, 
becaufe the Seafons render it unequal. There are a great 
many all the Year round ; but in the Time of the Mon- 
foon, i. e. the Seafons for failing, viz. in January, Febru- 
ary, and March , it is fo full of People, that Lodgings can 
hardly be had, cither in the City, or the Suburbs. The 
Generality of the Houfes are built of Reeds plaiftered 
over with Cow-dung ; for in all Surat there is not above 
nine or ten good Houfes, of .which the Cha-bender, or 
chief of the Merchants, has two or three, the Englifh and 
Dutch alfo have fome of them, and the reft belong to the 
Mohammedan Merchants ; but the Franks are only allowed 
to hire Houfes, left if they fhould have any of their own, 
they fhould make it a Fortrefs. 
The Capuchin Friars have built them a very convenient 
Convent, according to the Model of the Houfes in Europe , 
Book I. 
and a fair Church by it ; but they ptirchafed the Ground 
in the Name of one Chelebie , a Maronite Merchant of 
Aleppo . The Walls of the Town were formerly of Earth, 
and that very ruinous ; but of late they have built them of 
Brick, a Fathom and an half thick, and fortified them better, 
to fecure it from the Irruptions of the neighbouring Rajah* 
The Caftle is built upon the Side of the River, at the South 
End of the Town, and is fo placed, that you. muft pafs by 
it at your entering into the Town, whether you go by 
Land or Water ; it is a Fort of a reafonable Bignefs, fquare, 
and flanked at each Corner with a large Tower. The 
Ditches on three Sides are filled with Sea-water, and the 
fourth is walked by the River. There are feveral Pieces 
of Cannon ; but becaufe there are no Platforms on each 
Wall, they are planted upon wooden Scaffolds. The Go- 
vernor of it can only command his Soldiers within the 
Fort ; for he has no Power inr, the City, which has a di- 
ftin& Governor, who receives the King’s Cuftoms, and 
his Revenues in his Province ; but he lays them up in the 
Caftle, till they are fent for by exprefs Orders from 
Court. 
The Streets of Surat are large, and even, but not paved ; 
and there is no confiderajbie Building in it. The Cbrifti- 
ans and Mohammedans there commonly eat Cow Beef, not 
only becaufe it is better, but becaufe it is more plentiful 
than Ox Beef, their Oxen being almoft all employed in 
Plowing, and carrying Burthens. They have alfo pretty 
good Store of Mutton, and Abundance of Pullets, Chick- 
ens, Pigeons, Pigs, and all forts of Wild-fowl. They ufe 
two forts of Oil with their Food, viz. of Crocus, Sylve- 
ftris, or wild Saffron, and Seffamum. This laft is more 
common, but the firft much the beft. They eat Grapes 
from the Beginning of February to the End. of April ; but 
they have no good Tafte, and the Wine made of them is 
four. They have feveral forts of ftrong Waters, which 
they draw from Jagery, and the Bark of the Tree Ba- 
borel fteeped in Water. They have two forts from Palm- 
trees, the one called Cadigour, and the other the Cocoa- 
tree, Rice, and Dates ; but they are none of them fo good 
as Brandy. Their Vinegar is made of Jagery, and decayed 
Raifins, and to their beft they put in a little Tari, which 
is the Juice of the Palm-trees abovementioned. 
At Surat are fold all forts of Stuffs and Cottons that are 
made in the Indies : All the Commodities alfo of Europe 
and China, as Porcelain, Cabinets, and Chefts adorned 
with Torquoifes, Agats, Cornelians, Ivory, and other 
Embellifhments. Here are alfo fold Diamonds, Rubies, 
Pearls, and all other precious Stones, which are found in 
the Eaft ; as alfo Mufk, Amber, Myrrh, Incenfe, Manna, 
Sal Armoniack, Lack, Quickfilver, Indigo, and the Root 
Raenas, for dying red. All forts of Spices, Fruits, and 
Drugs, which are produced in the Indies , and the Levant , 
and are bought up by Foreign Merchants to tranfport into 
all Parts of the World. There are feveral great Officers 
at Surat, viz. a Mufti, who infpedts and rules all manner 
of Religion among the Mohammedans, and a Cadi, to judge 
of all civil Matters, a Vaca Nevis, or S§ci*etary of State, 
who keeps a Regifter of all that happens to his Province, 
and gives the Great Mogul Notice of all things that hap- 
pen of Importance, two Governors, or Nabads, who com- 
mand one the City, the other the Caftle, and have no De- 
pendance upon each other, nor incroach upon one another’s 
Offices, or Duties. 
The Governor of the Town judges in civil Matters, and 
commonly renders Ipeedy Juftice ; but he meddles not with 
Criminal Caufes, for they belong to an Officer appointed on 
purpofe, called Cotoual , who is much the fame with the 
Soubaffa in Turkey , and Dor oga in Perfa. He orders Crimi- 
nals to be punilhed in his Prefence, by Whipping or Cud- 
gelling; and this he doth, either in his own Houfe, or in 
the Street, near the Place where the Fa<ft was done. When 
he goes abroad, he rides on Horfeback, and has feveral 
Officers who attend him, carrying Batoons, Whips, Lan- 
ces, &c. before him ; but neither of thefe Judges can put 
any Man to Death. The King referves that Power to 
himfelf ; and therefore when any Man deferves Death, a 
Courier is difpatched to know his Pleafure, and they fail 
not to put his Orders in Execution, fo foon as the Courier 
is returned. The Cotoual goes his Rounds in the Night to 
prevent 
