8o6 ^he Manner of Living, Diverfions, Commerce, &c. Book III 
are commonly counted an Averdupois Ounce ; its juft 
Weight is 2 dw. 23gr. 24d. ps. froy. The Maund Shaw 
is two Maund Tabrees, ufed at Ifpahan. All Bargains 
in Gambron are made for Shahees, and the Company 
keep their Accounts in them, reckoning them worth 
four Pence each, though that Coin is rarely met with, 
but in its Stead Coz and Mamooda*s are current every 
where. Horfes, Camels, Houfes, iAc. are generally 
fold by the Toman, which is two hundred Shahees, or 
fifty Abafles, and they ufually reckon their Eftates that 
Way; fuchaone, they fay, is v/orth fo many Tomans, 
as we fay. Pounds in England. The Laree is ufed about 
Ifpahan, nor are Abaffes to be got without allowing fe- 
ven or eight per Cent, for the Difference in Exchange, 
yet Returns to Fort St. George, and other Parts of India, 
are commonly made v/ith them. Next to thefe, Che- 
queens are the moft profitable j. there are feveral Sorts 
of them, but the Venetian is better than the reft by one 
and a half or two per Cent, at $urat, and feveral other 
Ports on the Malabar Coafts, whither vaft Quantities are 
fent every Year. When a Parcel of Venetian Ducats are 
mixed with others, the whole goes by the Name of 
Chequeens of Surat j but when they are feparated, one 
Sort is called Venetians, and all the others Gubbers in- 
differently. 
The Englifh Eaji India Company, as has been obfer- 
ved, do not only receive the Sum of three thoufand 
three hundred and thirty three Pounds fix Shillings and 
eight Pence of the Government of Perfia, in Lieu of 
the Service the Company did them in taking the Ifland 
of Ormus from the Portuguefe, but they have an Ex- 
emption alfo from Cuftoms, and whatever Ships trade 
under their Protedion have the like Exemption, only 
paying the following Port Charges, viz. Twop^r Cent. 
on the Sale of Goods to the Company, one per Cent. 
Confulage to the Agent, one per Cent, to the Broker. 
Boat or Franky Hire for landing Goods is thirty Ma- 
mooda*s per 2000 Maund Tabrees. Hamalgae, or 
Cooly Hire at Weighing, one Coz of every twenty 
Maund Tabres. The Company do not meddle at all 
with the Trade between Perfia and India ; this they 
leave altogether to their Fadors and Servants, and to 
fuch Country Ships and private Traders as put themfelves 
under their Protedion, and are content to pay the Port 
Duties above-mentioned. 
It is to be obferved, that the furkey Company having 
always had an Opportunity of fending great C^antities 
into Perfia from Aleppo, abated much of the Commerce 
which the Agents of the Eajl-India Company would 
otherwife have carried on in that Empire. Of late the 
Rujfia Company have alfo interfered in this Trade, by 
tranfporting great Quantities of Englifh Goods by the 
Cafpian Sea ;- and it is generally believed, that fo long 
as we maintain an amicable Correfpondence with the 
Court of Peter sbourg, this Trade will not only go on, 
but increafe, which muft be attended with great Advan- 
tages to the Nation. As this appears to be a Matter of 
far greater Confequence to us than any thing that has oc- 
curred in this Sedion, it is but reafonable that the Point 
fliould be fully explained, as well for the Advantage of 
the prefent Age, as for the Benefit of Pofterity. 
10. In order to fet this Affair in as clear a Light 
as it is poffible, we fhall obferve, that all foreign Com- 
modities are brought into Perfia by four great Routs ; 
and that by each of thefe, more or lefs of Britijh Com- 
modities have been, or may be introduced into this 
Country, where there always has been, and, if we are 
true to our Intereft, there always muft be, a very high 
Demand for them. Of thefe Routs the firft is that of 
Balfora, or Baffora, a great City at the Bottom of the 
Perfian Gulph, fubjed to its own Prince, and a Kind of 
Emporium or Magazine of furkip, Perfian, and Indian 
Commodities. The Goods that are brought hither for 
the Perfian Market, come by Land by the Caravan from 
Aleppo, in about thirty Days, and are tranfported from 
thence either to Bandar Abajfi,^ or Ifpahan. It is by this 
Caravan that the Turkey Company tranfport Englip 
Cloths into Perfia in Exchange for Silk, which they 
purchafe at Aleppo, and confequently this Trade is either 
greater or lefs, according to the good Correfpondence be- 
tween the two Empires of Turkey and Perfia, By this 
Means alfo we were led into Errors about Carpets, Lea- 
ther, and other Commodities which pafs for Turkip, be- 
caufe imported by the Turkey Company from Turkey, 
though really of Perfian Grotvth and Manufadure. 
The next great Rout i's that of Gambron, or Bander 
Abafjt, with refped to which we have already gi\ren 3 
large Account from Mr. Loekyer. Goods are brought 
hither by Sea, but not diredly, as many apprehend, 
from England -, on the contrary, they come from fome 
Indian. Port, and confequently are charged with a very- 
high Freight, and with other incident Charges, which 
render them very dear ; notwithftanding which, in 
Times of Peace, and when Things were well fettled in 
Perfia, the Shah keeping his Court at Ifpahan, there was 
large Vent for them, and our Agent there lived with 
all the Pomp and Splendour of a Prince. The Reader 
will eafily difcern from hence, how great a Change muft 
have been wrought in the Traffick carried on by this 
Canal, by the Difturbances which lafted fo many Years in 
Perfia, and by the Change of the Gapitfil of that Empire, 
which is now removed to a prodigious Diftance from 
Bender Abafii -, and if he defires any Proof of this Fad, 
there calling the Englip Agents from Ifpahan and Bandar 
Abafii, may pafs for inconteftable Evidence, 
The third Rout is that through India to Bofi, which, 
as we have fhewn in the Defcripcion of the Perfian Em- 
pire, is the Eaftern Magazine, as Bandar Abafji is the 
Southern, and Bafaro is the Weftern for all that enter 
into Perfia. By this Means it is very far from being im- 
poflible that the Eafi India Company fhould introduce 
Englip Goods into this Empire ; but whether they are 
adually carried thither by this Road, is more than I am 
able to fay ; and if they are, I prefume it is done by 
Indian, Armenian, or Jewip Merchants. 
The fourth or laft; Rout is by tht Cafpian Sea, and 
the Englip Commodities 'that are fent this Way, muft 
of Neceffity pafs through Rupia. For the carrying on this 
Trade Magazines muftbeereded at Allracan, and from 
thence the Goods are tranfported into the Provinces of 
Gilan or AJiarabat ; from which laft Province the Cara- 
vans go in a Week to Mefched, which is the prefenc 
Capital of Perfia. 
It may be faid, that this is going a great Way about, 
and taking a vaft; Compafs before our Goods arrive at 
Market. To this there are two Anfwers ; the firft is, 
that let the Inconveniencies that attend this Commerce 
be what they will, they muft be . born, for we have be- 
fore fhewn, that little or nothing can now be expeded 
from tranlporting of Goods to Bandar Abaffi, much left 
from Aleppo, which lies ftill at a much greater Diftance 
from Mefched ; fo that we are under a Neceffity of ta- 
king this Compafs, if we will not entirely lofe tht Perfian 
Commerce, and therefore it is to no Purpofe to com- 
plain, even fuppofing the Objedion were well grounded. 
The fecond is, that there is not either Truth or Force 
in the Objedion, for Goods may be tranfported from 
Petershourg, from thence through Rupia to Afiracan, 
croft the Cafpian to Gilan, and fo to Mefched, and the 
Returns made the fame Way in half the Time that they 
could be made by the Way of Gambron. 
We may add to this, that we now go to the Mar- 
ket and fell our Goods, or rather barter them for P^r- 
fian Silk upon the Spot, whereas formerly we went a 
great "Way about; and notwithftanding this, the Perfian 
Fadors went alfo a great Way to get at us, fince be- 
fore we could ftiip the Perfian Silk, it muft either be 
carried by Land to Aleppo, which was three Months 
Journey, or to Bandar Abafii, which was above two. 
Befides, it is highly probable, that when our Commerce 
zl Mefched is as well fixed as it was at Ifpahan,\vt fiiall be 
able to tranfport Englip Cloths into the remoteft Parts 
of Tartary, and thereby reap tuoft of thofe Advantages 
that were heretofore wiftied for and expeded from the 
Difcovery of a North Weft Paffage.lt was by this very 
Canal, and in fpite of all the Inconveniencies with 
which it has been fuppofed to be attended, that the 
Dutch difpofed of prodigious Quantities of their Cloths 
in Perfia, which for that Purpofe were bought up by 
the Merchants- ; and it was by this Way alfo. 
