230 
H. Blochmann —Geography and History of Bengal. [No. 3, 
which two places there was much commerce in silver,”* * * § but “ encountered a 
‘ Touffon’ ( tiifan , cyclone), which take place in the East Indies every ten 
or twelve years ; they are such tempests and stormes, that it is a thing 
incredible but to those that have seen it,” and was driven to Sondip. “ And 
when the people of the Island saw the ship, and that we were comming a- 
land : presently they made a place of bazar, or a market, with shops right 
over against the ship, with all manner of provision to eate, which they 
brought down in great abundance, and sold it so good cheape, that we were 
amazed at the cheapness thereof. I bought many salted kine there for the 
provision of the ship for half a Larine apiece, which Larine f may be 12 shill¬ 
ings 6 pence, being very good and fat; and 4 wilde hogges ready dressed for a 
Larine ; great fat hennes for a Bizze [pice] a piece,which is at the most a penny : 
and the people told us that we were deceived the half of our money, because we 
bought things so cleare. Also a sack of rice for a thing of nothing ; and 
consequently all other things for humaine sustenance were there in such 
abundance, that it is a thing incredible but to them that have seen it. This 
Island is called S o n d i v a, belonging to the kingdome of Bengala, distant 
120 miles from Chatigan, to which place we were bound. The people are 
Moores, and the king a very good man of a Moore king, for if he had been 
a tyrant as others be, he might have robbed us of all.” 
Balpli Pitch also was about the same time in south-eastern Bengal. He 
says,“ From Chatigan in Bengala I came to B a c o 1 a [Sirkar Bakla] ; the king 
whereof is a Gentile [Hindu], a man very well disposed and delighted much to 
shoot in a gun. His country is very great and fruitful, and hath store of rice, 
much cotton cloth, and cloth of silke. The houses be very faire and high 
builded, the streetes large, the people naked except a little cloth about their 
waste. The women wear great store of silver hoopes about their neckes and 
armes, and their legs are ringed with silver and copper, and rings made of 
elephants teeth. 
“ Prom Bacola I went to S e r r e p o r e, J which standeth upon the river 
Ganges, the king is called Choudery. They be all here abouts rebels against 
their king Zebaldim Echebar:§ for here are so many rivers and islands, 
* The export of silver from Pegu to Bengal may have supplied the Bengal mints 
with silver. Sir A. Phayre and Dr. T. Oldham speak of the export of gold 
from Burma to the Coromandel coast. Considerable quantities of silver may 
also have come from Asam, where silverpieces even for small fractions of a rupee were 
current. 
f L an Ain translation, pp. 23,37. It is so called from Laristan in Persia. 
X Sherpur Firing], marked by Yan den Broucke a little south of Idrakpur, on the 
Dalasari, m Parganah Bikrampur, where Raja Ballal Sen’s residence was. It is not 
given on modern maps. 
§ The first b is a constant misprint for l: Jalalnddin Akbar. 
