Ill Weather Followed, And We Were Much
Weakened; Yet, I Thank God, We Lost None Till My Arrival In Ireland
Off
the river of Limerick on the 27th October, 1615; where also we had to
endure a storm, till we
Hired a Scottish bark, detained by contrary
winds, to pilot us into harbour. There also, a remainder of Captain M.
his ungodly crew, who had lately obtained their pardon, put me in great
fear; till Sir Henry Foliat secured us by a supply of men, and I sent
off letters for London.
SECTION III.
Journey of Richard Steel and John Crowther, from Ajmeer in India, to
Ispahan in Persia, in the Years 1615 and 1616.[141]
Having been detained at Agimere[142] from February, Mr Edwards received
a letter on the 17th March, 1615, from the Great Mogul, of which he
delivered a copy, together with his other letters, to Richard Steel,
promising to procure the king's firmaun for our safety and furtherance,
and to send it after us to Agra, where he directed us to wait for its
reception. We went that night two coss to Mandill.[143]We had four
servants, two horses, and a camel. The 18th we went twelve coss to
Bander Sandree, [Bunder-Sanory,] a small aldea.[144] The 19th, ten
coss to Mosobade, [Morabad.] The 20th to Pipelo, [Peped,] thirteen
coss. The 21st to a town called Chadfoole, [Gohd?] seven coss. The 22d
to Lalscotte, thirteen coss. The 23d to Mogolserai, twelve coss. The
24th to Hindone, fourteen coss. the 25th to Bramobad, twelve coss.
The 26th to Futtipoor, twelve coss. This has been a fair city, which
was built by Akbar, and contains a goodly palace belonging to the king.
It is walled round in a handsome manner, and has many spacious gardens
and sumptuous pleasure houses; but is now falling to ruin, and ranch
ground within the walls is now sown with corn, the king having carried
off much of the best stone to his new city of Agra. The 27th we went
twelve coss to Agra. In the English house there, we found one Richard
Barber, an apothecary, who came over with Sir Robert Shirley, and had
been sent here by Mr Kerridge to take care of Nicholas Whithington.
[Footnote 141: Purch. Pilgr. I. 519. - In the title of this article in
the Pilgrims, Agimere, or Azmere, as it is there called, is said to have
been the residence of the Great Mogul at the commencement of this
journey, and Spahan, or Ispahan, the royal seat of the kings of
Persia. - E.]
[Footnote 142: This place, named Azmeer in the Pilgrims, is known in
modern geography under the name of Ajmeer, or Agimere. - E.]
[Footnote 143: A coss, or course, as it is uniformly denominated in the
Pilgrims, is stated on the margin by Purchas, to be equal to a mile and
a half, and in some places two English miles. As more precisely
determined in modern geography, the Hindoostanee coss is equal to 1
4/7th English miles, and the Rajput coss to 2 1/6th miles nearly. It
would overload this article to attempt critically following all the
stations in the present journal, in which the names of places are often
so corrupt as to be unintelligible. Such corrections of the text as can
be ventured upon are included within brackets. - E.]
[Footnote 144: This is a Spanish or Portuguese term, signifying country
village. - E.]
Within two days journey of Agra, we passed by the country and city of
Biana, where the finest indigo is made, the best being then worth
thirty-six rupees the maund at Agra, but much cheaper in the country.
Finding the promised firmaun came not, and the hot season of the year
fast approaching, we departed on the 3d April in the prosecution of our
journey, leaving directions with Richard Barber to send it after us. We
came that night to a serai called Boutta, six coss. The 4th to the town
of Matra, fourteen coss, where we lay in a fair serai,[145] and
there we received the firmaun. The 5th we went twelve coss to a serai
called Chatta, [Chautra.] The 6th to a serai built by Azam Khan, nine
coss. The 7th to a serai built by Sheic Ferreede, called Puhlwall,
eleven coss. The 8th to a serai built by the same person, ten coss. The
9th to Dillee, [Delhi,] nine coss. This being a great and ancient
city, formerly the seat of the kings, where many of them are interred.
At this time, many of the great men have their gardens and pleasure
houses here, and are here buried, so that it is beautified with many
fine buildings. The inhabitants, who are mostly Banians or Hindoos, are
poor and beggarly, through the long absence of the court.
[Footnote 145: These are fair buildings for the accommodation of
travellers, many of which were erected by great men.Purch.]
The 10th we went ten coss from Delhi to Bunira. The 11th to
Cullvower, twelve coss. The 12th to Pampette, [Paniput,] twelve
coss. This is a small handsome city, where they manufacture various
sorts of girdles and sashes, and great quantities of cotton-cloth, and
have abundance of handicrafts. The 13th to Carnanl, twelve coss. The
14th to Tanisera, [Tahnessir,] fourteen coss. The 15th to Shavade,
[Shahabad,] ten coss. The 16th to Mogol-Sera, or Gaugur, fifteen
coss. The 17th to Sinan,[146] fourteen coss, which is an ancient city,
where they manufacture great store of cottons. The 18th to Duratia,
fifteen coss. The 19th to Pullower, [Bullolepoor,] eleven coss. We
this day passed in a boat over a great river called Sietmege[147] which
is very broad, but full of shoals, and runs westward to join the Sinde,
or Indus. The 20th we came to a small town called Nicodar, eleven
coss. The 21st to Sultanpoor, an old town having a river which comes
from the north, over which is a bridge of six arches.
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