At This Place
Great Store Of Cotton Goods Are Made.
Four coss beyond this place we
passed another small river.
The 22d to Chiurmul,[148] eleven coss. We
were this day boated across a river as broad as the Thames at Gravesend,
called Vian, which runs westwards to join the Sinde. On its banks
Allom Khan, ambassador from the Great Mogul to the king of Persia, had
pitched his camp, which looked like a little city. The 23d we went to
Khan Khanum Serai, seventeen coss, and the 24th we reached Lahore,
seven coss.
[Footnote 146: This is probably Sirhind, which is directly in the route,
but so disguised in the text as to defy emendation. - E.]
[Footnote 147: This is clearly the Sutuluge, or Setlege, called likewise
the Beyah-Kussoor, and Chato dehr, being the easternmost of the Punjab
or five rivers, which form the Indus. It was called Hesudrus by the
ancients. - E.]
[Footnote 148: From the river mentioned in the text as passed, on this
day's journey, this may have been what is now called Gundwall, a little
beyond the river Beyab, which is here 100 yards broad. - E.]
All the country between Agra and Lahore is exceedingly well cultivated,
being the best of India, and abounds in all things. It yields great
store of powdered sugar, [raw sugar] the best being worth two 1/2 to two
3/4 rupees the great maund of forty pounds. The whole road is planted
on both sides with trees, most of which bear a species of mulberry. In
the night, this road is dangerously infested with thieves, but is quite
secure in the day. Every five or six coss, there are serais, built by
the king or some great man, which add greatly to the beauty of the road,
are very convenient for the accommodation of travellers, and serve to
perpetuate the memory of their founders. In these the traveller may have
a chamber for his own use, a place in which to tie up his horse, and can
be furnished with provender; but in many of them very little
accommodation can be had, by reason of the banians, as when once any
person has taken up his lodging, no other may dispossess him. At
day-break the gates of these serais are opened, and then all the
travellers prepare to depart; but no person is allowed to go away
sooner, for fear of robbers. This made the journey very oppressive to
us, as within two hours after the sun rose we were hardly able to endure
the heat.
Lahore is a great and goodly city, being one of the fairest and
ancientest in India. It stands on the river Indus or Sinde;[149] and
from this place came the most valuable of the Portuguese trade when they
were at peace with the Moguls, as it formed the centre of all their
traffic in Hindoostan. They here embarked their goods, which were
carried down the river to Tatta, and were thence transported by sea to
Ormus and Persia; and such native merchants as chose to go that way
between India and Persia, paid them freight. They had also a great trade
up this river, in pepper and other spices, with which they furnished
that part of India. At this time, the merchants of India assemble at
Lahore, where they invest a great part of their money in commodities,
and, joining in caravans, they pass over the mountains of Candahar into
Persia; by which way it is computed there now pass yearly twelve or
fourteen thousand camel loads, whereas formerly there did not go in this
way above three thousand, all the rest going by way of Ormus. These
merchants are put to great expences between Lahore and Ispaban, besides
being exposed to great cold in winter and fervent heat in summer, and to
bad and dangerous roads, usually spending six or seven months in the
journey, and they estimate the charges of each camel's load at 120 or
130 rupees. In this way Persia is furnished with spiceries, which are
brought all the way from Masulipatam by land. We remained in Lahore from
the 24th of April to the 13th of May, refreshing both ourselves and our
horses, and providing servants and necessaries for the journey. We also
procured here recommendatory letters from an ambassador to the king of
Persia.
[Footnote 149: Lahore is upon the Ravey, the second of the five rivers
forming the Indus, counting from the east, and was the Hydroates of the
ancients. The Indus proper, or Nilab, is considerably farther west. - E.]
We left Lahore on the 13th May, proposing to overtake a caravan which
set out two months before, and went that day eleven c. to a small town
named Chacksunder. The 14th to Non-serai, fifteen c. The 15th to
Mutteray, eight c. The 16th to Quemal khan, nineteen c. The 17th to
Herpae, sixteen c. The 18th to Alicasaca, twelve c. The 19th
Trumba, twelve c. and this day we overtook a small caravan that left
Lahore eight days before us. The 20th to Sedousehall, fourteen c. The
21st to Callixechebaut, fifteen c. The 22d to Multan,[150] twelve c.
This is a great and ancient city, having the river Indus at the distance
of three coss. All caravans must remain here ten or twelve days, before
leave can be procured from the governor to proceed, on purpose that the
city may benefit by their stay. It yields white plain cotton cloth and
diaper. We remained five days, and were then glad to get leave to
depart, by means of a present.
[Footnote 150: In the whole of this itinerary, from Lahore to Multan or
Mooltan, down the Ravey river, not a single name in the text, except the
two extremities, bears the smallest resemblance to any of those in
modern geography. - E.]
We passed the river on the 28th, and went twenty c. to a small village
named Pettoallee. The 29th we passed another great river by a boat,
and came that same night to a small river called Lacca, where we
found the caravan we wished to overtake.[151] We presented the caravan
basha with a mirror and knife, when he directed us to pitch our tent
near his own, that we might be more immediately under his protection.
This caravan had been here ten days, and remained till the 2d of June,
waiting for an escort of cavalry to convoy them to Chatcza,[152] a
small fort in the mountains, having received information that a former
caravan had been injured by the mountaineers.
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