We Went Through The
Wilderness, Because The Right Way Was Infested By Robbers.
In passing
through the country of Gouren we found few villages, being almost all
wilderness, in which were many buffaloes, wild swine, and deer, with
many tigers, the grass being everywhere as tall as a man.
Not far from
Porto Piqueno, to the south-westwards, and in the country of _Orixa_, is
a sea-port called _Angeli_[414]. It was formerly a separate kingdom, the
king being a great friend to strangers; but was afterwards taken by the
king of Patna, who did not enjoy it long, being himself conquered by the
king of Delhi, Agra, and Cambaia, Zelabdim Echebar. Orissa is six days
journey south-westwards from _Satagan_. In this place there is much,
rice, and cloth made of cotton; likewise great store of cloth made of
grass, which they call _Yerva_, resembling silk, of which they make
excellent cloth, which is sent to India and other places[415]. To this
haven of _Ingelly_ there come many ships every year out of India,
Negapatnam, Sumatra, Malacca, and many other places, and load from hence
great quantities of rice, much cotton cloths, sugar and long pepper, and
great store of butter and other provisions for India[416]. Satagan is a
very fair city for one belonging to the Moors, and is very plentiful in
all things. In Bengal they have every day a great market or fair, called
_chandeau_, in one place or other, and they have many boats called
_pericose_, with which they go from place to place to buy rice and many
other things. These boats are rowed by 24 or 26 oars, and are of great
burden, but are quite open. The gentiles hold the water of the Ganges in
great reverence; for even if they have good water close at hand, they
will send for water from the Ganges at a great distance. If they have
not enough of it to drink, they will sprinkle a little of it upon
themselves, thinking it very salutary.
[Footnote 412: More accurately 22 deg. 55' 20" N. and long. 88 deg. 28' E. Hoogly
stands on the western branch of the Ganges, called the Hoogly river,
about twenty miles direct north from Calcutta. - E.]
[Footnote 413: We thus are enabled to discover nearly the situation of
Satagan or Satigan, to have been on the Hoogly river, probably where
Chinsura now stands, or it may have been Chandernagor. - E.]
[Footnote 414: Injelly, at the mouth of a small river which falls into
the Hoogly, very near its discharge into the bay of Bengal. Injelly is
not now considered as in Orissa, but in the district of Hoogly belonging
to Bengal, above forty miles from the frontiers - E.]
[Footnote 415: A similar cloth may be made of the long grass which grows
in Virginia. - _Hakluyt_.]
[Footnote 416: India seems always here limited to the Malabar
coast. - E.]
From Satagan I travelled by the country of the King of Tippara, or
_Porto Grande_[417]. The _Mogores_ or _Mogen_ [Moguls] have almost
continual wars with Tiperah; the Mogen of the kingdom of _Recon_ and
_Rame_, are stronger than the King of Tiperah, so that Cittigong or
Porto Grande is often under the dominion of the king of _Recon_[418].
There is a country four days journey from _Couche_ called
_Bottanter_[419], the principal city of which is _Bottia_, and the king
is called _Dermain_. The people are tall, strong, and very swift. Many
merchants come here out of China, and it is said even from Muscovy and
Tartary, to purchase musk, _cambals_, agates, silk, pepper, and saffron,
like the saffron of Persia[420]. This country is very great, being not
less than three months journey in extent, and contains many high
mountains, one of them so steep and high that it may be perfectly seen
at the distance of six days journey[421]. There are people on these
mountains having ears a span long, and they call such as have not long
ears asses. They say that from these mountains _they see ships sailing
on the sea_, but know not whence they come nor whither they go. There
are merchants who come out of the east from under the sun, which is from
China, having no beards, who say their country is warm; but others come
from the north, on the other side of the mountains, where it is very
cold. These merchants from the north are apparelled in woollen cloth and
hats, with close white hose or breeches and boots, who come from Muscovy
or Tartary. These report that they have excellent horses in their
country, but very small; some individuals possessing four, five, or six
hundred horses and cattle. These people live mostly on milk and flesh.
They cut off the tails of their cows, and sell them very dear, as they
are in high request in those parts. The rump is only a span long, but
the hair is a yard in length. These tails are used for show, to hang
upon the heads of elephants, and are much sought after in Pegu and
China.
[Footnote 417: Perhaps this ought to have been, by the country of Tipera
_to_ Porto Grande. Porto Grande, formerly called Chittigong, is now
called Islamabad, and is in the district of Chittigong, the most
easterly belonging to Bengal. - E.]
[Footnote 418: Aracan is certainly here meant by _Recon_; of _Rame_
nothing can be made, unless Brama, or Birmah be meant. - E.]
[Footnote 419: _Bottanter_ almost certainly means Bootan. Of _Bottia_ we
know nothing, but it is probably meant to indicate the capital.
_Dermain_ may possibly be some corruption of _Deb raja_, the title of
the sovereign. It is obvious from this passage, that _Couche_ must have
been to the south of Bootan, and was perhaps Coch-beyhar, a town and
district in the north-east of Bengal, near the Bootan frontier. - E.]
[Footnote 420: The saffon of Persia of the text may perhaps mean
_turmeric_. The cambals may possibly mean camblets.
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