It Was Therefore, With A Becoming Sense
Of Duty, Agreed Between Them That Each Should Address A Letter To The
Chiefs of their respective factories in India, recommending to them to
abstain from any opposition or violence against each other,
Till each
had received specific instructions from their superiors, or should be
informed of the result of the conferences between the commissioners of
the two nations in Europe."
Sec.1. Journey from Surat to the Court of the Mogul, and Entertainment
there, with some Account of the Customs of the Country.
I landed at Surat on the 26th September, 1615, and was received in an
open tent by the chief officers of the town, well attended. On this
occasion I was accompanied by the general, and principal merchants,
Captain Harris being sent to make me a court of guard with an hundred
shot, and the ships, all dressed out to the best advantage, saluted me
with their ordnance as I passed. There was much controversy about
searching my servants, but at length they passed free to the city, where
we had a house provided for us. We continued there to the 30th October,
suffering much vexation from the governor, who forcibly caused search
many of our chests and trunks, taking away what he thought fit.
The 30th October I departed from Surat, and that day travelled only four
coss to Sumaria.[188] The 1st November I went eleven miles to a
village. The 2d, to Biarat, twenty-one miles, where there is a castle,
this town being on the borders of the kingdom of Guzerat, subject to the
Mogul, and belonging to Abraham Khan. The 3d I entered the kingdom of
Pardaff shah,[189] a pagan lord of the hills, who is subject to
nobody; and at the end of fifteen miles we lodged in the fields, beside
a city of note, called Mugher. The 4th we travelled nine miles by a
rocky way, and lay in the fields, beside a village called Narampore. The
5th, fifteen miles, and lay in the fields. The 6th, twenty miles, to a
city called Nundabar, in the kingdom of Brampore, [Burhanpoor] which
is subject to the Mogul. At this place we first procured bread, after
leaving Surat, as the Banians, who inhabit all the country through which
we had travelled, make only cakes instead of bread. The country
peculiarly abounds in cattle, as the Banians never kill any, neither do
they sell any for being slaughtered. One day I met at least 10,000
bullocks loaded with grain, in one drove, and most other days I saw
smaller parcels.
[Footnote 188: In this journal the names of places are exceedingly
corrupted, and often unintelligible. Such as admitted of being
corrected, from the excellent map of Hindoostan, by Arrowsmith, have
their proper names placed within brackets. - E.]
[Footnote 189: In the miserable map of Hindoostan, accompanying this
journal in the Pilgrims, this prince is called Partap-sha. - E.]
The 7th we went eighteen miles to Ningull. The 8th, fifteen to
Sinchelly, [Sindkera.] The 9th, other fifteen to Tolmere, [Talnere.]
And the 10th, eighteen to Chapre, [Choprah] where we pitched our tents
without the town, and the king's officers guarded us all night with
thirty horse and twenty shot, for fear of out being attacked by robbers
from the mountains, as I refused to remove into the town. The 11th we
travelled eighteen miles, eighteen on the 12th, and fifteen on the 13th,
which brought us to Brampore, [Burhanpoor] which I guessed to be 223
miles east from Surat.[190] The country is miserable and barren, the
towns and villages only built of mud. At Bartharpore,[191] a village
two miles short of Burhanpoor, I saw some of the Mogul ordnance, most of
which is too short, and too open in the bore. On coming to Burhanpoor,
the cutwall met me, well attended, having sixteen stand of colours
carried before him, and conducted me to a serai appointed for my
lodging. He took leave of me at the gate, which had a handsome stone
front; but, when in, I had four chambers allotted for me, no bigger than
ovens, with vaulted roofs and bare brick walls, so that I chose to lodge
in my tent. I sent word to the cutwall, threatening to leave the town,
as I scorned such mean usage, but he desired me to be content till
morning, as this was the best lodging in the city, which I afterwards
found to be the case, as it consists entirely of mud cottages, excepting
the houses inhabited by Sultan Parvis, the Mogul's second son, that of
Khan Khanan, and a few others. Sultan Parvis here represents the king
his father, living in great state and magnificence, but Khan Khanan, who
is the greatest subject of the empire, is at the head of a large army,
in which are 40,000 horse, and governs every thing, the prince only
having the name and pomp allowed him.
[Footnote 190: The particulars of the journey in the text amount to 214
miles. - E.]
[Footnote 191: Perhaps Babaderpore, but it is twelve or fifteen miles
short of Burhanpoor. - E.]
On the 18th, both to satisfy the prince who desired it, and whom I was
not willing to displease, and to see the fashions of the court, and
because it was proposed to establish a factory here, where sword-blades
were in great request for the army, and sold well, I went to visit the
prince, to whom, I carried a present. I was conducted by the cutwall,
and in the outer court of the palace I found about an hundred horsemen
under arms, who formed a line on each side, being all gentlemen waiting
to salute the prince on his coming forth. In the inner court the prince
sat in a high gallery encircling the court, having a canopy over head,
and a carpet spread before him, appearing in much, yet barbarous state.
Going towards him through a lane of people, an officer came and told me
that I must touch the ground with my head, and with my hat off.
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