The exports to Arabia and
Baragaza were purple cloth for the natives; wine, a large quantity of
dates, gold, slaves, and pearls of an inferior quality.
The first place in India to which the merchants of Egypt, while they
followed the ancient course of navigation by coasting, were accustomed to
trade, was Patala on the Indus; for we have admitted that single vessels
occasionally ventured beyond the Straits of Babelmandeb, before the
discovery of the monsoon, though the trade from Egypt to India, previously
to that discovery, was by no means frequent or regular. The goods imported
into Patala were woollen cloth of a slight fabric, linen, woven in checquer
work, some precious stones, and some kind of aromatics unknown in India,
probably the produce of Africa or Arabia; coral, storax, glass vessels of
various descriptions, some plate, money, and wine. From Patala, the
Egyptian merchants brought spices, gems of different kinds, particularly
sapphires, silk stuffs, silk thread, cotton cloths, and pepper. As Patala
is not mentioned in the Periplus, it is probable it was abandoned for
Baragaza, a far more considerable mart on the same coast, and most probably
Baroche on the Nerbuddah.
Before describing Baragaza, however, the author of the Periplus mentions
two places on the Indus, which were frequented for the purposes of
commerce: the first near the mouth of the river, called Barbarike; and the
other higher up, called Minagara: the latter was the capital of a kingdom
which extended as far as Barogaza. As the king of this country was
possessed of a place of such consequence to the merchants as Baragaza, and
as from his provinces, or through them, the most valuable cargoes were
obtained, it was of the utmost moment that his good will and protection
should be obtained and preserved. For this purpose there were imported, as
presents for him, the following articles, all expensive, and the very best
of their kind: plate of very great value; musical instruments; handsome
virgins for the haram; wine of the very best quality; plain cloth, but of
the finest sort; and perfumes. Besides these presents, there were likewise
imported a great quantity of plain garments, and some mixed or inferior
cloth; topazes, coral, storax, frankincense, glass vessels, plate, specie,
and wine. The exports were costus, a kind of spice; bdellium, a gum; a
yellow dye, spikenard, emeralds, sapphires, cottons, silk thread, indigo,
or perhaps the indicum of Pliny, which was probably Indian ink: skins are
likewise enumerated, with the epithet _serica_ prefixed to them, but
of what kind they were cannot be determined: wine is specified as an
article of import into this and other places; three kinds of it are
particularized: wine from Laodicea in Syria, which is still celebrated for
its wine; Italian wine, and Arabian wine. Some suppose that the last was
palm or toddy wine, which seems to have been a great article of trade.
We come now to Baragaza: the author first mentions the produce of the
district; it consisted of corn, rice, oil of Sesamum, ghee or butter, and
cotton:
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