Volume Vii Part 34 (1/2)
[Footnote 409: In our modern maps Tanda and the country or district of Gouren are not to be found; but the ruins of _Gour_, which may have some reference to Gouren, are laid down in lat. 24 52' N. long. 88 5' E.
about seven miles from the main stream of the great Ganges, and ten miles south from the town of Maida.--E.]
I went from Bengal into the country of _Couche_[410], which is 25 days journey north from Tanda. The king is a Gentile, named _Suckel Counse_.
His country is very extensive, and reaches to within no great distance of Cauchin China, whence they are said to procure pepper. The port is called _Cacchegate_. All the country is set with bamboos or canes made sharp at both ends, and driven into the earth, and they can let in the water and drown the country above knee-deep, so that neither men nor horses can pa.s.s; and in case of any wars, they poison all the waters.
The people are all Gentiles, who kill nothing, having their ears marvellously great and a span long, which they draw out by various devices when young. They have much silk and musk, and cloth made of cotton. They have hospitals for sheep, goats, dogs, cats, birds, and all kinds of living creatures, which they keep when old and lame until they die. If a man bring any living creature into this country, they will give money for it or other victuals, and either let it go at large or keep it in their hospitals. They even give food to the ants. Their small money is almonds[411], which they often eat.
[Footnote 410: This seemeth to be Quicheu, accounted by some among the provinces of China.--_Hakluyt_.
The name of this country is so excessively corrupt, and the description of the route so vague, that nothing can be made out of the text at this place with any certainty. It is merely possible that he may have gone into Bootan, which is to the north of Bengal.--E.]
[Footnote 411: In Mexico they likewise use the cacao fruit, or chocolate nut, for small money, which are not unlike almonds.--_Hakluyt_.]
From thence I returned to _Hugeli_, [Hoogly in Bengal] which is the place where the Portuguese have their residence in Bengal, being in lat.
23 N[412]. About a league from it is _Satagan_[413], called by the Portuguese _Porto Piqueno_, or the little port. We went through the wilderness, because the right way was infested by robbers. In pa.s.sing 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 gra.s.s 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 gra.s.s, 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 s.h.i.+ps every year out of India, Negapatnam, Sumatra, Malacca, and many other places, and load from hence great quant.i.ties of rice, much cotton cloths, sugar and long pepper, and great store of b.u.t.ter 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 55' 20” N. and long. 88 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 gra.s.s 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 princ.i.p.al 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 a.s.ses. They say that from these mountains _they see s.h.i.+ps 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 t.i.tle of the sovereign. It is obvious from this pa.s.sage, 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.--E.]
[Footnote 421: These seem to be the mountains of Imaus, called c.u.mao by the natives.--_Hakluyt_.
The Himmaleh mountains, dividing Bootan from Thibet, said to be visible from the plains of Bengal at the distance of 150 miles.--E.]
From Chittigong in Bengal, I went to _Bacola_[422], the king of which country is a Gentile of an excellent disposition, who is particularly fond of shooting with a gun. His country is large and fertile, having great abundance of rice, and manufactures much silk, and cloths of cotton. The houses of this city are good and well built, with large streets. The people go naked, except a cloth round their waists, and the women wear many silver hoops about their necks and arms, and rings of silver, copper, and ivory about their legs. From thence I went to _Serrepore_ upon the Ganges, the king or rajah of which is called Chondery. They are all hereabouts in rebellion against the great Mogul, for there are so many rivers and islands that they escape from one to another, so that his hors.e.m.e.n cannot prevail against them. Great store of cotton cloth is made here. _Sinnergan_ is a town six leagues from _Serrepore_, where the best and finest cotton cloth of all the east is made[423]. The chief king of all those countries is called Isa-khan, being supreme over all the other kings or rajahs, and is a great friend to the Christians. Here, as in most parts of India, the houses are very small and covered with straw, having a few mats hung round the walls and over the door-way, to keep out tigers and foxes. They live on rice, milk, and fruits, eating no flesh and killing no animals; and though many of them are very rich, their sole article of dress is a small cloth before them. From hence they send great quant.i.ties of cotton cloths and much rice, all over India, Pegu, Malacca, Sumatra, and other places.
[Footnote 422: Perhaps Pucouloe, a place of some size near Davas between the Ganges and Burhampooter rivers.--E.]
[Footnote 423: Serampoor on the Hoogly river agrees at least in sound with the Serrepore of the text; but, from the context, I rather suspect Serrepore to have stood among the numerous islands of the great eastern Ganges, in the province of Dava, and near the junction of the Ganges and Burhampooter or Megna rivers. Of Sinnergan I can make nothing, only that it must have stood in the same district.--E.]
I went from Serrepore the 28th of November 1586 for Pegu, in a small s.h.i.+p or foist, commanded by one Albert Caravallos, and sailing down the Ganges, we pa.s.sed by the island of Sundiva, Porto grande, or Chittigong, in the country of Tiperah, and the kingdom of Recon and Mogen[424], leaving all on our left hand, our course being south by east, with the wind at north-west, which brought us to the bar of Negrais in Pegu. Had we met with a foul wind, we must have thrown many things overboard, for we were so lumbered with people and goods, even on the deck, that there was scarce a place to sit down upon. From Bengal to Pegu is 90 leagues.
We entered the bar of Negrais, [at the mouth of the western branch of the river of Ava], which is an excellent bar, having four fathoms water where shallowest. Three days afterwards we came to Cosmin, a very pretty town, pleasantly situated and abounding in all things. The people are tall and well disposed; the women white, round faced, and having small eyes. The houses are high built, set upon great high posts, and they go up to them by means of ladders for fear of the tigers, which are very numerous. The country is very fertile, abounding in great figs, oranges, coconuts, and other fruits. The land is very high on the sea coast, but after getting within the bar, it is very low and much intersected with rivers, so that they go everywhere in boats, which they call _paraos_, in which many of them dwell with their wives and children.