them escaped, whereof one, to wit, M. Ralph Fitch, is since come into England. The fourth, which was a painter called John Story, became religious in the college of S. Paul in Goa, as we understood by their letters. I and my companion William Shales having dispatched our businesse at Balsara, imbarked our selves in company of seventy barks all laden with marchandise, having every barke 14 men to draw them, like our Westerne bargemen on the Thames, and we were forty foure dayes comming up against the streame to Babylon, where arriving and paying our custome, we with all other sorts of marchants bought us camels, hired us men to lade and drive them, furnished our selves with rice, butter, bisket, hony made of dates, onions and dates: and every marchant bought a proportion of live muttons, and hired certaine shepheards to drive them with us: we also bought us tents to lie in, and to put our goods under: and in this our caravan were foure thousand camels laden with spices and other rich marchandises. These camels will live very well two or three dayes without water: their feeding is on thistles, wormewood, magdalene, and other strong weeds which they finde upon the way. The government and deciding of all quarels and dueties to be payed, the whole caravan committeth to one speciall rich marchant of the company, of whose honesty they conceive best. In passing from Babylon to Aleppo, we spent forty dayes, travelling twenty, or foure and twenty miles a day, resting ourselves commonly from two of the clocke in the afternoone, until three in the morning, at which time we begin to take our journey. Eight dayes journey from Babylon toward Aleppo, neere unto a towne called Heit, as we crosse the river Euphrates by boates, about 3. miles from the town there is a valley wherein are many springs throwing out abundantly at great mouths, a kind of blacke substance like unto tarre, which serveth all the country to make stanch their barkes and boates: every one of these springs maketh a noise like unto a Smiths forge in the blowing & puffing out of this matter, which never ceaseth night nor day, and the noise may be heard a mile off continually. This vale swaloweth up all heavie things that come upon it. The people of the countrey cal it in their language Babil gehenham, that is to say, Hell doore. As we passed through these deserts, we saw certaine wild beasts, as wild asses all white, Roebucks,

wolfes, leopards, foxes, and many hares, whereof we chased and killed many. Aborise the king of the wandring Arabians in these deserts, hath a dutie of 40.s. sterling, upon every Camels lode, which he sendeth his officers to receive of the Caravans, and in consideration hereof, he taketh upon him to conduct the sayd Caravans if they need his helpe, and to defend them against certaine prowling thieves. I and my companion William Shales came to Aleppo with the Caravan the eleventh of June, 1584. where we were joyfully received 20. miles distant from the towne by M. William Barret our Consull, accompanied with his people and Janissaries, who fell sicke immediately and departed this life within 8. dayes after, and elected before his death M. Anthonie Bate Consul of our English nation in his place, who laudably supplied the same roome 3. yeeres. In which meane time, I made two voyages more unto Babylon, and returned by the way aforesayd, over the deserts of Arabia. And afterwards, as one desirous to see other parts of the country, I went from Aleppo to Antioch, which is thence 60. English miles, and from thence went downe to Tripolis, where going aboord a small vessell, I arrived at Joppe, and travelled to Rama, Lycia, Gaza, Jerusalem, Bethleem, to the river of Jordan, and the sea or lake of Zodome, and returned backe to Joppe, & from thence by sea to Tripolis, of which places because many others have published large discourses, I surcease to write. Within few dayes after imbarking my selfe at Tripolis the 22. of December, I arrived (God be thanked) in safety here in the river of Thames with divers English marchants, the 26. of March, 1588, in the Hercules of London, which was the richest ship of English marchants goods that ever was knowen to come into this realme.

The money and measures of Babylon, Balsara, and the Indies, with the customes, &c. written from Aleppo in Syria, An. 1584. by M. Will. Barret.

BABYLON:

The weight, measure, and money currant there, and the customes of merchandize.

A MANA of Babylon is of Aleppo I roue 5 ounces and a halfe and 68 manas and three seventh parts, make a quintall of Aleppo, which is 494 li. 8. ounces of London :

and 100 manas is a quintall of Babylon, which maketh in Aleppo 146 roues, and of London 722 li. and so much is the sayd quintall: but the marchants accord is by so much the mana, and in the sayd place they bate the tare in all sorts of commodities, according to the order of Aleppo touching the tare.

The measure of Babylon is greater then that of Aleppo 21 in ye 100. For bringing 100 pikes of any measurable ware from Aleppo thither, there is found but 82 pikes in Babylon, so that the 100 pikes of Babylon is of Aleppo 121 pikes, very litle lesse.

The currant mony of Babylon are Saies, which Say is 5 medines, as in Aleppo, and 40 medines being 8. Saies make a duckat currant, and 47 medines passe in value as the duckat of gold of Venice, and the dollars of the best sort are worth 33 medines. The roials of plate are sold by the 100 drams at prise, according as they be in request: but amongst the marchants they bargaine by the 100 metrals, which are 150 drams of Aleppo, which 150 drams are 135 single roials of plate: but in the mint or castle, they take them by the 100 drams, which is 90 roials of plate, and those of the mint give 5 medines lesse in each 100 drams then they are woorth to be sold among the marchants, and make paiment at the terme of 40 dayes in Sayes.

The custome in Babylon, as wel inward as outward, is in this maner: Small wares at 6 per 100, Coral and amber at 5 and a halfe per 100, Venice cloth, English cloth, Kersies, Mockairs, Chamblets, Silks, Velvets, Damasks, Sattins & such like at 5 per 100: & they rate the goods without reason as they lust themselves. Toafo, Boabo, and other exactions 6 medines per bale, all which they pay presently in ready mony, according to the custome and use of the emperor.

The

To the Ermin of the mint ye ordinarie use is to give 30 Saies in curtesie, otherwise he would by authoritie of his office come aboord, & for despight make such search in the barke, that he would turne all things topsie turvie.

BALSARA :

The weight, measure, and money in the citie of Balsara. A MANA of Balsara answereth 5 roues 2 ounces & a halfe of Aleppo weight, & 19 manas and one 4 part of Balsara,

answereth the quintall of Aleppo, which is 494 roues, 8 ounces English, and 20 manas is the quintall of Balsara, which is 104 Alepine, and of London 514 li. 8. ounces, and so much is the sayd quintall, but the marchants bargaine at so much the mana or wolsene (which is all one) and they abate the tare in every mana, as the sort of spice is, and the order taken therefore in that place.

The measure of Balsara is called a pike, which is just as the measure of Babylon, to say, 100 pikes of Balsara make of Aleppo 121 pikes, ut supra in the rate of Babylon.

The currant mony of Balsara is as foloweth. There is a sort of flusses of copper called Estivi, whereof 12 make a mamedine, which is the value of one medine Aleppine, the said mamedine is of silver, having the Moresco stampe on both sides, and two of these make a danine, which is 2 medines Aleppine.

The said danine is of silver, having the Turkesco stampe on both sides, & 2 and a halfe of these make a Saie, which is in value as the Saie of Aleppo.

The said Saie is of the similitude and stampe of Aleppo, being (as appeares) 60 estives. Also one Say and 20 estives make a larine, which is of Aleppo money 6 medines and a halfe.

The sayd larine is a strange piece of money, not being round as all other currant money in Christianitie, but is a small rod of silver of the greatnesse of the pen of a goose feather, wherewith we use to write, and in length about one eight part thereof, which is wrested, so that the two ends meet at the just halfe part, and in the head thereof is a stampe Turkesco, and these be the best currant money in all the Indias, and 6 of these larines make a duckat, which is 40 medines or eight Saies of Aleppo.

The duckat of gold is woorth there 7 larines, and one danine, which is of Aleppo money 48 medines and a halfe.

The Venetian money is worth larines 88 per 100 meticals, which is 150 drams of Aleppo, ut supra.

The roials of plate are worth 88 larines by the 100 meticals, & albeit among the marchants they sel by the 100 meticals, yet in the mint or castle, they sel by the 100 drams, having there lesse then the worth 5 medines in each hundred drams, and have their paiment in 40 dayes made them in Saies or larines.

The custome of the said places, aswell inward as outward, are alike of all sorts of goods, to say 6 by the 100, and Toafo, Boabo, & scrivan medines 6 by the bale inward & outward, to say, 3 inward, and as much outward: but who so leaveth his goods in the custome house paieth nothing, where otherwise at the taking thereof away, he should pay 3 med. by the bale, and of the said goods there is no other duty to pay, and this commeth to passe when the customers esteeme the goods too high. For in such a case they may be driven to take so much commoditie as the custome amounteth to, and not to pay them in money, for such is the order from the Grand Signior.

Having paid the custome, it behoveth to have a quittance or cocket sealed and firmed with the customers hand, in confirmation of the dispatch and clearing, and before departure thence, to cause the sayd customer to cause search to be made, to the end that at the voiages returne there be no cavillation made, as it oftentimes happeneth.

Note that 100 meticals of Balsara weigh 17 ounces and a halfe sottile Venetian, and of Aleppo drams 150, ut

supra.

The fraight of the barkes from Ormuz to Balsara, I would say from Balsara to Ormuz, they pay according to the greatnesse thereof. To say, for cariage of 10 cares 180 larines, those of 15 cares 270 larines, those of 20 cares 360 larines, those of 30 cares 540 larines. Note that a cara is 4 quintals of Balsara. They pay also to the pilot of the barke for his owne cariage one care, and to all the rest of the mariners amongst them 3 cares fraight, which is in the whole 4 cares, and paying the abovesayd prises and fraights, they are at no charges of victuals with them, but it is requisite that the same be declared in the charter partie, with the condition that they lade not aboord one rotilo more then the fraight, under paines that finding more in Ormuz, it is forfeit, and besides that to pay the fraight of that which they have laden.

And in this accord it behoveth to deale warilie, and in the presence of the Ermin or some other honest man (whereof there are but few) for they are the worst people in all Arabia. And this diligence must be put in execution, to the end the barks may not be overladen, because