e Eastern India, went in company with Mr John
Newbery, merchant, who had been once before at Ormus, together with
William Leedes, jeweller, and James Story, painter; being chiefly set
forth by the right worshipful Sir Edward Osburn, knight, and Mr Richard
Staper, citizens and merchants of London. We shipped ourselves in a ship
called the Tiger of London, in which we went to Tripoly in Syria, whence
we went with the caravan to Aleppo in seven days. Finding good company
at Aleppo, we went from thence to Birra [Bir,] which is two days and a
half journey with camels.

Bir is a small town, but abounding in provisions, near which runs the
river Euphrates. We here purchased a boat, and agreed with a master and
boatmen to carry us to Babylon [Bagdat]. These boats serve only for one
voyage, as the stream is so rapid that they cannot return. They carry
passengers to a town called Felugia [Feluchia], where the boat has to be
sold for very little money, what cost fifty pieces at Bir bringing only
seven or eight at that place. From Bir to Feluchia is a journey of
sixteen days; but it is not good for one boat to go alone, as if it
should chance to break, it would be difficult to save the goods from the
Arabs, who are always robbing thereabouts, and it is necessary to keep
good watch in the night, when the boat is made fast, as the Arabs are
great thieves, and will swim on board to steal your goods, and then flee
away. Against them a musket is a good weapon, as they are much afraid of
fire-arms. Between Bir and Feluchia, there are certain places on the
Euphrates where you have to pay custom, being so many _medins_ for a
_some_ or camels load, together with certain quantities of raisins and
soap, which are for the sons of _Aborise_, who is lord of the Arabs and
of that great desert, and hath some villages on the river. Feluchia,
where the goods coming from Bir are unladed, is a small village, from
whence you go to Bagdat in one day.

Babylon, or Bagdat, is not a very large town, but is very populous, and
much frequented by strangers, being the centre of intercourse between
Persia, Turkey, and Arabia, caravans going frequently from it to these
and other countries. It is well supplied with provisions, which are
brought from Armenia down the river Tigris, upon rafts made of goat skin
bags blown full of wind, over which boards are laid, on which the goods
are loaded. When these are discharged, the skin bags are opened and
emptied of air,