FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   486   487   488   489   490   491   492   493   494   495   496   497   498   499   500   501   502   503   504   505   506   507   508   509   510  
511   512   513   514   515   516   517   518   519   520   521   522   523   524   525   >>  
, 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 title of the sovereign. It is obvious from this passage, 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 Cumao 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 call
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   486   487   488   489   490   491   492   493   494   495   496   497   498   499   500   501   502   503   504   505   506   507   508   509   510  
511   512   513   514   515   516   517   518   519   520   521   522   523   524   525   >>  



Top keywords:

Footnote

 

country

 
Bengal
 

Bootan

 
called
 

mountains

 

Chittigong

 

people

 

Grande

 

possibly


district

 
silver
 

excellent

 

horses

 
natives
 
dividing
 
Hakluyt
 

Himmaleh

 

Thibet

 
beyhar

Couche
 

sovereign

 

obvious

 

passage

 
visible
 
camblets
 

cambals

 

turmeric

 

frontier

 

saffon


Persia
 

waists

 

streets

 

Serrepore

 

Ganges

 

copper

 

houses

 

Gentile

 

disposition

 
Bacola

distance

 
shooting
 
manufactures
 

cloths

 

cotton

 
abundance
 

fertile

 
plains
 

hundred

 
cattle