same coast, or rather Istmus, as Goa is with the Cities beforemen∣•…•…ioned, which are seated to the eastward, as the coast of Mallabar •…•…s to the westward: the pleasantnesse of the adjoyning River •…•…unning downe from Bisnagar the Metropolis of this Countrey, •…•…nd the goodnesse of the Haven, with the wholesomenesse of the •…•…oile and the temperancie of the ayre, addes much to the excel∣•…•…encie of it in matter of trade and concurrencie of Merchants; to which if we adde the industry of the inhabitants, and the fruit∣•…•…ullnesse of the Countrey bearing many commodities naturally, it •…•…s not to be reckned as the least or the worst part of trading in India.
From this place and coast then is found a great trade, to be dri∣ven into Bengala, Pegu, Siam, Mallaca and to India, and the prin∣cipall commodities that this City is noted to be famous for, is those excellent fine cotton linen, made here in great aboundance, and of all colours, and interwoven with divers sorts of loome workes and flowers, very fine and cunningly wrought, and therefore much worne in India, and better esteemed there then silke, as indeed be∣ing both found finer and richer, and used by the greatest women in those parts for their clothing, wherein is found interlaced of∣tentimes threds of silver and gold, and divers other rare fabriques of cotton, &c.
The currant usuall coines in Mesulipatan, Armagon, Petipoli, St. Thomas, and all alongst the coast is the Pagode of gold, and the Mahomody and fanan of silver, and are thus valued.
A Pogode is worth 15 fanams, or in English 8 sh. starling.
A fanan is 9 cashee, or as some call them cupans about 6¾ d. star.
A Mamody is 32 pices, or as in some places they are called docres.
A riall of 8/2 Spanish is here 5 mamodies or 9 fanans, or 5 sh.
And 10 rialls 8/8 is here currant for 6 and sometimes for 6½ pagods.
And 10 R 8/8 are called in these parts a Seare incirca 50 sh. star. But in Armagon it is observed they have this difference.
Rialls of 8/8 11 are accounted for 8 pagods.
One pagode is accounted worth 20 fanams.
And 5 pagodes here are accounted but 4 in Mesulipatan.
The pagode by this account may be said to be in value about 8sh. starling equivalent with the chequin of Uenice, or the sheriffe of Aegypt, or sultany of Turkey, and the mamody accounted for 12 d. starling, and the fanans about 6 d. ¾ or 7 d. per piece.
Their common weight used along this coast is the candil, which in grosse goods is most usuall, accounted for 20 Maunds.
A Maund is 40 Seare or 22½ Masses, or 26 li. 14½ oun. English.
A Seare is 17 Kashee, which thus answers with England.
The seare is twofold, as the small seare is of 16 Mass, and found to be about 10 li. English, or as some observe it 10 〈◊〉〈◊〉 li. and the great seare is accounted as above.