The six voyages of John Baptista Tavernier, Baron of Aubonne through Turky, into Persia and the East-Indies, for the space of forty years : giving an account of the present state of those countries, viz. of the religion, government, customs, and commerce of every country, and the figures, weight, and value of the money currant all over Asia : to which is added A new description of the Seraglio / made English by J.P. ; added likewise, A voyage into the Indies, &c. by an English traveller, never before printed ; publish'd by Dr. Daniel Cox

The Money which the English and Hollanders Coin in the Indies.

FIgure 1, and 2. is the Money which the English coin in their Fort St. George, or else at Madrespatan, upon the Coast of Coromandel. They call them Pagods, as those of the Kings and Raja's of the Country are call'd. They are of the same weight, the same goodness, and pass for the same value. For∣merly the English never coin'd any Silver or Copper Money; for in some parts that border upon the Indians, where they have Factories, as at Surat, Maslipatan, or at Bantam, they find it more profitable to carry Gold from England, than Silver; Gold lying in less room, and not being so trou∣blesome; besides, that by carrying Gold they more easily escape the paying those Customs which the Kings impose upon Gold and Silver. But

since the present King of England married the Princess of Portugal, who had in part of her Portion the famous Port of Bombeye, where the English are very hard at work to build a strong Fort, they coin both Silver, Copper, and Tinn. But that Money will not go at Surat, nor in any part of the Great Mogul's Dominions, or in any of the Territories of the Indian Kings; only it passes among the English in their Fort, and some two or three Leagues up in the Country, and in the Villages along the Coast; the Country people that bring them their Wares, being glad to take that Money; otherwise they would see but very little stirring, in regard the Country is very poor, and the people have nothing to sell but Aqua vitae, made of Coco-Wine and Rice.

Fig. 3. and 4. is the Gold Money which the Hollanders coin at Palicate, which is a Fort that they possess upon the Coast of Coromandel. Those pieces are also call'd Pagods, and are of the same weight with the others; but for the goodness, I think they are better by two or three in the hundred, than those of the Kings and Raja's of the Country, or which the English make. I made this observation, being at the Diamond-Mines, and in other parts of the Indies where there is any great Trade. For the first thing they ask you is, whether you have any Pagods of Pelicate; and if you have, you speed much better in your business.

Fig. 5. and 6. is a Roupv of Silver, which the Hollanders coin at Pelicate, being of the same weight with those which the Great Mogul, or the Kings of Golconda and Visapour make. It has in the middle upon one side the mark of the Holland Company, to distinguish it from others. The Hollanders Roupies of Silver are quite contrary to their Pagods of Gold, which are more esteemed by the In∣dians than those of the Princes of the Country. For they make far less account of these Roupies of Silver; and if you pay any great sum in these pieces, though the Silver be as good as the others, you must lose one half per Cent.

Fig. 7. and 8. is the Hollanders small Copper-Money, wherewith they or∣dinarily pay their Soldiers. It has upon one side the mark of the Company. And indeed the Hollanders, who mind nothing but their profit, had great reason to obtain leave to coin Money; for bringing only Gold from Japan, from Ma∣cassar only Gold in Powder, and from China Gold in Ingots, and selling all these to the Bankers, they found that they lost five or six per Cent. which proceeded from the mistrust of the Changers, and the chief of the Facto∣ries belonging to the Company. Now they shun that loss, and make the same profit which the Bankers did, coining all these mettals into money. Though in every Voyage which they make to Japan, they generally lose one Vessel by storm; yet some years they make five or six Millions of Livres profit, all freights discharged, and hazards escaped. But that profit is quite lost, since their loss of the Island of Formosa.