The merchants map of commerce wherein the universal manner and matter relating to trade and merchandize are fully treated of, the standard and current coins of most princes and republicks observ'd, the real and imaginary coins of accounts and exchanges express'd, the natural products and artificial commodities and manufactures for transportation declar'd, the weights and measures of all eminent cities and towns of traffick in the universe, collected one into another, and all reduc'd to the meridian of commerce practis'd in the famous city of London / by Lewis Roberts, merchant.

CHAP. CCLVII. Of Palermo, and the Trade thereof.

* 1.1PALERMO, anciently Panormus, and a Colony of the Phoenicians, is now the chief City of Sicilia, and the Seat of the Spanish Viceroy, Don Ferdinando de Castro, being Viceroy at my being here in 1619 from whom I and my Company received so much honour, that I cannot without ingratitude, forget in this place to commemorate his Nobleness: the City is situate on the West Cape of the Island, and is beautified with large Streets, and delicate Build∣ings, strong Walls and magnificent Palaces and Temples: here I found a Dutch Gentleman attendant upon the said Viceroy, who was intitled the English Consul, from whom I gathered these my Observations in the Trade of this Place and Island.

* 1.2Their Accounts are here kept by Ounces, Taries and Grains.

One Ounce is 30 Taries.

One Tarie is 20 Grains.

* 1.3Their Moneys are also Ounces, Taries and Grains, accounted one Ounce to be 30 Tari••s which is 5 Florins, of Carlins 12 the Florin.

One Tari to be 20 Grains, and is 12 Sol. 6 Den. small Money.

One Tari to be two Carlins.

One Carlin to be 10 Grains, and is 12 Livres.

One Grain is 6 Picholies, and is 7½ Den. Money Siciliano.

One Poncto is 8 Picholis.

A Ducat of Gold is worth 13 Taries.

Note, that for the Money which they pay by Bills of Exchange, they give allowance 1½ per Cent. for bad Money.

* 1.4It is to be observed, that throughout all the Kingdom of Sicilia, there is but one Weight in use, only in Messina excepted, which I shall shew in its due place: now this Weight of Sicilia in general is the Rotolo (30) Ounces, which is 2½ l. Sicilian, 300 Rot. making the Cantar which 100 l. hath been observed to have made in London 173 l. circa, * 1.5 or properly in gross to say, 1 C. 2 Quarters 4 l. incirca, and in Venetia suttle, to have produced 260 l. or Venice gross 163 l. circa, and hath been found to render in Florence 225 in 230 l. but yet by the cal∣culation I made, it should be but 221 l. just, it is in Rhagusa 218 l. in Cattarro 78 l. Alexandris Zera, 83 Rot. ditto Forfori 185 Rot. in Damasco 43½ Rot. &c.

* 1.6Their Measure of length is the Cane, which is in London about 80 or 81 Inches by the Rule, which is 2¼ Yards English; this Cane is divided into 8 Palms, which is about 10 Inches, the Cane making 3 Cloth Braces in Venetia.

* 1.7Corn which is the prime Commodity of this Place and Kingdom, is sold by the Salmo, of which there is the gross Salmo, and the general Sicilian Salmo, which is the small Salmo, upon which general salmo, these Observations have been made, and that the same is found to agree thus with these Countries.

• In Rhagusa staro 3⅕.
• Dalmatia staro 3¼.

• Ancoma somma 1½.
• Ricanati somma 1⅔.
• Rimine staro 1½.
• Bolonia corbe 3½.
• In Andalusia 5 Fanegos.
• In Portugal 22½ Alquiers.
• In Florence 11¼ staios.
• In Avignon 5 sesteros.
• In Venetia 3 staros and 1 quarter.
• In Pisa 11 18 staros.
• Bergamo staro 13.
• Millan mesni 4⅛.
• Genoua measure 2⅓.
• In Ferrara staro 9.
• In Tripoli cafesie 15.
• In Tunis cafesie 15.
• Alexandria ribebe 1 l. 1.
• Candia measures 14.
• Corfu mosie 2⅓.
• Catarro staro 3¼.
• Verona minali 7 quastero.
• Vicentia staro 9¾.
• Padua staro 9¾.
• Treviso staro 3.
• Modena staro 3 5/7.
• Parma staro 6½.
• Mirandola staro 3 5/7.

The gross Salmo of Palermo and Sicilia hath been observed to make in

Spalatto	staro 4.
Rhagusa	staro 3⅓
Segnia	quart. 12.
Arbe	staro 4.
Istria	staro 4.
Padua	staro 12.
Vincentia	staro 12.
Ferrara	staro 11.
Forli	staro 3 quaterroli 14
Bollonia	corbe 4⅓.
Mantua	staro 10.
Cremona	sommas 2.
Bergamo	staro 16.
Verona minali	8 & 11½ quarteroli.
Brassia	sommas 2⅔.
Millan	Mesini 5 1/9.
Florentia	staro 14.

Wherein I have been somewhat the larger, by reason of the general use of this measure in the Lewant.

Note, that both the gross and general Salmo are divided into into 16 Tomelos, and that the gross Salmo is greater than the general Salmo about 17 per Cent. and observe, that the ordinary charge of Corn here bought is 3 Taries, and 15 Grains the Salmo; but if Corn be above 18 Taries per Salmo, it pays also a new impost, which is per Salmo.

* 1.8Salt is also sold by the Salmo, which in Trappano is made in great quantity, where at my being here I observed to be as great as 3 ordinary Salmos of Corn, divided also in 16 Tomelos, which made Sicilia weight about 7 Cantaros.

* 1.9Oyl is here sold by the Cantaro, which is 2¾ Barrels of Florence, and hath made 180 l. English.

* 1.10The Custom of the Island is commonly 9 and 10 per Cent. but Fish and other Commodities for food, pays 12 per Cent.

* 1.11Palermo is also a place of great Exchanges, which briefly at my being there, did run thus with other places, always noting, that all Bills coming from abroad, pay one Carlin per ounce to

make good Money: and they exchange by Ponctos, as I have noted elsewhere: * 1.12and they give in Palermo 160 Pomutos incirca, to have in Naples a Ducat current, and their Account is made as in the particular of Naples is expressed. * 1.13They give in Palermo 26 or 27 Carlins, to have in Rome a Ducat de Camera.

* 1.14They gave in Palermo 6 Taries accounted, and 1 Carlin per Ounce more, to have in Valentia 10 Sold. 3 Den. and a Crown of 12 Taries is 20 Solds, and a Ducat of 13 Taries, is there estimated for 21 Sold.

* 1.15With Messina and Syracusa, and other places of the Kingdom, they exchange with the Crown and the same Moneys.

This note of Equality or Par, I also learned here for current.

For Valentia Sold 9 dc. 10¾ per Florin.

For Barselona Sol. 11 d. 3⅖ per Florin.

For Majorca Sold 14 d. 10½ per Florin: and for the aforesaid places, they consider the in∣terest, to him that takes by Exchange at the rate of one Carlin per Ounce, which they recover accordingly: for the other particular Circumstances thereof, I refer the Reader to the end of this Tract, where the Exchanges of this Place and Messina, is largely handled, and as the same may more amply there appear in the Chapters 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, and 425. with all particular Circumstances, whereto I desire to be referred for better satisfaction.

And in the next place, survey the Trade of Messina, the second eminent City of Traffick in this Island.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Palermo, and the Trade thereof.
• * 1.2

  Accounts in Palermo and all Sicilia.
• * 1.3

  Moneys cur∣rent in Sicilia.
• * 1.4

  Weights in Palermo.
• * 1.5

  Some have found it to yield 148 l. English.
• * 1.6

  Measures of length.
• * 1.7

  Of Corn.
• * 1.8

  Of Salt.
• * 1.9

  Of Oyls.
• * 1.10

  Customs of Sicilia.
• * 1.11

  Exchanges.
• * 1.12

  With Naples.
• * 1.13

  With Rome.
• * 1.14

  With Valentia.
• * 1.15

  With Messina.