A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 844 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09.

A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09 eBook

Robert Kerr (writer)
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 844 pages of information about A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09.
The 15th to Shavade, [Shahabad,] ten coss.  The 16th to Mogol-Sera, or Gaugur, fifteen coss.  The 17th to Sinan,[146] fourteen coss, which is an ancient city, where they manufacture great store of cottons.  The 18th to Duratia, fifteen coss.  The 19th to Pullower, [Bullolepoor,] eleven coss.  We this day passed in a boat over a great river called Sietmege[147] which is very broad, but full of shoals, and runs westward to join the Sinde, or Indus.  The 20th we came to a small town called Nicodar, eleven coss.  The 21st to Sultanpoor, an old town having a river which comes from the north, over which is a bridge of six arches.  At this place great store of cotton goods are made.  Four coss beyond this place we passed another small river.  The 22d to Chiurmul,[148] eleven coss.  We were this day boated across a river as broad as the Thames at Gravesend, called Vian, which runs westwards to join the Sinde.  On its banks Allom Khan, ambassador from the Great Mogul to the king of Persia, had pitched his camp, which looked like a little city.  The 23d we went to Khan Khanum Serai, seventeen coss, and the 24th we reached Lahore, seven coss.

[Footnote 146:  This is probably Sirhind, which is directly in the route, but so disguised in the text as to defy emendation.—­E.]

[Footnote 147:  This is clearly the Sutuluge, or Setlege, called likewise the Beyah-Kussoor, and Chato dehr, being the easternmost of the Punjab or five rivers, which form the Indus.  It was called Hesudrus by the ancients.—­E.]

[Footnote 148:  From the river mentioned in the text as passed, on this day’s journey, this may have been what is now called Gundwall, a little beyond the river Beyab, which is here 100 yards broad.—­E.]

All the country between Agra and Lahore is exceedingly well cultivated, being the best of India, and abounds in all things.  It yields great store of powdered sugar, [raw sugar] the best being worth two 1/2 to two 3/4 rupees the great maund of forty pounds.  The whole road is planted on both sides with trees, most of which bear a species of mulberry.  In the night, this road is dangerously infested with thieves, but is quite secure in the day.  Every five or six coss, there are serais, built by the king or some great man, which add greatly to the beauty of the road, are very convenient for the accommodation of travellers, and serve to perpetuate the memory of their founders.  In these the traveller may have a chamber for his own use, a place in which to tie up his horse, and can be furnished with provender; but in many of them very little accommodation can be had, by reason of the banians, as when once any person has taken up his lodging, no other may dispossess him.  At day-break the gates of these serais are opened, and then all the travellers prepare to depart; but no person is allowed to go away sooner, for fear of robbers.  This made the journey very oppressive to us, as within two hours after the sun rose we were hardly able to endure the heat.

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.