To give an exact account of all these provinces, were more than I am able to undertake; yet, from what I have observed of a few, I may venture to conjecture concerning the rest, and I am convinced that the Great Mogul, considering the extent of his territories, his wealth, and the rich commodities of his dominions, is the greatest known monarch of the east, if not in the whole world.  This widely extended sovereignty is so rich and fertile, and so abounding in all things for the use of man, that it is able to subsist and flourish of itself, without the help of any neighbour.  To speak first of food, which nature requires most.  This land abounds in singularly good wheat, rice, barley, and various other grains, from which to make bread, the staff of life.  Their wheat grows like ours, but the grain is somewhat larger and whiter, of which the inhabitants make most pure and well-relished bread.  The common people make their bread in cakes, which they bake or fire on portable iron hearths or plates, which they carry with them on their journeys, using them in their tents.  This seems to be an ancient custom, as appears from the instance of Sarah in our bible, when she entertained the angels.

To their bread, they have great abundance of other excellent provisions, as butter and cheese in great plenty, made from the milk of their numerous cows, sheep, and goats.  They have likewise a large animal, called a buffalo, having a thick smooth skin without hair, the females of which give excellent milk.  Their flesh resembles beef, but is not so sweet or wholesome.  They have plenty of venison of several kinds, as red and fallow deer, elks, and antelopes.  These are not any where kept in parks, the whole empire being as it were a forest, so that they are seen every where in travelling through the country; and they are free game for all men, except within a certain distance of where the king happens to reside.  They have also plenty of hares, with a variety of land and water fowl, and abundance of fish, which it were too tedious to enumerate.  Of fowls, they have geese, ducks, pigeons, partridges, quails, pheasants, and many other good sorts, all to be had at low rates.  I have seen a good sheep bought for about the value of our shilling:  four couple of hens for the same price; a hare for a penny; three partridges for the same money; and so in proportion for other things.

The cattle of this country differ from ours, in having a great bunch of grisly flesh on the meeting of their shoulders.  Their sheep have great bob-tails of considerable weight, and their flesh is as good as our English mutton, but their wool is very coarse.  They have also abundance of salt, and sugar is so plentiful, that it sells, when well refined, for two-pence a pound, or less.  Their fruits are numerous, excellent, abundant, and cheap; as musk-melons, water-melons, pomegranates, pomecitrons, lemons, oranges, dates, figs, grapes, plantains, which are long round yellow