A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present TimeKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 09: Arranged in Systematic Order: Forming a Complete History of the Origin and Progress of Navigation, Discovery, and Commerce, by Sea and Land, from the Earliest Ages to the Present Time
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
On the 18th, both to satisfy the prince who desired it, and whom I was
not willing to displease, and to see the fashions of the court, and
because it was proposed to establish a factory here, where sword-blades
were in great request for the army, and sold well, I went to visit the
prince, to whom, I carried a present. I was conducted by the cutwall,
and in the outer court of the palace I found about an hundred horsemen
under arms, who formed a line on each side, being all gentlemen waiting
to salute the prince on his coming forth. In the inner court the prince
sat in a high gallery encircling the court, having a canopy over head,
and a carpet spread before him, appearing in much, yet barbarous state.
Going towards him through a lane of people, an officer came and told me
that I must touch the ground with my head, and with my hat off. I
answered, that I came to do the prince honour by visiting him, and was
not to be subjected to the custom of slaves. So I walked on till I came
to a place railed in, just under where he sat, where there was an ascent
of three steps; and having there made him a reverence, to which he
answered by bending his body, I went within the rails, where stood all
the great men then in the town, holding their hands before them like
slaves. This place, as mentioned before, was covered over head by a rich
canopy, and all the floor was spread with carpets. It resembled a large
stage, and the prince sat on high, like a mock king in a theatre.
On entering, as I had no place assigned me, I went right forwards, and
stood before him at the bottom of the three steps, on which stood his
secretary, readily to convey to him any thing that is said or given. I
told him that I was ambassador from the king of England to his father;
and, while passing his residence, I could not but in honour visit his
highness. He answered that I was welcome, and asked me many questions
about the king my master, to which I gave fit answers. While standing in
that manner at the foot of the steps, I asked leave to come up and stand
beside him; but he said, even if the king of Persia, or Grand Turk, were
there, such a thing could not be allowed. To this I replied, that I must
be excused for believing he would, in such a case, come down and meet
them at his gate; and that I required no higher privilege than was
allowed to the ambassadors of these sovereigns, with whom I considered
myself entirely equal. He declared I should have that privilege in all
things. I then demanded to have a chair, to which it was answered, that
no person was ever allowed to sit in that place, but I was desired to
lean against a pillar covered over with silver, which supported the
canopy. I then requested his favour for an English factory to be
established at Burhanpoor, which readily granted, and gave immediate
orders to the _Buksh_ to draw up a _firmaun_, license, for their coming
and residence. I also requested an order for carriages for conveying the
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