A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels - Volume 18: Historical Sketch of the Progress of Discovery, Navigation, and; Commerce, from the Earliest Records to the Beginning of the Nineteenth; Century, By William StevensonKerr, Robert
History
A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels - Volume 18: Historical Sketch of the Progress of Discovery, Navigation, and; Commerce, from the Earliest Records to the Beginning of the Nineteenth; Century, By William Stevenson
Kerr, Robert
Voyages and travels
From Baragaza the author proceeds to a description of the coast of the
Decan, which, as we have already mentioned, is remarkable for its accuracy,
as well as for its first mentioning the appellation Decan. At the distance
of twenty days' journey to the south lies Plithana, and ten days' journey
to the east of this is Tagara, both marts of great consequence, and the
latter the capital of the country. From these are brought down, through
difficult roads, several articles to Baragaza, particularly onyx stones
from Plithana, and cottons and muslin from Tagara "If we should now
describe, (observed Dr. Vincent) the arc of a circle from Minnagar, on the
Indus, through Ougein to Dowlatabad on the Godavery, of which Baroche
should be the centre, we might comprehend the extent of the intelligence
acquired by the merchant of the Periplus. But allowing that this was the
knowledge of the age, and not of the individual only, where is this
knowledge preserved, except in this brief narrative? which, with all the
corruption of its text, is still an inestimable treasure to all those who
wish to compare the first dawning of our knowledge in the east with the
meridian light which we now enjoy by the intercourse and conquests of the
Europeans. An arc of this sort comprehends near three degrees of a great
circle: and if upon such a space, and at such a distance from the coast, we
find nothing but what is confirmed by the actual appearance of the country,
at the present moment, great allowance is to be made for those parts of the
work which are less conspicuous, for the author did certainly not visit
every place which he mentions; and there are manifest omissions in the
text, as well as errors and corruptions."
The province of Canara, called by the author of the Periplus Limurike,
follows in his description the pirate coast; after Limurike, he describes
Pandion, corresponding with what is at present called Malabar Proper; this
is succeeded by Paralia and Comari, and the description of the west coast
of India is terminated by the pearl fishery and Ceylon. There were several
small ports in Limurike frequented by the country ships; but the only mart
frequented by vessels from Egypt was Musiris: it was likewise a great
resort of native vessels from Ariake or Concan. The articles imported were
nearly the same as those at Baragaza, but the exports from it were more
numerous and valuable: this seems to have arisen from its lying nearer to
the eastern and richer parts of India. The principal exports were, pearls
in great abundance and extraordinary beauty; a variety of silk stuffs; rich
perfumes; tortoise-shell; different kinds of transparent gems, especially
diamonds; and pepper in large quantites, and of the best quality.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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