Ormus

Sources from old books

1638. The merchants mappe of commerce wherein by Lewes Roberts.

Of ORMUS and the Trade thereof.

THE last Province of this Country is accounted to be the Iland and Territories of Ormus, twelve miles from the Continent, small in compasse, and very barren, yet famous throughout the world for the great trade there exercised by the Indians, Persians, and Arabians, and other Nations, the King thereof some yeares past was a Mahumetan, and drew by the customes of this Citie 140000 sheriffs yearly, since which it became tributarie to the Portugalls, who fortified the same in Anno 1506, and for the excellencie thereof, the Arabians use to say proverbially:

Si terrarum Orbis, quaqua patet, annulus esset,Illius Ormasium gemma decusque foret;

If all the world should bee a Ring, the stoneAnd gemme thereof were Ormus Ile alone.

Since which time by the valour of our English East India Companies armes, this Iland hath beene reduced to the subjection of the King of Persia, to whom it is now obedient, and still injoyeth the former splendid trade to all the parts of the East; here are found the spices and precious Iems of India, the tapestries, carpets, and shashes of Persia, the grograms, mohers, and Chamblets of Turkie, the drugges of Arabia; and lastly, the •…neys called the larins of Persia, which are here accounted as a great and speciall Merchandise, all which be excellent helpes to make this place a famous Mart and Magazin of all Easterne commodities. Now the cause that in part mooveth this great trade hither, and the great concourse of Merchants into this Iland, is that twice yearely there commeth a great company of people over land out of Syria, Aleppo, and other those parts, which are called Caffiles or Caravans, with all the commodities of the mediterranan Seas, which in their journeys observe this order; They have first a captaine, and certaine hundreds of Ianisaries or Souldiers, which convey and conduct the said Caffilla or Caravan untill they come to Balsara, from whence they travell by water to Ormus; and this twice yearely hapneth, in Aprill and in September, which constant times of their departure thence thus knowne, their number is oftentimes augmented to 6000, in 10000 persons, with their Mules, Camells and Dromedaries, passing by Babylon now Bagdat, and so to Balsara as is abovesaid; and in this same nature they travell at certaine set times; in their returne hence for Aleppo, carrying with them all manner of Merchandise of this place, fitting either for Turkie, or the mediterranean Sea; and in which Caravans all nations are found freely to travell, excepting the King of Spaines subjects, which are very narrowly lookt into, though notwithstanding they are found oftentimes to passe in the names of Uenetians, French, and other Nations, so that when these Caravans doe come to Ormus, against their comming there is generall preparation made by all other Merchants of that Countrie, for to have commodities in readinesse to barter and exchange with them. The Iland it selfe is but small and barren, and composed onely of a salt rocke, whereof their houses and walles are made; and in Sommer it is found so excessive hot, that the Inhabitants are forced to lie and sleepe in wooden Cesterns made for the purpose, full of water, and all naked both men and women lying cleane under water, their heads onely excepted; yet have they no fresh water in the Iland, but what they fetch from other Ilands in the Sea neere there adjoyning, which they also keepe in cesterns for their use, as is accustomed in some part of Spaine in Iarres, or as they terme them in Tenajos. At the last reduction of this Towne to the Scepter of Persia by the ayde of the English, they had many immunities of trade granted them, and to be here free of all custome, and withall to draw the one halfe of all the customes thereof; but that good service was soone forgotten, and they have now onely the honour of the good service for their paines and reward, and nothing els.

To this Citie and Iland, I must adde the two onely Sea-ports of consequence on this coast, appertaining to the Crowne of Persia, which are Iasques and Gombrone, in which the English have their Factories and residencie, and is the place where their shippes doe lade and unlade their burthens for this Kingdome, and where also the goods and commodities bound for Hispahan, Casbin, Sciras, Casan, and Tauris, and generally for the whole Empire are landed, and here laden upon camells, dromedaries, and horses into those places; and because that I finde that the coynes, measures and weights of this place doe somewhat differ from them passable and in use at Spahan and more within the land, I have thought it needfull here to insert the same, according as I have gathered them from those that have frequented the places above mentioned, referring the Reader for what is here omitted to Spahan it selfe, the Metropolis of this Empire in the following Chapter.

The Coines then here in use and valuation are these:

• 1 Besse of copper is 4 Cosbeggs.
• 1 Shahee of silver is 2½ Bessees, which is 4^d starling or 10 cosbegs.
• 1 Mamothy silver is 2 shahees which is 8^d star. or 29 cosbegs.
• 1 Abashae of silver is 2 mamothies, which is 16 d star. or 40 cosb.

• 1 Asar of gold is 20 shahees or 6 shil. 8d. starling.
• 1 Toman of gold is 10 asars, which is 66 shil. 8^d. star. and this Toman is accounted 50 abashes or 2000 cosbeggs.

These are the generall coines currant throughout Persia; to these I must adde those in use in these parts above mentioned: The Riall of 〈◊〉 Spanish is here a commoditie, and bought and sold, and the common estimation thereof is here 130½ cosbegs or 13 shahees, and somewhat more, which accounted at 4^d. per shahee is little more than 4 shil. 4^d. starling. Againe, this Riall of eight passeth here for 5¼ larrees, which larrees are 10^d. star. and by this account the Riall of 〈◊〉 is 4 shil. 4½^d. starling.

1 Larree is 5½ saddees, each saddee being not fully 2^d. star. and each saddee accounted here for 40 flosses; so that the larree is here 220 flosses, and every ℞. of 〈◊〉 is here at Gombrone and Iasques 1155 flosses.

The common weight here and throughout Persia is the dramme, 96 drams making 16 ounces haberdepois; so that 6 drams makes the * 1.6 said ounce, and 1200 drams being a maund shaw, or as we may call it the Kings Maund, which hath beene found to make in England 12½ li. haberdepois: In weighing of silke, they observe the maund Tauris which is ½ the maund shaw or 600 drams, and 5 Maund Tauris is accounted here for 1 maund of Sarrat, which by this computation should make 3000 drams, or 500 li. haber: 36 maund shaws or 72 maunds Tauris is a load of silke, which is by the said calculation 43200 drams, which is 7200 Ounces English making silke pounds 300 li. haberdepois, which is about two coles of Aleppo of 46½ Rotolos per peere.

Their measure in use here as throughout all Persia is not found much to varie, they have in generall two, which they terme the * 1.7 Coveda, the short and the long; the long coveda is somewhat longer than the English yard, accounted by some 37 inches; and at Sciras and in some other Cities it is found to be 38 inches, by which all cloths, kersies, and outlandish manufacturies are sold by. The short Coveda is proper onely for the manufacturies of Persia, accounted to hold out 27 inches, and found agreeable to the pic•… used in Constantinople and Aleppo. And thus leaving Ormus and the said port Townes of Iasques and Combrone, I will hence travaile to Parthia, wherein I find Hispahan the Metropolis of Persia seated.