Cambaia, India

Sources from old books

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

Of CAMBAIA and the Trade thereof.

CAMBAIA the principall Citie of the Kingdome so called, is a faire and large Citie, and contained some yeares past 800000 persons; it is seated on the imbosure of the famous River Indus, and there the River inlargeth it selfe to a great breadth, till it come to the Iles of Vacas, having the Iland of Diu on the one side, and the Cities of Deman and Surrate on the other: it is absolutely the greatest Citie of trade in these parts, and therein is a Factorie seated for the traffique in these Countries of the English and Dutch East India Companies: here is also found great concurrencie of Merchants as well of Christians, as of Persians, Arabians, and Armenians, but the natives which are called the Gusarates and Banians, are esteemed the greatest and most politique Merchants of all India, and held in subtiltie equall with any Nation under the Sunne.

The commodities for traffique that this Country either naturally affoordeth, or is artificially here fabricated, is corne, rice, and such graine, Butter and Oyle, wherewith for their abundance they furnish all the Countries round about them; also great quantitie of cotton linens are here made, which we terme callicoes of all sorts, called by them Canequins, Boffettas, Iarins, Cautares, and others of sundry kinds of making, from the very coursest wherewith they make their sayles for shipping, to the finest, which are by us known by the name of Calico Lawnes; also here are made sundry fine carpets called Alcatiffes and Banquies; also many sorts of coverlets, called Codorins; also many manufactures of wood carved and imbellisht, some with mother of pearle, and some with silver and such like; also here are found sundry sorts of pretious stones, as Spinalls, Rubies, Granads, Iacints, Amatists, Chrysolits, Amber, Agats, Iasper; also sundry drugges, as Opium, Camphora, Bangue and sandallwood, sugars, and lastly and principally Anil or Indico is here growing prepared and made readie, and from hence carried throughout the whole world: the principall places in this Country affoording the same is, Bianny, Fetterbarre, Sherkis, Lahore, and other places thereabouts.

To this place I should adde the famous Port of Surrat and Baroche, being as is Cambaia under subjection of the great Mogull, and seated in this tract, which because in matters of traffique I doe not finde to varie from the former, I willingly omit, and therefore comprehend them under this Chapter and title, proceeding to the currant coines weights and measures found in use and practised in these Cities, as in subjection to one and the same Prince, who is soveraigne thereof.

The ancient currant and generall coyne of this Countrey is the Mahmudy, stamped by that famous King Mahmood in the first conquest of these Countries, which was accounted for (—) Res of Portugall, and by the English there resident estimated 12 d. starling. But the Grand Mogull being the last Conquerour, prohibited the said coines of Mahumdis, and therefore at this day they are found very scarse, yet most frequent in Gussurat. The most currant coine now throughout his Territories being the Ruppie, of which there are divers sorts, which are,

The Casanna Ruppia which is the common Ruppia worth in India ¼ mahomudy, and estimated incirca 2 s. 3^d starling.

The Iacquerree Ruppie, 5 of which make 6 Casanna Ruppies.

The soway Ruppie—4 whereof makes 5 Casanna Ruppies.

The Hondee Ruppie of equall value with the Casanna Ruppie abovesaid; and in these last doe the Merchants of Gusurat keepe their accounts: Besides which they have for smaller coines currant these:

The Pice, accounting 34 to the mamodie, which is 10 d. starling.

The shahee accounted to be 10 Pices or 10 Cosbeggs.

And some there are that keepe their accounts in Mahomodis, accounting 2½ mahomdy to be one Hondee or Cassanna Ruppie, being thus esteemed for 2 shil. 6 d. star. as 2 Ruppies are accounted for 1 ℞ 〈◊〉 Spanish, though indeed not found alwayes of that value, for the Ruppie is here observed with the right of a Princes coine, and the R. 〈◊〉 for a merchandise or commoditie, rising and falling: the said Ruppia in Agra is found to passe for 84 pices; but this is thus most currant in Amadever, Lahore, and other the places where the Christians of Europe and others doe provide & buy their Indico, &c. and there two of the said Ruppias make in ordinary payment for Merchandise 1 ℞ 〈◊〉 of Spanish.

There is generally found throughout the Dominions of the great Mogull two severall weights; the one proper to silke, and the other for all merchandise besides, and both of these have their foundation upon a weight of copper called as the coine aforesaid the Pice.

A Pice in silke is accounted 5½ mitigalls.

A mitigall is () a pice is about 13 d. 10 Troy.

A pice of silke is also accounted for 2 Tolls, 1 Toll is 12 masses.

A seare of which there is a small and great; the small seare is ordinarily used in silke and accounted 30 Tolls.

Now for the common weight for all other commodities, I will begin with the seare which varies here in severall parts of this Country.

A seare of Surrat is 18 pices weight of copper money, which is 13⅓ ounces haber.

A seare of Agra called the seare Acoberg, is 30 pices, which is 22 ounces haber.

A seare of Agra called the seare Ianquery is 36 Pices, being the common seare of all India, and double the Surrat seare, which is 26 〈◊〉 ounces.

A seare of Puttana and Ganges is 37 Pices, and those that have made a strict calculation, have found that 22 common pices makes 16 ounces haberdepois.

They have also in use in these Countries two Maunds.

A maund small of surrat is 40 seares of surrat, and the said maund is 33 li. haber.

But they have for some commodities another maund in Surrat about 27 li. haberd.

A candil of Surrat Cambaia &c. is 20 of the said maunds.

Seares 40 make a small maund of 33 li. English.

Seares 40 great make a great maund of 54 〈◊〉 li. English, and some have observed it to be 55 li. English; and this is the maund of Agria.

In Amadever this differenee is found in the said weight.

A maund is 40 seare, which is 18 pices and 33 li. English.

And the 100 maunds of Amadever is 63 maunds of Agria.

For gold, silver, muske, civet, Besor-stone they have another weight which they call the Toll, being 12 masses, and is 7^d. 16 grain Troy weight in England, as hath been observed both by the English and Portugall Merchants.

It is not to be questioned but that this so large tract of Countrey must admit of more diversitie of weights, which I am inforced to passe over in silence by reason of my ignorance, and referre what is here omitted to the better experienced.

There is used in these parts two common measures, and both called a Covado, a short and long covado.

The short covado of Surrat, Cambaia, &c. used in the sales of many commodities, as linnen and silke, is 27 inches English.

The long covado of Surrat used for woolen cloth is 35 inches.

But in Agra, Lahore, Dilly, Brampore, &c. the ordinarie and common covado is found to hold 32 inches, and called in some places of this Country Elahy.

At Puttana they have a covado of 38 inches, and by the observation of some, it hath beene found that 1⅓ covado of Puttana is 5 covados of Agra, which makes 4 yards English.

And note that in all the Moguls Countrey they use no concave measures for any graine or liquid commodities, but sell the same by weight, in the same nature as they doe all ponderous and massie commodities.

They measure their ground and dayes journeys by a measure which they call a Corso, which is one thousand five hundred geometricall paces, and is accounted in common estimation of our late travellers a mile and a halfe English.

In this tract and belonging to this Prince are many famous Townes of trade, the chiefest is Lahore, famous for the Indico there growing, and prepared; and for that admirable high way to Agria of twentie dayes journeys, beset on each side with mulberry-trees, and whence there departeth yearely above twelve thousand Camells laden with spices to Hispahan, which are brought hither from India.

The next principall towne is Amadabar, famous in these parts for the great trade and excellent scituation thereof, and as being the most eminent Citie of the Guserats. Neither is Tutta here to be forgotten, though an Inland Towne, yet seated on the famous River of Indus, and having dependancie and belonging thereunto; and that excellent Port of Lowribander, three dayes journey distant from it, on the shoare commonly intitled the Coast of Sindie, wherein it hath beene observed by our European Navigators, that Shippes may safely ride without harme receiving by the wormes, which doth much hurt in SURRAT, and all alongst the coast of India.