Goa, India

Sources from old books

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

Of GOA, and the Trade thereof.

GOa, is the Metropolis of India, I meane of those that are under the command of the Portugall or Spaniard, where the Viceroy, Archbishop, and the King his Consull, and Chancery doe reside; here is also the Staple of all India commodities, whereto Merchants of Arabia, Armenia, Persia, Cambaia, Pengala, Pegu, Siam, Mallacca, Iava, Mollucco, China, and of sundry other Countries doe resort: It is seated in an Iland of three miles circuit, but is but little distant •…rom the firme land; the Port is capacious of good ships, but if they exceed 200 Tunnes they unlade short of the Towne at a place called Bardes, well built with faire houses both publique and private, after the Portugall manner, and hath in it many Cloisters, Churches, and Frieries; but is not fortified with any walls, but the contrived and continued buildings of the houses, serves both for defence and inclosure: in the heart of the City is a Street called •…he Leilon, where a daily assembly is made from 7 to 9 in the mor•…ing, not onely of Merchants from all parts, but also of gentry; •…nd during the said houres the said Street is replenished with all commodities and merchandise from all the aforenamed Kingdomes, •…et forth in manner of our Faires in England; which daily is thus practised, and wherein the rich commodities of those Countries •…re vented and put to sale; besides which, there are particular Streets where the native Indians doe dwell together, being found to be here great Merchants, and for the most part inhabit neere together, especially such as are found to be of one and the same Art and Profession, being bound by the strict lawes of this Countrey, every man to marry within his own and the same Trade, and to bring up likewise their children in their owne and the same Profession; which law (being strictly observed) giveth great perfection to all Arts heere practised: their Winter begins here the last of April, continuing till September, and is called Winter, not for the cold, but for the continuall raines that are found all this time; the rest of the time is accompted Summer, which is without raine, and the pleasantest of all other seasons upon this Coast.

The commodities naturall of this place is not observeable, the •…land small, and the firme land plentifull in Palme-trees, cocus, and the like: the Citie is the common Staple for all India commodities, brought hither by others, and here bartered and exchanged for other; but of it selfe not affording any of note or consequence.

They have heere two sorts of moneyes, a good, and a bad, and therefore in all contracts they are as well to bargaine for the money that is to be received, as for the commoditie that is to bee sold: but because this place is neighboured with sundry great Nations that traffique hither; it will be fit I should inlarge my selfe a little further on this subject.

The common moneys heere currant is called the Pardaus Xeraphin, coined here, and worth 300 Res of Portugall, and is as much as three testons, which is English money about foure shillings sixe pence sterling.

One Pardau is five tang as, which is an imaginary coine, and is in both sorts of the coines in use, as accounting five tang as bad money, being the same in worth as foure tang as of good money.

One tang as is worth foure good ventins, and five bad ventins, a coine also imaginary, and not reall, and is worth seaventy five basarucos.

A vintin is worth 15 bad basarucos, and 18 good basarucos, which is the lowest and smallest coine heere in use.

Three basarucos is worth two Res of Portugall money, and by this accompt, the Pardu sheraphin is worth 375 basarucos: and these are all the proper coines of Goa: the other here currant are

The Persia larins is a coine of very fine filver, and worth 110 basarucos.

The Pagode of gold worth about 10 tang as, is eight shillings sterling.

The venetiander of gold, worth two pardaus sheraphin.

The St. Thomas of gold, worth 8 tang as.

The Riall of 〈◊〉 called Pardaus de reales, worth commonly 440 Res of Portugall; but these and the larins of Persia may heere bee accounted for commodities, rising and falling in price, as the occasions of Merchants inforce them.

But note that all moneys are here paid and received by the hands of Sheraffs, as is the manner in Turkey and other Easterne Countries, who make good the losse and dammage either in tale or goodnes for a small consideration, and by the Portugals termed Cernidors.

The weights common in Goa, and along the coast of India, that is subject to the Crowne of Spaine, are divers; the usuall knowne is as in Portugall the quintall and the rove; and this is most in use for all European commodities.

But they have in use another proper, for honey, sugar, butter, which is called the maund, being 12 li. of the weight above mentioned.

Another proper onely to pepper, and other such Indian spices, they have, which they call the Bahar, accounted 3 quintals and a halfe of Portugall weight, which by reason of the neere concordancie that it hath with the hundred of London, I shall not need to say any thing further thereof.

The measure of length is the same as is used in Lixborne.

The measure of graine, rice, and such like commodities is called a Medida, being about a spanne high, and halfe a finger broad, 24 whereof is accounted a mand.

Mands 20, is accounted one candil, which is about 14 bushels Eng. and by this measure they accompt their tunnage in shipping; yet it is found, that some sort of rice is heere sold by the fardo, being round bundles wrapt straw, and bound about with cords, and these should weigh by the custome of the place 3½ maunds.

There is upon this coast a great trade in use for pearles, which because it is of great moment in this and other places of India; it will be fit I should shew the manner thereof.

The fishing for pearles beginneth yearly in March and April, and continueth but 50 dayes; but yet they fish not alwayes in one place every yeare, but change their places by certaine appointed and setled orders amongst the principall that have the oversight thereof.

Now when the time of this fishing draweth neere, then they send very good divers that goe purposely to discover where the greatest heapes of oysters are under water, and on the shoare opposite to that place, there they set up and plant a village with houses, and a Bazaro or market place, of stone and other materialls, which standeth as long as the fishing time lasteth, and is for that time furnished with all things necessary, which now and then happeneth to bee neere unto places inhabited, and now and then a far off, according to the place appointed for that yeares fishing.

The fisher-men themselves are for the most part Christians, natives of that Countrey; neither is any other debarred from this fishing that will, paying a certaine tribute or acknowledgement to the King of Spaine, and to the Iesuites who have sundry Churches upon that coast: now during the said fishing, there are alwayes maintained three or foure fasts or galliots armed to defend the fishers from injuries and Rovers. The order of which fishing is observed to be thus.

There are commonly three or foure barkes, and their companies that make consortship together, much resembling our English pilot-boates, having eight or ten men in a boat, and in the morning they goe out together from the shoare, and anchor in 15 or 18 fathome water, which is the ordinary depths of this whole coast; and being thus moored to their Anchor, they cast a rope into the Sea, and at the end of that rope usually make fast a great stone, and then they have in readines a Diver, who hath his nose and his eares well stopped and annointed with oyle, and a basket fastened about his necke, or under his left arme; then he sinketh downe by the said rope to the bottome of the Sea, and as fast as he can he filleth the said basket, and being full, he then shaketh the rope, and his fellowes that hold the other end, and are in their Barke, instantly hale him up with his filled basket, and in this wise they goe one by one vntill they have laden their said boat with Oysters; and in the evening returning a shore to the village, every company maketh their owne heape or mount of Oysters by themselves, one distant from another in such wise, that there is seene a great long row of mounts or heapes of Oysters, which remaine untouched untill such time as the fishing be ended; and at the end whereof every company sitteth downe about their mount or heape, and fall to opening of them, which they may easily doe, because that then they bee both dry, dead, and brittle; and if every Oyster should prove to have pearles in them, it would prove a very good purchase unto them: but many are found to have no pearles at all in them; therefore when their fishing is done, they then perceive whether their said fishing and gathering proveth good or bad.

Now there are certaine men expert in the choice and distinction of Pearles, which heere they call Chittini, which set and make the price of Pearles, according to their carracts, each carract being foure graines, and these with an instrument of copper having holes therein of severall greatnes serving to distingush the sorts, to which also they consider their beauty and goodnes, and then therof make 4 severall sorts. The first sort be the round Pearles, which they call aia or unia of Portugall, because the Portugals buy them: the second sort which are not round, are called aia of Bengola: the third sort, which are not so good as the second, they call aia of Canora, that is to say, the Kingdome of Besnegar: the fourth and last, and indeed the worst sort, they call aia of Cambaia: and thus the price being by the men set thereon, according to their sorts, goodnes, and greatnes, there are Merchants of every Countrey which are ready with their moneys in their hands to buy them; so that in few dayes, all the said parcels are bought up, according to the said prizes set upon them altering according to the carract, beauty, and shape thereof. And this is the manner of the fishing, and dispersing of the Pearles throughout India, and thence through the World, so farre forth as I thought good to insert the same in this place.