Bernier’s voyage to the east indies.
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very reafon, that fo many Portugueze, Mefticks, and other Chriftians are fled thitherfrom thofe quarters, which the Dutch have taken from them. For the Jefuits andAuguftinians, that have great churches there; wherein they exercife their religion withall freedom, did allure me, that in Ogouli alone there were no lefs than eight or ninethoufand fouls of Chriftians; and (which I will eafily believe) that in the reft of thatkingdom there were above twenty-five thoufand. And ’tis this affluence of all thofethings neceffary for life, joined to the beauty and good humour of the women natives,that hath occafioned this proverb amongft the Portugueze, Englifh and Hollanders,viz. that there are an hundred open gates to enter into the kingdom of Bengal, andnot one to come away again.
As to the commodities of great, value, and which draw the commerce of ftrangersthither, I know not whether there be a country in the world, that affords more andgreater variety ; for, befides the fugar I have fpoken of, which may be numberedamongft the commodities of value, there is fuch ftore of cottons rnd filks, that it maybe faid, that Bengal is, as it were, the general magazine thereof, not only for Indoftanor the empire of the great Mogol, but alfo for all the circumjacent kingdoms, and forEurope itfelf. I have fometimes flood amazed at the vaft quantity of cotton cloth ofall forts, fine and others; tinged and white; which the Hollanders alone draw fromthence; and tranfport into many places; efpecially into Japon and Europe ; not to men-tion what the Englifh; Portugal and Indian merchants carry away from thofe parts.The like may be faid of the filks and filk-ftuffs of all forts ; one would not imagine thequantity that is hence tranfported every year; for this country furnifhes generally allthis great empire of Mogol, as far as Lahor and Caboul; and moll of the other foreignparts; whither cotton cloth is carried. ’Tis true; that thefe filks are not fo fine as thofeof Perfia; Syria ; Sayd and Barnt; but then there is alfo a great difference in the price ;and I know from good hands, that whofoever fhall take care of choofing them well;and of getting them well wrought, may have very good fluffs made of them. TheHollanders alone have fometimes feven hundred or eight hundred men of the nativesat work in their factory of Kaffem-Bazar ; as the Englifh and other merchants havetheirs in proportion.
It is alfo in Bengal, where that prodigious quantity of falt-petre is found, which is foconveniently carried down the river Ganges from Patna , and where the Englifh andDutch load whole fhips full for many places of the Indies, and for Europe .
Laftly, ’tis Bengal, whence the good lacca, opium, wax, civet, long pepper do come;and even butter is to be had there in fo great plenty, that though it be a grofs commo-dity, yet notwithftanding ’tis thence tranfported into divers places.
It cannot be denied that the air, in regard of ftrangers, is not fo healthy there, ef-pecially near the fea : and when the Englifh and Hollanders firft came to fettle there,many of them died; and I have feen in Balafor two very fine Englifh fhips, whichhaving been obliged, by reafon of the war of the Hollanders, to flay there above ayear, were not able to go to fea, becaufe moft of their men were loft. Yet fince thetime they have taken care and made orders, as well as the Hollanders, that their peo-ple fhall not drink fo much Bouleponges, nor go fo often afhore to vifit the fellers ofarrack and tobacco, and the Indian women; and fince they have found, that a littlevvinc of Bourdeaux, Canary or Chiras is a marvellous antidote againft the ill air, thereis not fo much ficknefs amongft them, nor do they now lofe fo many men. Bouleponge isR certain beverage made of arrack, that is, of ftrong water, black fugar, with the juice°f lemon-water and a little mufcadine upon it; which is pleafant enough to the tafte,but a plague to the body and to health.
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