ul, and the two most important places
of trade in all Asia. The Dutch, English, French, and other European
natives trade to both, and have erected forts and magazines for their
security and convenience. The best part of the trade is carried on by
black merchants, who deal in all sorts of rich goods; such as opium,
diamonds, rich stuffs, and all kinds of cotton cloths. The empire of
the Great Mogul is of prodigious extent, and the countries under his
dominion are esteemed the richest in the world. The air is tolerably
pure, yet malignant fevers are common, generally attacking strangers
as a kind of seasoning sickness, in which, if the patient escape the
third day, he generally recovers.

Most of the inhabitants of this country are tall black robust men, of
gay and lively dispositions. In point of religion, many of them are
idolaters, more of them Mahometans,[2] and some of them Christians.
The idolaters are split into numerous sects, some of whom believe
firmly in the metempsychosis, or transmigration of souls; for which
reason they will not take away the life of any living creature, not
even daring to kill a fly or a flea. They have even hospitals for
worn-out oxen and old cows, where they are fed and attended till they
die of age or disease. These people are in general very industrious,
but covetous, false, and perfidious. They employ themselves, such as
reside in towns, in the manufactures of silk and cotton; and those
who live in the country are very diligent cultivators, so that they
annually expect from hence vast quantities of grain to Batavia.

[Footnote 2: This is an obvious mistake, as by far the greater part of
the population is idolatrous.--E.]

The Great Mogul is one of the richest and most powerful princes in the
world, having a most magnificent court, and a numerous army always
on foot. The directors at Bengal and Surat know perfectly well how
to deal with him, and, by making shewy presents, procure valuable
diamonds and other precious stones in return. Surat is a town of no
great antiquity, yet very large and immensely rich. It is in compass
about five miles within the walls, and is computed to contain about
200,000 inhabitants. The Moorish and even the Indian merchants
here are many of them prodigiously rich. The former chiefly addict
themselves to the diamond trade, which is very precarious; for
sometimes a small stock produces an immense fortune, while at other
times, a man wastes immense sums witho