Of the cities of Chaul, and of the Palmer tree.
BEYOND this Iland you shall finde Chaul in the firme
land; and they are two cities, one of the Portugals, and
the other of the Moores: that city which the Portugals
have is situate lower then the other, and governeth the
mouth of the harbour, and is very strongly walled: and
as it were a mile and an halfe distant from this is the
city of Moores, governed by their king Zamalluco. In
the time of warres there cannot any great ships come to
the city of the Moores, because the Portugals with their
ordinance will sincke them, for that they must perforce
passe by the castles of the Portugals : both the cities are
ports of the sea, and are great cities, and have unto them
great traffique and trade of merchandise, of all sorts of
spices, drugges, silke, cloth of silke, Sandols, Marsine,
Versine, Porcelane of China, Velvets and Scarlets that
come from Portugall, and from Mecca
: with many other
sortes of merchandise. There come every yeere from
Cochin, and from Cananor tenne or fifteene great shippes
laden with great Nuts cured, and with Sugar made of the
selfe same Nuts called Giagra: the tree whereon these
Nuts doe grow is called the Palmer tree: and thorowout
all the Indies, and especially from this place to Goa there
is great abundance of them, and it is like to the Date
tree. In the whole world there is not a tree more profitable and of more goodnesse then this tree is, neither doe
men reape so much benefit of any other tree as they do
of this, there is not any part of it but serveth for some
use, and none of it is woorthy to be burnt. With the
timber of this tree they make shippes without the mixture
of any other tree, and with the leaves thereof they make
sailes, and with the fruit thereof, which be a kinde of
Nuts, they make wine, and of the wine they make Sugar
and Placetto, which wine they gather in the spring of
the yeere: out of the middle of the tree where continually
there goeth or runneth out white liquour like unto water,
in that time of the yeere they put a vessell under every
tree, and every evening and morning they take it away
full, and then distilling it with fire it maketh a very
strong liquour: and then they put it into buts, with a
quantity of Zibibbo, white or blacke and in short time
it is made a perfect wine. After this they make of the
Nuts great store of oile: of the tree they make great
quantity of boordes and quarters for buildings. Of the
barke of this tree they make cables, ropes, and other
furniture for shippes, and, as they say, these ropes be
better then they that are made of Hempe. They make
of the bowes, bedsteds, after the Indies fashion, and
Scavasches for merchandise. The leaves they cut very
small, and weave them, and so make sailes of them, for
all maner of shipping, or els very fine mats. And then
the first rinde of the Nut they stampe, and make thereof
perfect Ockam to calke shippes, great and small: and
of the hard barke thereof they make spoones and other
vessels for meat, in such wise that there is no part thereof
throwen away or cast to the fire. When these Mats be
greene they are full of an excellent sweet water to drinke:
and if a man be thirsty, with the liquour of one of the
Mats he may satisfie himselfe : and as this Nut ripeneth,
the liquor thereof turneth all to kernell. There goeth
out of Chaul for Mallaca, for the Indies, for Macao
, for
Portugall, for the coasts of Melinde, for Ormus, as it
were an infinite number and quantity of goods and
merchandise that come out of the kingdome of Cambaia.
as cloth of bumbast white, painted, printed, great
quantity of Indico, Opium, Cotton, Silke of every sort,
great store of Boraso in Paste, great store of Fetida,
great store of yron, corne, and other merchandise. The Moore
king Zamalluco is of great power, as one that at
need may command, & hath in his camp, two hundred
thousand men of warre, and hath great store of artillery,
some of them made in pieces, which for their greatnesse
can not bee carried to and fro; yet although they bee
made in pieces, they are so commodious that they worke
with them marvellous well, whose shotte is of stone, and
there hath bene of that shot sent unto the king of Portugall for the rarenes of the thing. The city where the
king Zamalluco hath his being, is within the land of
Chaul seven or eight dayes journey, which city is called
Abneger. Threescore and tenne miles from Chaul,
towards the Indies, is the port of Dabul, an haven of
the king Zamalluco: from thence to Goa is an hundred
and fifty miles.
