Travels in India (Tavernier) 21.3.3

21.3.3

Shaistá Khán, uncle of the King Aurangzeb, who reigns at present, and the cleverest man in all his kingdom, found means for bribing many of the officers of the navy of the King of Arakan, and of a sudden forty galleys, which were commanded by Portuguese, joined him. In order to secure these new allies firmly in his service, he gave large pay to each of the Portuguese officers and to the soldiers in proportion, but the natives only received double the ordinary pay. It is a most surprising thing to see with what speed these galleys are propelled by oars. There are some so long that they have up to fifty oars on each side, but there are not more than two men to each oar. You see some which are much decorated, where the gold and azure have not been spared. The Dutch have some of them in their service in which they carry their merchandise, and they also sometimes require to hire some from others, thus affording a means of livelihood to many people. The day following my arrival in Dacca, which was the 14th of January, I went to salute the Nawáb, and presented him with a mantle of gold brocade, with a grand golden lace of “point d’Espagne” round it, and a fine scarf of gold and silver of the same “point,” and a jewel consisting of a very beautiful emerald. During the evening, after I had returned to the Dutch with whom I lodged, the Nawáb sent me pomegranates, China oranges, two Persian melons, and three kinds of apples.