On the cheapness of slaves in Bengal, see Ibn Batuta,
IV. 211-212. He says people from Persia used
to call Bengal Duzakh pur-i ni’amat, “a
hell crammed with good things,” an appellation
perhaps provoked by the official style often applied
to it of Jannat-ul-balad or “Paradise
of countries.”
Professor H. Blochmann, who is, in admirable essays,
redeeming the long neglect of the history and archaeology
of Bengal Proper by our own countrymen, says that
one of the earliest passages, in which the name Bangalah
occurs, is in a poem of Hafiz, sent from Shiraz to
Sultan Gbiassuddin, who reigned in Bengal from 1367
to 1373. Its occurrence in our text, however,
shows that the name was in use among the Mahomedan
foreigners (from whom Polo derived his nomenclature)
nearly a century earlier. And in fact it occurs
(though corruptly in some MSS.) in the history of
Rashiduddin, our author’s contemporary. (See
Elliot, I. p. 72.)
NOTE 2.—“Big as elephants”
is only a facon de parler, but Marsden quotes
modern exaggerations as to the height of the Arna
or wild buffalo, more specific and extravagant.
The unimpeachable authority of Mr. Hodgson tells us
that the Arna in the Nepal Tarai sometimes does reach
a height of 6 ft. 6 in. at the shoulder, with a length
of 10 ft. 6 in. (excluding tail), and horns of 6 ft.
6 in. (J.A.S.B., XVI. 710.) Marco, however,
seems to be speaking of domestic cattle.
Some of the breeds of Upper India are very tall and
noble animals, far surpassing in height any European
oxen known to me; but in modern times these are rarely
seen in Bengal, where the cattle are poor and stunted.
The Ain Akbari, however, speaks of Sharifabad
in Bengal, which appears to have corresponded to modern
Bardwan, as producing very beautiful white oxen, of
great size, and capable of carrying a load of 15 mans,
which at Prinsep’s estimate of Akbar’s
man would be about 600 lbs.
DISCOURSES OF THE PROVINCE OF CAUGIGU.
Caugigu is a province towards the east, which has
a king.[NOTE 1] The people are Idolaters, and have
a language of their own. They have made their
submission to the Great Kaan, and send him tribute
every year. And let me tell you their king is
so given to luxury that he hath at the least 300 wives;
for whenever he hears of any beautiful woman in the
land, he takes and marries her.
They find in this country a good deal of gold, and
they also have great abundance of spices. But
they are such a long way from the sea that the products
are of little value, and thus their price is low.
They have elephants in great numbers, and other cattle
of sundry kinds, and plenty of game. They live
on flesh and milk and rice, and have wine made of rice
and good spices. The whole of the people, or nearly
so, have their skin marked with the needle in patterns
representing lions, dragons, birds, and what not,
done in such a way that it can never be obliterated.
This work they cause to be wrought over face and neck
and chest, arms and hands, and belly, and, in short,
the whole body; and they look on it as a token of
elegance, so that those who have the largest amount
of this embroidery are regarded with the greatest
admiration.
