A Momentous Journey

73 There is also a lot of silver and gold in coins and bullion; the coins used here are as follows: a round gold one, with Mouros writing, worth two hundred reais, give or take a little, and another silver one with sixty reais. There is another unit that they use for all their merchandise which is called a fedea, it is just a name and it is worth eighteen reais, fourteen or twelve, depending on the place, because it is worth more in some than in others. Almonds are also used in this kingdom as a coin of low value, just as small cowries are used in other parts. The coins of the King of Vijayanagara also circulate here: they are called pardaos and are worth three hundred reais, give or take a little, and I described what they look like earlier. They use meticals as a measure to weigh gold and silver, and precious stones. Six and a half are equal to one ounce. They have other heavier weights called candil which are equal to four quintals, give or take a little according to the place, because they are larger in some places than in others. They use a measure called a hand, twenty of them make a candil, which as I said weighs a bahar which is four quintals. The Kingdom of Deccan Leaving the Kingdom of Gujarat, heading along the coast in the direction of India, one comes to the Kingdom of Deccan that the Indians call Daquanil. Its king is Mouros, but the majority of the dwellers are gentiles. He is an overlord with a lot of land that stretches into the interior; he has many seaports with a busy trade in the many goods that are used on the mainland. Its cities and best places are as follows: Chaul Going into the kingdom of Deccan along the coast, one comes to a beautiful, large river. Upstream, one comes to a village called Chaul, with thatched houses and much trade. There are always many ships there from Malabar and many other places in the months of December;

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