_ 48 _ Item: When Antonio Teixeira left he went by way of the territory of the Gizares and I went with him for half a league from Basra. He went out by the bridge of pontoons with the iron chain. Immediately on the other side of the bridge the palm groves begin and they extend a great distance. These palm groves are in rows and have very high walls. All of them have ditches with water storage, and this area is very well kept. From there to the open country it is flat and in some places marshy. Item: What I have felt about these people from the very beginning of my sojourn and now more than ever, is that they are very anxious to have peace, as it is very much in their interests, on account of their prosperity. They are so prosperous because all the goods which pass through the Straits of Ormuz to Basra, i. e. cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, benzoin, indigo and clothing, and which go as far as Turkey, pay duty of 10% in Basra. From Basra to Baghdad, which is a journey of twelve to fifteen days, the duty paid in 11% and from Baghdad to Aleppo it is 21%. There are also many other expenses. Therefore, the merchant who leaves Ormuz with goods worth 1000 cruzados pays 500 cruzados in duties when he reaches Aleppo, but these goods are so valuable that they compensate amply for these duties. Other foods also come
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