constant residents, and have built two mosques, in which they meet every Friday to offer up prayer. They have one Kadi, a priest, and for the most part they belong to the sect of Schafei.[1] Security and justice are so firmly established in this city, that the most wealthy merchants bring thither from maritime countries considerable cargoes, which they unload, and unhesitatingly send into the markets and the bazaars, without thinking in the meantime of any necessity of checking the account or of keeping watch over the goods. The officers of the custom-house take upon themselves the charge of looking after the merchandise, over which they keep watch day and night. When a sale is effected, they levy a duty on the goods of one-fortieth part; if they are not sold, they make no charge on them whatsoever.
In other ports a strange practice is adopted. When a vessel sets sail for a certain point, and suddenly is driven by a decree of Divine Providence into another roadstead, the inhabitants, under the pretext that the wind has driven it there, plunder the ship. But at Calicut, every ship, whatever place it may come from, or wherever it may be bound, when it puts into this port is treated like other vessels, and has no trouble of any kind to put up with.
His majesty, the happy Khakan, had sent as a present for the prince of Calicut, some horses, some pelisses, some robes of cloth of gold, and some caps, similar to those distributed at the time of the Nauruz;[2] and the motive which had induced him to do so was as follows. Some ambassadors deputed by this monarch, returning from Bengal in com-
- ↑ Abu Abdallah Mohammed Ben Edris, surnamed Schafei from one of his ancestors, who was descended from the grandfather of Mahomet, was the first writer on jurisprudence among the Mahometans. He wrote a book on the "Principles of Islamism," in which the whole civil and canonical law of the Mahometans is contained. With him originated one of the four sects of Islamism regarded as orthodox.
- ↑ New Year's day, celebrated with feasts, liberation of prisoners, etc.
