Frederick saw thirty to thirty-five big and small ships at Satgaon with rice, cloth, lac, sugar, long pepper, oil and many other goods. He found 'Satgaon a reasonably fine city for a city of the Moors', abounding with all things. He found a large number of merchants there. The number of ships being only thirty to thirty-five Satgaon, however, must have begun to decline by that time. The Mughal invasion of Bengal had not yet taken place. Interestingly Frederick spoke of the large number of fairs held every day in one or other place on the bank of the Ganges selling goods at cheap price. He also found a large number of Hindus worshipping daily the Ganges River.
From Bengal Frederick travelled to Pegu and a number of other places before returning to Venice via Hormuz in 1581.
The interesting aspect of the account of Frederick is the description of Satgaon and Bettore in their declining days. Later historians accepted his description since he was perhaps the last European traveller who had seen the ships anchored in front of Satgaon. His account throws the interesting suggestion that the Saraswati by which he had reached Satgaon from Bettore was called the Ganges then. Obviously the Hughli channel had not become navigable then. Sultanate Bengal on the eve of the Mughal conquest seems to be prosperous in his account. It seems that the capital of Bengal was then in the process of transfer from gaur to tandah, which might have prevented Frederick from visiting the capital, although he did not mention it.
[Aniruddha Ray] (2nd part or last part)
Bibliography EF Oaten, European Travellers in India, Lucknow, 1973, reprint of 1st ed. 1909; Purchas and His Pilgrimages, Hakluyt Society, Edinburg, 1911.
From Bengal Frederick travelled to Pegu and a number of other places before returning to Venice via Hormuz in 1581.
The interesting aspect of the account of Frederick is the description of Satgaon and Bettore in their declining days. Later historians accepted his description since he was perhaps the last European traveller who had seen the ships anchored in front of Satgaon. His account throws the interesting suggestion that the Saraswati by which he had reached Satgaon from Bettore was called the Ganges then. Obviously the Hughli channel had not become navigable then. Sultanate Bengal on the eve of the Mughal conquest seems to be prosperous in his account. It seems that the capital of Bengal was then in the process of transfer from gaur to tandah, which might have prevented Frederick from visiting the capital, although he did not mention it.
[Aniruddha Ray] (2nd part or last part)
Bibliography EF Oaten, European Travellers in India, Lucknow, 1973, reprint of 1st ed. 1909; Purchas and His Pilgrimages, Hakluyt Society, Edinburg, 1911.
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