Read the given source carefully and answer the questions that
follow :
How Silver Came to India:
This excerpt from Giovanni Careri’s account (based on Bernier’s account)
gives an idea of the enormous amount of wealth that found its way into
the Mughal Empire :
That the Reader may form some idea of the Wealth of this (Mughal)
Empire, he is to observe that all the Gold and Silver, which circulates
throughout the World at last Centres here. It is well known that as much
of it comes out of America, after running through several Kingdoms of
Europe, goes partly into Turky (Turkey), for several sorts of
Commodities; and part into Persia, by the way of Smirna for Silk. Now
the Turks not being able to abstain from Coffee, which comes from
Hyeman (Oman), and Arabia ... nor Persia, Arabia, and the Turks
themselves to go without the commodities of India, send vast quantities
of Mony (money) to Moka (Mocha) on the Red Sea, near Babel Mandel; to
Bassora (Basra) at the bottom of the Persian Gulgh (Gulf); ... which is
afterwards sent over in Ships to Indostan (Hindustan). Besides the
Indian, Dutch, English, and Portuguese Ships, that every Year carry the
Commodities of Indostan to Pegu, Tanasserri (parts of Myanmar), Siam
(Thailand), Ceylon (Sri Lanka) ... the Maldive Islands, Mozambique and
other Places, must of necessity convey much Gold and Silver thither,
from those Countries. All that the Dutch fetch from the Mines in Japan,
sooner or later, goes to Indostan; and the goods carry’d hence into
Europe, whether to France, England, or Portugal, are all purchas’d for
ready Mony, which remains there.
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