‘The travels of Sig. Pietro della Valle, a noble Roman, into East-India and Arabia Deserta. In which, the several countries, together with the customs, manners, traffique, and rites both religious and civil, of those Oriental princes and nations, are faithfully described: In familiar letters to his friend Signior Mario Schipano. Whereunto is added a relation of Sir Thomas Roe’s voyage into the East-Indies’ [‎4] (25/508)

The Travels Peter Delia Valle,
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Whale, they fay, they often get 19, 20, and 2i 5 Tun of Oyl.
This Greenland 1 by what Captain Woodcock^ law, who dif-
cover'd it 3 from the end of feventy fix degrees, to feventy
eight and a half, (the cold not fuffering him to go further) was
un-inhabitedj he not having found any perfon there but only wild
beafts of many forts. The Company of the Greenland Merchants
of England had the horn which he found, becaufe Captains of
fhips are their ftipendiaries, and, befides their (alary, muft make
no other profit of their Voyages 5 but whatever they gain or
find, in cafe it be known, and they concealit not, all accrues
to the Company that employes them. When the Horn was in-
tire, it was fent to Conjiantinople to be fold, where two thoufand
pounds Sterling was offer'd for it: But the Englifti Company
hoping to get a greater rate fold it not at Conft ant maple, but font
it into Mufcovy 3 where much about the fame price was bidden
for it^ which being refus'd , it was carry'd back into Turkey,
and fell of its value ^ a much lefs fum being now proffer'd then
before. Hereupon the Company conceiv'd, that it would foil
more eafily in pieces, then intire ^ becaufe few could be found
who would purchale it at fo great a rate. Accordingly they
broke it, and it was fold by pieces in fundry places 5 yet for all
this, the whole proceed amounted onely to about twelve hun
dred pounds Sterling. And ofthefo pieces they gave one to the
Captain who found it, and this was it which he IhewM me.
On the 2 5. of January, failing in the main Sea with the prow
of the Ship South Eaft and by Eaft 5 and, as I conceive, at a
good diftance from the Country of Macron, (which I conje$:ure
to be part either of the ancient Caramania, oveKeoiGedrofia,
and at this day having a Prince of its own, lyes upon the Sea
Coaft between the States of the Perjian and thofe of the Moghol)
we difcern'd behind us three or four Ships which feem'd to be
Frigots or Galliots, but towards Evening we loft fight of them.
The fame day, and the other before, began to be foen in the Sea
abundance of certain things, which I took to be Snakes, or at
leaft fifties in the form of Snakes, being exadHy of the form of
large Eeles, long and round^ and according to the motion^)f the
water leem d crooked as they floated along the Sea. Neverthe-
lefs demanding of intelligent perfons what they were, I under-
Itood that they were neithei; thofe Animals, nor yet living
things, but onely a kind of excrement of the Se^, that iliape,
Tv? 1 u l rno ^ on ? ^ av i n g what the agitated water gave it 5 al
though by realon of the motion of the fliip they feem'd to move
contrary to us, whilft we faw them left behind. And they told
me, that the nearer we came to India, we (hould fee more of
thele things. The next Evening, our Captain, who was a little
more merry then ordinary, (becaufe, the Captain of the Dolphin
mmg with us that day, he had drank pretty freely in conver-
atiorp difcourfing with me, as he was wont, after Supper, fpoke
trankly to me concerning their affairs of Or muz, ; In conclu-
fion