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John Fryer was a surgeon in the service of the East India Company and set sail for his long voyage through various nations in the east. He set out in January 1672 He journeyed extensively through India and made copious notes of what he saw and sent them back as letters to his homeland. This 3 volume book is a compilation of these letters. They describe the lands of the Malabar and choromondal Coasts, the Karnatac, Bombay and its surroundings, Surat, Salsette Bassen, Goa, Bijapur. This was the time of the Mugal ruler Auranzeb and Fryer notes his fight with Sivaji. All the lands described contain eye witness accounts of the people, their customs, beliefs, trade, commerce and industry. A separate chapter is on the weights and measures of the land. After India the author goes to Persia and follows a similar style of narrative in describing that land. Fryer returned to England in 1781 after 9 years.