Note 337 — Chapter VI · THE FINDING OF STRANGE COASTS.
Reading edition
Footnote 337: One piece of Pegolotti's advice is still useful for travellers in the nineteenth century who visit benighted heathen countries afflicted with robber tariffs: "And don't forget that if you treat the custom-house officers with respect, and make them something of a present in goods or money, they will behave with great civility and always be ready to appraise your wares below their real value." Op. cit. ii. 307.[Back to Main Text]