OUTLINES OF THE GLOBE.
VOL. I.
FRONTESPIECE. Vol. I.
A Pandaram.
A Yogey.
THE VIEW OF HINDOOSTAN.
VOL. I. WESTERN HINDOOSTAN.
QUIA IPSA SIBI OBSTAT MAGNITUDO, RERUMQUE DIVERSITAS ACIEM INTENTIONIS ABRUMPIT; FACIAM QUOD SOLENT, QUI TERRARUM SITUS PINGUNT: IN BREVI QUASI TABELLA TOTAM EJUS IMAGINEM AMPLECTAR, NONNIHIL, UT SPERO, AD ADMIRATIONEM PRINCIPIS POPULI COLLATURUS, SI PARITER ATQUE INSIMUL UNIVERSAM MAGNITUDINEM EJUS OSTENDERO.
L. A. Flori Epitome,
Lib. I.
LONDON: PRINTED BY HENRY HUGHS.
M.DCC.XCVIII.
ADVERTISEMENT.
THESE Two Volumes are composed from the XIVth and XVth of my OUTLINES OF THE GLOBE. I had many solicitations from private friends, and a few wishes from persons unknown delivered in the public prints, to commit to the press a part, in the form in which the posthumous volumes might hereafter make their appearance. I might have pleaded the imprudence of the attempt, at my time of life, of beginning so arduous an undertaking in my 71st year. I happily, till very lately, had scarcely any admonition of the advanced season. I plunged into the sea of troubles, and with my papers in one hand, made my way through the waves with the other, and brought them secure to land. This, alas! is senile boasting. I must submit to the judgment of the public, and learn from thence how far I am to be censured for so grievous an offence against the maxim of
Aristotle,
who fixes the decline of human abilities to the 49th year. I ought to shudder when I consider the wear and tare of twenty-two years; and I feel shocked at the remark of the elegant
Delaney,
who observes,
that it is generally agreed among wise men, that few great attempts, at lest in the learned way, have ever been wisely undertaken and happily executed after that period!
I cannot defend the wisdom: yet, from the good fortune of my life, I will attempt the execution.
It will be formed upon the model of my INTRODUCTION to the ARCTIC ZOOLOGY, imitating, as far as my talents will admit, the great examples left by the disciples of the LINNAEAN school, and the solid writings of the liberal and communicative race of the
hyperborean
learned, fitted by climate to assiduous study, and to retain the immenseness of their knowlege, when acquired. The Torrid Zone generally enervates the body and mind. The divine particle melts away, and every idea is too often lost in irresistible indolence.
Yet there are two writers, to whom I must own the highest obligations, who felt no degeneracy by the influence of climate. Their thoughts are as firm and collected as if they had been braced by the steady frost of the north.
The first is
James Rennel
Esquire, late Major of Engineers and Surveyor General in
Bengal.
The effects of his labors, more immediately applied to the national service, have been productive of others, which have proved the brightest elucidations of a country, till after the year 1757, little more than the object of conquest, and now and then,— rarely indeed, of sordid adventure. Mr.
Rennel
's Map of
Hindoostan,
or the
Mogul
Empire, and the attendant Memoir, are unparalleled convictions of the accuracy of the author in the study of geography, in which no rival dare dispute the palm of merit. I cannot express the obligations my present Work is under to his labors. I understand that there is another of the same nature, but far more extensive— perhaps in the press—every success attend the labors of his pen.
I pede fausto,
Grandia laturus meritorum praemia—
The other writer I allude to is the celebrated Sir WILLIAM JONES. The subjects of that true genius were favored by APOLLO himself, being as sublime and elegant as those over which that deity peculiarly presided. The SUN, whose character might melt away the powers of feeble Genii, served only to exalt his strength of mind, as its beams are feigned to give additional brilliancy to the diamond in its mine. The reader will not wonder that I make him so nearly the
Alpha
and
Omega
of this my labor. The various pen of my illustrious countryman excelled in every science.
Phoebus
smiled on all his undertakings, and he was saluted by the whole circle attendant on the deity, as
Gallus
is said to have been of old: —A truer simile cannot be adduced.
Utque vero PHOEBI Chorus surrexerit omnis!
I must not be silent in respect to the labors of another gentleman, who, notwithstanding he never visited
Hindoostan,
has written with uncommon success on the wonderful mythology of the
Hindoo
religion, derived most happily the sources of many of its mysteries, and traced their origins, nearly lost in the mists of fable, from the sacred purity of HOLY WRIT. He has done the same by numbers of the abstrusest antiquities of the works of art; and that with a depth of learning and perspicuity rarely to be met with. But, alas! no CHOIR rises to salute the Reverend
Thomas Maurice.
This learned divine bends under the weight of
honesta pauperies.
That still voice which hurt-merit and conscious modesty cannot always suppress, is often drowned in the clamors of the undaunted throng, so as never to emerge into the notice of those whose peculiar duty it is to search deeply into characters, be they in courts or choirs, and to put to flight the
ignavum pecus,
which are too frequently the pests of both,
Who, for their bellies sake,
Creep and intrude, and climb into the fold.
Of other care they little reck'ning make,
Than how to scramble at the shearers feast,
And shove away the worthy bidden guest!
THOMAS PENNANT.
DOWNING,
January 1, 1798.
VOLUME I.—PLATES.
FRONTISPIECE.
A YOGEY, or penitential
Faquir.
These classes devote themselves to varieties of most cruel austerities.
Tavernier,
at p. 166 of his travels in
India,
gives a plate of the various penances they inflict on themselves. They select a large Banian-tree, under which they astonish mankind with their strange distortions. These soon lose the use of some or other of their limbs, by their persisting in the most unnatural attitudes. They are the most squalid of the order. They leave the hair of their head to grow far below their rumps, and the beards to an enormous bushiness. They permit their nails to assume the form of talons, and often, by clasping their hands, suffer them to penetrate deep into the flesh.
The other figure is of a
Pandaram,
or
Senassey,
of the class of pilgrims to the various Pagodas, many of which are as eminent for their sanctity and miraculous powers as those of the most superstitious
Europeans.
These are from their active life stout and robust. They wear their hair short on the sides, and tied up in a knot on the top of their head. Their beards short and rough. Their manners are before related. Both these are
Gymnosophists,
or naked philosophers, but differ widely in their morals: the last go armed, often with the horns of the smooth-horned Antelope,
Hist. Quadr.
i. p. 91. The horns are placed paraliel to each other, which, being armed with sharp iron pointing different ways, become tremendous weapons
The figure is in De Buffon, xii. tab. xxxvi. fig. 3.—See more of this profligate race in the second volume of this work, p. 192.
.
TAB. II.
HEAD-PIECE to p. 1.—A view of the palace of the
Rajah
of
Tassisudon,
from the bridge.
TAB. III.
TWO SEA SNAKES.—One the
Muraena Colubrina, Gm. Lin.
iii. p. 1133. The other with a plain dusky back, has not found a name in
Linnaeus;
copied from Mr.
Vosmaer
's Natural History p. 60
TAB. IV.
The TEEK TREE p. 81.
TAB. V.
POON, or MAST TREE.—This and the preceding plate done by Mr.
Sowerby
p. 83
TAB. VI.
VICTORIA p. 107
Dominic de Serres,
R. A. marine painter to his Majesty.
TAB. VII.
SEVERNDROOG p. 108
D. de Serres.
—Both the above were copied, by my ingenious friend Mr.
Nicholas Pococke,
from the paintings of Mr.
Serres,
in possession of Lady
James.
TAB. VIII.
FORT OF PALICAUDCHERRY p. 158
TAB. IX.
NEPENTHES DISTILLATORIA.—This, No IV and V, were drawn and etched by Mr. SOWERBY p. 236
ITINERARY.
INDUS
Page 1
Peninsula of India
Page 2
Antient Roads to INDIA
Page 3
Alexandria
Page 5
Herat
ibid.
Samarcand
Page 6
The Oxus
ibid.
Caspian Sea
Page 7
Batnae
Page 8
Comedae
ibid.
Turris Lapidea
Page 9
Hierken
ibid.
Candahar
Page 10
Cabul
Page 11
Bochara
Page 12
The March of ALEXANDER to the PENJAB.
Ghizni
Page 15
Aornos Petra
ibid.
Taxila
Page 16
Panjab
Page 17
Malli
ibid.
Nicaea and Bucephala
Page 20
Sandracotta
Page 23
Sindomana
Page 24
Prasiane Insula
ibid.
Indo Scythia
Page 25
Pattala
ibid.
Vast tides
Page 26
REVIEW of the INDUS
Page 29
Delta of the Indus
ibid.
Sandy desert of Registan
Page 30
The Caggar
ibid.
Braminabad
Page 31
Tatta
ibid.
Hydrabad
Page 33
Bakhor
Page 35
Setlege
ibid.
Nagercote
Page 36
Jellamooky
ibid.
The Chunaub
Page 37
Moultan
Page 37
Rauvee
Page 39
Toulamba
ibid.
Lahore
ibid.
Chunaub, upper
Page 42
The Behut
Page 43
Mountain Bember
Page 44
Kingdom of Cashmere
Page 45
River Behut, or Ihlum
Page 46
Indus continued
Page 52
The Puddar
Page 55
Raipotana
ibid.
Cheitor
Page 56
Azimere
Page 58
Synastrena Regio
Page 60
Gulph of Cutch
ibid.
Guzerat
ibid.
Pagoda Jumnaut
Page 61
Diu
ibid.
Bay of Cambay
Page 63
Cambay
ibid.
Nagra
Page 64
Amedabad
Page 67
Barochia, ancient Barygaza
Page 69
Tagara
Page 70
The Nerbudda
Page 72
Port of Swalley
Page 73
Road of Surat
Page 74
The Taptee
Page 75
Surat
ibid.
Port of Mecca
ibid.
Burhanpour
Page 77
Mundu
Page 77
Ougein
ibid.
Cape St. John
Page 87
Damoon
ibid.
Concan
ibid.
The Ghauts
Page 88
Bay of Bombay
Page 89
Visrabuy
Page 90
Isle of Salsette
ibid.
Island of Bombay
Page 91
Elephanta
Page 96
Calliana
ibid.
Isles of Kanara and Hunary
Page 103
Choule
Page 104
Hydras
Page 106
Gheriah
Page 107
Dabul
Page 109
Isle of Goa
ibid.
Cape Ramas
Page 114
Kingdom of Canhara
ibid.
Isles of Anchedive
Page 115
Merjee
Page 116
Bednore
Page 118
Rana Biddalura
ibid.
Annampour
Page 121
Onore and Barcelore
Page 127
Mangalore
ibid.
Nelisuram
Page 129
Malabar coast
Page ibid
Mount Dilla
Page ibid
Cananore
Page 130
Tellicherry
Page 135
Mahé
Page 136
Laccadive Isles
Page 147
Isle of Malique
Page 149
Maldive Islands
ibid.
Sacrifice rock
Page 153
City of Calicut
ibid.
Paniani
Page 158
Coimbettore country
Page 160
Cranganore
ibid.
Porcah
Page 172
Coulang
ibid.
Anjenga
Page 173
Cape Comorin
Page 174
Kingdom of Travancore
Page 175
Lines of Travancore
Page 176
Coorga Nayrs
Page 179
Isle of Calpentyn
Page 181
Ramana Koiel
ibid.
CEYLON
Page 183
Conde Uda
Page 188
Adam's Peak
ibid.
Ganges
Page 189
Ponta de Pedras
Page 252
Jaffnapatam
ibid.
Trincomale
Page 253
Barticalo
Page 254
Matura
ibid.
Punta de Galle
Page 255
Dondra-head
ibid.
Tanawar
ibid.
Colombo
ibid.
Nigombo
ibid.
Isle of Calpentyn
Page 256
Isle of Manaar
ibid.
ERRATA.
Page 118. 1. 13.—
M. de la Tour
is the only historian who describes
Ranna Biddelura
in such exalted terms. Lieutenant
Moor,
in his
Narrative,
p. 51, mentions a place called
Rana Bednore,
which I presume to be the same; yet he speaks of it only 'as a market town of some importance and extent, with a fort, but not 'a strong one.' It is impossible that in the short interval between the time it was described by the
Frenchman,
and that in which it was visited by our honest soldier, that it could so suddenly decline from its magnificence as to suffer its uncommon splendor to pass without any notice. The place is expressed in Mr.
Rennel
's Map of
Hindoostan;
and also in Mr.
Moor
's, at the distance of about ninety miles to the north-east of
Bednore,
in Lat, 14°40″, East Long. 76°.
134. 1. 24.—
Polymeta,
read
Polymitae.
160. 1. 7.—
Coimbettore.
167. 1. 5.—
Bednore,
read
Ranna Biddelura.
200. 1. 8.—p. 82,
read
p. 101.
MAP FOR MR . PENNANT'S VIEW OF HINDOOSTAN 1798
II.
Palace of the Rajah of Tassisudon
SHOULD future readers have opportunity of perusing a printed copy of the MS. volume of the OUTLINES OF THE GLOBE, which treats of
Arabia
and
Persia,
they will find that we left behind the province of
Sind,
rent from the
Hindoostan
empire by the usurper
Kouli Khan,
who, as nature seemed to have pointed out, made the mighty river of that name the boundary between the
Persian
and
Indian
dominions.
THE
Sind,
or the
Seindhoo
of the
Sanscrit,
THE INDUS.
was called by the antients,
Indus,
a name retained by the moderns. It rises from ten streams springing remote from each other, out of the
Persian
and
Tartarian
mountains, one of which originates in
Cashmere.
The rivers of the
Panjab,
and those which rise from the west above
Candahar
and
Cabul,
are the great contributory streams, but the parent one seems to be that which flows out of
Cashgar,
in Lat. 37° 10′ N. The name
Sind
is native, and of great antiquity, and mentioned by
Pliny
and
Arrian
as the
Indian
appellative; the one writes it
Sindus,
the other
. We learn by the
Nubian
Geographer, that the
Arabians
call it
Mehran.
I mean to proceed down to its
Delta,
where it is discharged into the sea, and briefly point out the most remarkable places, antient or modern, which occur in my course.
THE
Indus,
PENINSULA OF INDIA.
or rather the streams which fall into it from the east, particularly the
Ihylum
or river of
Cashmere,
and the
Ganges
near
Latak,
in Little
Thibet,
to the north of
Cashmere,
approximate, and then run diverging till they reach the sea, and peninsulate the mighty empire, so that they give the name to
Hindoostan,
of the Peninsula of
India. India
or
Hindoostan
is not of vernacular derivation, antient as it is; the name
Hind
was given it by the
Persians,
who transmitted it to the
Greeks,
and they formed from it the word
India;
for we are assured by the scientific linguist Mr.
Wilkins,
that no such word is to be found in the
Sanscrit
Dictionary; for the aborigines of the country knew it by no other than that of
Bharata
Rennel XX. and the attendant note.
. The discovery is new, but we have preserved the antient name of
Hindoostan,
given it by the
Persians,
and that of
India
by the
Grecians,
who gave that of
Hindoos
to the aboriginal people of the country, and
Stan
a region.
THIS vast peninsula was formerly divided into two parts,
Hindoostan
Proper, which was bounded on the south by the rivers
Nerbudda
and
Soane,
and the southern borders of
Bengal,
and by the
Barrampooter
on the east.
THE other division is the
Deccan,
which signifies the
south,
and under that meaning comprehends all the rest of the peninsula, as far as Cape
Comorin.
This name and this division seem at present scarcely known, except in the mention of the great
Soubahship,
possessed by
Nizam al Muluck
and his successors. This is now greatly altered in its limits, and abridged in its extent.
Hindoostan
tends to a conoid form. The northern part spreads into a large irregular base.
Hurdwar,
the most northern place in the province of
Delhi,
is nearly in Lat. 30°, Long. 78° 15′. Cape
Comorin
is the most southern extremity, the point in Lat. 8°, Long. 77° 36′ 50″ E. The length therefore of this country is thirteen hundred and eighty three
British
miles; the breadth at the base from
Tatta,
in the
Delta
of the
Indus,
to
Silhet,
on the eastern extremity of
Bengal,
is thirteen hundred and ninety.
IT is necessary to be observed, that
India
is bounded on the north by a range of most lofty mountains, rocky, and frequently precipitous and inaccessible. These were the
Haemodus
and
Paropamisus
of the antients; and those which are interrupted by the
Indus
forcing its way through the chain, are called the
Imaus
or the snowy; but the flatterers of
Alexander
in compliment to him, bestowed on the western part of that out-let the name of
Caucasus,
as if, says
Arrian (Exped. Alex.
p. 318) they had been a continuation of his dominions: in maps they still are called the
Indian Caucasus. Pliny,
Lib. vi. c. 17. gives authority for this, by saying they were
Caucasi partes.
ANTIENT ROADS TO
INDIA.
THE earliest notice we have of commerce with this great empire, was in the book of
Genesis,
Ch. 37, where we find mention of the
Ishmaelites
carrying on a trade with
Egypt,
PATRIARCHAL.
in spices, balm, and myrrh; the two last might have been productions of
Arabia,
or of
Gilead,
but the spices were consined to
India.
They travelled at that time in caravans, and carried their goods on the backs of camels in the very manner that their descendants the
Arabs
continue to do from that period. They took the same route as the patriarch
Jacob
did, and delivered their articles of luxury at the proud
Memphis.
As soon as they became a naval people, much of the commerce of
Arabia,
as well as of
India,
was conveyed to
Muza
ARRIAN. Periplus, p. 152.
, a port not remote from the modern
Mocha,
and from thence shipped to
Berenice
or to
Myos hormos,
and placed on the backs of camels, conveyed to the
Egyptian
markets. But in respect to the
Ishmaelites
who had met with
Joseph
and his brethren, it is highly probable, that it was prior to the time of their knowlege of navigation. They had therefore performed the whole journey to and from
India
by land. On their return they increased their caravan by the addition of the myrrh and balm, the produce of their own country, or of
Gilead;
which they had left not long before they met with the patriarchs at
Dotham,
a place in the middle of
Palestine,
not far to the west of the sea of
Tiberias.
They then proceeded on their journey to
Egypt,
with the addition of another article of commerce, a slave, in the person of
Joseph,
whom they had just purchased from his envious brethren.
THIS communication with
India
was carried on for a great length of time. To use the authority of HOLY WRIT, our safest guide on all occasions, we find that SOLOMON gave it every encouragement. He founded
Hamath
in the country of
Galilee,
and
Tadmor
in the wilderness, or
Palmyra,
and many other
cities of store
KINGS I. Ch. 9. V. 8, 119. CHRON. II. Ch. 8. V. 4.
, or
emporia,
for the commerce of
India,
and
Tyre, Sidon,
and all the surrounding nations.
I SHALL now mention the route for which the ancients were indebted to the
Macedonian
hero, who, after passing the
paropamisan Caucasus,
founded a city on the south-east side of the
Ghergistan
mountains, or
Hindoo Kho,
or the
Indian Caucasus,
and called it
Alexandria,
in honor of himself.
ALEXANDRIA.
Alexander
passed this way in his pursuit of
Bessus,
and returned by the same road on his invasion of
India.
It is probable, that
Alexandria
was founded on the first expedition, in order to secure his return into a country, the conquest of which he had so much at heart. According to Mr.
Rennel,
it appears to have been in Lat. 34°, opposite to the modern
Bamian,
which stands on the north-west side of
Caucasus.
Here, according to
Quintus Curtius,
lib. vii. c. 3. he left seven thousand old
Macedonian
soldiers, and a number worn out in the service.
Arrian,
I. p. 230, says that he appointed
Proexes,
a noble
Persian,
Governor, and
Niloxenus,
Commissary of the army.
Alexandria
continued long an
emporium
of the goods of
India,
the termination of the commercial views of the
Europeans,
till it was superseded by the rise of
Candahar,
and
Cabul.
It seems to have had to it two roads; the one direct, and the same with the course taken by
Alexander
in his way from the
Caspian
sea to his pursuit of
Bessus
and his
Indian
conquest, through
Aria,
the modern
Herat,
HERAT.
which was, till the latter ages, a place of great strength and great commercial note. In course of ages, it suffered all the calamities to which the cities of the east are peculiarly incident; but it often emerged.
Abdulkurreem
A noble Cashmerian who attended Kouli Khan on his return from India. See p. 24 of his Memoirs.
saw it in 1740, on his return, in a most distressful state: the very ground floors of the houses were ploughed up, and sown with grain; but he speaks of the magnificent ruins, which shewed its former situation. The country was uncommonly rich, but the whole road from
Candahar
to this city, was a scene of desolation, marked by the march of
Kouli Khan
on his return from
India.
From
Herat
the ancients directed their course to the southern part of the
Caspian
sea. This journey must have been performed by caravans of camels or horses, as the road was destitute of navigable rivers. The route touched on the shore where
Astrabad
now stands, which, perhaps, was the port.
THE second way, and which was much frequented, was towards the north-west. The merchants went by
Champan Drapsica,
the modern
Damian, Bactra,
now called
Zariaspa, Nautica
the modern
Nekebad,
and from that town by a short stage to
Maracunda
or
Samarcand,
SAMARCAND.
seated in a most beautiful valley. All these cities rose, and were supported by the passage of the caravans. As to
Samarcand,
it had long been a vast city, known by the name of
Maracunda.
It was garrisoned by
Alexander
the great, after the capture (at
Nautica
) of
Bessus
the murderer of
Darius.
The
Scythians
laid siege to it, but it was relieved by the
Macedonian
hero. It is said to have been, even then, a city of vast opulence, strength, and splendor.
FROM
Samarcand
the articles of commerce were conveyed to the
Oxus,
THE OXUS.
the modern
Amu,
which runs at no great distance to the south. That famous river rises far to the south-east, in the
Caucasan
chain. It becomes navigable for barks at
Termed,
in Lat. 37° 30′ N. long before it comes near
Samarcand;
it is singular, that so distant a route should be pursued before the commodities were embarked. In the days of
El Edrisi,
or the
Nubian
Geographer (p. 138) we find that it was frequented on that account; the Geographer mentions
Termed
among other stations near that great river. When the goods were shipped from
Samarcand,
they fell down the stream, which, in the time of
Herodotus,
passed through a marshy tract, the
paludes excipientes araxem,
now the
Aral
lake, out of which it flowed, and, going south-west, fell into the
Caspian
sea in the bay of
Balchan.
This passage has been destroyed above two centuries ago, and its ancient channel is scarcely to be traced. Master
Anthonie Jenkinson,
a most authentic traveller, gives the following account of the cause, in his travels into those parts in 1558, as related by
Purchas,
(see p. 236):
The water that serueth all that countrey, is drawne by ditches out of the river
Oxus
vnto the great destruction of the said river, for which cause, it falleth not into the
Caspian
sea, as it hath done in times past, and in short time all that land is like to be destroyed and to become a wildernesse for want of water, when the river of
Oxus
shall faile.
I WILL now briefly enter on some other ways pointed out by the ancients as commercial routes into
India.
OTHER ROUTES.
One is that mentioned by
Pliny,
(lib. vii. c. 17.) who probably speaks on good authority; his account is founded on intelligence delivered down by
Pompey,
when he was pursuing the
mithridatic
war. It was then certainly known, that it was but seven days journey out of
India
to the
Bactryan
country, even to the river
Icarus,
which runs into the
Oxus,
by means of which, the
Indian
commerce may be transported by the channel of the
Caspian
sea, and again by the river
Cyrus,
the modern
Kur,
CASPIAN SEA.
on the western side as far as
Phasis,
the
Rione
or modern
Fasz,
a large and navigable river, which falls into the head of the
Euxine
sea, and appears to me a communication of great practicability.
I MAY also mention
Batnae,
BATNAE.
a large commercial city, built, (according to
Ammianus,
lib. xiv. c. 3.) not remote from the
Euphrates
in
Mesopotamia,
by the
Macedonians.
It was filled with rich merchants; an annual fair was held there in the beginning of
September,
and it was then the resort of multitudes of people, for the sake of the commodities brought from
India,
and even
Seres
or
China,
and various other places, both by land and water; the last, by the channel of the
Persian
gulph, and so up the
Euphrates.
THE
Seres
reminds me of the last communication I shall mention,
THE SERES.
which was to the north, leading to the distant country of
China.
The
Chinese
merchants descended from their country, and leaving the head of the desert of
Gobi
to the west, reached little
Bucharia,
and got the conveniency of the river
Ilak
for part of their journey.
THE ancient
Comedae,
COMEDAE.
the same with
Cashgar,
seated in Lat. 40° N. in the
Casia Regio
of
Ptolemy,
lay at the foot of mount
Imaus.
The
Indian
and
Chinese
trade carried on through this city, is still considerable. The river
Sir,
the old
Iaxartes,
is not far to the west of
Cashgar,
and might, by its falling into lake
Aral,
be an ancient channel of communication with the
Caspian
sea. This city was the rendezvous, even in early times, of the merchants trading with the country to the north and to the south. This, I dare suppose, was the
receptaculum
eorum qui ad
Seras
negotii causa prosisciuntur penes
Imaum
montem
of
Ptolemy;
and near it, to the east, was the
Lithinon Purgon,
and
Turris Lapidea
of
Ammianus
Shaw's Travels, p. 302.
, which, by the name,
TURRIS LAPIDEA.
could be no other than a beacon, sixed on a stone tower.
Hierken,
to the south of
Cashgar,
HIERKEN.
was another celebrated mart, and is still the centre of commerce between the north of
Asia, India, Thibet,
and
Sibiria.
When the merchants reached the
Indus,
they fell into the tracts before described.
THE
Seres,
above spoken of, were the inhabitants of the north of
China,
remarkable for their silk, which the ancients believed was combed from the leaves of trees, and, when steeped in water, was corded and spun, and after their manner wove into a web. These
Seres
had some intercourse with the
Romans;
for
Florus
tells us that they sent ambassadors to
Augustus,
who were four years on their journey. They were a most gentle race, and shunned mankind: yet carried on a traffic, in the same manner as the western
Moors
do at present, with people they never see. The
Moors
go annually in caravans,
SINGULAR TRAFFIC.
laden with trinkets, to an appointed place on the borders of
Nigritia.
There they find several heaps of gold deposited by the
Negroes;
against each of which the
Moors
put as many trinkets as they think of equal value, and then retire. If, the next morning, the
Negroes
approve the bargain, they take the trinkets and leave the gold; or else they make some deduction from the gold dust; and in this manner transact the exchange, without the lest instance of dishonesty on either part
Tassy's Memoirs, p. 311. — Tassy's account is, that a commerce similar to this is carried on between a nation called the Cadensis and the Negroes. The Cadensis act as the middle man between them and the Tunisians, who go to their country, and obtain gold and negro slaves for European commodities.
.
Candahar,
CANDAHAR.
seated in Lat. 33° o′ N. Long. 67° 15′ E. is the capital of a recent kingdom, formed by the convulsion given to this part of the eastern world. It was founded by
Ahmed Abdalla,
an
Afghan
prince, compelled by
Kouli Khan
to join his army in 1739. On the assassination of the tyrant, he appeared again among his subjects, and added to his dominions
Candahar, Cashmere,
and some other small districts. His successors reside at
Cabul;
he has an army of two hundred thousand men, once clothed with
British
manufactures, which were sent up the
Indus,
and thence to
Cabul
by the lesser river.
Candahar
is a city of vast strength, by nature as well as art, being seated amidst fens and rocks. The Governor,
Hossein Khan,
defended it eighteen months against all the attacks of
Kouli Khan.
At length, reduced to extremity, he sallied out at the head of his men, and fell, bravely fighting in defence of his country!
Candahar
and
Cabul
were considered of high importance in a political light. The first was esteemed the gate of
India
in respect to
Persia,
and
Cabul
that in respect to
Tartary,
and both were in the middle ages the great
emporia
for
Indian
goods, which were transported into Western
Tartary,
and from thence by the
Caspian
and
Euxine
seas to
Constantinople,
and from that city to all parts of
Europe. Candahar
was the magazine of the
Indian
and
Persian
goods, and
Cabul
of the spices. They were conveyed in caravans, north-westwards, to the famous city of
Samarcand,
in Lat. 40° N. and from thence the goods were put in boats, and sent down into the
Oxus
or
Amu,
which falls into the
Caspian
sea, as I have before related, and there shipped for their different destinations; those for
Russia,
up the
Volga;
those for
Constantinople,
up the river
Cyrus,
the modern
Kur,
which descends a great and rapid river from mount
Caucasus,
and is navigable very far up, so as to form an easy communication with the
Euxine
sea.
Venice
and
Genoa
received the
Indian
luxuries from
Constantinople,
and their own port of
Caffa,
and dispersed them over the other parts of
Europe.
BOTH these cities continue the
emporia
of
Persia, India, Tartary,
and all the circumjacent nations. The commerce is still considerable, notwithstanding it has been lessened by that of the
European
nations, who have established factories in almost every part of the
Indian
empire.
Cabul
is seated in Lat. 34° 36′ N. Long. 68° 58′ E.
CABUL.
at the foot of the
Indian Caucasus,
and in so happy a climate, as to produce the fruits of both the temperate and torrid zones, notwithstanding it is bordered by mountains capped with eternal snow. The
Indian
historians speak of it in the most rapturous terms. It stands on the river
Kameh,
which falls into the
Indus
at
Attock,
but possibly is interrupted by rapids, as it is only navigable by rafts.
Cabul
is the residence of the Kings of
Candahar,
and the present capital. The
Nubian
Geographer (p. 66.) speaks of
Cabul
as a noble city; that its mountains abounded with the sinest aromatic woods,
Neregil
and
Myrobalans;
the first may be
Nellila Phylanthus emblica;
the others the
Spondias purpurea,
&c. All the
Myrobalans
had once a name in our shops as gentle purgatives; among other purposes they are used in the tanning business.
OF late days,
Cabul
has been noted for its vast fairs of horses and cattle; the first brought there by the
Ushec Tartars.
Slaves are also a considerable article of commerce. Merchants resort to these markets from
Persia, China,
and
Tartary.
It was taken by
Kouli Khan
by storm, who put great part of the garrison to the sword, and made himself master of a vast treasure in arms, ammunition, and jewels.
Kouli Khan
shewed here a strong specimen of oriental justice, by ripping up the bellies of eighty
Kuzzlebash,
or soldiers, for only being present when some of their comrades forced one of the country women.
THE
Genoese,
CAFFA.
those once enterprizing people, made themselves masters of
Caffa,
a noted city and port on the
Euxine
sea, in the famous peninsula of
Krim Tartary.
This they seized in 1261, and made the
emporium
of the commodities of
India
and
Persia,
which were brought down the
Oxus,
and the other routes mentioned in the preceding page. They colonized
Caffa
with their own countrymen, and gained prodigious wealth during the time they were in possession. It was wrested from them in 1475, by
Mahomet
the great, and with it soon expired the mighty power of that city of merchants.
Genoa,
for centuries the rival of
Venice,
equally potent, and equally brave, waged long and fierce wars with each other, incited more by avarice, than the ambition of glory.
Bochara,
BOCHARA.
not far to the south of
Samarcand,
was another great
emporium,
and communicated the eastern articles to all the neighbouring parts of
Tartary.
It traded with
India, China,
and
Persia,
and partook of those of
Muscovy,
by the caravans which went from that empire to
Cathay.
This city seems to have been of more modern date: it is not mentioned, as far as I recollect, before the days of the
Nubian
Geographer, who wrote some time prior to the year 1151, but it appears to have been in the next century a most flourishing place.
Anthonie Jenkinson (Purchas,
iii. 241.) gives a very curious account of the state of
Bochara
and its commerce, as it was in the year 1558. This has been uninterruptedly continued from the earliest time to the present, for the northern parts of
Asia
have their wants and luxuries to supply even from
India
and
China.
The discovery of the passage by the Cape of
Good Hope,
gave a great check to this inland commerce. No more commodities were conveyed that way to the greatest part of
Europe,
yet still the trade is very considerable to the places I mentioned, and even to the
Russian
empire.
Catherine
has, as yet, no share in
Hindoostan,
no
Indian
fleets; her splendid courts, and all the luxuries of her vast cities are supplied either from
Astrakan,
or from the other
Caspian
ports;
Astrakan
is the great
Russian
staple of the
Indian
commerce.
Gurjef
and
Kislar
are the same.
Persia
has its
Derbend, Niezabad, Baku,
and others. The
Tartars
have their bay of
Balchan
and
Mangushlak,
through which,
Bochara
still pours its
Indian
articles of commerce. It is foreign to the plan of
out-line
to enter into
minutiae.
I must therefore refer to the second Volume of my friend the Reverend
Wm. Coxe
's valuable Travels. The 4th Chapter will satisfy the most ardent curiosity.
In respect to the antient
Russian
commerce with these distant parts,
RUSSIAN COMMERCE.
I shall conclude the subject with observing, that after the various commodities of
India
had arrived through the channel of the
Oxus
into the
Caspian
sea, they were shipped for the
Volga,
the
Rha
of the antients. That river was so little known to the antients, that they have not left us the name of a single place in its whole course. The merchants ascended that great river. After navigating it a very considerable way they entered the
Kama,
and arrived through the
Kokra
at
Tcherdyn,
seated in Lat. 60° 25′ North, in those early times a mighty
emporium.
From thence the several eastern articles of commerce were dispersed over all the
arctic
regions. The
Nortmans
and the
Sueons,
people of the
Baltic,
had great intercourse with them through the
Nova,
and
Ladoga,
another vast
emporium,
seated on the lake of the same name. As a proof of the antiquity of its commerce, coins of
Greece
and
Rome,
of
Syria
and
Arabia,
have been found in the antient burying places, evidences that the people of the east and of the west had met there to supply their several wants; even at
Tcherdyn,
coins of the
Arabian Caliphs
have been discovered. Notwithstanding the immense wealth of both
Tcherdyn
and
Ladoga,
scarcely a trace is to be seen of those great
emporia.
The commerce of the first extended even within the
artic
circle. The
Beormas,
the people of the old
Permia,
ascended the
Petzora
with their furs, exchanged them for the products of the torrid zones, and falling down that northern river dispersed them over all their chilly regions.
THE MARCH OF
ALEXANDER
TO THE
PANJAB.
I INTRODUCE again the
Paropamisan Alexandria.
No place could be fixed on with greater judgment whether as a
place d'armes,
or an
emporium
of the mighty empire he designed, from which he could form the vast commerce he meditated; for in his lucid intervals, a more able monarch never existed. As from a head quarter, from hence he directed his expedition to
Bactra
and
Sogdiana,
the modern countries of
Balk, Bucharia,
and
Samarcand.
Having fulfilled the objects of his march he returned, and from this place set forth on his great design, the conquest of
India.
I will attend his march across the country to the banks of the
Indus.
THE conqueror took a north-eastern course, and passed by the tract of the modern towns of
Killaut, Tazee, Meerout, Jomrood,
and
Gundermouk.
He crossed several rivers in his way, such as the
Cophenes,
or
Cow river,
or
Nagaz,
and the
Choe,
which falls into the
Guraeus,
or modern
Kameh.
On the upper part of the
Cophenes,
which is called
Dilen,
stood
Ghizni,
GHIZNI.
once the capital of a mighty empire of the same name, which consisted of the tract lying between the
Indus
and
Parthia,
to the south of the
Oxus,
and part of the antient
Bactria.
The city is now a heap of ruins, and scarcely mentioned in history. Its emperor
Mahmood
I. surnamed
Ghizni,
first invaded
India
in the year 1000; his first conquests extends only to
Moultan.
He in 1024 conquered the kingdom of
Guzerat;
at that time all
Hindoostan
was inhabited by the aborigines. With true
Mahometan
zeal he exercised all sorts of barbarities against the
Hindoos;
and in order if possible to exterminate their religion, levelled with the ground their favorite Pagoda
Sumnaut,
and every other object of their worship. The
Ghiznian
empire continued 207 years.
Mahomed
began his reign in 977, and it became extinct in 1184.
THE city of
Attock
stands opposite to the junction of the
Kameh
with the
Indus.
In the district of
Bijore,
not remote from hence, stood the
Aornos Petra,
and inaccessible mountain,
AORNOS PETRA.
towering into a conical form, with a castle on its summit, which gave so much trouble to
Alexander,
and which he took merely by an unexpected panic of the garrison. M.
D'Anville
supposes it to have been the modern
Renas,
situated in about Lat. 38° North. Our countryman, the gallant Captain
John Jones,
in 1773, mastered by open storm
Dellamcotta,
a fort equally strong, and seated in a manner equally singular amidst the
Boutan
mountains.
AMIDST the savage mountains of
Sewad
and
Bijore,
OFFSPRING OF THE MACEDONIANS.
inhabits a tribe who assert, that they are descended from some of the followers of
Alexander
the Great, who were left behind when he passed through the country: possibly the garrison of
Alexandria,
and of the other garrisons he left behind, might also contribute to this mixt species of population. The tribe of
Sultani
assumes the honor of being the descendants of a daughter of that conqueror, who came from
Cabul,
and possessed this country; and to this day carry with them their pedigree
Abul Fazul, ii. 194.
. They call their great ancestor
Sultan Secunder Zûlkerman,
which Mr.
Rennel,
p. 163, observes, should be printed
Zul Kernine,
or the
two-horned.
This is certainly a most remarkable allusion to the prophecy of
Isaiah
viii. 8, in which
Alexander
the Great is foretold under the description of the
Goat,
with this difference only, that they double the number of the horn, with which he had destroyed the power of the
Persians
and the
Medes
See Rollin's Antient Hist. vi. 211.
.
Taxila
stood on,
TAXILA.
or near the spot, where the city
Attock
now stands. Here
Alexander
crossed the
Indus
on a bridge of boats, which his favorite
Hephestion
had some time before been sent to prepare. In 1398 the famous
Timur Beg,
or
Tamerlane,
passed this river on one of the same kind. In our days
Kouli Khan
(who may complete the sanguinary triumvirate) crossed the
Indus
at
Attock
in the same manner. This, by reason of the great rapidity of the stream in all other parts, was fixed on as the most convenient place, which long after induced the emperor
Akbar
to build the castle of
Attock
for its defence against similar invasions.
OPPOSITE to
Attock
stood a very antient city, the
Nilaube
of
Ptolemy.
This place is mentioned by two of the oriental historians, quoted by Major
Rennel,
p. 95, under the name of
Nilab,
by which the river
Indus
itself was generally known by the old writers
Plin. lib. v. c. 28. Arrian, Exped. Alex. i. 319.
.
Alexander,
after succeding in his passage,
PANJAB.
got clear of the mountains, and arrived in the rich plains of
Panjab,
or the
Five Rivers,
each immortalized by being a great scene of action of the
Macedonian
hero. The
Hydaspes,
the modern
Behut,
or
Chelum;
the
Acesines
or
Jenaub,
or
Cheenaub,
and the
Hydraotes,
or modern
Rauvee;
all which, after a long course, unite in one channel, which retains the name of
Cheenaub,
and after the junction, passes through the country of the
Oxydracae,
beneath the north side of
Moultan,
and at the distance of about twenty miles from that city, falls into the
Indus
about two hundred miles below
Attock,
in magnitude equal to the
Indus
itself.
ON the banks of the
Hydraotes
stood the city of the
Malli,
MALLI.
who with the
Oxydracae,
after a most gallant resistance, made submission to
Alexander.
In the same neighborhood stood (the site now unknown)
Sangala,
inhabited by the
Cathaei
of
Arrian,
ii. 357, 364,
Exped. Alex.
and the
Catheri
of
Diodorus Siculus
Lib. xvii. c. 10.
. They are supposed to have been the same with the valiant cast the
Khatre,
to this day renowned for their desperate valour.
Alexander
besieged them in their city: their defence was brave and obstinate: but they fell before the fortune of the
Macedonian
hero, who destroyed the nation, and levelled their city with the ground. A nameless city, as Mr.
Rennel
styles it, was to be found higher up the river, on the opposite side. This deserved to have been immortalized, as having been the place where that hero endangered his life by one of the rash actions he was very subject to fall into.
ALEXANDER WOUNDED.
He leaped into the city, was beset by enemies, and received a desperate wound in his side by an arrow, which had transfixed his breastplate. He fainted, but recovered the moment he felt an
Indian
going to strip him, and drawing a dagger pierced his assailant to the heart. I leave the reader to consult
Arrian, Exped. Alex.
i. 396, about the event; and Mr.
Rennel,
p. 128, as to reasons for fixing the site of the momentous affair in the place he does, about ten miles above the conflux of the two rivers.
GOLD is found in some of the rivers of
Panjab.
GOLD.
In respect to gold, we are informed by
Herodotus,
THALIA, c. 95, that the
Indians
paid their tribute to
Darius
in that pretious metal; and tells us, that it is procured out of the rivers, and also dug out of the earth, and smelted by them into ingots before they make with it their donative. One of the epithets the Poets bestow on the
Hydaspes
is
Aurifer,
possibly as being peculiarly rich in gold.
Herodotus, Thalia,
c. 102, relates, and seems to credit, the strange story of its particles being thrown up with the sand of the vast desert, probably that of
Registan,
by ants as big as foxes, and that the
Indians
went with three camels to collect the grains which they found in the hillocks. As soon as they had filled their bags, they returned with all possible expedition to avoid the fury of the ants, which pursued them with incredible swiftness. It is reasonable to suppose, that the historian had heard of the monstrous nests of the
Termites,
or
white Ants,
which his informants thought proper to stock with most monstrous inhabitants.
ON the banks of the
Hydaspes
was fought the decisive battle between
Alexander
and the
Indian
monarch
Porus,
BATTLE WITH PORUS.
both equal in valour; but the former, by his great superiority in the art of war, obtained a complete victory with a handful of men.
Porus
employed not fewer than two hundred elephants, which, terrific as they might have been to the
Macedonian
horses, were, with their garrisoned towers, totally destroyed by the victorious army.
I CANNOT resist the introduction into this place of the following curious anecdotes of the two famous Monarchs,
PERSIAN HISTORY OF.
, as communicated to me by Major
Ouseley,
the ingenious author of the
Persian
miscellanies. He informs me, that two
Persian
writers mention the invasion of
Hindoostan
by
Alexander
the great.
Ferdusi
in his
Shah Nameh,
or Chronicle of Kings, written about the latter end of the 10th century and beginning of the 11th.; and
Nezami,
another celebrated poet, who flourished in the 12th. The first enumerates the various troops of
Persia, Greece,
and
India,
and the camel loads of presents which
Alexander
received from
Keid,
the
Indian
Prince.
Nezami,
in his
Skander Nameh,
or History of
Alexander,
says, that forty elephants were loaden with the various productions of the country, among which several carried
Indian
steel.
Porus
is mentioned under the name of
Four.
The poet adds, he brought two thousand elephants into the field; which, by a contrivance of
Aristotle (Alexander
's Secretary) were completely routed, and
Four
himself killed by
Alexander,
who found in his castle of
Canooge
immense treasures!
ON the banks of this river,
NICOEA, AND BUCEPHALA.
opposite to each other, he built, on the bloody scene, two cities,
Nicoea
and
Bucephala. Nicoea
so named from the victory, the last in honor of his celebrated horse, which died of old age at the time of this action.
Alexander
gratefully paid it the highest funeral honors, erected a magnificent sepulchre, and called the city after its name.
I SHALL not trace the sieges, battles, and slaughters of this ambitious character; of his marches and his passages over the rivers that form this part of the
Panjab,
but leave my readers to consult his original historians,
Arrian
and
Quintus Curtius.
It is very certain the hero did not, amidst his deeds of arms, neglect the study of natural history. It is well known that he caused every species, objects of that science, to be collected for the use of his Tutor
Aristotle. Q. Curtius
relates some few remarks on the
zoology
of the neighborhood. He met here with the
Rhinoceros,
RHINOCEROS, &c. &c.
with the great Serpent
Boa constrictor, Gm. Lin.
iii. 1083, with parrots, or birds which could speak, and with great flocks of wild peacocks.
Aelian,
in his
Hist. An.
lib. v. c. 21. relates, that the conqueror was so struck with their beauty, that he forbad his soldiers from killing them under the heaviest penalties.
Psittacus
is a name derived from
Sillace,
the
Indian
word for a parrot.
Linnaus, Gm. Linn.
i. 321, gives to one species, long known, the trivial of the
Maccdonian
hero,
Psittacus Alexandri,
as if in honor of the species discovered by his admiral
Nearchus.
THE same great officer mentions also the vast spotted serpents,
THE BOA.
which he says were about sixteen cubits long.
Arrian,
i. 538,
Rev. Indic.
His veracity has been called in question; but since the
Aristotelian
cubit is little more than an
English
foot and a half, we may give full credit to his having seen a serpent of the length he gives, or one of twenty-four feet. The antients are often abused for their credulity: but let me remark, that incredulity is more frequently the offspring of ignorance than the former! At this time instances may be adduced of species from twenty to thirty-six feet in length, in
Hindoostan, Ceylon, Java,
and several other islands.
Bontius,
p. 76. a most respectable writer, bears witness to the existence of some of thirty-six feet being found in
Java.
AMONG the trees the
Ficus Indica,
FICUS INDICA.
the
Varinga Latifolia
of
Rumphius,
could not fail engaging his attention, which formed a grove of itself, by the rooting of its pendulous branches.
THE mountains bordering on the
Hydaspes
were part of the
Cachemerian
chain, clothed with forests of trees of vast height and size. He committed to the care of certain officers the falling the timber, and floating it down the river to the place he had appointed for the rendezvous of the vessels, which he had used in his expeditions up the other rivers. At this place, which was between the forks of the
Indus
and
Acesines,
he founded another
Alexandria,
ANOTHER ALEXANDRIA.
and there formed his docks and ship yard. He built several new ships, rebuilt and repaired others, and with a fleet which consisted of eighty
Triremes,
or ships with three banks of oars, and with lesser vessels, probably collected from the several rivers of the country, in all amounting to two thousand of different kinds, he fell down the
Hydaspes.
On his arrival at the junction of that river with the
Acesines
(which preserves its name till it is lost in the greater river) his navy underwent the utmost danger by the violent collision of the two waters. Several of his ships were dashed to pieces, and himself, and his admiral
Nearchus,
with difficulty escaped. The sides and channel are filled with rocks, and
Alexander,
through ignorance of the climate of
India,
undertook his expedition in the rainy season, which, besides the swelling of the rivers (which impeded his march) made dreadful havoke among his troops by the diseases of the country.
THE other two rivers, which complete the
Panjab,
are the
Beyah,
once the
Beypasha,
and the
Hyphasis
of
Alexander.
The fifth and last is the
Setlege
or
Suttuluz,
the
Zaradruz
of
Ptolemy,
and
Hesudrus
of
Pliny.
These rise in the mountains that divide
Thibet
from
India,
and unite near
Firosepour.
Soon after which they divide, and insulate a pretty considerable tract into several islands; then re-unite, and, turning southerly, fall into the
Indus
fifty-three miles below the mouth of the
Chenaub,
according to Mr.
Rennel
's great map. Between the insulated part and the
Hydraotes,
was the seat of the
Malli
and the
Catheri,
objects of the destructive ambition of
Alexander,
who, in his expedition against those people, seemed more intent on slaughter than useful conquest. It was on the banks of the
Hyphasis,
says
Quintius Curtius,
that the hero joined his forces with those of
Hephestion,
after each had performed some bloody exploit. Here he concluded his expedition; and after the display of his vanity, by erecting twelve altars near the junction of the
Hyphasis
and
Hesudrus,
commenced his voyage down the
Indus.
The altars were equal in height to the loftiest towers of war. On these he performed sacrisices after the manner of his country. He then entertained the
Indians
with athletic and equestrian games, and concluded with investing the vanquished
Porus
with the sovereignty of the whole country, as far as the
Hyphasis.
DURING his stay in these parts, he founded another
Alexandria,
between the forks of the
Indus
and
Acesines.
The modern name of the place seems, by Mr.
Rennel
's map, to be
Veh.
IT does not appear that ever he saw the
Hesudrus,
which, according to
Pliny,
was a discovery of
Seleucus Nicator,
one of his ablest officers, and his successor in part of his dominions, and particularly of those between the
Euphrates
and the
Indus:
He seems to have succeeded also to the ambition of his master, for he meditated the conquest of
India,
or at lest of re-conquering those provinces beyond the
Indus
subdued by
Alexander,
but which, soon after his retreat, were recovered by
Sandracotta,
SANDRACOTTA.
an
Indian
of mean birth, but who, by his abilities, had rendered himself master of all
India. Seleucus
found this new monarch so very powerful, that he did not venture to attack him. He entered into a treaty with him, and agreed to retire, on condition
Sandracotta
would supply him with five hundred elephants; and thus covered his disgrace with a specious pretence.
Alexander
began his voyage down the
Indus
about the end of the month of
October,
and was nine months in the completion; not from the difficulty of navigation, for it might have been performed in a very short time, but from his ambitious rage of conquest and slaughter on each side of the river. His army marched, divided in two parts, on the eastern and western banks, ready to execute his orders, attended by his vast fleet.
ONE motive to this voyage was a suspicion
Alexander
had entertained, that he had found out the head of the
Nile,
and that this was no other than the celebrated river of
Egypt,
because he saw in it crocodiles and beans, the
Nymphoea Nelumbo
of
Linnaeus,
similar to those of that kingdom.
Arrian
adds, that
Alexander
had even written to his mother an account of his discovery.
IN our way down the stream, we find among the
Sogdi,
another
Alexandria,
founded on the site of the royal residence of their monarch, the modern
Bekhor
or
Bakhor,
in Lat. 27° 12″.
WE afterwards come down to
Sindomana,
SINDOMANA.
the capital of the
Sindomanni;
possibly it took the name from the tract being possessed of a considerable manufactory of
Sindones,
or fine cloths;
being the name applied to certain kinds, the produce of the
Indian
looms. I must not call them linens, for I understand that
India
produces no sort of
Linum
or flax. It appears by
Arrian,
MUSICANUS.
to have been in the dominions of a prince called
Musicanus,
and that it opened its gates to
Alexander
on his passage down the
Indus. Musicanus
had deserted that hero, who caused him to be crucified, and all the
Brachmins
he could find to be put to death, as our
Edward
I. did the
Welsh
bards for the same reason, supposing the enthusiastic songs of both to have inspired their countrymen to the defence of their country against the ambitious invaders.
THE next antient place of note is the
Prasiane insula
of
Pliny,
PRASIANE INSULA.
formed by the dividing of the
Indus.
About twelve miles below, stood
Mansura,
a city mentioned by the
Nubian
Geographer, p. 57. That town was the ancient
Minnagara
of
Arrian,
ii. 163.
Mar. Eryth.
Its port was the
Barbaricum emporium
of the same,
IMPORTS.
near the most western mouth of the
Indus.
Here were brought, in ships from different places, quantities of plain vestments, and a few colored, also
Polymitae
or embroideries,
Chrysolites, Coral, Styrax,
a resin, the produce of the
Clutia eluteria, Burm. Ind.
217, incense, glass vessels, sculptured silver, money, and a small quantity of wine; all these were sent up the river to the royal residence.
THE exports were
Costus,
the root of the
Costus Arabicus,
EXPORTS.
Merian. Surin.
tab. 36, till of late in our dispensaries.
Bdellium, Bauhin, Pinax,
503, a concrete resinous juice, brought from
Arabia
and
India,
once in our medical list.
Lycium,
appertaining to some shrub of that genus.
Nardus,
hereafter to be mentioned.
Callaina Gemma,
related (
Plin.
lib. xxxvii. 10.) to the sapphire of his days. Sapphirs; furs from the
Seres
or northern
China,
a proof of intercourse.
Othonium,
a certain cloth or stuff, of which vast quantities were sent in particular to the great commercial port of
Barygaza.
Silk, in the hank, or thread ready for the loom;
Indicum nigrum,
that is the
Indian
indigo,
Rumph. Amboin.
v. p. 220. tab. 80.
LET me here mention,
INDO SCYTHIA.
that all the lower and middle parts of the western boundary of the
Indus,
went by the name of
Indo Scythia.
The
Scythians,
chiefly the
Getae,
had expelled the
Greeks,
who continued long after the retreat of
Alexander,
and re-peopled it with colonies of their own nation. The
Getae
were the most brave and most just of all the
Scythians,
and continued to preserve this character in their new possessions.
A FEW miles lower begins the
Delta
of the
Indus,
PATTALA.
named after the
Egyptian,
or that of the
Nile,
and was called by the
Indians, Pattala,
which in their language signifies the same thing. There is a greater and a lesser
Delta.
It is near the sea intersected by numbers of unnavigable channels and creeks. The isles formed by these, were the
Insulae
solis of
Mela,
lib. ii. c. 11,
contra Indi
ostia, "fatal," says he,
to all that enter them, by reason of the violent heat of the air.
There is not, at present, in all
India,
a place more fatal to
Europeans. Pattala
was the first
Indian
emporium frequented by the
Romans;
but the passage from the
Red
sea was greatly infested with pirates, for which reason the ships always took on board a certain number of archers for their defence
Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. vi. c. 23.
.
THE tide comes up with a vast
bore
or head,
VAST TIDES.
and is very dangerous, at certain times, to vessels which are in its way. The fleet of
Alexander,
when he had arrived near the mouth of the river, was surprized with one of these
bores,
and lost great numbers of ships. Those which lay on the sand banks were swept away by the fury of the tide; those which were in the channel, on the mud, received no injury, but were set afloat
Arrian, i. p. p. 413, 414. Exped. Alex.
.
THE mention of this, occasions me to return to the conclusion of the expedition of the
Macedonian
hero. When he reached
Pattala,
he found the city deserted: the fame of his barbarity had induced the prince, who had before submitted, to retire with all his subjects.
Alexander,
finding the necessity of repeopling the place, sent out light troops, who made some of the late inhabitants prisoners. Those he treated with the utmost kindness, dismissed them, and promised them protection, if they could induce their fellow-citizens to return. He succeeded in his design; he formed a haven, and made docks, in order to refit his fleet; which, being accomplished, he sailed down into the ocean. The dangers which might occur in an unknown sea, and the pressing instances made by his friends, induced him to return. He landed his forces, and took the rout towards
Gedrosia,
and at length arrived at the city of
Babylen,
with the remains of his faithful army, reduced by the toilsome march, by famine, pestilence, and every calamity which his phrenetic ambition had involved it in.
HE had committed the care of his fleet to
Nearchus,
a man of first rate abilities, who engaged to conduct it through the ocean to the
Persian
Gulph and the
Euphrates.
He performed his engagement, after many difficulties. When he had arrived at
Harmozia,
the modern
Ormus,
he heard that his master was not remote. He landed, with a few of his companions, and in five days reached the army, but so squalid and miserable in their aspect, that
Alexander,
shocked at their appearance, took
Nearchus
aside, and asked, Whether he had not lost his fleet? On being assured of its safety, he gave way to the most unbounded joy, and crowned both him and
Leonnatus
with golden crowns;
Nearchus
for having preserved the fleet,
Leonnatus
for a victory obtained over the
Oritae;
and the whole army saluted the former with flowers and garlands scattered over their celebrated admiral
Arrian, i. 577, 589. Exped. Alex.
.
I MUST not quit the historical part of the
Indus,
SEMIRAMIS.
without mention of the expedition undertaken by the heroine
Semiramis,
many ages before that of
Alexander.
Certainly historians must greatly have exaggerated the preparations; they make her army consist of three millions of foot, and two hundred thousand horse, and a hundred thousand chariots, and multitudes of ships, ready framed, and carried in pieces by land, to be put together in order to cross the
Indus.
I suspect that these vessels were no more than so many coracles, or
vitilia navigia,
made of bamboos, like those used by
Ayder Alli
in our days, on the waters of
Malabar.
In order to supply her wants of real elephants, she caused a multitude of fictitious ones to be made, out of the skins of three hundred thousand black oxen, which were placed on camels backs, guided by a man within this strange machine.
STABROBATES.
Stabrobates,
king of
India,
received advice of her preparations, and, by a prudent embassy, endeavoured to divert her from her intentions. The Queen rejected his remonstrances, crossed the river, and defeated the fleet of the
Indian
monarch; that perhaps was not difficult, notwithstanding it consisted of four thousand boats; but as they were formed only of the bamboo cane, they never could resist the shock of timber ships. The victory proved fatal to her; she succeeded in crossing the river, but was deceived by the pretended flight of
Stabrobates;
she pursued, and overtook him; the battle was fought: The
Indian
monarch discovered the fictitious elephants, and
Semiramis
was totally defeated. She re-passed the river with precipitation; she lost great part of her troops, and returned covered with shame into her own country. So many fabulous circumstances attend this expedition, that we may well doubt the veracity of the historian, and possibly of the very existence of the heroine. What credit, as the learned
Bryant
justly observes, can be given to the historians of a person, the time of whose life cannot be settled within 1,535 years?
LONG after this dubious expedition,
Darius Hystaspes,
DARIUS HYSTASPES.
induced through the curiosity of ascertaining the place where the
Indus
met the ocean, built, says
Herodotus,
in his
Melpomene,
sect. xliv. a large fleet at
Caspatyrus,
in the
Pactyan
territories, on the borders of
Scythia,
high up the river, and gave the command of it to
Scylax,
a
Grecian
of
Caryandra,
a most able sailor. He was directed to be attentive to discoveries on both sides; and when he reached the mouth, to sail westward, and that way to return home. He executed his commission, passed the Streights of
Babel Mandel,
and in thirty months from the time he sailed from
Caspatyrus,
landed safely in
Egypt,
at the place from whence it is said that
Necho
sent his
Phoenicians
to circumnavigate
Africa,
by its now well known promontory the
Cape of Good Hope.
This expedition took place in the twelfth year of
Darius,
and in the year 509 before the
Christian
aera.
REVIEW OF THE
INDUS.
I SHALL now give a short topographical review of the celebrated river, from the ocean to its most remote part, and also of the rivers which swell its stream. That which receives this mighty river is the
Mare Erythroeum,
or modern
Arabian
sea. I have given some account of the
Delta;
let me add that it is,
DELTA OF THE INDUS.
as it was in the time of the antients, unhealthy, and hot to the extreme: all its fertility cannot compensate those inconveniencies. There is a greater and lesser
Delta;
the greater begins a few leagues from
Hydrabad:
the branch called
Nala Sunkra,
forms the eastern side; the lesser is included in the former, and its northern point is at
Aurungabander.
The
Delta
is of great extent, each side being a hundred and fifteen miles. From the sea as high as
Moultan,
is a low and level country, enriched with the water annually overflowing like the river
Nile.
The
Indus,
from the beginning of the
Delta,
almost as high as
Moultan,
runs through a flat tract, bounded by a parallel range of mountains, distant from the banks of the river from thirty to forty miles. That on the western side is rocky, that on the eastern composed of sand. The last, when it approaches the
Delta,
conforms to its shape on the eastern side, and diverges till it reaches the sea.
BEYOND the eastern chain is a vast sandy desert,
SANDY DESERT OF REGISTAN.
extending the whole way above a hundred miles in breadth, and in length reaches from near Lat. 23° N. almost as high as the fertile
Panjab,
or Lat. 29° 30′. This is the part of which
Herodotus
(
Thalia,
c. cii.) speaks, when he says, that the eastern part of
India
is rendered desert by sands.
THE CAGGAR.
Through it runs the river
Caggar,
but the lower part with uncertain course, lost in the sands of the desert, and render the place of its discharge at this time very uncertain. It slows from the north-east, and rises in the
Damaun
chain, which separates it from the distant
Jumna,
and not far from the origin of that great river. On its banks, in Lat. 25° 40′, stands
Ammercot,
a strong fort, the birth place of the great Emperor
Akbar,
when his father
Humaion
took refuge there on his expulsion from his throne by the usurper
Shir Khan,
the famous
A
ghan. Humaion
lost most of his faithful followers in the march over this dreadful desert; beneath a vertical sun, on burning sands, and want of water, tortured with violent thirst, they were seized with frenzies, burst out into piercing screams and lamentations, they rolled themselves in agonies on the parched soil, their tongues hung out of their mouths, and they expired in most exquisite tortures
Dow's Ferishta, octavo Ed. ii. 159.
.
THE wind
Samiel,
or the
Angel of Death,
THE WIND SAMIEL.
as it is called by the
Arabs,
or the
Smum,
passes over these deserts; and with its suffocating vapour
Ayeen Akberry, ii. p. 137.
proves instantly fatal to every being it meets. The only means of escape is to fall prone on the sands the moment it is perceived, for, fortunately, a discolored sky is a sign of its approach. It is very frequent about
Bagdad,
and all the deserts of
Arabia;
extends to the
Regislan,
and even to the neighborhood of
Surat
Niebuhr, Deser. de l'Arabie, p. 7.
.
THE most remarkable place we are to take notice of,
BRAMINABAD.
in first remounting the river, is
Braminabad,
once the capital of the
Circar
of
Tattah,
at a small distance from
Tatta.
Its name was taken from its having been sanctified by the chief residence of the
Brahmins,
or perhaps where there might have been peculiar worship paid to the God
Brama.
It had been the antient capital of the country, and its fort was of vast extent, being said to have had fourteen hundred bastions. At the time of composing the
Ayeen Akberry,
were considerable vestiges of this fortification. It is mentioned in Vol. ii. p. 142.
AT
Tatta
we once had a factory;
TATTA.
perhaps may have to this day, notwithstanding the excessive unwholesomeness of the place. There are seasons in which it does not rain during three years
Hamilton's Voy. i. 122.
. The heats are so violent, owing to the vicinity of the sandy deserts, that the houses are contrived to be ventilated occasionally, by means of apertures in the tops like chimnies; and when the hottest winds prevale, the windows are closely shut, and the hotter current excluded, and the cooler part, being more elevated, descends through the funnels to the gasping inmates
Mr. Rennel, p. 182.
. The object of the settlement was the sale of our broad cloths, which were sent up the
Indus
to the northern parts of
India.
The broad cloths and all other goods were landed at
Laribunder,
a town on the
Ritchel,
a branch of the
Indus,
about five miles from the sea, and sent to
Tatta
on the backs of camels.
Hamilton,
i. p. 122, says, that in his days it was almost depopulated by the plague, which carried off eighty thousand of the inhabitants. The vast extent of business carried on in the
Delta
was surprising, for
Abulfazel
(see
Ayeen Akberry,
ii. 143.) assures us, that the inhabitants of the
Circar Tattah
had not less than forty thousand boats of different constructions. In 1555 this city was attacked by
Francisco Bareto Rolen,
viceroy of
India.
Provoked by the treachery of the king of
Sind,
he shewed relentless cruelty; he put above eight thousand people to the sword, nor did he spare the very animals. He then burnt the place, and with it immense riches; notwithstanding this, the plunder was very great, all which was swallowed up by a furious tempest
Conquestes de Portugais, iv. p. p. 183, 184.
.
BEYOND the
Delta,
on the western bank, is
Chockbar,
HYDRABAD.
placed not remote from the division of the river. Above that, on the
Indus
itself, is the fort of
Hydrabad,
and the city of
Nusserpoor. Hallegande, Sanschwan, Nurjec, Durbet, Hatteri,
and
Sukor,
all stand on the western side, places without any attendant story;
Hydrabad
excepted, which is a usual residence of the princes of
Sindi,
who, with the whole province, is tributary to the king of
Candahar.
We may also except the
Nomurdis,
a tribe which, like their ancestors, the
Scythian Nomades
or shepherds, are perpetually changing their place, for sake of pasturage, and from whom this tract took its name
Mr. Rennel p. 185.—Ayeen Akberry, ii. p. 142.
.
I MENTION here the imposthume of the liver,
LIVER DISEASE.
not as a local disease, but on account of a peculiar superstition preserved in this country, the
Sircar of Tatta,
respecting the disorder. The real cause, says
Bontius,
p. 30.
Engl.
edit. arises from intemperance; an imposthume is often formed in that part, and on opening it after death it is often found eaten, or honey-combed. The side is not unfrequently laid open to get at the part infected: The impostume is cut, and the liver cleansed. I have heard, from the credulous, strange stories on this head. The
Indians
of the
Sircar
firmly believe, that the disease is inflicted by a set of sorcerers, called
Jiggerkhars,
or liver eaters.
JIGGERKHARS.
One of this class,
says the
Ayeen Akberry,
ii. p. 144,
can steal away the liver of another by looks and incantations. Other accounts say, that by looking at a person he deprives him of his senses, and then steals from him something resembling the seed of a pomegranate, and which he hides in the calf of his leg.
THE
Jiggerkhar
throws on the fire the grain before described, which thereupon spreads to the size of a dish, and he distributes it amongst his fellows to be eaten, which ceremony concludes the life of the fascinated person. A
Jiggerkhar
is able to communicate his art to another, and which he does by learning him the incantations, and by making him eat a bit of the liver cake. If any one cut open the calf of the magician's leg, extract the grain, and give it to the afflicted person to eat, he immediately recovers. These
Jiggerkhars
are mostly women. It is said, moreover, that they can bring intelligence from a great distance in a short space of time, and if they are thrown into a river with a stone tied to them, they nevertheless will not sink. In order to deprive any one of this wicked power, they brand his temples, and every joint in his body; cram his eyes with salt, suspend him for forty days in a subterraneous cavern, and repeat over him certain incantations. In this state he is called
Detcherch.
Although, after having undergone this discipline, he is not able to destroy the liver of any one, yet he retains the power of being able to discover another
Jiggerkhar,
and is used for detecting those disturbers of mankind. They can also cure many diseases by administering a potion, or by repeating an incantation.
Many other marvellous stories are told of these people.
THE
Delta
has not on it a tree, but in the dry parts is covered with brush wood. In the time of
Abul Fazel,
the inhabitants hunted here the wild ass, or
Koulan,
Hist. Quad. i. p. 8. The same author assures us, that the camels were so numerous,
CAMELS.
that several of the inhabitants were possessed of herds of ten thousand each, a number exceeding the stock of the patriarch JOB, on the return of his prosperity. Multitudes of camels still are bred on this tract; the rest consists of noisome swamps, or muddy lakes. The
Ritchel
branch is the usual way to
Tatta;
as high as the lake reaches it is a mile broad, at
Tatta
only half a mile. The tide does not run higher than that city, or about sixty-five miles from the sea.
Bakhor
is an antient city and fortress; in its neighborhood,
BAKHOR.
on the banks, were observed, by a modern traveller, who went up the river as far as that city, several of the moveable towns, built of wood, such as are mentioned by
Nearchus,
and in the
Ayeen Akberry.
They are inhabited by fishermen or graziers, who constantly change their situation like persons encamped. There were other towns, says
Arrian, Rer. Indic.
i. p. 528, on the higher grounds, and consisted of houses built with bricks and mortar. Beyond
Bakhor,
on the eastern bank of the
Indus,
are
Dary
and
Ken,
and
Bibigundy-check,
and
Sitpour,
each known to us only by name.
IN Lat. 29° 8′, on the eastern side of the
Indus,
THE STTLEGE.
we meet with the conflux of the
Setlege,
or
Hesudrus,
with that river. The town of
Veh
is at the forks. It is remarkable, that it is the only river we meet with from the discharge of the
Indus
into the sea to this place, a tract of above five hundred and twenty miles. It is the southern boundary of the
Panjah,
PANJAB.
or the region of five rivers, so much celebrated for the bloody actions within its limits, by the destroyers of mankind,
Alexander
the great,
Timur Bek,
or
Tamerlane,
and
Kouli Khan.
It is a most fertile tract, often plain, but towards the north and north-east intersected by a chain of hills. The
Setlege
runs in one channel for some way, then divides, and embracing a considerable island, re-unites for a short space, and at
Ferosapour
separates again. The southern branch retains its name; the northern assumes that of the
Beyah,
or
Hyphasis.
These diverge considerably from each other, then converge, so as almost to meet at their fountains, at the foot of mount
Imaus,
or
Himmaleh.
This tract is called
Jallindar,
and has in it
Sultanpour,
and a few other towns.
NEAR the fountain of the
Beyah
stands the famous temple of NAGERKOTE,
NAGERKOTE.
greatly frequented by the
Hindoo
pilgrims, out of veneration to the goddess
Noshabo.
This place out-miracles all miracles: cut out your tongue, and in a few days, sometimes a few hours, it will, with due faith in the saint, be again renewed
Ayeen, ii. p. 133.
! This temple was immensely rich, being paved with gold. It was guarded by the fort
Kote Kangrah.
It was taken by
Ferose
III. in 1360
Ferishta, i. p. 369.
: To such a patron of literature, he found a treasure in a library of books of the
Brahmins.
He caused one, which consisted of philosophy, to be translated in the
Persian
language, and called it the
Arguments of Ferose. Goropim,
as quoted by
Purchas,
vi. p. 35, says, that
Nagerkote
mountain is the highest in the world.
NOT far from
Nagerkote,
JELLAMOOKY.
is
Jellamooky,
a temple built over the subterraneous fire. Possibly the country may be inhabited by the
Ghebres,
or worshippers of fire, or
Persees,
descendants of those who had escaped the horrid massacre of
Timur Bek.
ABOUT fifty-five miles above the discharge of the
Setlege,
THE CHUNAUB.
the
Chunaub,
or
Acesines,
joins itself with the
Indus,
and continues a single channel about the same space, equal in size to that river. On the southern banks, nearly midway, stands
Moultan,
MOULTAN.
capital of a province of that name. The country is very productive in cotton; and also sugar, opium, brimstone, galls, and camels, which used to be transported into
Persia.
The galls indicate oaks, which I did not before know grew so far to the south. The finest bows are made in this country; and it produces the most beautiful, and most active female dancers in all
India,
who were in the highest esteem, particularly in the kingdom of
Persia.
THE air is excessively hot, and very little rain falls in these parts. This is a circumstance which attends remarkably the lower part of the
Indus,
especially the
Delta,
where it has been known to have wanted rain for the space of three years.
THE city of
Moultan
stands in Lat. 30° 34′, is small, and strongly fortified. It has a celebrated pagoda, a mosque, with a beautiful minaret, and the place of interment of many pious
Shiekhs. Abulfazel,
ii. 137, says, that it is one of the most antient cities in
India.
It was not the capital of the
Malli,
which Mr.
Rennel
supposes to have been near
Toulumba;
but they inhabited the circumjacent country.
Moultan
was taken by one of the generals of
Tamerlane.
Since the ravages made in this province, after the invasion of
India
by
Kouli Khan,
a conqueror equally barbarous, the trade of the place has received a considerable check.
Thevenot
adds another reason, that in his time, about the year 1665, the river was choaked up, which obstructed greatly all commerce from
Lahore,
and other places to the north-east.
THIS city is the great residence of the
Banians,
BANIANS.
or merchants and brokers of
India.
They are of this country, and have here their chieftain. They are of the great commercial cast of the
Bhyse,
created, say the
Hindoos,
by their
Brimhas,
or Supreme Being, from his thighs and belly; but I shall say more of the CASTS hereafter. These form settlements in all the commercial towns in
India.
They also send colonies, for a certain number of years, to the trading towns of
Arabia
and
Persia,
and we find them even as far as
Astrakan.
In the beginning of the present century, about a hundred and fifty or two hundred of this community went from
Moultan
to that city, and carry on a great trade in pretious stones; they live in a large stone
Caravansery.
As they die away, or incline to return home, a supply is sent from
India
by their chief, selected from among their young unmarried relations. As they have no females from their own country, they keep, during their residence at
Astrakan, Tartarian
women, but the contract is only during that time. They are a sine race of men, and are highly esteemed for the integrity of their dealings
Communicated to me by Dr. PALLAS.
These support the most important trade of
Astrakan,
by carrying it through
Astrabad
to the inland parts of the
Mogul
empire. This points out a more southern inland road than was known in the middle ages, when the merchants went by the way of
Bochara
and
Samarcand,
to the northern cities of
India, Candahar
and
Cabul.
AT the distance of about sixty miles from its mouth, the
Chenauh
divides into two branches, which flow from the northwest from their origin, at the foot of the
Himmaleh
chain. The most southern is the
Rauvee,
the old
Hydraotes.
THE RAUVEE.
About twentyfour miles from its mouth, on the southern side, stand the fort and town of
Toulamba.
They lay in the route of
Tamerlane,
TOULAMBA.
and were plundered, and the inhabitants enslaved by that monster of cruelty, justly called in
India
the destroying Prince.
He excelled even his brother hero
Alexander
in the slaughter of mankind.
Tamerlane,
in his march into
India,
had collected above a hundred thousand prisoners: these happened to shew some symptoms of joy, at a repulse the tyrant had received before the citadel of
Delhi;
he instantly ordered all above fifteen years of age to be massacred in cold blood. The sum was a hundred thousand.
THE city of
Lahore
is next,
LAHORE.
about a hundred and fifty miles distant from
Moultan.
It is the capital of the
Seiks,
a people which started up in the fifteenth century, under a
Hindoo
of the name of
Nanuck,
born in 1470. They are a set of religionists, tolerant in matters of faith like the
Hindoos,
but, unlike them,
THE SEIKS.
admit proselytes. They require a conformity in certain signs and ceremonies, but in other respects are pure monotheists; they worship God alone, without image or intermediation. They may be called the reformers of
India.
They retain also a
calvinistical
principle, and take an oath ever to oppose a monarchical government. They eat any kind of meat excepting beef, for like the
Hindoos
they hold the ox in the utmost veneration. Their general food is pork, probably because it is forbidden by the
Mahometans,
whom they hold in abhorrence. Their army consists wholly of horse; they can raise a hundred thousand cavalry, and make war in the most savage mode. They kept long concealed or unnoticed, at length became formidable by their courage and enterprize, and extended their conquests over
Lahore, Moultan,
and the western parts of
Delhi.
Lahore
is a city of great antiquity, and was the residence of the first
Mahometan
conquerors in
India,
before they were established in the central parts. In 1043, in the reign of
Mahmood,
it was closely besieged by the confederated
Hindoos,
who were compelled to retire on a vigorous sally made by the garrison. It is also a Soubaliship of considerable extent.
Humaioon,
father of
Akbar,
kept his court here part of his days. Its length, suburbs included, was at that period three leagues. It had a magnificent palace, and several other fine buildings built of brick. Possibly its trade is declined since the obstruction of the bed of the river, by the banks of sand or gravel. Here begins the famous avenue which extended five hundred miles, even to
Agra.
It consists, according to
Thevenot,
Part iii. p. 61, of what he calls
Achy
trees. It was planted in 1619, by
Jehangìr:
He also erected an obelisk at the end of every
cose,
and at the end of every third
cose
was sunk a well for the refreshment of travellers.
THE pestilence first appeared in the
Panjab
in 1616,
PESTILENCE.
spread to
Lahore,
and then broke out in the
Duab
and
Dehli.
It never before was known in
Hindoostan,
if the memoirs of
Jehangìr
are to be depended on; but Mr.
Gibbon,
iv. 328, assures us, that the dreadful plague which depopulated the earth in the time of
Justinian
and his successors, extended even to the
Indies.
The people whom it raged among at this time, according to
Procopius, Bell. Pers.
lib. ii. cap. 23, were the
Barbari,
or inhabitants of the neighborhood of the
Emporium Barbaricum,
in the
Delta
of the
Indus
D' Anville, Antiq. Geogr. de l' Inde, p. 39, 40.
. Doctor
Mead,
in his elegant treatise
de Peste,
p. 64, relates, that
India
was visited with a pestilence in 1346: whether it was the same with that which, from the earliest times, took its origin between the
Serbonian
bog, and the eastern channel of the
Nile,
or whether it might not have been the dysentery or bloody flux is uncertain.
Bontius
Bontius, Lib. iii. Obs. 3.
has discussed the point, and given his opinion that it is the latter, which at times carries off numbers equal to the plague itself. Certainly there have been many instances of some dreadful disease carrying its terrors through
Hindoostan,
but distinction must be made between the WIDE WASTING PESTILENCE described by
Procopius,
and the local disease, the consequence of famine; such, for example, as that which has raged in the northern
Circars
within these very few years.
THE province of
Lahore
is celebrated for its fine breed of horses.
FINE HORETS.
The
Mogul
Emperors used to establish studs in different parts, and furnish them with their lamed stallions of the
Persian
and
Arabian
kind, for the farther improvement. It was the north of
India
which supplied them with the best cavalry. I wish the reader to consult
Abulfazel,
i. 167. 239, relative to the magnificent establishment of the domestic stables, and the oeconomy of the military cavalry in the time of his great master.
Abulfazel,
ii. 223, speaking of the rivers of this country, says,
METALS.
that the natives, by washing the sands, obtain Gold, Silver, Copper,
Rowey,
Tin, Brass, and Lead.
Rowey
is unknown to me; brass is factitious. I am doubtful as to some of these metals being found in
India.
Farther enquiry may ascertain the metallic productions of
India
in the course of this volume.
A VAST mountain of rock salt is found in this province,
ROCK SALT.
equal to that of
Cardonna,
and, like the salt of that mountain, is cut into dishes, plates, and stands for lamps. Ice is an article of commerce from the northern mountains, and sold at
Lahore
throughout the year.
THE famous canal of
Shah Nehr
begins at
Ragipour,
and is continued almost parallel to the
Rauvee,
and ends at
Lahore,
a distance of above eighty miles. The intent of this canal seems to have been to supply
Lahore
with water in the dry season, when all the
Indian
rivers are from twenty to thirty feet below the level of their banks. Three other canals, for the purpose of watering the country on the south and east of
Lahore,
were drawn from the same place. These, formed in a distant age, are strong proofs of attention to rural oeconomy, and the benefit of the subject.
THE
Chunaub,
CHUNAUB, UPPER.
for a few miles, is continued from its forks in a single channel. Near
Zusserabad,
the
Jhylum,
or
Behut,
falls into it with vast rapidity and violence. This was the place where
Alexander
so nearly lost his fleet in the passage through this turbulent conflux. The
Chunaub
flows in a strait channel from the foot of the
Himmaleb
or
Imaus,
and there originates from two streams which quickly re-unite.
Gujerat,
and
Jummoo
and
Mundal,
are town and forts on its banks. From the origin of the
Chunaub
to that of the
Rauvee,
is a plain tract, bounded to the east by mount
Imaus,
bounded on the west and south by the chain of the
Panjah
hills. There is another plain similar, from the upper part of the
Setlege
as far as the
Ganges,
where it flows through the province of
Sirinagur.
I NOW ascend, from its union with the
Chunaub,
the
Behut,
THE BEHUT.
the most celebrated of the five rivers, the
Fabulosus Hydaspes,
which flows in two magnificent meanders, and issuing from a narrow gap between exalted mountains, from its origin in the romantic
Cashmere;
partly along a plain, partly at the foot of mountains cloathed with forests of trees of size magnificent, many of which are perishing continually through weight of years, and others succeeding them in the full verdure and vigor of youth. Would my pen could be inspired like that of M.
Bernier,
who in 1664 attended in quality of a physician, and philosophic friend, to a great
Omrah
of that time, a follower of
Aurengezebe
in his splendid progress to
Cashmere
for the recovery of his health, by a change of the burning clime of
Hindoostan,
for the salubrious air of the former. I leave to the reader the perusal of
Bernier,
the first traveller, I may say, of his, or any other age. I shall in a very abridged form take up the account from the departure of the court from
Agra.
His suite was an army. He was also attended by his sister, which gave splendor unspeakable to the train of ladies. He left
Agra
in the moment pronounced fortunate by the imperial astrologers. To this day nothing is done without their auspices. He took the road to
Lahore,
hunting or hawking on each side as occasion offered. Among the nobler game, a lion presented itself. In crossing the rivers bridges of boats were used for the purpose. The heats on the march were dreadful, caused by the lofty mountains of
Cashmere,
keeping the cool air of the north from refreshing the parched plains. Between the
Chenaub
and the
Behut
is the vast mountain
Bember.
MOUNTAIN BEMBER.
It seems like a purgatory to be passed before the entrance into the PARADISE of
Hindoostan
can be accomplished. It is steep, black, and burned. The procession encamped in the channel of a large torrent, dried up, full of sand and stones burning hot. "After passing the
Bember,
" says the elegant traveller,
we pass from a torrid to a temperate zone: for we had no sooner mounted this dreadful wall of the world, I mean, this high, steep, black and bald mountain of
Bember,
but that in descending on the other side, we found an air that was pretty tolerable, fresh, gentle, and temperate. But that which surprised me more in these mountains, was to find myself in a trice transported out of the
Indies
into
Europe.
For seeing the earth covered with all our plants and shrubbs, except
Issop,
Thyme, Marjoram,
EUROPEAN TREES.
and Rosemary, I imagined I was in some of our mountains of
Auvergne,
in the midst of a forest of all our kinds of Trees, Pines, Oaks, Elms, Plane-trees. And I was the more astonished, because in all those burning fields of
Indostan,
whence I came, I had seen almost nothing of all that.
AMONG other things relating to plants this surprized me, that one and a half days journey from
Bember
I found a mountain that was covered with them on both sides, but with this difference, that on the side of the mountain that was southerly, towards the
Indies,
INDIAN.
there was a mixture of
Indian
and
European
plants, and on that which was exposed to the North, I observed none but
European
ones; as if the former had participated of the air and temper of
Europe
and the
Indies,
and the other had been meerly
European.
I NOW enter the kingdom of
Cashmere,
KINGDOM OF CASHMERE.
and immediately resume the words of the elegant traveller.
Thousands of cascades descend from the surrounding mountains of this enchanting plain, and forming rivulets meandring through all parts render it so fair and fruitful, that one would take this whole kingdom for some great
Evergreen
garden, intermixed with villages and burroughs, discovering themselves between trees, and diversisied by Meadows, Fields of Rice, Corn, and divers other Legumes, of Hemp and Saffron; all interlaced with ditches full of water, with Channels, with small Lakes and Rivulets here and there. Up and down and every where are also seen some of our
European
plants, Flowers, and all sorts of our Trees, as Apples, Pears, Prunes, Apricots, Cherries, Nuts, Vines; the particular Gardens are full of Melons, Skirrets, Beets, Radishes, all sorts of our Pot-herbs, and of some we have not.
THIS HAPPY VALLEY, this PARADISE OF HINDOOSTAN,
ONCE A LAKE.
of the
Indian
poets, is of an oval form, about eighty miles long and forty broad, and was once supposed to have been entirely filled with water; which having burst its mound, left this vale inriched to the most distant ages by the sertilizing mud of the rivers which fed its expanse. This delicious spot is surrounded by mountains of vast height and rude aspect, covered with snow, or enchased in glacieres, in which this enchanting jewel is firmly set. At the foot of the exterior chain is an interior circle of hills, fertile in grass, abundant in trees and various sorts of vegetation, and full of all kinds of cattle, as Cows, Sheep, Goats, Gazelles, and Musks. The approach to
Cashmere
is also very rugged and difficult. We have mentioned the mountains of
Bember;
besides those is one on which the pioneers of
Aurengezebe
were obliged to cut through a
glaciere,
or a great mass, as
Bernier
calls it, of icy snow
P. 103.
.
THE capital of this happy spot is sometimes called
Cashmere,
sometimes
Sirinagur,
and sometimes
Nagaz
By Cheresiddin, in his Life of Timur Bee, ii. 96.
, is seated in Lat. 34° 12′ North, on the banks of the river, which runs with a current most remarkably smooth. At a little distance from it is a small but beautiful lake, with a communication with the river by a navigable canal. The town was, in
Bernier
's time, three quarters of a
French
league long, built on both sides, and some part extended to the lake. Villas, Mosques, and Pagodas, decorate several of the little hills that border the water. The houses are built of wood, four stories high, some higher; the lower is for the cattle, the next for the family, the third and fourth serve as warehouses. The roofs are planted with tulips, which in the spring produce a wonderful effect. Roses, and numberless other flowers ornament this happy clime. The inhabitants often visit the lake in their boats for the pleasure of hawking, the country abounding with cranes, and variety of game.
THE river,
RIVER BEHUT, OR IHLUM.
which rises at
Wair Naig,
near the southern part of the surrounding mountains, flows with a north-western course by the capital, and falls into lake
Ouller,
which is fifty-three miles in length, and lies in the northern part of the valley, not remote from the kingdom of great
Thibet,
then passes through the outlet at
Barehmooleh,
between two steep mountains, and from thence, after a long course, to its junction with the
Chunaub.
This river is large and navigable, even within the limits of
Cashmere. Bernier,
p. 84. says, it carries boats as large as those on the
Seine
at
Paris.
Many small lakes are spread over the surface, and some of them contain floating islands. Among others,
Bernier,
p. 118. visited one, which he calls
A great lake amidst the mountains, which had ice in summer, and looked like a little icy sea, having heaps of ice made and unmade by the winds.
This reminds me of the coalition and separation of the ice in the
Spitzbergen
seas. This in question may be like the
Ouller,
for I see none of any size in the maps, excepting that expanse of water.
AMONG the miraculous waters of the natives, he reckons a periodical spring, or the ebbing and flowing well of
Sandbrarc,
which has near to it the temple of the idol of
Brare.
The reader may amuse himself with the account, from p. 105 to 110 of this favorite writer, and at p. 117 those of another, much of the same nature.
THE author of the
Ayeen Akberry
dwells with rapture on the beauties of
Cashmere;
whence we may conclude, that it was a favorite subject with his master
Acbar,
who had visited it three times before
Abulfazel
wrote. Other emperors of
Hindoostan
visited it also, and seemed to forget the cares of government during their residence in the HAPPY VALLEY. By the salubrity of the air, and the chearing beauties of the place, they collected new vigor to resume the cares of government. The remains of the palaces, pavilion, and gardens, exhibit proofs of their elegance and splendor. It appears, that the periodical rains, which almost deluge the rest of
India,
are shut out of
Cashmere
by the height of the mountains, so that only light showers fall there; these, however, are in abundance sufficient to feed the thousands of cascades which are precipitated into the valley from every part of the stupendous and romantic bulwark that encircles it. Amidst the various felicities of the
Cashmerians,
one dreadful evil they are constantly subject to, namely, earthquakes; but to guard against their terrible effects, all their houses are built of wood, of which there is no want.
THE
Cashmerians
are esteemed a most witty race, and much more intelligent and ingenious than the
Hindoos,
and as much addicted to the sciences and to poetry as the very
Persians.
They have a language of their own: but their books are written in the
Shanscrit
tongue, although the character be sometimes
Cashmerian
Ayeen Akberry, ii. 155.
. They are also very industrious, and excellent mechanics. The various articles of their workmanship are sent into all parts of
India
Bernier, p. 93.
. This race is famous for the fineness of their features, and their admirable complexions. They look like
Europeans,
and have nothing of the
Tartarian
flat-nosed face, and small eyes, like those of
Caschguer
and their neighbors of
Thibet.
It is certainly quite right, that this PARADISE, THE REGION OF ETERNAL SPRING, should be peopled with females angelic: they are uncommonly beautiful. The courtiers of the time of
Bernier
were most solicitous to obtain for their
Zenanas
the
Cashmerian
fair, in order that they might have children whiter than the natives of
Hindoostan,
in order that they might pass for the true
Mogul
-breed, congenerous with their monarch.
THE religion of the
Cashmerians
is the same as that of the
Hindoos;
possibly the pardonable superstition of the inhabitants, warmed by their romantic situation, may have multiplied the places of worship of
Mahadeo,
of
Beschan,
and of
Brama.
Here is a sect of religionists, free from idolatry, which worship the Deity alone. They are remarkably benevolent, and abstain from the other sex. They must therefore be continued by disciples. As to the
Mahometans,
they are not numerous, and those split into sects
Ayeen, ii. 155.
.
THE
Cashmerians
seem to have had an idea of the deluge, for, say they, in the early ages of the world, all
Cashmere,
except the mountains, was covered with water. One
Kushup
brought the
Brahmins
to inhabit the country as soon as the waters had subsided
Same, 178, 179.
. Neither were they ignorant of the history of
Noah,
for the
Indians
speak of him under the name of
Sattiaviraden,
who, with his wife, was by the god
Vichenou,
who sent to them an ark, preserved from destruction in a general deluge
Sonnerat, vol. ii. 158.
. The first monarch of the country was
Owgnund,
who was elected, says
Abulfazul,
4444 years before his time
§ Ayeen, 179.
.
HERE are numbers of hermits in places nearly inaccessible. They are highly venerated, some being supposed to have power to excite the fury of the elements.
Bernier,
p. 104, found an antient anchoute, who had inhabited the summit of the lofty mountain
Pire-penjale
ever since the time of
Jehangire,
who was here in 1618. His religion was unknown. To him was attributed the power of working miracles. He caused at his pleasure great thunders, and raised storms of hail, rain, snow, and wind. He looked savage, having a large white beard uncombed, which, like that of our Druid, "streamed like a meteor to the troubled air." The sage forbid the making the lest noise, on pain of raising furious storms and tempests.
Cashmere
is famous for its manufacture of
shawls,
SHAWLS.
made of the wool of the broad-tailed sheep, who are found in the kingdom of
Thibet;
and their fleeces, in fineness, beauty, and length, says Mr.
Bogle,
in Ph. Trans. lxviii. 485, exceed all others in the world. The
Cashmerians
engross this article, and have factors in all parts of
Thibet
for buying up the wool, which is sent into
Cashmere,
and worked into
shawls,
superior in elegance to those woven even from the fleeces of their own country. This manufacture is a considerable source of wealth.
Bernier
relates, that in his days,
shawls
made expressly for the great
Omrahs,
of the
Thibetian
wool, cost a hundred and fifty
roupees,
whereas those made of the wool of the country never cost more than fifty.
Akbar
was a most particular encourager of the manufacture. He not only paid a great attention to those of this province, but introduced them into
Lahore,
where, in his days, there were a thousand manufactories, says
Abulfazul,
of this commodity. The natural color of the wool of the
Tools assel,
the name of the animal, is grey, tinged with red, but some are quite white.
Akbar
first introduced the dying them. The wool of another animal used in the manufacture is white or black, out out of which were woven white, black, and grey shawls. Possibly two sorts of animals may produce the material; one indisputably the sheep I mention, the other I have heard called a goat.
THE domestic animals of this country are horses, small, hardy, and sure-footed. Cows, black and ugly, but yield plenty of milk and excellent butter. Here is also a sheep, called
Hundoo,
which is used to carry burdens. No description is left to vindicate me for imagining it to be either the camel,
(Llama,
Hist. Quad. i. No 73.) or the
Chilihucque
(No 74.); the first of which is used for burdens in
Peru,
the last, formerly in
Chili.
Certain it is that
India
has a tall sheep, which, saddled, actually can carry a boy twelve years old. It is found about
Surat.
Whether it could bear the snows of the
Cashmerian
Alps, I leave for the subject of future inquiry.
Abulfazul,
p. 155, vol. ii. mentions the elk as one of the wild animals of the country; and adds, that the hunting leopards are made use of in the chase of that enormous deer. The
Chittah,
or hunting leopard, must be brought from the scorched plains of
Bengal.
The elk may be a native of the woods at the base of the snowy mountains, for they are impatient of heat, and require forests, for they subsist both by browzing and by grazing.
Cashmere,
says its historians,
PRINCES.
had its own princes four thousand years before its conquest by
Akbar
in 1585.
Humaioon
cast a longing eye on this rich gem, but by different accidents the acquisition was reserved for his son.
Akbar
would have sound dissiculty to reduce this paradise of the
Indies,
situated as it is within such a fortress of mountains, but its monarch,
Yusof Khan,
was basely betrayed by his
Omrahs. Akbar
used his conquest with moderation, and allowed a pension to the conquered
Khan
and his gallant son. From that time this happy valley enjoyed the most perfect tranquillity.
THAT 'devouring prince,'
TAMERLANE THERE.
as
Tamerlane
was called by the
Hindoos,
encamped at a place called
Gebban,
on the frontiers of
Cashmere.
During his stay in that delicious country, he seems to have forgot his cruelty, and left without doing any injury to the innocent inhabitants
Cheresiddin's Life of Timur-Bee, Eng. Trans. ii. p. 95, 96.
. This fair gem is at present possessed by
Timur Shah,
successor to
Ahmed Abdalla
late king of
Candahar.
Marco Polo,
MARCO POLO THERE.
in his travels over the east, between the years 1271 and 1295, visited
Cashmere,
which he calls
Chesimur.
He agrees, in several respects, with the account given by
Abul-fazul
and
Bernier.
Mentions that the inhabitants have a language of their own; that they are idolaters; that they are very superstitious: and describes their hermits, and the powers they had of raising tempests, and darkening the very air
Voiàges de Mare Polo, in Bergeron's Collections, p. 30.
.
I REJOIN the
Indus
at the mouth of the
Chenaub.
INDUS CONTINUED.
A little higher, on the west side, it receives the
Lucca,
an obscure river, which flows from the north-west, rising in the kingdom of
Candahar.
It is the only one which falls into the
Indus
in all the extent of the western side. Above that, on the same side, is the
Cow,
or
Cophenes,
which leads to
Ghizni
and to
Bamia,
at the foot of the
Paropamysan Caucasus;
beyond that we pass the mouth of the
Kameh,
or
Guraeus,
which flows from
Cabul.
The principal places in the vicinity of these rivers have already been noticed.
I NOW return to
Attock,
MR. FORSTER'S JOURNEY.
where the river assumes the name of that city, till it reaches the conflux of the
Chenaub,
below
Moultan. Attock
signifies the
forbidden,
it having been the original boundary of
Hindoostan
on this side, which the
Hindoos
were prohibited from passing. Here the river is three quarters of a mile broad, the water very cold, rapid, and turbulent, and a great deal of black sand suspended in it. A little above
Attock
is
Bazaar,
where Mr.
Forster
crossed the
Indus.
The extraordinary journey of that gentleman merits notice. In the disguise of an
Asiatic
he left
Calcutta
in 1783, crossed the
Ganges
between
Loldong
and
Hurdwar,
and the
Jumna
near
Meiro;
proceeded on the south side of the mountains to
Jummoo,
and then seems to have made a tour of curiosity to
Cashmere.
From thence turned towards the south-west, to
Bazaar;
went northward to
Cabul,
where he found the bills of
Calicut,
seventeen or eighteen hundred miles distant, negociable: from thence went to
Candahar,
and crossed the modern provinces of
Seisten, Korasan,
and
Mazanderan,
to the shore of the
Caspian
sea; took shipping at
Basrush,
reached the
Volga,
and arrived safe at
Petersburg.
From
Oude,
the last
British
station, to the
Caspian
sea, was twenty-seven hundred miles. His security lay in his concealment of his country; he travelled with
Asiatics,
he was obliged to conform to their manners, to content himself with the cookery of every place he passed through, submit to every accommodation, and generally to sleep in the open air, even in rain and snow, and this he endured in a journey of a whole year. He returned to
India,
and ended, of late years, at the court of the
Nizam,
in a public capacity, his active and most enterprizing life.
AFTER reaching
Bazaar
we are very little acquainted with the course of the
Indus.
Mr.
Rennel
informs us, that the highest point to which this river can be traced, is
Shuckur,
two hundred and thirty miles distant from
Attock;
and from
Attock
to the sea is six hundred and sorty. By the excellent map of the world published by Mr.
Arrowsmith,
it appears to pass through a long and narrow gap, between two chains of mountains, and to terminate at its origin in the middle of
Cashgar.
What that distance is from
Shuckur
I cannot with certainty pronounce: perhaps a hundred miles. Adding this to the two other numbers, we may fairly call the whole length a thousand miles.
MR. RENNEL says, that it has an uninterrupted navigation from the sea for flat-bottomed vessels of near two hundred tons, as high as
Moultan
and
Lahore;
the last about six hundred and fifty miles distant. The current of the
Indus
must be rapid; for Captain
Hamilton
(i. p. 123.) informs us, that the vessels frequently fall down the river from
Lahore
to
Tatta
in twelve days; but the passage up the stream requires six or seven weeks. It once had a vast trade carried on along its channel, but by reason of troubles, and consequential bad government, it is greatly reduced.
I NOW return to the ocean. The eastern branch of the
Indus
falls into the bay of
Cutch,
which runs far inland, and receives the river
Puddar,
bounded by the rugged country of
Cutch.
Part of the gulph is infested with piratical tribes, called
Sangarians,
who infest the sea from hence to the entrance of the gulph of
Persia.
M.
D'Anville
Eclaircissements, p. 42, as quoted by Mr Rennel.—See Memoir, p. 186.
supposes them to have been the same as the people of
Sangada (Arrian, Rerum Indic.
i. p. 551.) which the historian places near the river
Arabius.
This may have been the case on supposing, which might have been probable, that they had removed from the western to the eastern side of the
Indus,
and from thence to the shores of the gulph of
Cutch.
The banks of the river are possessed by
reguli;
most of its sides are low, fenny, and liable to annual inundations. This gulph was the antient
Canthi-colpus
and
Sinus Irinus. Arrian,
ii. 165, also calls it
Barices Sinus,
and mentions its having a group of seven isles, which appear in modern charts.
THE
Puddar
falls into the gulph of
Cutch,
THE PUDDAR.
and has a course to the north-east as far as near lat. 26° soon after which it divides into two streams, which originate in the country of the
Rathore Raipoots,
inclining to the south. This river is not bordered by any places remarkable. In the middle ages the famed
emporium, Nehrwaleh,
stood on the banks of the
Surutwutty,
a small river which flows into it from the south, in lat. 23° 47″, E. long. 72° 30″. It stood on the site of
Puttan;
and flourished in the middle ages. It was reckoned the most fertile country in
India,
and was at that time capital of
Guzerat. Mahmood
I.
(Ferishta,
i. p. 77.) made a conquest of it in 1024. Above a century after that,
El Edrisi,
p. 62, speaks of it under the name of
Nahrvara,
and as a place of vast trade, and the great resort of merchants. Its monarchs were styled
Balahare,
i. e. KING OF KINGS, for all the neighboring
reguli
acknowledged his supremacy. The time of its destruction is not well known. The seat of empire was afterwards removed to
Amedabad.
RAIPOTANA was once a most extensive government.
RAIPOTANA.
Mr.
Rennel
says, equal to half of
France.
Part became subjugated. Still the hardy tribes maintain some of their old domains, amidst rude and almost inaccessible mountains.
Mahometan
persecution and intolerancy, confirm and heighten the zeal for the old religion of their country, added to a pride of descent, and the boast of being formed from the arms of the great deity
Brahma.
They are called
Kehteree,
or
Khatre;
they are enjoined the performance of thirteen great duties
Ayeen, iii. 82.
. The protection of religion and the art of war are two, and those they observe to the fullest extent. They seem like our knighterrant, performing all the duties of chivalry.
Boullaye la Gouz
gives a good figure of a
Raipoot Chevalier
on his 234th page.
THEY were once a powerful people, but notwithstanding they are now much reduced, they still are feared and respected by all
Hindooslan.
They frequently hire themselves to other states. Under the emperor
Akbar,
they received the blow which put an end to their greatness.
THEIR CAPITAL, CHEITOR
In 1567, he marched to the capital,
Cheitor,
strongly situated in a lofty mountain, and garrisoned by the
Raja
with eight thousand chosen
Raipoots,
and headed by a general of tried valour.
Akbar
effected a breach, but by springing a mine lost numbers of his own men. Unfortunately for the besieged; the emperor saw the governor busied in giving orders for filling up the breaches: when, calling for a fusil, he shot the faithful commander through the head. The garrison sunk under the loss.
ITS SAD FATE.
In despair they determined on the horrid ceremony of the JOAR. They put to the sword all their wives and children, and burned their bodies, with that of their governor, on a prodigious funeral pile. The citizens of
Saguntum illam fide, et aerumnis inclytam
Mela, lib. ii. c. 8. Livy, lib. in. lib. xxi. c. 7. Florus, lib. vii. c. 6.
, 530 years before CHRIST, like them driven to despair, performed the same dreadful rites. By the light of the fire the imperial army saw the barbarous rites, and entered the deserted breaches, led on by
Akbar.
The
Raipoots,
devoting themselves to death, retired to their temples. The victor ordered three hundred elephants of war to be introduced to tread to death the gallant victims. The scene became now too shocking to be described. Brave men, rendered more valiant by despair, crouded round the elephants, seized them even by the tusks, and inflicted on them unavailing wounds. The terrible animals trod the
Indians
like grasshoppers under their feet, or winding them in their powerful trunks tossed them into the air, or dashed them to pieces against the walls and pavements. Of the garrison and of the inhabitants, who amounted to forty thousand, thirty thousand were slain; a few only escaped in the confusion, by tying their own children like captives, and driving them through the royal camp
Dow's Ferishta, ii. 276.
.
SIR
Thomas Roe
passed through it in his way to
Agimere,
in 1612, and gives the following melancholy account of it's then state:
Cytor
is an antient ruined city, on a hill, but shews the footsteps of wonderful magnificence. There are still standing above a hundred churches, all of carved stone, many fair towers and lanthorns, many pillars, and innumerable houses, but not one inhabitant. There is but one steep ascent cut out of the rock, and four gates in the ascent before you come to the city gate, which is magnificent. The hill is enclosed at the top for about eight cosses, and at the south-west end is a goodly castle
Churchill's Coll. i. p. 770. 812.
.
LET not this, or several other instances of unprincely barbarity, be attributed to the influence of climate. The greatest monarchs, bred under the severest skies, have shewn themselves monsters of cruelties, notwithstanding they have been held up to us as models of greatness. Among those of the North are
Basilovitz
II. and
Peter
the Great. And in
Hindoostan,
the favorite
Akbar,
and others, successors or predecessors. Their enormities are the result of education; indulged first in every infant-passion, then in those of youth, till they become ungovernable; and every opposition to their will appears criminal, and brings on the most dreadful revenge, and the frequent havoke of the human race. Compare then the manners of the princes of this country with those of the myriads of the meanest of the
Hindoo
subjects; education has produced monsters of the former: climate has softened into gentleness, resignation, and the fullest submission in the minds of the latter to every evil, to famine, sickness, and tyrannic fury.
Akbar
erected his conquest into a soubahship,
AZIMERE.
and named it that of
Agimere
or
Azimere.
At present
Audapour, Joodpour,
and
Jeinagur,
antient principalities of the
Raipoots,
remain in their descendants. Most of the rest of the Soubahship is possessed by the
Mahrattas,
or by
Sindia.
Mr.
Rennel
thinks the capital,
Agimere,
to have been the
Gagasmiru
of
Ptolemy.
It is built in about lat. 26° 32″, at the foot of a lofty mountain, crowned with a fortress of great strength. Little is said of the city. It seems holy ground, and productive of holy men.
Akbar,
in want of an heir, made a pilgrimage to this place to the shrine of
Chaja Moin,
in consequence of a vow he had made in case he was blessed with a son, which his favorite
Sultana
presented him with just before
Dow's Hist. ii. 279, 280.
. To insure success, he had left the lady, for a considerable time, with the saints of
Sikri!
The pilgrimage was made from
Agra.
On this occasion he erected at the end of every coss, or mile and a half, a stone; and at every tenth coss, a
Choultry,
or
Caravansera,
for travellers
Heylin's Cosmogr. book iii. p. 198.
. The whole distance from
Agra
to
Agimere,
is a hundred and thirty
British
miles. These were imperial works!
Jehangìr
kept his court at the latter,
SIR THOMAS ROE.
at the time that Sir
Thomas Roe
was sent by our
James
I. on his interesting embassy to the great
Mogul.
No monarch ever did more good to his subjects, by his attention to commerce, at that time in its infancy, than our despised prince. Sir
Thomas
landed at
Surat,
in
September
1615; continued following the court to different places till 1618, and received every mark of exterior favor, notwithstanding the
East India
Company, with mercantile meanness, furnished him with presents ill-suited to the grandeur of the
British
nation. The embassy proved, on the whole, fruitless, and he returned home, after doing all that a person of his abilities could to serve his country. He was frustrated by the deceit, meanness, and rapacity of an eastern court
Heylin's Cosmogr. book iii. p. 198.
.
THE approach to the coasts we left,
SEA-SNAKES.
is signified by the appearance of sea-snakes; the historian describes them of a dusky color, and thicker than the
Lana
serpents. As to their siery eyes and dragon-like heads, I smile at his credulity: the rest is true. Sea-snakes are very frequent in the torrid zones. M.
Vosmaer
gives, in one of his
fasciculi,
figures of two of the seaserpents: one is fasciated with brown and white; the other has a brown back and white belly. The tail of each is flat, exactly resembling that of an eel, suited to a species which is entirely destined to the watery element. They are met with off most of the coasts of
India,
at the distance of twenty or thirty leagues from land; are never seen alive on the element of earth, but frequently cast by the surges dead on the shore. M.
D'Obsonville,
who has given an account of them, says, they are from three to four feet long, and reputed to be very venomous. M.
Bougainville
gives an instance of a sailor who was bitten by one, in hawling a seine on the coast of
New Ireland.
He was instantly affected with most violent pains in all parts of his body. The blood taken from him appeared dissolved; and the side on which he was bitten became livid, and greatly swelled. At length, by the assistance of
Venice
treacle, with flower de luce water, he fell into a great perspiration, and was quite cured
Bougainville's Voy. Eng. Trans.
.
ON the western side of this gulph was the
Syrastrena regio
of
Arrian,
SYRASTRENA REGIO.
fertile in wheat, rice, oil of
Sesamum,
or
Sesamum orientale, Burm. Zeyl.
87. tab. 38, and
Gerard.
p. 1232,
Butyrum,
or
Ghee,
as it is called in
India; Carpasus
is a word I cannot translate, but it appears to have been some vegetable that was used in making the
Indian
webs.
FROM Cape
Jigat,
GULPH OF CUTCH.
the southern extremity of the gulph of
Cutch,
the land trends to the south-west, as far as
Diu
point. At the former,
GUZERAT.
commences the better known peninsula of
Guzerat.
The western parts of which are mountanous and woody, the rest extremely rich, and once famed for a very considerable commerce in their productions. The
Ayeen Akberry,
ii. p. 76, speaks thus of its manufactures:
It is famous for painters,
III.
Sea Snakes.
carvers, and other handicraftsmen. They cut out letters in shells, and inlay with them very curiously. They also make beautiful inkstands, and small boxes. They manufacture gold and silver stuffs, velvets, &c.; and they imitate the stuffs of
Turkey, Europe,
and
Persia.
They also make very good swords,
Jemdhers, Kewpwehs,
and bows and arrows. Here is likewise carried on a traffic in precious stones. Silver is brought hither from
Room
and
Irak.
ALONG the coast, quite from Cape
Jigat,
were a number of antient towns.
Simylla,
on the very cape, was once a considerable mart, in the days of
Ptolemy.
THE famous Pagoda
Jumnaut
stood close to
Puttan,
PAGODA JUMNAUT.
on the western side of
Guzzerat.
It was destroyed in 1022, by the bigotted
Mahmood
Ferishta, i. p. 71 to 86.
The
Hindoos
believed that the souls of the departed went to this place, to be transferred into other bodies, human or animal, according to their deserts. The riches in gems, gold, &c. would be incredible, did we not know the power of superstition in those remote and unenlightened times.
ON the
Baeonus insula
stands
Diu,
DIU.
which long flourished under its native owners. The judicious
Albuquerque
had cast his eye on this island as a fit post to ensure safety and permanency to the
Portuguese
empire in
India.
He endeavoured to obtain leave from the monarch of
Cambaya
to erect a fort, but the governor, as wise as himself, obstructed the design. In 1535,
Nugno d'Acugna
succeeded, and in forty-nine days made it so strong, as to baffle the attempts of the prince, who, repenting of his concession, endeavoured to wrest it from the
Portuguese,
and perished in the siege. His successor called in the
Turks,
and, with an army of twenty thousand men, renewed the siege. The gallant governor,
Meneses,
repelled all their assaults, and obliged them to retire with great loss. In 1546 it underwent a third siege, and with the same ill success. After this, every attention was paid to a place of such importance. Its fortifications were esteemed the finest in
India,
to which it was deemed the key; they were seated on a rock, and had a vast foss cut through the live stone. It became a place of immense trade, and was the harbour in which the fleets were laid up during winter. The splendor of the buildings, and the luxury of the inhabitants, were unspeakable.
Surat
was destroyed to favor its commerce, but when that city was restored, the former declined fast, so that at present it has not only quite lost its former consequence, but, according to
Nicholson,
is in a manner a heap of ruins.
THE governor, Don
John Mascarenhas,
was, after a most gallant defence, reduced to great distress He was relieved by the great Don
John de Castro,
DON JOHN DE CASTRO.
governor of the
Indies,
then at
Goa,
who first sent his son
Ferdinand,
with such force he could spare, to strengthen the garrison: After which, collecting all the troops he could in
Asia,
followed his son, landed his army, and joined the besieged. He resolved to attack the enemy, numerous as they were. He sallied forth, and gained a complete victory.
THE manner in which the fortress of
Diu
was restored, is singular.
Coslro
was possessed of little more than his sword and his helmet. He tried every method to raise money, but in vain. At length he offered to deposit, as pledges for the sum, the bones of his son
Ferdinand,
who had fell during the siege. His army, who idolized the gallant youth, prevaled on him to restore them to the grave. He then sent to the inhabitants of
Goa
one of his mustachos as security for the sum required. They knew his rigid honor, and advanced the money. He died at
Goa,
in 1548, aged forty-eight. He had the consolation of dying in the arms of the apostle of the
Indies, Xavier.
His body was interred in that city; but his bones were removed to the convent at
Bemsica,
near
Lishon,
beneath a monument, which records the actions of his glorious life
Murphy's Travels in Portugal, p. 263, 273.
.
THE great bay of
Cambay,
BAY OF CAMBAY.
the
Barygazenus sinus
of the antients, now opens between Cape
Diu
and Cape
St. John,
on the opposite shore, distant a hundred and eighty miles; it runs far inland towards the north, and ends with the river
Mihie,
the antient
Mais. Cambay,
CAMBAY.
once the capital of a kingdom of the same name, stands on the western side, near the bottom, in N. Lat. 22° 20′. It is a vast city, walled round with brick, and may be called the mother of
Surat,
which it supports by its various rich articles of commerce, still considerable, notwithstanding the retreat of the sea near a mile and a half.
Cambay
is a great manufacturing country, and furnishes the coarse unbleached cloths, much in use in
Persia, Arabia, Egypt,
and
Abessynia;
also blue pieces for the same countries, and for the
English
and
Dutch
trade in
Guinea;
blue and white checks for mantles in
Arabia
and
Turky,
some coarse, others enriched with gold; white pieces woven at
Barochia,
called
Bastas;
muslins with a gold stripe at each end, for turbans; gauzes; mixed stuffs of silk and cotton; shawls made of the
Cachemirian
wool; besides immense bales of raw cotton, sent annually to
Surat, Bengal, China, Persia,
and
Arabia,
for their several manufactories. Add to these, rich embroideries of various kinds, and a great trade in various works in agate and cornelians, found in the rivers, which are turned into bowls, handles for knives, sabres, and various other things.
NEAR
Cambay
are the vestiges of another antient city called
Nagra,
NAGRA.
perhaps the
Comanes
of
Ptolemy. Almeyda,
when he visited the coast of
Cambay,
observed a very antient town, with a large mosque, and near it a spatious place, covered with
tumuli
Osorio. lib. vi. p. 345. Gibb's Trans.
. The most learned of the natives informed him, that they understood by their records that
Hercules,
in his expedition to
India,
had here two great engagements with an
Indian
prince, and was defeated, and that the
tumuli
were the graves of the conquered. I mention this part only to shew how exact the
Indians
have been to preserve their history, founded, as part may have been, upon fable.
Arrian,
i.
Exped. Alex.
p. 306. suspects that he was never in
India,
but that the inhabitants, hearing of his fame, adopted him among the gods of their country
Arrian, Rerum. Indic. i. p. 523.
.
GREAT numbers of the inhabitants of the city of
Cambay
are
Hindoos,
who retain all their customs, and all their superstition, in the fullest primoeval manner. One tenor of their religion is to pay the utmost attention to the brute creation; this they observe with a charity that would be incredible, was it not so well attested by travellers. The account given by
Pietro de la Valle,
who visited this city in 1623, cannot but be acceptable to readers of curiosity.
"THE same day of our arrival,"
HOSPITAL FOR BIRDS.
says he, p. 35,
after we had dined, and rested a while, we caused ourselves to be conducted to see a famous hospital of birds, of all forts, which, for being sick, lame, deprived of their mates, or otherwise needing food, and cure, are kept and tended there with diligence; as also the men who take care of them are maintained by the public alms; the
Indian
Gentiles (who, with
Pythagoras,
and the antient
Egyptians,
the first authors of this opinion, according to
Herodotus,
believe the transinigration of fouls, not only from man to man, but also from man to brute beast) conceiving it no less a work of charity to do good to beasts, than to men. The house of this hospital is small, a little room sufficing for many birds: Yet I saw it full of birds of all sorts which need tendance, as cocks, hens, pigeons, peacocks, ducks, and small birds, which during their being lame or sick, or mateless, are kept here; but, being recovered and in good plight, if they be wild, they are let go at liberty; if domestic, they are given to some pious person, who keeps them in his house. The most curious thing I saw in this place, was certain little mice, who, being found orphans without fire or dam to tend them, were put into this hospital, and a venerable old man with a white beard, keeping them in a box amongst cotton, very diligently tended them, with his spectacles on his nose, giving them milk to eat with a bird's feather, because they were so little that as yet they could eat nothing else; and, as he told us, he intended when they were grown up to let them go free whither they pleased.
"THE next morning," (p. 36) adds he,
FOR GOATS, &c.
we saw another hospital of goats, kids, sheep, and wethers, either sick or lame; and there were also some cocks, peacocks, and other animals needing the same help, and kept altogether quietly enough, in a great court: nor wanted there men and women, lodged in little rooms of the same hospital, who had care of them. In another place, far from hence, we saw another hospital of cows and calves, some whereof had broken legs, others, more infirm, very old or lean, and therefore were kept here to be cured. Among the beasts there was also a
Mahometan
thief, who, having been taken in theft, had both his hands cut off; but the compassionate Gentiles, that he might not perish miserably, now he was no longer able to get his living, took him into this place, and kept him among the poor beasts, not suffering him to want any thing. Moreover, without one of the gates of the city, we saw another great troop of cows, calves, and goats, which being cured and brought into better plight, or gathered together from being dispersed, and without masters, or being redeemed with money from the
Mahometans,
who would have killed them to eat, (namely, the goats and other animals, but not the cows and calves) were sent into the field to feed by neat-herds, purposely maintained at the public charge; and thus they are kept, till, being reduced to perfect health, 'tis found fitting to give them to some citizens or others, who may charitably keep them. I excepted cows and calves from the animals redeemed from slaughter; because in
Cambaia,
cows, calves, and oxen are not killed by any; and there is a great prohibition against it, by the instance of the Gentiles, who upon this account pay a great sum of money to the prince; and should any, either
Mahometan
or other, be found to kill them, he would be punished severely, even with death.
THE country around is remarkably flat,
VAST TIDES.
and in parts overflowed with the most rapid and sudden tides in the world. They rise four or five fathoms, and sweep before them every thing in their way. Some miles of this tract must be passed in the way from
Surat. Pietro de la Valle
gives, at p. 35, a curious account of the dangers attending the journey.
THE kingdom of
Cambay
was first subdued by
Mahmomet
I. in 1024, and after several revolutions, by the great
Akbar
in 1572. In later days it fell under the power of the
Mahrattas,
and in 1780 brought on the
Mahratta
war, which ended much to our glory, and much to our loss. This gave rise to the celebrated march of the
Bengal
brigade, under Colonel GODDARD,
GODDARD'S MARCH.
from
Calpy,
on the
Jumna
river, in Lat. 26° 7′ N. Long. 80° 4′ E. to
Amedabad,
a march of about fifteen hundred miles: we were victorious; but in the end, finking under the expence, were obliged to give up most of our vast conquests.
Amedabad
is seated in 22° 58′ 30″ N. Lat.
AMEDABAD.
It is the best fortified city in
Hindoostan.
It stands on the banks of a small navigable river, and is remarkable for its beauty. Its port is
Cambay,
fifty miles to the south.
Thevenot,
p. 12, part iii. speaks highly of this city, and its magnificent mosque, its splendid palace, and fine
Meidan;
and also its vast commerce in sattins, velvets, and tapestries, with gold, silk, and woollen grounds, and in the several productions of almost every part of
India.
It was founded, says the
Ayeen,
ii. 92, 96, by
Tatar Ahmed,
one of the fourteen
Mahometan
princes, successors to
Sultan Mahomet.
The mosque and tomb of the founder are entirely built of marble and stone. The last is of exquisite workmanship, and, notwithstanding it has stood above four hundred years, remains uninjured by the length of time.
Amedabad
was founded out of the ruins of the
Hindoo
cities. The walls still remain, and are six miles in circumference, in which were twelve gates. Such was its state in the days of
Aurengzebe.
At present, not a quarter within the walls are inhabited, and nothing but the vestiges of the suburbs, which once extended three miles round the outside of the walls, are to be seen. The
Mahrattas
made a conquest of it.
Goddard
attacked and took it by storm on
February
15,
TAKEN BY STORM.
1780, after a most vigorous resistance. It was garrisoned chiefly by
Arabs
and
Sindians,
the bravest of troops. Numbers perished in the rage of the storm. No act of humanity was omitted by the general to the survivers. The gratitude of the vanquished was equalled to the generosity of the victor
Wars in Asia, i. 90. 102.
.
HEROES must not entirely engross my pen: as a naturalist, I must descend to speak of inferior subjects, of the little species of finch,
AMEDABAD FINCH.
which takes its name from
Amedabad,
see
Latham
iii. 311.
Edw.
tab. 335. It is the lest of the genus, remarkable for its beauty, and for a sweet but short note. They are often imported into
Europe.
The elegant squirrel, called the FAIR (Hist. Quad. ii. No 343.) is also an inhabitant of the woods of
Guzzerat.
THE flying MAUCAUCO (Hist. Quad. i. No 156.) is co-tenant of the same forests. It wholly inhabits the trees. In descending it spreads its membranes, and balances itself till it reaches the place it aims at; but in ascending, uses a leaping pace. Its food is the fruit of the country. This is the animal which
Abulfazul
calls a cat which will fly to a small distance
Ayeen Akberry, iii. 90.
.
THIS
Sircar,
says the
Ayeen,
ii. 76, is remarkable for the number and size of the mango trees, and the size of the fruit. There is an avenue of these trees from
Puttan
to
Berodeh,
a hundred coses, or a hundred and ninety
British
miles in length. The country is almost a forest in several districts, which gives shelter to multitudes of leopards.
FROM the river
Mihie
the coast waves to the south. After passing the small sound of
Amood,
succeeds that of
Barochia,
BAROCHIA, THE ANTIENT BARYGAZA.
at the end of which stands a city of the same name, derived from
Barygaza,
famed, in old times, as far the greatest port and
emporium
in all
India.
In 1616 the
English,
by the interest of Sir
Thomas Roe,
had permission to establish in this city a factory, which continues there till this day. By the year 1683 it had flourished so greatly, that the investment for
England
was not less than 55,000 pieces of
baftaes,
&c. of different sorts, manufactured in the neighborhood, and in quantity and fineness superior even to
Bengal
itself
Purchas, i. 547. Orme's Fragments, Notes, cxxxi. ii.
.
HERE was born
Zarmonachagas,
ZARMONACHAGAS.
who was in the train of the embassadors sent by a king of the title of
Porus
to
Augustus,
when he was at
Antioch. Strabo,
lib. XV. p. 1048, informs us that this person, who had all his life experienced the greatest felicity, determined to quit the stage before a change should happen to embitter his last days. At
Athens,
according to the custom of his country, he devoted himself to the funeral pile, and, with a smiling countenance, saw the flames surround him. On his tomb was inscribed — "
. Here lies ZARMONOCHAGAS an INDIAN from BARGOSA, who, according to the custom of the country of the INDIANS, put an end to his existence."
NUMBERS of antient
drachmae
have been found here,
COINS.
inscribed with
Greek
letters, and the names of
Apollodotes,
and of
Menander,
king of
Bactria
Menander was cotemporary with Antiochus the great.
, who also reigned in this part of
India,
and had, among other conquests, added
Pattalena
to his former dominions. He was so beloved by his subjects, that on his death there was a violent contest among several cities, which of them should have the honor of possessing his body. The matter was compromised by burning it, and dividing the ashes among the rival parties.
THE internal commerce of
Barygaza
in early times was as great as its naval.
TAGARA.
It carried on a vast trade with a great city, called
Tagara,
the present
Dowlatabad,
or
Dioghir,
about ten days journey, or a hundred miles to the south south-east of the former
Arrian. Mar. Erythr. ii. 171.
. To this city was brought, from all parts of the
Deccan,
every object of commerce, and from thence in carts conveyed to
Barygaza,
over steep and lofty mountains, meaning the eastern or
Balagaut
chain. About two thousand years ago it was the metropolis of a vast district, called
Ariaca,
which comprehended the modern
Aurangabad,
quite to the sea at
Bombay,
and the shores of
Concan.
Nor was this kingdom or
Rajaship
totally extinguished till the time of
Shah Jehan,
who terminated his reign in 1658
See Lieut. Wilford's curious disquisition on Tagara. Asiatic Researches, i. p. 365 to 375.
.
PLUTHANA was another coeval town of commerce, which had considerable intercourse with
Barygaza:
The roads to it were over the same mountains, but the distance greater, being a journey of twenty days, or two hundred and seventeen miles. This city was on the site of the present
Pultanah,
a little to the north of the river
Godavery,
in Long. 76° 2′ west, and Lat. 19° 5′.
Barygaza
was also a port to
Nehrwaleh,
a place I have described at p. 55. I shall here add nothing more than that the intervening was a carriage road, and quite level.
THE city of
Barochia
stands on a rising ground, surrounded with walls; it is washed by the
Nerbudda,
the antient
Namadus.
In the wars waged by
Aurengzebe,
in 1660, against his brothers, it sided with the latter. After a stout resistance, he took the place, put part of the citizens to the sword, and rased part of the walls, which he afterwards restored. It is now inhabited by weavers, and other manufacturers of cotton; the neighborhood producing the best in the world.
FINE COTTONS.
Nature seems to have furnished the hot climates with the cotton plant, in preference to flax or hemp; the manufacture of the former being far preferable in the torrid zone to linen. Cotton quickly absorbs the perspiration. Linen is notorious for remaining long wet, uncomfortable, and dangerous.
THE
Mahrattas
were masters of this city till
July
1773, when it was taken by our
Bombay
army, commanded by that most able and popular officer Colonel
Wedderburne,
who fell before the walls by a shot from a murdering species of musquet, called a
guinàl;
it is heavier and longer than the common, and has a larger bore, and placed on a rest for the sake of a surer aim
* Wars in Asia, i. 504.
. The natives can hit an orange with it at a hundred and fifty yards distance. The place was immediately after taken by storm, and the most horrible excesses committed by the troops in revenge of the death of their commander.
Barochia
was added to the
British
empire by the treaty of
Poonah,
but in 1782 was ceded to
Madajee Sindia,
a
Mahratta
chieftain
To be farther mentioned.
, in reward for his assisting us to make an advantageous peace, of which we were very undeserving.
THE
Nerbudda
flows in Lat. 23° 10′,
THE NERBUDDA.
Long. 82° 10′, out of the same lake with the
Saone,
and after running full seven hundred miles with a course nearly due west, falls into the sea near
Barochia.
The
Saone
flows out of the eastern end of the lake, and taking an eastern course, falls into the
Ganges,
in Lat. 25° 40′, and so forms a complete island of the southern part of
Hindoostan.
It is also the southern boundary of the division called
Hindoostan
Proper, as it is the northern of the
Deccan.
That word signisies the south, and is corrupted from the antient
Hindoo
word
Dachanos,
which has the same interpretation.
Arrian,
in his
Mar. Erythr.
ii. 171, mentions a great tract, stretching from
Barygaza
southward, called
Dachinabades.
FARTHER on is the port of
Swalley,
PORT OF SWALLEY.
where the
European
ships, bound for
Surat,
frequently anchor, being the port of that city, three leagues to the north of that river. There the articles of commerce are landed, and the exports shipped; but the entrance, without a pilot, is very hazardous, by reason of the shoals. Mr.
Herbert,
afterwards Sir
Thomas,
the accomplished attendant on
Charles
I. the last two years preceding his murder, found here, in
November
1616, six
English
ships; three of a thousand tons each, the other three of seven hundred each; a proof of the vast extent of our trade, so early after the commencement of our commerce.
I MUST not quit this place without dropping a tear over the grave of poor
Tom Coryate,
OF TOM CORYATE.
the most singular traveller
Britain,
or perhaps any other country, ever sent forth. He lies on the banks of the shore, near
Swalley,
where he finished his long peregrinations in
December
1617, during the time that the pious minister, the reverend
Edward Terrie,
chaplain to Sir
Thomas Roe,
was there.
Tom
was born in 1577, at
Odcomb,
in
Somersetshire.
After publishing, in 1611, his most laughable travels, styled
Coryate's Crudities,
prefaced by above forty copies of verses, by the waggish wits of the time (amongst which is one in the antient
British
language) he set out on his greater travels.
IN his
European
travels, he tells us that he walked nineteen hundred and seventy-five miles in one pair of shoes, and had occasion to mend them only once. On his return to
Odcombe,
he hung them up in the church, as a
donarium
for their bringing him safely home to his natal soil.
Encouraged by Sir
Paul Pindar,
whom he met with at
Constantinople
in 1612, he sailed for the
Levant,
visited
Greece, Troy, Smyrna,
and
Egypt;
made his pilgrimage to
Jerusalem;
had his arm tattowed with the mark of the cross; saw the
Dead
sea; from thence got to
Alexandrette,
from thence to
Aleppo;
arrived at
Nineveh
and
Babylon;
reached
Ispahan.
From thence he proceeded to
Candahar, Lahor,
and
Agra;
there he entertained the great
Mogul
with an el quent oration, in the
Persian
language, so much to the content of that monarch, that he bestowed on him a hundred
roupees.
Having a wonderful facility in languages, he had a trial of skill with our embassador's laundress, the greatest scold in all
Agra. Tom
attacked her in her own tongue, the
Hindoo,
at sun-rise, and silenced her by eight o'clock in the morning. He now hastened to the final conclusion of all his travels: he descended to
Surat,
where he was seized with a flux, that was increased by a treat of sack, given him by some
English
merchants. He was a very temperate man, but could not resist a favorite liquor, so unexpectedly falling in his way. More of him may be seen in Mr.
Terry
's Voyage, printed in 1665, a book of much entertainment.
HIS DEATH.
But here poor
Tom
fell, in 1617, and here he lies beneath an
Indian
soil, a second
Archytas.
Quanquam sestinas, non est mora longa; licebit
Injecto ter pulvere curras.
THE road of
Surat
is before the mouth of the river
Tapteè;
ROAD OF SURAT.
there ships anchor two leagues from shore, in ten fathoms, and on a muddy bottom. The tide rises about six yards. The mouth and channels of the river are intricate and dangerous; the goods which are brought are conveyed to
Surat
in hoys, yatchs, and country boats. Those from
Swalley
are carried by land, and wasted over opposite to the city.
THE
Tapteè
arises far remote, near
Maltoy,
in Lat. 21° 45′,
THE TAPTEE.
in the
Rajaship
of
Goondwaneh.
THE city of
Surat
stands in N. Lat. 21° 11′.
SURAT.
The Abbe
Raynal
speaks of it as a paltry fishing village, in the thirteenth century. I suspect it to have been of far earlier origin, and am confirmed in my opinion by the
Ayeen Akberry,
ii. 79, which informs us, that in antient times it had been a large city.
Raneer,
on the opposite side, is a port dependent on
Surat.
The
Portuguese
possessed
Surat
soon after their arrival in
India.
The first fort was built in 1524, but its increase and great prosperity arose from the settlements made there in 1603, by the
English
and
Dutch.
The
Portuguese
gave them every opposition possible. They once made a vigorous attack on the
English,
but were defeated with prodigious slaughter on their part, and a very trifling loss on that of our countrymen. It became the first trading city in
India,
and, in consequence of wealth, the first in luxury. In the latter end of the last century, the inhabitants were computed at two hundred thousand.
BESIDES the greatness of its commerce, it was celebrated for being the place at which the
Mahometan
subjects of the
Mogul
embarked, on their pilgrimage to
Mecca,
for which reason, in the archives of the empire,
Surat
is called the
Port of Mecca
Orme's Fragments, p. 16.
.
PORT OF MECCA.
A ship, one of the two which annually sail from
Surat
to
Arabia,
filled with devotees of the highest rank, and some of the first persons of the court of
Aurengzebe,
was taken in its passage, in the latter end of the last century, by the infamous pirate
Avery.
Among the passengers was a lady said to have been the daughter of the emperor. It proved a prize invaluable, in great sums of money, vessels of gold and silver, jewels, and rich habits; for usually they are as much laden with merchandize upon account of the
Mogul,
as upon that of the pilgrims; and their returns are so rich, that they make a part of the
European
trade for the merchandize of
Arabia Felix. Avery,
after plundering the ship of its wealth, dismissed it and all its passengers. This piracy for a time embroiled us with the
Mogul;
but the affair being explained as the act of a robber, he dismissed his anger against the
English
nation. In the beginning of the last century only one ship, great and clumsy, was employed on this religious-commercial business. It carried fourteen or fifteen hundred tons, and the richness of its lading, both in going out and in returning, was immense
Terry's Voy. p. 137.
. This is the most antient factory we have in
Hindoostan,
and all our vessels made for
Swalley,
or the road of
Surat,
for at one or other of those places all our countrymen landed, who intended to penetrate into the interior of the country. We find the illustrious names of
Roe, Herbert,
and
Shirly,
among the first of our countrymen who landed on these western shores.
SIR
Thomas Roe,
soon after his arrival, took his journey to the court of
Jehangìr,
then at
Azimere,
as we have related at p. 59. Some very remarkable places occur in his route, in which we shall attend him, till we rejoin him again at
Cheitor.
After leaving
Surat
he visited
Burhanpour,
a great city,
BURHANPOUR.
in Lat. 21° 30′, Long. 76° 19′ E. about two hundred and thirty miles east of
Surat,
on the
Tapteè,
the capital of
Candeish,
in the
Soubahship
of
Malwah,
still a large and flourishing city. He took a northern course, passed a high range of hills, and crossing the
Nerbudda
reached
Mundu,
or
Mundoo,
seated on the
Sepra,
MUNDU.
a river rising due north, near to
Cheitor.
This city was once the capital of
Malwah;
it is seated on a plain on the top of a lofty and steep mountain. It has many remains of antient magnificence; among others, the tombs of the
Kuljyan Sultans.
Here also is the tomb of the parricidal tyrant,
Massireddeen.
He is said to have peopled a city with women, and that all his officers were of that sex
Memoirs of Jehangìr, p. 114.
. About two miles from thence the
Moguls
had a palace, which Sir
Thomas Roe
visited, when
Jehangìr
was there.
Ougein
is a large city, seated on the banks of the same river,
OUGEIN.
some miles above.
Abulsazul
says it sometimes flows with milk. It probably flows through a stratum of white clay, which in floods might tinge its waters with white, like
The chalky
Wey
that rolls a milky wave
Pope's Windfor Forest.
.
It is supposed to have been the
Ozene
of
Arrian
's
Periplus Maris Erythraei,
the capital of a
Civitas Regia.
It is mentioned by
Arrian
as a place of vast commerce, not only in the productions of its own country, but of those of other parts; all which were transported to
Barygaza,
that vast
emporium,
near the mouth of the
Namasus.
Among other articles were
Onyxes, Murrhini,
or the stone from which the
Vasa Myrrhina,
or drinking cups, which the
Romans
set so great a value on, that
T. Petronius
had one which cost him £.3,415 of our money, were made
Plin. lib. xxx. c. 2.
. These cups received their value from their rich sculpture. Add to these muslins,
Molochinae,
cottons dyed of the color of mallow flowers, and a great quantity of common
Othonium,
or course
Dungarees.
Some articles, which we cannot interpret, were brought through the neighboring
Scythia,
or the
Indo-Scythia,
bordering on the
Indus.
I shall, in another place, give at one view the various articles mutually exchanged by the merchants of
India
and of
Europe
in antient times. I shall here only select a few singular gifts, sent as presents to the monarch of
Ozene,
such as musical instruments, silver vessels, and beautiful virgins for his majesty's
Zenana.
Even in those early times the merchants had their course of exchange, and made great profit by the change of the golden and silver
denarii,
for the money of the country
Arrian, Periplus, 170.
.
THE kingdoms of
Ougein,
MADAGEE SINDIA.
Agemir,
part of the
Malwah,
and
Candeish,
is now in possession of the enterprizing
Mahratta, Madagee Sindia,
who makes the capital of the first his residence. He was originally a
Jaghiredar
of the
Poonah Mahrattas:
a
Jaghire
means a grant of land from a sovereign to a subject, revokable at pleasure, but generally, or almost always, for a life rent.
Sindia
flung off his dependency, and makes quick advances to considerable sovereignty.
WE have the evidence of
Jehangìr,
LIONS.
and the reverend
Edward Terry,
that in their days the province of
Malwah
abounded with lions.
Jehangìr
records, that he had killed several; and Mr.
Terry
mentions his having been frequently terrified by them, in his travels through the vast woods and wildernesses of the country
Memoirs of Jehangìr, p. 43.—Terry's Voy. p. 194, 196.
; whether they exist at present is doubtful, being animals at lest very rare at this time. But to return.
SURAT is a city of toleration, all sects are indulged in the free exercise of their religion. Fanaticism, in all its extravagance, reigns here, amidst the various casts of
Hindoos;
and here are practised all the dreadful austerities, and strange attitudes of the self-tormentors we have so often read of. Here the
Persees
exert their zealous worship to the pure element of fire,
THE PERSEES.
according to the doctrine of their great founder. Near the city they have their repositories for the dead. They admit not of interment; they place the corpses on a platform, on the summit of a circular building, exposed to birds of prey. The friends watch the bodies, and wait with eagerness till one of the eyes is plucked out. If the right is plucked out, they go away, secure of the happiness of the departed spirit; if the left, they deplore its eternal misery.
I SHALL not attempt to enumerate the articles of commerce of
Surat.
In its most prosperous state it was the
emporium
of all the produce of
India
and
Arabia,
and of all the produce of
Europe
and
Asrica,
wanted by the luxurious
Asiatics.
GREAT MERCHANTS.
A
Mahometan
merchant, living in 1690, had at once twenty large ships, from 300 to 800 tons; none freighted at less expence than ten thousand pounds, many as high as twenty-five thousand. The extent of the
Indian
or country trade is evident here, by the numerous fleets which frequently turn in.
Nicbuhr,
who was at
Surat
in 1764, speaks in high terms of its flourishing state, which probably may have revived equal to that of its best days
Tom. ii. 41 to 62.
.
WE have still a considerable factory here;
ENGLISH FACTORY.
and to this great
emporium
of trade, on the western side of
India,
are sent, by different routes, the rich manufactures of
Cachemere,
particularly shawls. Unwrought cotton is the principal article of exportation; besides this, numberless kinds of manufactured cotton, made in the neighborhood, and the various manufactures of
Cambay, Barochia, Brodera,
&c. centre in
Surat,
and are included in its exports. I know of no medicinal articles, either the produce of, or exported from
Surat.
The surrounding country abounds with wheat, equal in goodness with that of
Europe
Hamilton i. p. 161.
. This valuable grain seldom grows farther South than this latitude, and I think never exceeds that of 20°. Our factory there consists of a Chief, (who is always one of the council of
Bombay)
two or three gentlemen, as counsellors to him, and four or five inferior servants of the company, as clerks; in all, perhaps, eight or ten
Europeans.
Our trade to and from
Surat
is very extensive, and our political influence is very considerable, since we got the government of the Castle by a grant from the
Mogul;
we likewise receive, jointly with the
Mahrattas,
and the
Nabab,
or governor, the amount of all the import and export duties; and, for the maintenance of two or three companies of sepoys, to garrison the castle, we have a
Jaghire
in lands which yields a handsome revenue. The country in the neighborhood of
Surat,
is partly subject to the
Mahrattas,
and partly to some small tribes. The
Nabab
's authority extends little beyond the city.
IV.
Yeek Tree.
ALL our factories from
Tatta
to
Anjengo,
and also those in the gulph of
Persia
(if we have any that remain), and that at
Bassora,
are subordinate to the presidentship of
Bombay.
THE ships are built of the
Teek-wood,
TEEK WOOD.
the
Tektona grandis
of
Linnaeus, Suppl.
p. 151,
Hort. Malab.
iv. 57. tab. 27,
Plant. Coromandel,
i. p. 10. No 6. a vast tree, both in height and bulk, of the
Pentandria Monogynia
class. It grows in extensive forests, along the hills, at the foot of the
Ghaut
mountains, and to the north and north-east of
Bassein,
and is readily brought down the various streams that flow from them, on the river
Goodaverie,
on the
Coromandel
coast; in
Barmah,
north of
Pegu;
in the isle of
Sumatra,
and possibly in many other places. The property of this timber, in resisting the worm, renders it invaluable; yet it has been neglected by the non-application of it for the building our ships of war. The words of that very intelligent writer Mr.
Rennel,
will best convey the idea of the importance of this invaluable tree.
I CANNOT close this account without remarking the unpardonable negligence we are guilty of, in delaying to build teek ships of war for the use of the
Indian
seas. They might be freighted home, without the ceremony of regular equipment, as to masts, sails, and furniture, which might be calculated just to answer the purpose of the home passage at the best season; and crews could be provided in
India.
The letter annexed, which was written with the best intentions, nine or ten years ago, will explain the circumstances of the case.
VAST DURATION.
Teek ships of forty years old and upwards, are no uncommon objects in the
Indian
seas; while an
European
built ship is ruined there in five years. The ships built at
Bombay
are the best, both in point of work manship and materials, of any that are constructed in
India:
and although fourth rates only are mentioned in the letter, there is no doubt but that third rates may be constructed, as there is a choice of timber. The
Spaniards
build capital ships in their foreign settlements. The
East India
Company have a teek ship on her fourth voyage at present, which ship has wintered in
England,
therefore any objection founded on the effects of frost on the teek timber, is done away.
FREQUENT have been the opportunities I have had of observing how very rapid the decay of ships built of
European
timber is in the
East Indies;
and, on the contrary, how durable the ships are, that are built of the wood of that country; namely, the teek, which may not improperly be styled
Indian
oak. The number of ships of war that were ruined in those seas during the late war (1757 to 1762) may be admitted as a proof of the former remark; and the great age of the ships built in
India
may serve to prove the latter. What I mean to infer from this, for your Lordship's use is, that ships of war under third rates may be constructed in
India,
and with moderate repairs last for ages; whereas a ship of
European
construction can remain there but a very few years; to which disadvantage may be added, that of losing, in the mean time, the services of the ships that are sent to relieve the worn out ones.
THE
Britannia,
of seven hundred tons, which was built of
teek,
made several voyages to
Europe.
V.
Poon, or Mast Tree.
THE
Poon
tree,
Uvaria altissima
of
Koenig,
POON, OR MAST TREE.
serves for the masts; its chief excellence is its straightness, and its lightness; it is tolerably strong, but unless great care is taken to keep the ends dry, it is apt to rot. It grows to the height of sixty feet? My good old friend Doctor
Patrick Russel
See a full account of this great Botanist, in the Preface to the Plants of Coromandel, by Dr. Patrick Russel.
shewed me a branch of this species, and told me it was called in
India
the
Mast
tree. M.
Sonnerat,
ii. p. 233, tab. 131, gives a figure of it, under the name of
L'Arbre de Mâture.
Surat
for a long time was open to every attack; nor was the fortification attended to till after it was taken and plundered, in 1664, by the famous
Sevatjee.
SEVATJEE, FOUNDER OF.
The
English
and
Dutch
stood on the defensive, and were left unmolested. The Governor deserted the place, and retired into the castle; besides that, it had no other protection than a mud wall. After the retreat of the free-booters, the citizens requested of
Aurengzebe,
that he would seoure them with a wall; accordingly one was built, taking in a space of four miles in circuit. It was of brick, eight yards high, with round bastions, and on each were five or six cannons.
Europeans
are surprised to hear of the extent of an
Indian
city, but they must be told that, besides their towns being very populous, every house consists but of one floor, which makes them occupy more ground; besides that, every house is attended with a great garden, a requisite, as most of the food of the
Indians
is vegetable.
Sevatjee
was founder of the
Mahratta
kingdom we so often hear mentioned.
THE MAHRATTAS.
The name is derived from
Mahrat,
the province in which he first established his independency. This hero derived his lineage from the
Rajahs
of
Chietore,
who pretend that their descent is from
Porus.
He took advantage of the troubles which arose in his time in the kingdom of
Visiapour,
and again, during the wars between
Aurengzebe
and his brothers. He extended his conquests from
Baglana,
near
Surat,
to the
Portuguese
districts near
Goa,
a little beyond the foot of the
Ghauts.
His capital was
Poonah,
an open town, but he kept his archives at
Poorundar,
a place of vast strength, a fortress on the summit of a mountain; he died in 1680. His successors extended their conquests, or rather their inroads, all over
Hindoostan;
and even compelled the great
Mogul
to pay them a
chout,
or tribute, to save his subjects from future calamities.
FROM time to time they extended their dominions to a vast magnitude,
THEIR GOVERNMENT.
and divided them into two empires, that of
Poonah,
or the western, and
Berar,
or the eastern. The first is divided again among a number of chieftains, who pay just as much obedience as they like to a
Paishwah,
or head, whom Mr.
Rennel
justly compares to the emperor of
Germany,
and the chieftains to the princes of that great body; they often quarrel with him, and often among themselves, and never are united, but by the apprehension of a common danger. Their empires extend from
Guzerat
to near the banks of the
Ganges,
and southerly to the northern borders of the dominions of
Tippoo Sultan.
Their forces consist of two hundred thousand foot and horse, and the same number in garrison
Rennel, cxxviii.
. In their inroads they come in clouds, and spread desolation far and wide.
A NEW empire is springing out of these people;
Madajee Sindia, a Jaghiredar
of the
Mahratta
states (of
Poonah
) or mere landholder, is now successfully conquering for himself. Since the year 1783 he has extended his frontiers from
Malwa
towards the
Jumna,
possessed himself of the strong fortress of
Guallior,
and even gives a pension to the unhappy
Mogul Shah Allum,
who fled to him for protection, after having his eyes put out by a savage
Rohilla
chieftain, on whom
Sindia
revenged the cruelty by putting him to a most excruciating death. Such is the sunk state of the representative of the mighty emperors of
Hindoostan. Sindia
resides at
Ougein,
in Lat. 23° 14′, a little north of the
Nerbudda
river.
ABOUT the year 1740
Ram Rajah,
a weak prince, succeeded to the throne of the
Mahratta
empire
Same, lxxxii. iv.
. His two ministers agreed to divide his kingdom; after which it became separated into two, in the manner we have described
Same, lxxxii. iv.
. The same species of war was continued, and for a long time they carried their plundering excursions to a great distance. At one time they sent forth two armies of horsemen, consisting of eighty thousand each
Same, lxxxv.
. They poured like a deluge, in 1743, over the low countries west of the
Ganges,
and exercised their gothic rage against every thing animate, and inanimate; the most elegant works of art fell before their brutal fury. The
English
were often involved in war with them. In 1783 peace was concluded, at the expence of all the conquests made by
Goddard.
We retained only the isle of
Salsette,
and a few isles within the gulph of
Bombay.
THE marches of these barbarians are admirably described by the author of the memoirs of the late war in
Asia,
p. 281, vol i. It relates to the armies of
Ayder Alli,
but applies equally to the military of all the powerful chieftains of
India.
"It may," says the ingenious writer,
perhaps afford some measure of gratification to
European
curiosity, to be informed that the undisciplined troops of
Asia,
generally inflamed with
bang,
and other intoxicating drugs, pour forth, as they advance, a torrent of menacing and abusive language on their adversaries. Every expression of contempt and aversion, every threat, fitted to make an impression of terror, or to excite ideas of horror, that custom readily presents, or inventive fancy can suggest, accompanies the utmost ferocity of looks, voice, and gesture. A murmuring sound, with clouds of dust, announce their approach, while they are yet at the distance of several miles. As they advance, their accents are more and more distinctly heard, until at last, with their eyes fixed and weapons pointed at some individual, they devote him, with many execrations, to destruction, giving his flesh, like the heroes in
Homer,
and the
Philistine
warriors, to the dogs, and the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field. The numbers of the
Asiatic
armies, the ferocity of their manner, and the novelty of their appearance, would unnerve and overcome the hearts of the small
European
bodies that are opposed to them in the field of battle, if experience had not sufficiently proved how much the silence of discipline excels barbarian noise; and uniformity of design and action, the desultory efforts of brutal force, acting by starts, and liable to the contagion of accidental impression.
THE land, from the mouth of the river of
Surat,
CAPE ST. JOHN.
makes a slight curvature as far as Cape
St. John,
or the
Baryagazenum Promontorium.
From this Cape, as far as
Bombay
(according to our
East India
pilot) the coast is skirted with islands, divided from the continent, and from each other, by very narrow channels. To the north of it is
Damoon,
a strong place, possessed,
DAMOON.
in the last century, by the
Portuguese,
but now in a most ruinous state. It was once besieged by
Aurengzebe,
who had determined to take it by storm, and fixed on a
Sunday
for the attack, thinking that the
Christians,
like the
Jews,
would on that day make no resistance. The Governor, an old soldier, caused mass to be said at midnight; then made a sally with all his cavalry, and a strong body of infantry, into a quarter guarded by two hundred elephants; he knew the dread those animals had of fire: he assailed them with fire-works. The distracted beasts, in the darkness of the night, and without their governors, rushed on their own forces, which put the army into such disorder, that before morning, half was cut to pieces by the
Portuguese,
and, in consequence, the siege raised.
THE tract that borders on the sea,
CONCAN.
from
Bombay
even as far as
Soonda,
in Lat. 15°, is called
Concan.
This was the
Lymirica
of
Arrian,
ii. 171, a coast full of ports, of which he enumerates several; it once formed part of the kingdom of
Visiapour.
At the partition teaty it was confirmed to the
Mahrattas,
who now possess a line of coast of three hundred miles in extent; out of which the
English
possess
Bombay
and its adjacent isles, and the strong hold of
Victoria:
and the
Portuguese, Goa,
and the antient domain belonging to that once famous
emporium.
The part of the
Concan
next to the sea is low, but at a small distance inland rises into vast strength. It is guarded by the celebrated mountains the
Ghauts,
which rise to a surprising height, and oppose to the west a mural front with
Ghauts,
THE GHAUTS.
i. e. passes. They are the same which the
Welsh
call a
Bwlch.
From the word
Ghaut
the whole chain derives its name. They give entrance into the lofty, fertile, and populous plains of boundless view, which they support in the manner as buttresses do a terrace, formed on an immense scale. These run not remote from the sea from
Surat
to Cape
Comorin,
at some places seventy miles distant, but generally forty, and in one place they advance to within six. They have lesser hills at their bases, clothed with forests, particularly of the valuable
teek.
The plains are blest, from their situation, with a cool and healthy air. From the sides of the mountains precipitate magnificent cataracts, forming torrents, the means of facilitating the conveyance of the timber, and giving a thousand picturesque scenes amidst the forests.
THE
Ghauts
are distinguished into the western and the eastern.
EASTERN, &c.
The first extend, as I have described, uninterruptedly from
Surat
to the pass of
Palicaudchery,
when near
Coimbetore
they suddenly turn, deeply undulating to the north. Then, at the pass of
Gujethetty,
wind north and north-easterly as high as
Amboor
and
Mugglee,
the last about eighty miles due west of
Madras.
From hence they are not, by reason of the numbers of branches, sufficiently marked on the maps: they seem to take a northerly course, to comprehend
Aurungabad,
to cross the
Tapteè,
and continue westerly, at irregular distances from the river, till they arrive at a certain space from
Surat.
THE whole chain, especially in the
Concan,
seems a connected wall, inaccessible to the summit, unless by paths worked by the hand of man, and is not to be ascended even by a single traveller, without the fatiguing labor of many hours; horrible precipices, roaring cataracts, and frequent reverberating echoes, terrify the passenger on each side; often violent gusts arise, and hurry men and cattle into the black immeasurable abyss. Having attained the summit, the trouble is repaid by the magnificent prospect to the west, of the far subjacent country, broken into hills, and clothed with beautiful vegetation; the coast, the islands, and the immensity of ocean.
THESE
Indian Appenines
mark with precision the limits of the winter and summer,
SEASONS.
or rather the wet and dry seasons, in
India.
They extend thirteen degrees of latitude, from
Surat
to Cape
Comorin.
They arrest the great body of clouds in their passage, and, according to the
Monsoons,
or periodical winds from the north-east or south-west, give, alternately, a dry season to one side, and a wet one to the other; some clouds do pass over, and give a rainy season, but at a very considerable distance to the leeward; being too high and too light to condense and fall in rain, within a small distance of this great range.
IN Lat. 18° 58″ is a very considerable bay, filled with islands,
BAY OF BOMBAY.
well known by the name of
Bombay,
which forms the best and most secure harbour in
India.
This, as well as every part of this coast, was the usurped property of the
Portuguese;
but the greatest part of this extremity was wrested from them by the
Mahrattas;
a few places they retained for some time, but at length all fell under the power of the new usurpers. Among the places was
Bassein,
BASSEIN.
which had been taken by
Nugns d'Acugna,
viceroy of
India,
in 1555, and by him strongly fortified. It was in our days seized by the
Mahrattas,
and again, in 1780, by the
English,
under General
Goddard,
who restored it to its late masters by the treaty of 1782.
DOCTOR
Fryer,
who visited this city about the year 1670, when it was in possession of the
Portuguese,
speaks of it as a very considerable place, having six churches, four convents, a college of
Jesuits,
and another of
Franciscans.
ABOUT twenty miles from
Bassein,
VISRABUY.
inland, is
Visrabuy,
famous for its hot wells, which are in high esteem for their medicinal virtues, and accounted, by the
Hindoos,
of great sanctity.
THE principal isle is that of
Salsette,
ISLE OF SALSETTE.
which is divided from the continent by a very narrow channel; it is about fifteen miles in circumference, and rich in fruits and vegetables. General
Goddard
included this island in his other conquests. It was wisely retained on the conclusion of the peace, and confirmed to us by the last peace, together with some little isles or rocks that lay within the important bay.
Salsette
was gallantly defended by an old man of ninety-two, who, being summoned to surrender, answered, "He was not sent for that purpose." It was not till he was slain in a bloody assault that the place was taken, but at the price of four hundred of our grenadiers. The capture gave fresh security and importance to the isle of
Bombay.
THAT island was part of the portion given to
Charles
II.
ISLAND OF BOMBAY.
with his Queen, in 1662. His Majesty sent, in 1661,
James Ley,
Earl of
Marlborough,
a most experienced sailor, with a strong fleet, to receive it from the
Portuguese.
This nobleman was killed soon after his return, in the bloody sea fight against the
Dutch
in 1665. "He was," says
Clarendon,
a man of wonderful parts in all sorts of learning, which he took more delight in than in his title
Lord Clarendon's Life, ii. 508.—Anderson's Dict. ii. 119.
.
Charles,
in 1668, granted the island to the
East India
Company, under a rent of ten pounds in gold, payable annually at the Custom-house at
London.
ITS length is about seven miles; it is flat, and at first was extremely unwholesome, insomuch, that
two monsoons at
Bombay
is the age of a man,
became here a proverb; but by draining, and by prohibiting the use of putrid fish for manuring the coco trees, it is rendered tolerably healthy, and is become the great port and ship yard of the
English
in
India;
three hundred sail can at one time lie here in safety.
ON the isle is the town, the docks, and arsenal,
TOWN, DOCKS, &c.
seated in Lat. 18° 58″ N. Long. 72° 40″ E. strongly fortified; and behind them the
Dungeree
town for the natives. When the
Portuguese
ceded this place to us, it had only ten thousand inhabitants. By our mild government, in 1764 it increased to sixty thousand. Abbe
Raynal
gives this island a hundred thousand inhabitants, of which seven or eight thousand are sailors. Mr.
Ives
calls it the grand storehouse of all the
Arabian
and
Persian
commerce. The
Arabs
still keep up a considerable trade in ships of a thousand tons, either
Indian
built, or old
Indiamen
bought from the company. One article is the
Kasmish
raisin, a species without stones, brought from
Kasmish,
an isle in the
Persian
gulph. The exports from
India
are chiefly cottons, &c. to a great amount; but the trade between these parts and the
Persian
and
Arabian
gulphs, has of late been much injured by caravans crossing the isthmus of
Bassora,
conducted by the
Syrians
themselves. The whole bay is full of shoals or rocks, yet with channels of sufficient depth of water for the skilful pilate to bring in securely the largest ships; and here, even our military fleets find conveniencies for heaving down and refitting. Admiral
Watson,
and again Admiral
Hughes,
found here every species of naval store; here his Majesty's ships winter and refit.
ALTHOUGH
Bombay
is a place of very great trade, it is wholly as a magazine; its native productions are nothing in the account,
SHIP-BUILDING.
unless you reckon ship-building. There the finest merchant ships in the world are built, and all of Teek. The durability of this timber is beyond belief, greater than that of our best
English
oak; it resists the worm longer than any other; but whether this be owing to the nature of the timber itself, or to the cement with which the plank is joined and covered, I cannot tell.
Surat
or
Bombay
built ships will certainly last threescore years (some say many more), in which time, however, they are generally doubled once or twice, so that the sides of an old ship are as thick as the walls of an house. Much is likewise said of the number of years they sometimes run without having occasion to use a pump; but of this I cannot speak with certainty. All the repairs are effected by native carpenters, and all the ships, even the largest, are built by them, and in a simplicity of manner which would astonish an
European
workman. M.
Sonnerat,
i. tab. 18, represents the
Indian
with all the powers of his art. The neighboring mountains supply them with
teek-wood, Bengal
with iron and hemp, and the adjacent forests with pines for masts.
Bombay
is also the great depôt of artillery, arms, and ammunition, and all the means of furnishing an army. Here is also a considerable military establishment, at present under the command of Sir
Robert Abercromby,
K. B. President of
Bombay,
Governor and Commander in Chief. From hence marched the force destined to assist in the reduction of the tyrant
Tippoo Sultan,
and to give peace to the southern part of this vast continent.
A MOST unfortunate expedition took its departure from this place in 1779;
EXPEDITIONS FROM BOMBAY.
at which period it had not the happiness of being under the rule of a HASTINGS. A little time before,
Roganaut Row,
a
Mahratta
chieftain, fled from his country, and put himself under the protection of this presidency. He had been guardian to the young
Paishwa, Naron Row,
his own nephew. In the numbers of intrigues that infested the state of
Poonah,
a conspiracy was formed against the youth. A band of assassins were employed to murder him.
Roganaut,
better known by the name of
Ragobah,
was at the time confined in prison. The nephew flew to seek safety in his arms. In that case he would have been safe, but he could only fling himself at his feet. The youth was murdered. The uncle exchanged his prison for the
Paishwa-ship.
Fresh conspiracies arose, and
Roganaut
forced to fly to the
English
for protection
Account of Bombay, p. 48. 65.
. Aspiring to the office, he flattered the
English
with vast advantages in case they espoused his cause; and soon prevaled on them to commence hostilities.
Salsette, Baroach,
and other places fell before them. The treaty of
Poorunder,
in 1774, secured those places to us for a time. In a little space war broke out again, fomented by
Roganaut,
assisted by our fears of the
French,
who were busy in their intrigues at the court of
Poonah.
In 1778 a small army,
UNDER EGERTON.
under the command of Brigadier General
Egerton,
assisted by a field committee, ever embarrassing, from the days of the Duke of
Marlborough
to the present, was sent with him to advise, or rather to perplex the commanders. The army, which consisted of not quite four thousand men, crossed the bay to
Uptah
river, marched by
Panwel, Campooly,
and up the
Bhore Ghaut
to
Candolah,
which we found unoccupied: the object was
Poonah.
They reached the once fair city of
Tullingaum,
on
January
1779. It had been burnt the night before, by the
Mahrattas
themselves, who appeared covering the plains, numerous as the sands of the sea. They made frequent attacks on our army, and destroyed several gallant officers, and numbers of our
European
soldiers, and
Sepoys.
We made a quick retreat to the village of
Worgaum.
From thence our field committee sent a flag of truce, and offer of treaty. It was accepted, on condition that we were to relinquish our past conquests of
Salsette,
and other places; to give up
Roganaut
and two of the field committee as hostages, and to send orders to General
Goddard,
on full march with the
Bengal
army, to return instantly home.
Goddard
received the humiliating orders,
UNDER GODDARD.
but rejected them with indignation, and continued his route, marked in every place with glory and victory
See the history of this disgraceful business, in a little 4to. pamphlet, published at Brecknock in 1794, entitled, The Expedition of Tullingaum, &c. and the War in Asia, i. p. p. 11. 65. 69.
.
IN
January
1781, after the conquest of
Bassein,
that able officer assembled his troops at
Vizrabuy,
and in order to make a diversion in favor of
Madras,
then in imminent danger, advanced to
Campooly,
and from thence to
Candolah,
which the enemy had possessed themselves of in great force, but they soon were driven from their arduous station. It should seem that
Tullingaum
had been rebuilt since the last expedition, for the General found it just burnt, and
Poonah
filled with combustibles, ready for the same fate. He found an army of seventy thousand horse and foot, ready to oppose his little body of six thousand; yet such was the terror of the foe, that they again burnt the town of
Tullingaum.
An
Indian
town is as soon rebuilt as destroyed; and every preparation was made for burning
Poonah,
by filling the houses with straw, and removing the inhabitants to the strong hold of
Sattarah.
Thus circumstanced, our General thought proper to retreat, in order to assist, with part of his forces, his friends then besieged in
Tellicherry,
by
Sardar Khan,
a general of
Ayder Alli
's. This movement was conducted with such secrecy and skill, that the whole of the artillery and heavy stores reached the foot of the pass in safety, and without the smallest interruption from the enemy, who were astonished, on the morning of the 18th of
April,
to find that our post at
Can dolah
had been deserted during the preceding night. Ten thousand of the bravest undisciplined infantry in
Hindoostan,
followed him to the subjacent country; they consisted of
Arabs
and
Sindies,
who attempted to harass him in his march, but in vain: He repelled every attack with great slaughter. His own loss consisted only of a few camp followers and common soldiers. I observe at this time
Hurry Punt,
afterwards our friend in the campaigns in the
Mysore,
in 1792, among the hostile commanders.
Goddard
returned with fresh laurels to
Bombay,
which even want of success could not sere.
BESIDES the two islands I have mentioned,
ELEPHANTA, &c.
scattered over the found are several others, such as
Caranja, Elephanta, Hog, Butcher,
and
Green
island; most of them very small; but all of them rising in one part or other into a lofty hill.
OPPOSITE to
Caranja
stood the antient
Calliana
of
Arrian,
CALLIANA.
ii. 171, a famous and much frequented
emporium.
It had been a common port to all nations till the
Romans
made a conquest of
Egypt:
after which they prohibited every country from entering the
Red
sea, and monopolized all the trade of
India:
every port on this coast was shut against foreigners, and that of
Calliana
is particularized by
Arrian.
The remains of that city were observed by Doctor
Fryer.
But what gives this neighborhood great celebrity, is the vast caverns, the works of very old times, discovered in the isles of
Salsette,
and of
Elephanta,
and of certain other places hereafter to be pointed out.
FAMOUS CAVERNS.
The celebrated M. NIEBUHR, who visited those caves, and those in
Salsette,
in 1764, has given numbers of elegant plates of the various figures, attended with descriptions. See his second volume of Travels, p. 25 to 33. Mr.
Gough
has also published a most elaborate account of these wonderful caves, printed by
John Nichol,
in 1785.—Finally, descriptions may be found in the viith and viiith volumes of the
Archaelogia,
by the pen of Messrs.
Mackneil, Hunter, Pyke,
and
Boon.
The accounts are of considerable length, drawn up with great accuracy, and attended with figures of the principal antiquities. Vast hills have been excavated by human art, most probably for religious purposes. Mr.
Ives
gives the ground plan of that at
Elephanta,
by which it appears to be a hundred and eighty feet, by a hundred and fifty in dimensions: part is supported by vast pillars, of a rounded form, swelling at the middle, resting on a square base: on the summit of which, at each corner, is a sitting ape. In the entrance are left pillars, nearly similar, but plain, and without figures.
THE inside is divided into several square apartments, the greatest propt by the pillars above described, and is a hundred and four feet square. At each angle it is divided into three small square rooms; and at one of the entrances within (for there are three) is another, all, perhaps, chapels. These are expressed in Mr.
Pyke
's plan.
IN every cave, described by these curious travellers, are most amazing numbers of sculptures, all cut out of the live rock, of human figures, extravagant deities, monsters, animals, foliage, and all that can astonish and bewilder the imagination. Many represent idols of the
Indian
mythology, figures half beast and half man; many faces and many hands to the same sculpture; and often the
Cobra de Capello,
that dreadful snake, which is attendant on several of the incarnations of
Vistchenou.
A fish is one, which assists to explain the object of the sculptures and uses of the excavations.
THESE caverns are the haunts of monstrous serpents.
Hamilton,
i. 239, tells us, that on firing his fusil, to enjoy the thundering echo of the report, he disturbed a
Boa,
fifteen feet in length, and two feet in girth, from its antient seat, which put the traveller to speedy flight, and an end to his curiosity.
MOST of the figures are colossal, from twelve to twenty-three feet high. Some of them, with all their extravagancies, are said to be finely executed: many are cross leg'd, in their attitude of prayer; many have rosaries, which prove that these places were objects of devotion.
THE woman with three faces and four arms is engraven in Mr.
Pyke
's account. I beg leave to make a few remarks on that figure: round her neck are five necklaces, rich in pearls and gems, with pendent jewels; her hair is long, and hangs in beautiful ringlets; her ears (not her ear-rings as they are called) hang to a vast length, exactly in the
Malabar
mode; and her headdress is conic, in the
Chinese
fashion, which might have been in use in early times. The last is dropt; the strange deformity of long ears are still retained: so far is certainly of eastern sculpture.
BUT what can be said to the figures found in another cave, in the neighborhood of
Bombay,
not expressed by name: they are engraven in volume vii. of the
Archaelogia;
some have the sausage curl, others the cochlear twirl, in the hair, and others the rich braid of pearl; all resembling, in some degree, the fantastic variety in the head-dresses of the
Roman
ladies, without the lest trace of
oriental
fashion.
I SHALL conclude with saying, that the cave of
Elephanta
takes its name from an elephant, with a lesser on its back, cut on the outside of the cave; and in a passage is the rude figure of a horse, called that of
Alexander
the Great, to whom the
Indians
attribute these mighty works, as we
Welsh
do every thing stupendous to our favorite
Arthur.
I mention this tradition to shew its great antiquity, as well as that of the excavations themselves.
Arrian,
in his
Periplus maris Erythraei,
ii. 166, says that there were near
Barygaza,
foundations of camps, antient chapels, altars, and
, great wells, all attributed to the
Macedonian
hero.
THE idols mentioned here are quite diminutive to some in the
Soobahship
of
Cashmere,
in recesses excavated in the mountain, which are called (says the
Ayeen,
ii. 208)
Surnmii,
and are pretended to have been the winter retreat of the antient inhabitants; one of the figures was eighty ells high; there was a woman of fifty, and a child of fifteen. In one of these
Surnmii
was found a tomb, and in that a coffin; in which was a corpse preserved by medical preparations: one would suppose that the customs of the
Tartars
had been observed in this place, and burning the bodies at that time not in use.
THE method of travelling which begins at
Surat,
TRAVELLING IN INDIA.
and is continued through most parts of
India,
is by oxen. The ox supplies the use of the horse; the smaller sort serve as pads, the larger are used in drawing a kind of carriage called a hackerie. The beasts are commonly white, have black noses, and large perpendicular horns: they are also remarkable, like most other
Indian
and
African
cattle, for a hunch rising between the shoulders. Those of
Guzerat
are most remarkably large, and in great request through most parts of
India.
The hunch is highly esteemed as a delicacy, salted and boiled. When they are fitted for the saddle or the draft, a cord, and sometimes a piece of wood is passed through the nose from nostril to nostril, and a cord extended from each end, as a bridle. M.
Sonnerat,
vol. i. tab. 7, gives a print of the
Hackerie,
or
Gari,
as it is called in
India,
and all its apparatus. In
England,
if these creatures are forced out of their usual slow pace, it is too well known that they will faint, or lie down under their burthen; but at
Bombay,
they trot and gallop as naturally as horses, and are equally as serviceable in every other respect, except that, by their being subject to a loose habit of body, they sometimes incommode the traveller by the filth thrown upon him by the continual motion of their tails. Whenever they get to the end of the journey, the driver always alights, and puts the near bullock in the other's place; then he puts his hand into both their mouths, and after pulling out the froth, mounts his box again and drives back. It seems this precaution is absolutely necessary, for as they travel at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour, they would otherwise be in danger of suffocation.
BESIDES the large species which I have engraven in vol. i. tab. ii. of my
Hist. Quadr.
is a diminutive species, tab. iii, common at
Surat,
not bigger than a large dog, which has a fierce look, but is trained to draw children in their little carts. I have been informed, that a bull and cow from, I believe the
Tanjore
country, have been imported into
England,
the height of the first not exceeding nineteen inches, and of the last not eighteen.
BEING on the subject of animals,
SHEEP.
I shall mention a species of the next genus, the sheep. That called
Cabrito
by the
Portuguese,
is a very long legged kind, and of a very disgusting appearance. At
Goa
it is sometimes saddled and bridled, and serves instead of a poney, and will carry a child of twelve years of age.
ABOUT
Bombay
is found the squirrel,
Hist. Quadr.
ii. No 336, known by the name of the place; it is very large, and of a purple color.
I MUST now digress to a very different class.
SERPENTS.
The tribe of snakes is very numerous in
India.
I think their great historiographer,
M. de la Cepede,
enumerates forty-four species already known. I shall only mention the most curious: I am uncertain whether they are quite local. Mr.
Ives
speaks of some found in this island or neighborhood; the
Cobra Capello
I shall describe some time hence. Mr.
Ives
relates, that the
Cobra Manilla
is only a foot long, of a bluish color, haunting old walls. Its bite is as fatal as that of the
Cobra Capello,
which kills in the space of a quarter of an hour. The
Cobra de Aurellia
is only six inches long, and not thicker than the quill of a crow; it is apt to creep into the ear, and occasion death by madness. The sand snake is small, but not less fatal than the others. The
Palmira,
with a viperine head, and varied body, is four feet long, yet in no part thicker than a swan's quill.
AMONG the variety of beautiful shells found on the coast,
TURBO SCALARIS.
is the noted
Turbo Scalaris,
or
Wentle-trap,
a shell seldom an inch and a quarter long, of a pearly color, and with about seven spires, each having several elegant ridges, crossing them from the first spire to the last; a sine representation of the winding staircase. A painter I knew, filled with the
Concha-mania,
once gave fifty-six guineas for three of them, one alone he valued at twenty-five.
SOME few other things, respecting the natural history of
Bombay
and its neighborhood, may be here taken notice of. The diseases of
India
begin to shew themselves in this place,
BARBIERS, A DISEASE.
but I shall only attend to the
Barbiers,
which is more prevalent on this side of the peninsula of
India
than the other. It is a palsy, which takes its name from
Beriberii,
or the sheep, as the afflicted totter in their gait like that animal when seized with a giddiness. Its symptoms are both a numbness, a privation of the use of the limbs, a tremor, and an attendant titillation usually not fatal, but extremely difficult of cure. It comes on slowly, and usually in the rainy season; but if a person drinks hastily, when heated, a large draught of
Toddy,
or the liquor of the coco nut, the attack of the disease is very sudden.
Bontius, (English
edition, p. 1), treats largely of the cure. He recommends strongly baths or somentations of the
Nochile
of the
Malabars,
or
Lagondi
of the
Malays,
or the
Jasminum Indicum.
THE phoenomenon of small fish appearing in the rainy season,
FISHES FALLING ON LAND.
in places before dry, is as true as it is surprising. The natives begin to fish for them the tenth day after the first rains, and they make a common dish at the tables. Many are the modes of accounting for this annual appearance. It has been suggested that the spawn may have been brought by the water fowl, or may have been caught up by the
Typhons,
which rage at the commencement of the wet season, and be conveyed in the torrents of rain. I can only give an explanation much less violent: That these fishes never had been any where but near the places where they are found. That they have had a preexistent state, and began life in form of frogs; that it had been the
Rana paradoxa
of
Gm. Lin.
iii. p. 10. 55. Their transformation is certainly wonderful. I refer the reader to
Seba,
i. p. 125, tab. 78; and to
Merian
's
Surinam,
p. 71, tab. 71, in which are full accounts of the wonderful phoenomenon of these transmuted reptiles, which complete their last transformation in the first rains.
ALL kinds of reptiles appear about that season, among others,
TOADS, VAST.
toads of most enormous sizes. Mr.
Ives
mentions one that he supposed weighed between four and five pounds; and measured, from the toe of the fore to that of the hind leg, twenty-two inches.
I NOW leave the bay, after saying that the tides here, and at
Cambay,
rise to an amazing height; this must be understood, when they are pent up in bays or gulphs, for on the open shore they do not rise above a foot and a half. Into the eastern side flows the river
Pen,
with stoney and steep banks. Immediately beyond the mouth, the land resumes its course.
ISLES OF KANARA AND HUNARY.
The isles of
Kanara
and
Hunary,
appear at no great distance from shore, small and lofty.
Sevatjee
seized on the first, in defiance of every effort of the
English
at
Bombay.
He fortified this little spot. Finding ourselves too weak to remove so dangerous a neighbor, we stirred up against him the
Siddee,
or admiral to
Aurengzebe.
This brought on several sharp naval actions
Orme's Fragments, 122.
. The
Siddee
seized on the neighboring
Hunary;
and each party carrying on a cruel war, gave importance to these inconsiderable spots.
Choule
and
Victoria,
CHOULE.
and several other small places, are given in the charts on this coast.
Dunda Rajapore
was a port, the rendezvous of
Aurengzebe
's fleet, under the command of his
Siddee.
The
Siddee
was an office formed at the time when the
Mogul
empire first extended itself to these coasts. Its duty was like that of the
Comes Littoris Saxonici,
on the
French
and
British
shores, and was here intended to repel the insults of the
Malabar
or
Portuguese
cruizers; as the
Roman Comes
was those of the
Norman
rovers. In the year 1682 there were a hundred and twenty
Gallivats,
and fifteen Grabs; and a vast army encamped in the neighborhood.
Correspondent to them, were
Nitrias,
the modern
Newtya, Tynadis, Muziris,
and numbers of other ports mentioned by the
Greek
and
Roman
historians.
PIRATE COAST.
This is the
Pirate coast,
and extends almost from
Bombay
till we have arrived very near to
Goa.
The
Romans
were obliged to put on board their merchantships a number of archers to defend them against the attacks of the pirates
Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. vi. c. 23.
, which, according to the
Universal History,
x. p. 267, are said to have been
Arabians.
Mr.
Rennel
gives an admirable description of this extent of free-booters.
PERHAPS there are few coasts so much broken into small bays and harbours, and that at the same time have so straight a general outline. This multitude of small ports, uninterrupted view along shore, and elevated coasts, savourable to distant vision, have sitted this coast for the seat of piracy; and the alternate land and sea breezes that prevail during a great part of the year, oblige vessels to navigate very near the shore. No wonder then that
Pliny
should notice them in his time as committing depredations on the
Roman East India
trade; and although a temporary check has been given them in the destruction of
Angria
's fleets, &c. yet we may expect that they will continue the practice while commerce lasts. They are protected by the shallowness of their ports, and the strength of the country within. As pirates, they have greater natural advantages than those of
Barbary,
who, being compelled to roam far from their coasts, have expensive outsets; here the prizes come to their own doors, and the cruizers may lie secure in port until the prey is discovered.
THE vessels used by these pirates are of two kinds.
GRABS.
The larger are called
Grabs:
a few have three masts, and carry three hundred tons; the lesser have only two masts, and are of the burden of a hundred and fifty tons. On the main deck, under the fore-castle, are mounted two cannons, nine or ten pounders, pointing forwards, and firing over the prow
Orme, i. p. 409.
, which is constructed like that of a
Mediterranean
galley. The cannons on the broadside are from six to nine pounders.
Gallivats
are large row boats,
GALLIVATS.
built like the
Grabs,
but do not exceed seventy tons. The larger carry six or eight cannons, from two to four pounders: the lesser only petteraroes: but both are furnished with forty or fifty stout oars, which are rowed at the rate of four miles an hour: both
Grabs
and
Gallivats
are crowded with men. Eight or ten of the latter, and forty or fifty of the former, compose
Angria
's principal fleet for attacking ships of force. They scruple not to make prize of every one which does not condescend to purchase their passports.
As soon as they descry a sail they slip from port, and sail as fast as the wind: or, if it is calm, soon reach the object with their oars: the
Gallivats
taking the
Grabs
in tow. They then assemble on the stern of the chace within cannon shot, and attempt to dismast her. As soon as they succeed, they surround and batter her on all sides. If the ship makes an obstinate defence, a number of
Gallivats,
with two or three hundred men in each, board her sword in hand from all quarters, and in the same instant. I am obliged to Mr.
Orme
's classical history for this account.
VI.
VICTORIA.
IN our days many of the ports of the modern pirates have been brought into notice, by the attempts to extirpate these nests of thieves, and with a temporary success. Their principal fastnesses were in
Victoria, Severn-droog, Sunderdoo, Vingorla
rocks, in Lat. 15° 22′ 30″, six or seven miles from the shore; and I should have given particular pre-eminence to
Gheriah,
GHERIAH.
the port of the chief pirate
Angria,
nearly midway between
Bombay
and
Goa.
Victoria
is the name we bestowed on one of these fastnesses. The
Indian
one was
Bancoote.
This we retain, not only because it has a good harbour, and great trade in salt, but because the neighborhood abounds with cattle, with which we can supply the garrison and navy at
Bombay.
The country is peopled with
Mahomctans,
who have no scruple to part with them, as the
Hindoos
have
Grose's Voyage, ii. 220.
.
THE reduction of these piratical powers added greatly to the glory of the
British
arms.
SIR WILLIAM JAMES.
Severn-droog,
and five other of the forts on this coast, were taken in
April
1755, by Commodore
James,
commander of the
East India
Company's marine forces in
India
Orme's Hist. i. 411.
. The
Mahratta
fleet made a shew of assisting us, but never once came within reach of the guns. Mr.
James
acquired immortal honor, and was among the very few who have, of late years, made the title of Baronet the
praemium virtutis.
VII.
GHERIAH.
THE first of the name was
Conagee Angria,
ORIGIN OF THE NAME.
an adventurer in the time of
Aurengzebe,
entrusted by the
Mahrattas
with the fort of
Severn-droog.
He not only kept possession of that fortress, but extended his territories a hundred and twenty miles along the coasts, and as far inland as the
Ghauts. Mahrattas, Indians,
renegado
Christians,
and
Negroes,
flocked in vast numbers to the piratical standard, which became at last as formidable in these seas, as that of
Algiers
in the
Mediterranean.
All his successors retained the name of
Angria,
even to the last, whose destruction we have related.
I HERE mention
Dabul,
a neighboring place,
DABUL.
to contrast the conduct of the
Portuguese,
who, in 1555, took it with uncommon instances of barbarity. They set fire to it in four places. The male inhabitants escaped; but the savage heroes (for we cannot deny the character of heroism) put to the sword the defenceless sex and innocent children
Conquetes des Portugais, iv. 183.
. After various other barbarities along the coast, the wretched conqueror,
Brandan,
was received at the capital,
Goa,
with every mark of approbation.
THE important city of
Goa
stands on an island of the same name,
ISLE OF GOA.
in Lat. 15° 28′ 20″, in a fine bay, a few leagues lower. The city was for a great length of time the most magnificent in
India.
The churches and palaces of the inhabitants were of great grandeur and splendor. It stands elevated, in form of an amphitheatre, on the banks of a most beautiful bay. The country rises gently into hills, finely wooded, and the scene is varied with churches, convents, and villas, and the distance bounded by the
Ghauts,
soaring with aweful majesty. The
Algoada
fort defends the entrance on the northern side. All this is shewn in Mr.
Dalrymple
's elegant views. Two rivers flow from the
Balagat
mountains, and their mouths nearly meet opposite to the harbour. On one, which was called the
Ganges,
a few leagues from the sea, stood the
Nelcynda. Arrian,
ii. 173, says, that the ships which took in part of their lading there, fell down, and received the rest while they lay at anchor before
Barace,
a town near its mouth, or in the modern canal of
Bardez.
THE
Indian
name of
Goa
was
Tricurii,
or the isle of
Thirty Villages;
it is said to have been peopled by
Moorish
merchants, who had been banished from different ports of
Malabar,
and formed soon a very flourishing settlement. This is said to have happened at no very distant period before the arrival of the
Portuguese.
WHEN the great
Albuquerque
entered on his vice-royalty,
SEIZED BY ALBUQUERQUE.
it was a most opulent place, and strongly fortified. It was at that time subject to
Zabaim,
a potent monarch, who was then engaged in war with divers tributary princes.
Timoia,
a neighboring pirate, who had submitted to the
Portuguese,
strongly advised the
Christian
General to seize the opportunity of attacking
Goa,
representing its great opulence, and the honor and wealth that would attend his success.
Albuquerque
listened to his advice, and after several assaults made himself master of the city by an agreement with the inhabitants. This happened on
February
16, 1510. The citizens took the oaths of allegiance to
Emmanuel;
he found in the place immense quantities of ammunition, forty great cannon, and in the docks forty men of war, and in the stables numbers of fine
Persian
and
Arabian
horses
Osorio, ii. p. 4.
. He himself resided in the royal palace: the fame of his valor and prudence spread far and wide. He received embassies from several of the
Indian
monarchs, and even was encouraged to send an envoy to the sophy of
Persia.
Unfortuately a mutinous spirit pervaded his army, and even his principal officers. This naturally infected his new subjects, who, repenting their disloyalty, and disgusted with their sudden submission to a foreign and
Christian
yoke, conveyed their sentiments to their late sovereign. He assembled a mighty army on the continent, and notwithstanding every endeavor of the able
Albuquerque,
effected a landing on the island. The
Portuguese
defended themselves with great valor, but finding the place no longer tenable, their commander determined to retire. He embarked with great secrecy every thing that was necessary; when, on the 30th of
May
of the same year, after a sharp conflict, he made good his retreat to
Rapander,
a neighboring town, where he resolved to winter
Osorio, ii. p. 13.
.
Zabaim
proved a brave and active enemy:
Albuquerque
was more than once obliged to remove his quarters: at length, receiving a strong reinforcement of
Portuguese,
and other supplies, he renewed his attempt on
Goa,
and, after several sharp actions, made himself again master of the city, by a most fierce and bloody assault; the defence being equally obstinate as the attack.
FROM that moment the able Vice-roy determined to make
Goa
the capital of his master's new acquired dominion in
India:
he gave it every strength his military skill could suggest, and every encouragement that his wisdom and commercial knowlege could invent. The success was, for a long series of years, equal to the greatness of the design, and it flourished with unrivalled splendor. It became the center of the riches of
India,
and one of the greatest marts in the universe. At length the common consequences of wealth, pride, luxury, effeminacy, and every species of fraud, cruelty, and oppression possessed the minds of these once brave and gallant people; they degenerated into every vile action; and thought nothing wrong that brought in advantage. They established here an inquisition to enslave the minds of the people. They persecuted the poor natives in every shape, and in every place. The Abbe
Raynal,
in most animated terms, describes the sad change. To him I refer the reader. After the fall of the
Portuguese
empire in
India,
a priest of
Goa
being asked, when he thought his nation might again resume its power, sensibly replied—"As soon as your wickedness shall exceed that of my people." Let me only say, that the measure of their iniquity being filled, they were beaten, and expelled from the very seats conquered by the intrepidity and chivalry of their ancestors; and that by a small nation, who, sallying from the fens of
Holland,
by temperance, wisdom, and fortitude, drove from almost every part of
India
that nation, whose monarchs so long had tyrannised over them in
Europe. Goa,
and some few places on the
Malabar
coast, were left to them. Most of them are now deserted, and fallen to ruin.
Goa
barely keeps up its head: a Vice-roy, a man of rank, is still sent here; a shew of state is kept up, but nothing of territory is left, except the island, and the two peninsulas that form the harbour. The port of
Goa
is one of the finest in
India,
and in the hands of the
English
or
Dutch
would be a wealthy and flourishing settlement; but its commercial consequence is sunk to nothing: and such is the state of
Diu
and
Damoon
if they still remain in their hands.
IT was at this place that the Apostle of the
Indies,
ST. FRANCIS DE XAVIER.
St.
Francis de Xavier,
landed, when he undertook his great mission for the conversion of the
Hindoos.
He was born at the castle
Xavier,
at the foot of the
Pyrenees,
in 1506. He became the friend of
Ignatius Loyola,
and, in concert with him, laid the plan for the society of
Jesus. John
III. of
Portugal,
by his embassador, requested of
Loyola
the recommendation of certain missionaries, whom he would send to
India
on the pious errand.
Xavier
was named as one. He landed at
Goa
on
May
7, 1542. His success was correspondent to his zeal: he made numberless converts at
Goa, Comerin, Malacca,
in the
Molucca
isles, and in
Japan.
At length, in 1552, he paid the debt to nature, in an isle off the coast of
China.
He had the honor of canonization in 1622. The citizens of
Goa
boast of having his body in the church of
Bon Jesus,
in a magnificent chapel, dedicated to the saint. His tomb is of black marble, brought from
Lishon,
with the history of his life cut on the sides, which Mr.
Franklin
Travels, 20.
says is admirably executed. Legend says that the body was found fifty years after his death, uncorrupted, on the spot he died, and by them conveyed to this city. To disbelieve the account would be highly penal, and a crime worthy of the notice of the holy office.
I HERE mention a zoological anecdote,
OF THE TURKEY.
to disprove the opinion that very respected friend, Mr.
Barrington,
had taken up, that the turkey was a native of
Hindoostan;
(see his Miscellanies, p. 133). In the Memoirs of
Jehangìr
P. 25; translated by Francis Gladwin, Esq.
we are told, that they were first seen at
Goa,
introduced by the
Portuguese,
and bought by
Mocurreb Khan,
embassador of
Jehangìr,
as a curiosity neither he or his master ever had seen before.
A FEW leagues south of
Goa
is Cape
Ramas.
CAPE RAMAS.
Between Cape
Ramas
and
Carwar,
KINGDOM OF CANHARA.
in Lat. 15°, begins the province of
Canhara,
the
cis-ghautian
part of
Bednore,
which extends along the coast two hundred and thirty miles, and ends at mount
Dilla.
Before
Ayder Alli
made himself master of this important tract, it was little known; its numerous forests, its precipitous chains of mountains, and the inhabitants, a wild race, under
Polygars
who never before had submitted to any yoke. At the partition treaty, at
Seringapatam,
this whole province was left to
Tippoo.
This, says Mr.
Rennel,
is to be lamented, but unhappily we could not retain it, as we had our full share without this assumption
See Mr. RENNEL's Memoir on the Map of the Peninsula of India, p. 31; a most valuable explanation of the Partition Treaty.
. In these parts that precipitous range comes within six miles of the sea, but is never more distant than twenty. Below the Cape is
Carwar
Bay,
CARWAR BAY.
with a town of the same name at the bottom, on a river capable of receiving ships of three hundred tons. The
English
had a factory here in the latter end of the last century. In our present war with
Tippoo Saib
(while I write this)
Carwar
was wrested from him by a detachment of our army, under Major
Sartorious.
All the interior part is an immense forest, which extends far to the south. It is full of animals, both the destructive, and those which are of the venison kind, and other objects of food. Tigers, and all the pantherine tribe, and jackals swarm there; as do great variety of elegant antelopes and deer; wild cattle, boars, and various of the feathered tribe.
THE BUFFALO,
Hist. Zuadr.
i. No 9,
BUFFALO.
is very frequent in this country, and chiefly in a state of nature, and is a chace permitted to every one. It is fond of wallowing in the mud, and will swim over the broadest rivers. It is often seen during the inundations to dive ten or twelve feet deep, to force up with its horns the aquatic plants, and eat them swimming. It is a very fierce animal, and will with its vast horns crush to pieces any person whom it attacks; the horns have been known to grow to the length of ten feet each.
NEAR to the bay of
Carwar,
close to the coast,
ISLES OF ANCHEDIVE.
are the small isles of
Anchedive,
important in former times for being the place where
Cabral, Albuquerque,
and other illustrious commanders were used to put in to refit their ships and refresh their crews after long voyages, or repulses in their attacks of some of the more powerful enemies. The brave
Almeyda
built near the shore a strong fort. It observable that he found in this island, amidst the ruins of certain buildings, several red and black crucifixes, the marks of antient christianity in
India.
ABOUT thirty miles to the south of
Carwar
Bay,
MERJEE.
is
Merjee.
This is supposed to have been the
Musiris
of
Arrian,
ii. p. 172, and of
Pliny,
lib. vi. c. 23, which the latter advises his countrymen to shun, as its neighborhood was infamous for its piracies. It was an
emporium;
but not abounding in articles of commerce. In our days it has been made remarkable for having been the place in which Brigadier General
Matthews
landed, in
January
1783, with his forces from
Bombay,
on an expedition which terminated so fatally to himself, and so disgracefully to the
English
nation.
Tippoo Sultan
had, in the latter end of the year 1782, made a most destructive inroad into the
Carnatic.
To divert the ravages of the tyrant, was the object of the presidency of this coast.
GEN. MAT
EWS LANDS THERE.
When the General had arrived so far, he landed his troops, and sent orders to the southern army, under the colonels
Macleod
and
Humberston,
to march and join him. Before their arrival he, on
January
5, attacked and took a few places of small consequence. He then directed his views to the richest parts of
Ayder Alli
's dominions, to which he was encouraged by the distance they were at that time from relief. He carried the opulent town of
Onore,
ONORE SACKED.
which lay on the coast, by storm. "Every man," says an actor in the tragedy,
in
Onore
was put to the sword; the carnage was great; we trampled thick on dead bodies that were strewed in the way. It was rather shocking to humanity; but such are but secondary considerations to a soldier whose bosom glows with heroic glory, and are thought only accidents of course
Lieut. Hubbard's Letter.
.
Notwithstanding this sage reflection of our hero, it is said that the
Kilidar,
or governor, and twelve hundred men were taken prisoners
Annual Register, 1783, p. 88.
; these probably had retired till the bosoms of our soldiers had exhausted their
heroic ardour.
Fortunately for the southern army, it had not made its junction with the general, and so escaped the disgrace of the massacre, which probably the generous commanders, had they arrived, might have diverted him from.
THUS strengthened,
ASCENT OF THE GHAUTS.
he began his toilsome ascent up the
Hussein Ghurry Ghaut,
with all windings, not less than three miles in extent, and strongly fortified at every turning.
Luckily it happened,
says Mr.
Sheen,
that the commander knew nothing of this defile, otherwise it would have been madness for him to have attempted it; for if the enemy had made any tolerable defence, it would have been impregnable: but it was defended only by the wild undisciplined troops of the native
Polygars.
HOWEVER, the General's want of information was the cause of our success; for in the evening, part of the eleventh battalion, which I belong to, the light company of the
Bombay Europeans,
and part of the fifteenth battalion of
Sepoys,
began the attack, and took the first barrier with very little opposition.
WHEN we came to the second, we were alarmed at the prodigious number and strong position of the enemy; but finding it no less dangerous to retreat than to advance, we charged home in all quarters, when the motley crew gave way and fled, leaving about five hundred killed and wounded. Our small body, flushed with success, immediately proceeded with the bayonet, and never stopped till they gained the summit of the
Ghaut,
under a heavy cannonading all the way.
Bednore,
BEDNORE.
the great object of the fatal expedition, stands on the vast plains of the same name, at about nine miles distance from the edge of the
Ghauts.
It is the present capital of the country, but since it is come into possession of
Ayder Ali,
the name is changed, in honor of him, to
Ayder Nager,
or the royal city of
Ayder.
In the history of
Ayder,
i. 83
By M. M. D. L. T. (de la Tour) General of ten thousand men in the Mogul empire, and formerly commander in chief of the artillery of Ayder Ali, and of a body of European troops in the service of that prince. His work is not in the highest esteem.
, as a place of uncommon splendor, beauty, and magnitude, with streets two leagues in length, every house in the centre of a luxuriant garden, filled with trees, and watered with limpid streams. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of
Canhara,
RANA BIDDALURA.
and was called
Rana Biddalura. Ayder
possessed himself of this place, and the whole of the rich province,
ITS HISTORY.
by the following accident. The son of the reigning Queen of
Canhara
fled to
Ayder,
imploring his protection and his assistance to put him in possession of his kingdom, which his mother kept from him in a most iniquitous manner.
Ayder
acceded to his petition, marched against the usurpress, defeated her army, and, in the end, reconciled the contending parties. She received
Ayder
with every mark of respect, and even lodged him in the royal palace. Under this mask she, in concert with her husband (for she had married a second, a
Brahmin
) determined on his destruction by the most horrid means, that of blowing him up in the palace with gunpowder. A subordinate
Brahmin
discovered the plot: he appeared before
Ayder
in presence of the Queen, the King, and whole court, and charged the conspirators with their crime. The trial commenced on the spot, the charge was proved, the Queen and her husband put to death, and the king confined. Possibly the complaint of the son was unconstitutional, for the throne of
Canhara
is said to have always been filled with a female, who had the privilege of marrying whom she pleased, but exempted herself from the cruel rite of burning with the body of her husband, in the manner that the affectionate spouses of her subjects were accustomed to do.
SEIZED BY AYDER.
Ayder Alli
seized on the kingdom, and all the immense treasure of the capital; but, what he thought of more importance, was a line of coast, which flattered his ambition with the hopes of becoming as invincible by sea as he had hitherto been by land.
FROM the time of the storming
Onore,
the General's conduct was totally altered. He grew irresolute respecting his proceedings, paid no attention to the plan he was to execute by the orders of the Presidency, and neglected every communication with them. Before this, he was held in high estimation, as an officer
Hon. Charles Grevile, British India, iii. p. 843.
and a man. He remained a long time in a state of despondency. At length, actuated by a passion before latent, he suddenly took the resolution of performing the service he was appointed to. He ascended the
Ghaut,
in the manner related. He appeared before
Bednore,
at that time wholly defenseless.
BEDNORE SURRENDERED.
It was then governed by
Hyat Saib,
a person of consummate abililities, and firm fidelity towards his master. He reflected on the impossibility of resistance, and the danger of having both the province and city desolated by the rage of the conqueror. He secretly sent to
Matthews,
as soon as he had entered the plains, to offer to surrender the place, and to deliver to the
English
all the treasures; on condition, that the persons and property of the inhabitants should be secured, and himself continued in the government under the
English,
with all the power he had under
Ayder.
Matthews,
now in possession of the treasures of ages, and dazzled by the heaps of the gems of
Hindoostan,
such strong temptations rose in view as instantly to dissipate every virtuous idea he might before have possessed. Avarice and rapacity occupied their seats, and he rose like the fiend
Mammon
with all his attributes. The General seized on all the treasures, and imprisoned
Hyat Saib.
He as suddenly released him, and made to him a pretended restitution of all his wealth
Lieut. Sheen's Letter, in Capt. Oake's Narrative, p. 77.
. Strong suspicions of the General's conduct pervaded the army. To allay their murmurs, he prevaled on
Hyat Saib
to present the troops with about the value of twenty thousand pounds in
pagodas.
He had also quarreled with
Macleod, Mackenzie Humberston,
and major
Shaw,
after the capture of
Bednore,
on the subject of precedency with the company's troops. They quitted the army, and hastened to
Bombay,
to lay their complaints before the Presidency. Their absence was most fatally missed. The General now, for the first time, sent dispatches to the Presidency, filled with false statements of affairs, and complaints against the army, from the generals to the very common men.
AT
Bednore
he found (to a patriotic commander) a more important acquisition than any treasures.
VAST MAGAZINES, FOUNDRY, &c.
All
Ayder
's principal magazines, a very fine foundry for brass cannon, a powder manufactory, and immense stores of every kind
Hon. Charles Grevile's British India, iii. p. 844.
.
Matthews
did not make a true estimate of this species of treasure; his avarice made him neglect his security, yet he weakened his army by making detachments to every place where the prospect of plunder could allure him. He neglected the strong passes into the
Mysore,
which, secured, he might have rested safely against all the efforts of the returning
Tippoo.
Among other places he sent a detachment to
Annampour,
a strong fort, adjacent to
Bednore,
ANNAMPOUR.
which
Ayder
had made the depôt of the rest of his treasure. The place was taken by storm. Let Lieutenant
Sheen
relate the disgraceful event.—
When a practicable breach was effected, orders were issued for a storm, and no quarters; which was immediately put in execution,
HORRID CRUELTIES.
and every man put to the sword, except one horseman, who made his escape, after being wounded in three different places. A dreadful sight then presented itself; above four hundred beautiful women, either killed or wounded with the bayonet, expiring in one another's arms, while the private soldiers were committing every kind of outrage, and plundering them of their jewels, the officers not being able to restrain them
Sheen's Narrative, p. 77.
.
THE troops were, however, afterwards,
severely reprimanded
for it. I had almost forgot to mention, that some of the women, rather than be torn from their relations, threw themselves into large tanks, where they were drowned.
The pretence for these brutalities was, that the garrison, an
uncivilized
people, had acted in contradiction to the rules of war among
civilized
nations. After the specimen we gave here, I fear the idea of the civilization the
British
had arrived at, will not rise to any great height.
Matthews
suppressed in his dispatches all accounts of this or similar transactions, and also of the vast treasures. We are beholden to private letters for the history. One officer was so shocked at one he had written, that he tore it to pieces! Lieut.
Sheen
was not so delicate! All these shameful relations have been contradicted; yet still, as Sir
Thomas Brown
expresses, they are among those
verities we fear, and heartily wish there was no truth therein.
THE General,
MANGGALORE TAKEN.
now in imaginary security, descended the
Ghaut,
to effect new conquests in the maritime country. He laid siege to
Mangalore.
A practicable breach was soon effected, which the gallant governor,
Rustan Alli beg,
could not persuade hid timid garrison to defend, so he was compelled to surrender. A few years after, he unjustly lost his head, in sight of the city, by order of his cruel master,
Tippoo Sultan.
AT
Mangalore
the General received intelligence, that
Tippoo
was in full march from the
Carnatic
to relieve his country. After the receipt of the news, his mind grew quite disordered. He re-ascended the
Ghaut,
and re-entered
Bednore.
In a few days the enemy appeared. His forces were so numerous, that they not only covered the adjacent plains, but even every hill, and more remote than the eye could reach.
Matthews,
in a frenzy, marched out with his handful of men, and met the expected fate; was at once defeated, with the loss of five hundred men. He made his retreat into
Bednore,
which he bravely defended seventeen days: but finding the garrison reduced by sickness, and the number of slain,
BEDNORE RETAKEN.
he capitulated on honorable terms. The garrison to be allowed the honors of war: but to pile the arms on the glacis; to retain all private property, and to restore all public, &c. &c.
Tippoo
took possession of the city. Notwithstanding his situation, the avarice of the General overcame every consideration. He ordered the officers to make unlimited drafts on the paymaster, who had before been greatly exhausted by various contrivances. It was currently believed, that he had sent by his brother to
Goa,
three hundred thousand pounds, and a great quantity of diamonds, to be remitted to
Bombay;
and that, even on the point of his departure, he had caused the
bamboos
of his
palanquin
to be pierced, and filled with
pagodas.
When
Tippoo
examined the state of his treasury, he grew enraged at this infamous fraud; he declared the treaty void: put the officers and their
Sepoys,
faithful to them to the last, indiscriminately in irons, and marched them in that condition, in a burning sun, to prisons at
Scringapatam
and other places. Numbers fell dead on the road, the remainder arrived at the place of their destination in the utmost misery, and that increased by the wretched dungeons they were confined in. Those who perished, were nightly flung over the walls, and in
Chitteldroog
the survivors heard the tigers gorging themselves with the corpses of their happier friends
Lieut. Sheen's Narrative, p. 89.
.
THE General was confined at
Seringapatam:
THE GENERAL POISONED.
where he was not suffered to linger long. Various are the accounts given of the manner of his end, but the most probable is, that it was by poison. Numbers of his officers suffered in the same manner, in different places, and died in the greatest agonies. His brother,
ALSO OTHERS.
who unfortunately returned from his journey to
Goa,
and a Mr.
Weldon,
were taken into the jungles, and had their throats cut. Numbers of the unhappy men, fated to die by the poisonous draught, abstained from food for many days, till despair and hunger compelled them to take the fatal draught. Others, who by delay made the executioners impatient, had the poison forced down their throats. My pity is suspended for as many as might have been guilty of the barbarity at
Annampour,
was it possible they could have been accessary to the savage fury of their troops, stained in every part of the expedition with slaughter, cruelty, fraud, rapine, and avarice
Annual Register, 1783, p. 91.
.
IT is evident that the severities exercised by
Tippoo,
after this victory, was
here
the determined resolution of inflicting a just punishment; but, unhappily, he included in it the innocent, as well as guilty. After his defeat of Colonel
Braithwaite,
on the banks of the
Coleroon,
how different was his conduct; he considered
Matthews
as the sordid adventurer,
Braithwaite
as the generous enemy, and treated him and the wounded captives with a humanity that shewed his coolness, and capacity of distinguishing between the one and the other.
I AM uncertain what the poison was;
KIND OF POISON.
probably a vegetable, in which
India
is extremely fertile; some speak of the juice of the
Milky hedge, Euphorbia Tiraculli,
Syst. Pl. ii. 438.
Ossifraga lactea, Rumph. Amb.
vii. 62, tab. xxix.
Comm. hort.
i. 27, tab. xiv. This emits most copiously a milk of so caustic a nature, as is likely to produce a most agonizing death. The juices of other
Euphorbia
are very deadly, as are those of the root of that beautiful flower the
Gloriosa Superba,
Syst. Pl. ii. 49,
Lilium Zeylan. Comm. hort.
i. 69, tab. xxxv. In one place I find another unintelligibly mentioned, under the title of the milk of the coco nut bush
Liout. Hubbard's Letter.
.
I NOW pursue the event of the complaints laid before the Presidency of
Bombay,
by the seceding officers. Their information appeared well founded.
Matthews
was ordered to be superceded, his misfortune being then unknown.
Macleod
was appointed to succeed him in the command, and
Humberston
and
Shaw
to serve under
Macleod.
The sequel is tragical. The new officers, on
April
5, sailed in the
Ranger
sloop of ten guns, Lieut.
Ornen
commander, to be landed for the purpose of joining the army. On the 7th they fell in with the
Mahratta
fleet, a powerful squadron, which attacked them without the lest notice. Major
Shaw
was shot dead, the General and Col.
Humberston
through the lungs, and several other officers killed or wounded. After a defence, far too obstinate against so very superior a force, the survivors struck, and were carried into
Gheriah;
the Governor disowning any knowlege of the peace, which had actually been proclamed a very few days before. Such is the account given on the authority of the
East India
Company. The author of the War in
Asia,
i. p. 483, makes our General a
Quixote,
who, rather than be carried into
Gheriah
for a single day, was above coming to an explanation, and madly fought the unequal force of the barbarians.
Humberston
died of his wounds on
April
30, of whom the author
This youthful hero was descended from a younger brother of the Seaforth family. His father, Col. Mackenzie, married the only daughter of a Mr. Humberston, of a rich old family in Lincolnshire, seated at Humberston, once a Benedictine abby, not remote from the mouth of the Humber. Old Humberston lest his daughter five hundred a year: the rest of his estate to a brother's son, who dying, was succeeded, as next heir, by the young Colonel, then in India. He added the family name to that of his own. His brother, Francis Humberston Mackenzie, of Seasorth, as I am informed, sold, by his mother's consent, the Humberston estate, and bought the Seasorth.
gives a character that should not be suppressed.
He died in the twentyeighth year of his age. An early and habitual conversancy with the heroes of antient, as well as modern times, nourished in his mind a passion for military glory, and supported him under unremitting application to all those studies by which he might improve his mind, rise to honorable distinction, and render his name immortal; he being not only acute, but profound and steady in his views, gallant without ostentation, and spirited without temerity and imprudence.
At his early age he was great in the cabinet as in the field
Hon. Charles Grevile's British India, iii. p. 824 to 848.
. He laid the finest plan for the overthrow of our great rivals,
Ayder
and his successor: and as far as they were attempted, they succeeded. He was honored with the command of a small body of troops, opposed to the able
Tippoo.
By a fine retreat with two thousand men against thirty thousand
Mysorians,
he eluded his fury; and soon after, in conjunction with
Macleod,
repelled the attack of
Tippoo
on his lines, which forced that chiestain to the mortifying necessity of seeking safety beyond the river
Paniani.
How opposite to the merits of so brave a youth was his fate!
BRUTUS'S bastard hand
Stabb'd
Julius Caesar;
savage islanders
Pompey
the Great; our hero dies by pirates.
A SMALL isle, or rather rock, about a mile from
Onore,
TAKEN BY THE ENGLISH.
was made remarkable in the war against
Tippoo,
by being strongly fortified by him, being intended for a magazine of all sorts of naval stores for building and repairing ships. He had resumed his father's design of becoming a naval power. Those
English
frigates frustrated his plan in
October
1791, and, by the desperate valour of a few marines, made themselves masters of the place.
WE omitted to say, that at
Onore,
ONORE AND BARCELORE.
the son of
Francis Almeyda
burnt the fleet of the prince of the place, deseated his army, and burnt, but did not think it worth his trouble to take the town.
Barcelore,
in Lat. 13° 25′, is the next town of note, and the parts adjacent are very productive of rice, that great food of the
Orientalists.
Mangalore
is a considerable city, seated in Lat. 12° 50′,
MANGALORE.
upon a rising ground. This also has belonging to it very considerable rice grounds. It has the conveniency of three rivers, which unite a little above its site. The
Portuguese
supply you with rice from these two towns, and even send it to the coasts of
Arabia.
As late as 1695 the
Arabs
of
Mascat
were in such strength as to come with their fleet, plunder the country, and burn the two towns, notwithstanding the
Canharians
have a line of earthen forts, each garrisoned with two or three hundred men, as a defence against free-booters. The
Portuguese
had a factory here, notorious, as I fear all their colonies are, for the excessive debaucheries of both clergy and laity.
Ayder Ali,
AYDER'S OREAT FORT.
with all his abilities, entertained a most grand, but visionary plan, not only of becoming sovereign of the
Indian
seas, but of even retaliating on the
English,
the several invasions they had made into
India.
In order to become a naval power, he invited shipwrights from all countries, and under them trained a number of his own subjects. He had in his own dominions abundance of materials; and he fixed on
Mangalore
as his great dock, and military naval port. He has hitherto been unfortunate. In 1768, the place was taken by a sleet sitted out from
Bombay,
and nine great ships and several lesser were brought away
Annual Register, 1768, p. 67.
.
Ayder
soon recovered his port: and, irritated at the disgrace, redoubled his efforts to restore his navy, and carry his great design into execution. By the year 1781 he had almost finished six ships of the line, and several frigates and sloops. He had heard something of the solidity and strength of the waters of the
European
seas, so under the notion of combatting with oceans of ice, he strengthened his ships with planks of great thickness
War in Asia, p. 506.
. But we did not permit
Ayder
to make the experiment. General
Matthews,
secure as he thought himself in possession of
Bednore,
descended on this city, and in a little time made himself master of the place, with three large ships on the stocks, and several lesser, which totally put to flight the naval vision of the great
Ayder.
IN 1783
Mangalore
was invested by
Tippoo Sultan
in person, with an army of a hundred and forty thousand fighting men, assisted by the
French.
The governor, Colonel
Campbel,
made a most gallant defence, and suffered every extreme of famine, till the place was given up, on honorable terms, at the conclusion of the war, when it was found a mere heap of rubbish. It had been assailed in the strangest manner, bombarded by great masses of stones, flung out of mortars, which did infinite mischief: the poor soldier who was struck on the body, had a sudden relief; those who received them on the extremities suffered a long and agonizing termination of life.
Mangalore
remains in possession of the
Sultan,
with the whole province of
Canhara,
the only maritime part allotted to him in the glorious partition treaty.
Nelisuram
is seated a few miles up a river,
NELISURAM.
and is supposed to be the
Nelcynda
and
Melcynda
of the antients.
NEAR this river begins that vast extent of coast,
MALABAR COAST.
called the
Malabar, Le Royaume de Melibar
of
Marco Polo,
p. 148, comprehending the several places, districts or principalities I shall mention. It reaches to Cape
Comorin,
and owned the
Zamorin,
or King of
Calicut,
as Lord Paramount.
MOUNT
Dilla,
or
Deli,
is the next place of note,
MOUNT DILLA.
it is a small promontory in Lat. 12° 1′, and within is a bay, on which probably stood the
Elancon emporium
of
Ptolomy. Marco Polo,
the celebrated traveller of the thirteenth century, visited the place in his journey through part of
India.
He calls this tract
Le Royaume d'Eli,
and
Albulseda, Ras Heili,
or the Cape of
Heili. Polo
says, it abounded with pepper, ginger, and other spices. He adds, that if a ship happened to be driven into their port by a tempest, the king immediately confiscated it, saying—
You never intended to come here, but God and fortune disposed it otherwise; so we will profit of what they have been pleased to send.
Cananore
stand a little to the south of Mount
Dilla.
CANANORE.
In 1501 it was visited by
Cabral,
on an invitation from the monarch of the place, who treated him in the kindest and most affectionate manner. The
Portuguese
obtained leave to erect a fort near the city, which was their first and usual step towards the enslaving the natives. The friendly monarch died. The new king, provoked by the barbarity of one
Goes,
who had taken an
Arabian
ship, sewed up the whole crew in the sails, and flung them into the sea. Exasperated at this cruelty, the ruling prince laid siege to the fort. The garrison were reduced to the last extremity by famine, when they were relieved, by the sea flinging on shore great quantities of shrimps
Osorio, i. p. 268.
.
Tristan de Cunha
arrived with his fleet, and relieved the garrison. The city afterwards was taken by the
Portuguese,
who continued masters of it till it was besieged, in 1660, by the
Dutch.
IN
December
1790,
GENERAL ABERCROMBY.
in the beginning of the campaign of that year, against
Tippoo Sultan,
Major-General
Robert Abercromby
opened it with the reduction of
Cananore
and
Nurrcarow,
which he instantly effected in the sight of
Tippoo.
Leaving garrisons behind, he took post, on
March
1, 1791, on the head of the
Ghauts,
at
Pondicherrim,
opposite to
Cananore.
He then proceeded to
Periapatam,
along the plains of
Mysore,
about eighteen miles from the edge of those vast heights. He reached that fort on
May
16. It was deserted by the garrison, after blowing up some of the bastions; and only eighteen miles intervened between him and the grand army, commanded by Lord
Cornwallis,
ready to invest
Seringapatam,
the residence of
Tippoo.
The
Sultan
exerted every resource of a great mind to avert his fate. He fought a pitched battle with the
British
General, and suffered a complete defeat. The Lord of Hosts interfered, and deferred his destruction. The time of the
Monsoons
came on. The victor was obliged to destroy part of his train, and fall back to
Bangalore.
The swell of the
Cavery
forced
Abercromby
to retire
who had, with infinite labor, formed roads, and brought a battering train, and a large supply of provisions and stores, over fifty miles of woody mountains, called
Ghauts,
that immense barrier, which separates the
Mysore
country from the
Malabar
coast. Part of General
Abercromby
's train also fell a sacrifice to the necessity of the times: and his army, who thought they had surmounted all their difficulties, had the mortisication to find their exertions of no utility, and had to return, worn down by sickness and fatigue, exposed to the incessant rains which then deluged the western coast of the penmsula
Major Dirom's Campaigns, p. 2.
.
IN the following year, he again ascended the toilsome paths to fame, successfully joined his great commander, and received the most pleasing reward to noble minds, praise well deserved, and earned with hardships, perseverance, and judgment.
VIEWING the immense range of mountains from below,
HFIGHT OF THE GHAUTS.
in height a mile and a quarter from the sea? covered with forests, the tops often hid in the clouds, they appear to form an unsurmountable barrier between the
Mysore
country and the
Malabar
coast
Major Dirom's Campaigns, p. 90.
.
THE tract which now bears the name of
Canhara,
ANTIENT COMMERCE.
is by
Arrian
styled
Cottonara.
The
trans-ghautian
part is the
Pandionis Regio,
which answers to the modern kingdom of
Mysore.
ALL this tract was, in
Arrian
's time, noted for its rich productions and great commerce, particularly in the article pepper. The
Piper cottonaricum
was famous in all parts, but the historian limits the growth to one spot. The country was far from being confined to that single article: It supplied the merchants with numbers of the finest pearls,
OTHONIA.
ivory, and
Othonia serica,
a certain mixed manufacture of cotton and silk.
Arrian,
i. 539, speaks of the beautiful white linens of
India,
probably the same with the modern calicoes. These formed, as they do at present, a great part of their clothing. This trade is probably continued, to the present day, to the
emporia
of
Tartary.
When
Anthonie Jenkinson
was at
Bochara,
in 1558, the
Indian
caravans brought great quantities of this species of linen, which was much used by the
Tartars
to form their headdress, insomuch that they rejected our kersies and cloths, which
Jenkinson
offered to sale
Purchas, iii. p. 240.
.
Nardos Gapanica,
or
Nardus,
NARDUS.
from a certain part of
India
called
Gapana,
is another article of commerce. The
Nardus
was in high repute in former times, but now is out of fashion. It was much used in form of a pomatum, with which the
Romans
perfumed their hair.
Horace
speaks of it frequently, on festive occcasions, and in one exemplifies the antient custom of bringing their pretious ointments in a box of
Onyx
or
Alabastrites:
Nardi parvus
Onyx
eliciet cadum.
Old
Gerard,
p. 1081, speaks of its medical virtues in his days. I cannot ascertain the plant.
THE
Malebathrum
was another valuable drug from this region.
Pliny,
lib. xii. c. 12, and lib. xiii. c. 1,
MALEBATHRUM.
speaks highly of it as a perfume, in which it seems to have been an ingredient among many others. The
Unguentum Regale
was composed of not fewer than twenty-six. That of
Syria
was also in high request.
Horace
speaks of his sitting with his old friend,
Pompeius Varus,
at a feast, crowned with wreaths of flowers, and highly perfumed:
Saepe diem mero
Fregi, coronatus nitentes
Malebathro Syrio
capillos.
Pliny
gives a very long list of the persumes used by the
Romans.
They were mostly pomatums, and consequently not the most delicate. The variety was endless, and some of the ingredients would seem now very singular. They anointed themselves with some kinds, to suppress the rank smell of their bodies, and often to prevent the effects of their intemperance and excess in meats and drinks, being too sensibly perceived.
Dioscorides
and
Pliny
say, that the vegetable which yielded this perfume was a certain water-plant, that floated on the surface, like what we call duckmeat.
Gerard,
p. 1534, called it
Talapatra,
or
Indian
leaf, and gives the figure of a shrub, related to the clove.
THE
Hyacinthus,
HYACINTH.
a pretious stone, mentioned by
Arrian
as an article of commerce. That of the artients approached the
Amethyst
in value and color.
AMETHYST.
"
Emicans,
" says
Pliny,
"in
Amcthysto
fulgor violaceus, dilutus est in
Hyacintho.
" Those of
India
were the most valuable.
THE
Testudo Chrysonetiotice
was a small species of land-tortoise,
TESTUDO.
another export: it was so called by the
Greeks,
being marked as if with threads of gold; this is a faithful description given by the antients:
Linnaus
calls it
Testudo Geometrica; La Cepede
gives a good sigure of it in tab. ix.
THE imports here (for it is well to know the antient wants of the country) were,
IMPORTS.
a considerable quantity of specie; hence we may account for sinding in
India
the coins of
Europe; chrysolites,
an
Aethiopian
gem of a golden color; a few plain cloths;
Polymcta,
or embroideries of different colors;
Stimmi;
Coral, probably the red, from the
Mediterranean
sea, all others abounding in the eastern seas; rude glass, brass, tin, lead, a little wine,
Sanaarac,
or red arsenic,
Arsenicum,
or the common, wheat for the use of the ships only, being scarcely an article of commerce.
ALL this coast, the
Lymirica Regio,
or modern
Concan,
was greatly frequented by the
Roman
merchants.
Originally they performed only coasting voyages, from harbour to harbour, failing from
Cana,
the modern
Cava Canim,
on the coast of
Arabia Felix,
till
Hippalus
Arrian, Peripl. Mar. Eryth. ii. p. 174.
, an adventurous seaman, having considered the situation of the harbours, and the form of the sea, found out a navigation through the ocean, at the season in which the winds blow with us, says
Arrian,
from the sea, and the west south west wind prevails in the
Indian
ocean: which wind is called
Hippalus,
from the first discoverer of that navigation. From that time till now, some fail in a direct course from
Cana,
others from the harbour of the
Aromati
A harbour and place of great commerce, the Aromata emporium, not far from the Aromota promontorium, or Cape Gardefui, the extreme eastern promontory of Africa.
, they who fail for
Lymirica
make a longer stay: others who steer for
Barygaza
or
Scythia,
stay not above three days; they spend the rest of the time in completing their usual voyage.
A FEW leagues to the south of Mount
Dilla,
TELLICHERRY.
stands
Tellicherry,
in Lat. 11° 48′, an
English
settlement, of late years defended by lines, of a weakening extent, formed against the attacks of the late
Ayder Alli.
The place had been for years besieged by his forces, under the command of his General,
Sadlk Khan:
a vigorous sally, in
January
1782, ended all his plans, which was conducted by Major
Abingdon,
a brave and able officer
War in Asia, i. 263.
, sent from
Bombay
by General
Goddard,
with a detachment of the army for its relief. The army was defeated, the camp taken, and the General wounded and made prisoner. He soon died of a broken heart, and was buried near the fort with due honors. A tomb was erected over his grave; lamps are continually burning, and the
Musselmen
in numbers pay respectful visits to the place
Franklin's Travels, 13.
.
Ayder
had a strong fortress near the
English
limits; but if the lines were forced
Tellicherry
must fall.
THE situation of the town is extremely beautiful; backed by hills finely broken, and wooded, interspersed with valleys, and watered by a fine river; but its extreme healthiness is a recommendation beyond all other beauties: it is equal to that of
England,
and is, on that account, the great resort of invalids. Pepper is the great article of commerce; but coffee is also cultivated there.
Tellicherry
once belonged to the
French,
but we made ourselves masters of it, I believe, in King
William
's time.
Hamilton
speaks of the punch-houses: this reminds me of a pleasant mistake of
M. Bernier,
iii. 154, who taking the vessel for the contents, speaks of a fatal liquor much drank by the
English,
called
Boule-ponge.
Mahé,
MAHÉ.
a
French
settlement, is contiguous to
Tellicherry,
seated among most delicious wooded hills, and near the mouth of a river. The
French
settled here about the year 1722; we took it in 1760, and, before we evacuated it, completely dismantled the town, but did no other damages. To this day we prevent them from restoring the fortifications, or augmenting their forces.
THE great squirrel of
Malabar, Sonnerat,
NEW SQUIRREL.
ii. tab. lxxxvii. is found near
Mahe;
it is as large as a cat, the ears short and tufted, the tail longer than the body, the upper part of the body reddish. It frequents the coco-trees, is fond of the liquor of the nut, which it will pierce to get at; has a most shrill and sharp cry.
THE great staple of this country is,
PEPPER.
as it was in the days of
Arrian,
pepper. They cultivate here, and indeed far inland, the
Piper nigrum
and
album;
also the
P. longum,
or long pepper,
Rumph. Amboin.
v. 333, tab. 116. All these are climbing plants, and require support. The white is only the fruit in an unripe state.
Raynal
says, we draw annually from this neighborhood fifteen hundred thousand pounds weight.
THE interior of the
Malabar
coast is filled with forests of trees,
GREAT TREES OF THE MALABAR COAST.
many of which are of majestic sizes, and what the author styles
vaslae magnitudinis.
I have formed a collection of the species, most of which
Linnaeus
was unable to ascertain. In those cases I refer to our great RAY, and give the
Malabar
names, with references to the
Hortus.
The trees that are not to be found in this catalogue, may be met with in that of the
Ceylonese.
The name of
Rhecde
prefixed, will evince them to be common to both countries.
Katon Maragam Rheede Mateb. p. iv. tab. 13,
Raii hist.
ii. 1463
Idon Moulli
Raii hist.
ii. 1482
Kara Nagolam—iv. tab. 18. 1483
Commotti — v. tab. 45.
Raii hist.
ii. 1496
Angolam — iv. tab. 17. 1497
Kara Candel — v. tab. 13. 1498
Mail Elon — v. tab. 1. 1557
Katon Mail Elon — v. tab. 2. 1558
Thoka — iv. tab. 27—Teek, see before, p. 81. 1565
Calesiam — iv. tab. 32. 1597
Nyalel — iv. tab. 16. 1606
Niruala — iii. tab. 42. 1644
Cratoeva Tapia, Syst. pl. ii. 419.
Panitsjica Maram — iii. tab. 41. 1666
Syalita — iii. tab. 38. 1707
Tongelion Perimaram 1753
Tondi Teregam — iii. tab. 60. 1787
Panam Pulka Nux Myrislean, & iv. tab. 5. 1524
Tsiem-tani—iv. tab. ii.
Raii hist.
1556—
Rumphia Amboinensis,
Syst. pl. i. 92.
Dillenia Indica, Syst. pl. ii. 624.
Abundance of coco trees,
COCO TREES.
the
Cocos nucifera, Calappa,
and
Tenga
of the
Indians
(not cocoa) are planted along this coast. Of the body of the tree the
Indians
make boats, the frames for their houses, and rafters. They thatch their houses with the leaves; and, by slitting them lengthways, make mats and baskets. The utility of the nut of this tree is great, for food, and for drink, and for the oil extracted from it; of the thready rind is made cordage, called
Kaiar,
and I think it is woven into coarse linen. From the branches exudes, on being cut, a liquor called
Toddy;
the
Indians
hang, to the part left adherent to the tree, an earthen pot, in which is collected from a pint to a quart a day. From this liquor, fermented, is distilled an excellent
Arrack,
and a very fiery dram called
Fool,
with which our seamen too frequently intoxicate themselves.
Arcca Cathccu,
or
Pinanga, Rumph.
i. tab. iv. to vii. is, from the universal custom of chewing the nut with
Betel,
a most useful tree, and greatly cultivated in every part of
India.
The
Pliny
of
India
gives several plates of it, with the form of the nut, and fructification, and of the cultivated and wild kinds
Betela-codi, Rheede, v. tab. 16.
. The nuts are usually of the size of a hen's egg: they are therefore broken and prepared for chewing, wrapped in the bitter leaf of the
Betel,
mixed with
Chunan,
or shell lime, and in that form taken all over
India
by people of every age, sex, and condition.
Rumphius,
i. p. 32, is most particular about the use, and the great pomp and ceremony with which the
Indian
monarchs bestow it on the embassadors they receive from foreign states. It is the compliment of the country to offer this at visits, or wheresoever people meet: it is an emblem of peace and friendship, is supposed to exhilarate the spirits, to strengthen the stomachs (but at the expence of the teeth), and is particularly in repute with ladies of intrigue, as it is supposed to improve the powers of love. The
Arabs
call the
Areca
tree
Faufel. Gorard,
p. 1520, has caused it to be engraven.
THESE trees are not found in
Coromandel
or
Bengal.
The nuts are sent there in great quantities, as articles of commerce.
THE use of this nut is, in many parts of
India,
greatly abused; they are made the instruments of philtres, charms, and incantations by the fair sex, and often the medium of a fatal poison. The first is intended to conciliate the affection of their lovers, a practice in all ages and in all countries. They are even said to possess the powers of changing affections, to dissolve that between man and wife, and transfer them to other objects. They are next used as means of revenge, for the
spretae injuria formae.
They are said to be capable of preparing the nuts in such a manner, as to bring on the offending parties the completest imbecility; or, if they prefer another mode of revenge, death itself, lingering, and distant; even to any time these demoniac fair chuse. The lover falls into an atrophy, and wastes away in the classical manner, described by the
Greeks
and
Romans,
when the waxen image was made the fatal incantation.
Rumphius
records the
Indian
tales, and seems to believe them. He certainly was a man of abilities, and nothing credulous.
THE
Betel,
BETEL.
its concomitant, is a species of pepper,
Piper Betel,
a climbing plant, native of all
India,
and cultivated by props or poles, like the rest of the kind. Neither this, nor the
Areca,
hath escaped our old friend
Gerard:
at pages 1520, 1521, he hath given good figures of both kinds.
I MAY mention other species of the vegetable kingdom that are articles of commerce from this coast.
WHITE SANDERS.
Such is the
Santalum album, Rumph. Amboin.
ii. 42, tab. 11, which grows to a great size. This wood has a strong aromatic smell, and is burnt in all the houses of the
Orientalists
for the sake of its salubrious and fragrant scent. A paste is also made of the powder of the wood, with which the
Indians, Chinese, Persians, Turks,
and
Arabs,
anoint their bodies, using their persumes as the
Romans
did of old.
Gerard,
p. 1585, says, that the
Indians
use a decoction of the wood in fevers, and various diseases.
RED SANDERS,
Santalum rubrum,
RED SANDERS.
the
Pterocarpus santalinus, Linn. suppl.
pl. 318,
Fl. Zeyl.
No 417.
Draco arbor, Commel. hort.
i. p. 213, tab. 109,
Raii hist.
pl. iii.
arbor.
113, grows here. It has a place in our dispensaries, and its wood is made use of in various works, and all the different forts of household furniture, benches, tables, &c.
Rumph. Amboin. ii.
and toys, on account of the agreeable seent. Blocks of the wood of this tree are of a stoney hardness and weight
Raii Hist. ii. 1805.
. The gum and sap are of intense redness
Same.
.
THE
Amomum Cardamomum,
or
Minus,
CARDAMOMUM.
of
Rumph. Amboin.
v. 152, tab. 65, grows here na
ly, particularly in places covered with the ashes of plants burnt on the spot. Consult
Gerard,
p. 1542, for the form of the fruit. The seeds are used in the
Indian
made-dishes; and, mixed with
Areca
and
Betel,
chewed to help digestion, and strengthen the stomach. We retain it in our dispensary.
As to the
Amomum Zinziber,
our common ginger,
GINGER.
Rumph. Amboin.
v. 156, tab. 66,
Woodville,
i. 31, the best in all
India
is cultivated in this country, and universally used to correct the insipidity of the general sood, rice; and is also mixed in the dishes of persons of rank.
SPICY EXPORTS.
This was one of the imports of the
Romans,
as was the
Cardamomum, Piper, Myrobalanus, Calamus
aromaticus, Nardus, Costus, Xylocinnamomum, Aspalathos,
and
Sesama,
or the oil extracted from its seed.
BASTARD cinnamon,
CASSIA.
the
Cassia
of the shops, and
Laurus Cassia, Burman. Zeyl.
63, tab. 28, grows here in great plenty, and the bark is a great article of commerce in
India:
some little is sent to
Europe,
but the consumption is very small, as we preser the true species: the bark is more red, and has a less flavor. It is said, that the forests of
Malabar
produce annually two hundred thousand pounds weight.
IT is endless to enumerate the plants or trees of
India;
the knowledge of its vegetable kingdom can only be learned from the number of books expressly written on the subject; yet, in the course of this topography, I shall incidentally give a brief account of the most singular, or the most useful. In this place I shall detain the reader a little longer than usual, to mention the useful
Bamboo,
BAMBOO REED.
a reed which is found frequent in the country. It is the retreat of tigers, panthers, bears, and other beasts of prey; and the haunt of infinite numbers and varieties of the monkey tribe. Botanists style it
Arundo Bambos,
and
Arundo arbor;
it is an evergreen. The stem is of a vivid green, but as it grows older, becomes of a duller color. I refer to the
Syslema Plantarum
for the synonyms.
Rumphius,
iv. 8, describes, but does not give its figure. In the
Hortus Malaharicus,
i. tab. 16, it is found under the title of
Ily. Bamboo
is not the
Indian
name, but one imposed on it by the
Portuguese,
from the violent explosion the hollows give on being set on fire, occasioned by the confined air, little inferior to that of a piece of artillery. This plant grows to a prodigious height, so as to over-top all trees of the forest; and its circumference so great, as to occasion hyperbolical exaggeration.
Pliny
says, that the joints of those which grew about the
Acesines,
are so large, that a single one is sufficent to make a boat.
Navigiorum etiam vicem praestant (si credimus) singula internodia.
Pliny
seems to credit the relation; and
Acosta,
(Aromatum liber) an author of credit, informs us, that he had frequently seen them in use on the river, near
Cranganor,
on this coast, and that they were capable of carrying two
Indians;
one sate on each end, with their knees joined, and each carried a short oar, or paddle, with which they rowed with vast rapidity, and even against the stream. The honorable
Edward Monkton,
who had been at
Goa,
has assured me, that the above must have been a mistake. The largest joint he ever saw (which always grows at the bottom of the plant) was not two feet in length, and about the thickness of a stout man's leg.
THE
bamboo
is subservient to other uses similar, but far more important. The reed, formed into a frame, and covered with skin, becomes a boat of the same sort with the
British
coracles, or rather the
vitilia navigia,
in which the
Britons
even crossed our narrow seas
Tour in Wales, i. 234.
.
Ayder Alli
had great numbers, which he carried with him in his campaigns: those frames were carried by two men, and the skins by two more; and in a quarter of an hour they were ready for use; one of these vessels was capable of containing twenty-five men, or a piece of cannon, with which they crossed any rivers they found in their march
Hist. of Ayder Alli, i. 116.
. As to the horses, they swim by the side of the coracle, held by the horseman (who is in the boat) by the bridle, in the same manner as the
Scots
pass their nags over the narrow arms of the sea
Voy. Hebrides, last edit. p. 326.—Lucan, lib. iv. 131.
.
IT is pretended, that these canes are so disliked by the crocodiles, that they never seize on the navigators, as the sharks in
Greenland
do on the poor
Greenlanders,
whom they bite in two, secured as they seem to be, in their canoes.
IN most places, the joints are used as pitchers to carry water, and some will contain sufficient to supply the family for the whole day. From this use it is named the
Arundarbor Vasaria.
AT the siege of
Mangalore, Tippoo Sultan
mounted his spears on light
bamboos,
a hundred and forty-seven feet long, and made his desperadoes mount the breaches, and under the fire of his artillery assail the brave garrison, inflicting distant and unexpected wounds or death
Wars in Asia, i. 497.
.
IN
China,
the joints perforated serve as pipes for conveyance of water, and in the same country, by macerating them, the
Chinese
make their paper, both coarse and fine; split into slender lengths, this cane is of much use in making mats. In short, its uses are innumerable.
THEY are often made use of for frames of houses, for which their ready sissibility, and their lightness, peculiarly adapt them.
THEY are greatly searched after, as poles to carry burthens, but particularly for the poles of
Palanquins;
for this purpose they are bent while growing, to give them a proper curvature; and when richly carved, as they often are, are sold at a vast price in the luxurious
Coromandel,
and other parts.
Linscofan,
and M.
Sonnerat,
give prints of the effeminate great men of
India,
attended by their slavish train, and making their fellowcreatures their beasts of burden, who go at the rate of two leagues an hour: I observe some of their attendants in the fashion of the high toed shoes, prohibibited in
England
in the reign of
Edward
IV
Holinshed's Chron. p. 668.
. Some I observe attended with a dwarf or two, a custom formerly very frequent, even in the
European
courts.
THIS reed is also called
Mambu,
and was celebrated in early times by the
Arabian
physicians, for producing from its joints a sort of inspissated juice, of a sweet taste, called
Tabaxar,
TABAXAR.
and
Sacar Mambu.
It often grows dry, and is discovered by its rattling within the hollow of the reed
† Acosta, in Elus. Exot. 164, 246.
. It was a famed medicine with all the
Orientalists,
in outward and inward heats, bilious fevers, and other disorders of that nature, and in dysenteries; and it was reckoned peculiarly efficacious in discharges of coagulated blood, so frequently left in internal wounds. These uses made it once a great article of export from the
Malabar
ports. The
Brahmins
also use this
Sacar
in their medical prescriptions.
IN this hot country, the reed is often applied to another use, adapted to refresh the exhausted native; it is bent so as to form arbours and cool walks of considerable length, delicious retreats from the rays of the vertical sun. Finally, the application of it as an instrument of punishment (in
China
at lest), of the most severe nature. It is used as the bastinado, and often till death ensues, in the most cruel manner.
SUGAR was originally brought from
India,
SUGAR.
by the introduction of the plant, the
Saccharum Officinarum.
I shall here give some account of this useful article, and its various removals from its native place into
Europe,
where it was for some ages cultivated with great success. "
Arabia,
" says
Pliny,
lib. xii. c. 8, "produces
Sacearon,
but the best is in
India.
" It is a honey
collected from reeds, a sort of white gum, brittle between the teeth: the largest pieces do not exceed the size of a hazel nut, and it is used only in medicine.
THE cane was an article of commerce in very early times.
ANTIQUITY OF.
The prophets
Isaiah
Ch. xlv. 24.
and
Jeremiah
Ch. vi. 20.
make mention of it: "Thou hast brought me no sweet cane, with money," says the first: and the second,
To what purpose cometh there to me the sweet cane from a far country?
Brought for the luxury of the juice, either extracted by suction or by some other means. In the note on the elegant poem, the
Sugar
Cane
Note in Book ix. 22.
, Doctor
Grainger
informs us, that at first the raw juice was made use of; they afterwards boiled it into a syrup, and, in process of time, an inebriating spirit was prepared therefrom, by fermentation.
SUGAR was first made from the reed in
Egypt,
ITS REMOVALS.
from thence the plant was carried into
Sicily,
which, in the twelfth century, supplied many parts of
Europe
with that commodity; and from thence, at a period unknown, it was probably brought into
Spain,
by the
Moors.
From
Spain
the reed was planted in the
Canary
islands, and in the
Madeira,
by the
Portuguese.
This happened about the year 1506. In the same year,
Ferdinand
the Catholic ordered the cane to be carried from the
Canaries
to St.
Domingo.
From those islands the art of making sugar was introduced into the islands of
Hispaniola,
and in about the year 1623 into the
Brazils;
the reed itself growing spontaneously in both those countries. Till that time sugar was a most expensive luxury, and used only, as Mr.
Anderson
observes, in feasts, and physical necessities.
I SHALL here anticipate the account of the state of sugar in
Spain,
where in
Europe
it first became stationary,
INTO SPAIN.
borrowing it from the ninth volume of my Outlines of the Globe. It was, till of late years, cultivated to great advantage in the kingdom of
Granada,
and great quantities of sugar made in the
ingenios,
or mills. In the year 1723, in the city of
Mesril,
were eight hundred families: Their principal commerce was in sugars and syrups, made in four sugar works, from the plantations of canes, which reached from the south side down to the sea side; but these and the other sugar works are greatly decayed, by reason of the excessive duties. This, with the increased demand for sugar, on the prevaling use of chocolate in the kingdom, which requires double the quantity of that article, has occasioned a drain of a million of dollars out of the country, in payment for sugar, preserves, and other confectionaries. This is very extraordinary, considering that
Spain
is possessed of some of the sinest sugar islands, besides the power of manufacturing it within its home dominions
Uztariz, ii. ch. 94.
.
I NOW digress several leagues to the west,
LACCADIVE ISLES.
to the
Laccadive
isles, a considerable group, the centre of which is nearly opposite to
Tellicherry.
They extend from Lat. 10° to 12° 50′ north, are low, and not to be seen farther than six or seven leagues. These are supposed to be the isles intended by
Ptolemy,
by the title of
Insulae Numero
XIX. but, in fact, they are thirty-two, all of them small, and covered with trees, and rocky on their sides, mostly as if laid on a bottom of sand, attended with reefs, and the channels between them are very deep. They are commonly navigated by our ships, in their way to the
Persian
Gulph, or the
Red
Sea. That called the ix½ degree channel, or the passage between the most southern of the
Laccadives,
the isle of
Malique,
and that called
Mamala,
or the viii. degree channel, between the isle of
Malique,
and the most northern of the
Maldive
isles, are those which are in use. Each island has its name: Captain
Cornwal
says, that called
Calpenia
has a river, where ships of two hundred tons may float and clean.
THE principal traffic of these isles, is in the products of the coco trees, such as the oil, the cables, and cordage; and in fish, which is dried and sent to the continent of
India,
from whence they get rice, &c. in return. They also trade to
Mascat,
in large boats, and carry there the same commodities, and bring back dry and wet dates,
AMBERGRISE.
and a little coffee. Ambergrise is found often, floating off these isles.
Hamilton
mentions a piece in possession of a certain
Rajah,
valued at £.1,250 sterling. It is now generally supposed to be a mineral;
Cronsted,
at lest, ranks it among them: the best is of a grey color, is a strong perfume, and is also much used in medicine. It is highly esteemed as a cordial, and in nervous complaints; and, in extremities, is administered often as a persuasive to the soul not to quit its earthly tenement.
A Captain
Coffin,
engaged in the southern or
Guinea
whale fishery, found in a female spermaceti whale, three hundred and sixty ounces of ambergrise. This is said not to be unusual, but then it always is in fickly emaciated fishes. These instances do not prove that it was the production of the spermaceti whale, the food of which is
squids,
or the
sepia:
many of the horny beaks were found adhering to the ambergrise, or immersed in that soft substance. It appears to me, that the whales sometimes swallow it, that it disagrees with them, and acts as a sort of poison, bringing on a decay, and death; and that the parts of the
sepia
found lodged in it, are the undissolved remains lodged in the ambergrise. Mr.
Cossin
sold his prize at nineteen shillings and nine pence per ounce. This is related in Phil. Trans. lxxxi. p. 43.
MIDWAY between these isles and those of the
Maldives,
ISLE OF MALIQUE.
is the isle of
Malique,
a small, low, and solitary spot, surrounded with breakers, seated in Lat. 8° 20′ north. It is inhabited, and dependent on a
Rajah
on the
Malabar
coast. A large shallop of twenty-two oars came off to a
French India
ship in 1770: among the people were three who appeared of rank, and who very politely offered their services to the
European
officer.
THE
Maldive
islands are to the south of the last.
MALDIVE ISLANDS.
They extend from north to south, inclining a little to the south-east, from Lat. 7° 25′ to a little more than Lat. 1°. These are the most singular and numerous groups of isles in the world: From their number
Ptolemy
names them
Insulae
MCCCLXXVIII. The
Nubian
Geographer calls these isles
Robaihat.
THE two
Mahometan
travellers of the ninth century, make them amount to nineteen hundred; and the sea which surrounds them, and lies to the north-west of them, they called the
Harchend
sea. The natives make the number of their isles amount to twelve thousand. They were discovered in 1508, by the younger
Almeyda;
and conquered by the
Portuguese
from the
Moors,
who had usurped the sovereignty of them from the natives, who probably came originally from the adjacent
Malabar.
The
Europeans
did not long maintain possession. The
Portuguese
had obtained leave to erect a fort on one of the isles; but they were soon cut off by the
Maldivians,
and their fort demolished.
THEY are divided into thirteen
Attollons,
or provinces, and are governed by one king; but each
Attollon
has its particular governor, who rules with great oppression. The subjects are miserably poor, and none dare wear any cloathing above the waist, except a turband, without a particular license. The king assumes the magnificent title of
Sultan
of the
Maldives,
king of thirteen provinces, and twelve thousand isles. From Mr.
Dalrymple
's chart of the
Maldives,
they seem divided into thirteen groups, each pretty nearly equidistant, and each with their proper name: their form is most singular; they are represented as reefs of small and very low islands, regular in their form, and surrounding a clear space of sea, with a very shallow portion of water between them. The chief is called
Atoll Maldivas:
they have only four ports, in which their few articles of commerce are collected.
ONE article is the
Cowry,
a small species of shell,
TRADE IN COWRY SHELLS.
the
Cyproea Moneta
of
Linnaeus, D'Argenville,
tab. xviii. fig. K. It is very singular that many parts of the world should for ages past be obliged to these little and remote islands for their specie; and that the contemptible shells of the
Maldives,
prove the price of mankind, and contribute to the vilest of traffic in
Negro-land;
but so it is! These shells are collected twice in the month, at full and new moon. It is the business of the women, who wade up to their middle to gather them. They are packed up in parcels of twelve thousand each, and are the current money among the poor in
Bengal.
A
Cowry
is rated there at the hundred and sixtieth part of a penny, so that it is impossible to find a coin so small as to be of use to the poor in a country where provisions are so exceedingly cheap; eighty
Cowries
make a
pun,
and from fifty to sixty
puns,
the value of a
roupee,
or four shillings and six-pence
English.
They are re-exported to
England, France,
&c.; and from those places again to
Guinea,
as the price of the unhappy natives.
Hamilton,
i. 347, mistakes the manner of gathering them, when he says—
The natives fling into the sea branches of coco trees, to which the shells adhere, and are collected every four or five months.
The exchange for them from
Bengal,
is rice, butter, and cloth, which is brought from that country in small vessels, fitted for the shallow navigations.
THESE islands, as well as the
Laccadives,
have besides a brisk trade with the western coasts of
India,
chiefly in coco nuts, and the several manufactures from that useful article. Among which, the
Kaiar,
or cables and ropes, made of the filaments of the nuts, have a vast sale on all the coast of
India.
FISH is another article;
IN FISH.
the species is said to be chiefly the
Bonito,
or
Scomber Pelamys.
These annually migrate among the isles, in
April
and
May.
They are caught both by hook and net, are split, and the bone taken out, sprinkled with sea water and set to dry; then put into the sand, wrapt up in coco leaves, and placed a foot or two below the surface, where they become as hard as stock-fish. Vessels come from
Atcheen
in the isle of
Sumatra,
with gold dust, to purchase this necessary, which is again sold there at the rate of £.8 per thousand.
THE coco tree is the only one which these isles do produce, for they are universally sandy and barren. Of this the inhabitants build vessels of twenty or thirty tons. The cables, ropes, sails, and every individual part is made of this tree; which even supplies the sire-wood, and provision, oil for their kitchens and lamps, sugar, and candied sweetmeats, and strong cloth.
THEY are furnished with water from wells, which they dare not sink deeper than five or six feet, otherwise the salt water will percolate through the sand. On them they depend, nor do these ever fail.
Ali, Rajah
of
Cananore,
and High Admiral of
Ayder Alli,
made a conquest of these isles, took the king captive, and cruelly put out his eyes. In this state, he presented him to
Ayder,
who highly disapproving of the barbarity, deprived the
Rajah
of the command of the fleet, and treated the unhappy prince with the utmost humanity, gave him a palace, and settled on him a revenue to supply him with every pleasure he was capable of tasting
Hist. of Ayder Alli, i. 98.
. The poets of
Ayder
's court added to his title on this occasion, "
King of the islands of the sea;
" and in their poems placed him above
Alexander
and
Tamerlane.
Let me here say, that he had his poet-laureat always resident, who had a stipend of a thousand
roupees
a month, and the rank of a general of a thousand men
Hist. Ayder Alli, i. 99.
.
PART of the inhabitants profess
Paganism,
part
Mahometism,
the first retained from the original. Their language is
Cingalese,
or that of
Ceylon
Hamilton, i. 348.
,which points out their primoeval stock. As to
Mahometism
it is a more modern religion, derived from the
Moors.
Some bury their dead, others burn them, like the
Hindoos:
but
Knox,
our best authority, says, that the poor only inter; the rich commit them to the funeral pile
Hist. Ceylon. 115.
.
Hamilton
saw, on one island, certain tombs, "sculptured," says he, "with as great variety of figures as he ever saw in
Europe.
"
To return to the continent. A few leagues below
Mahè,
SACRIFICE ROCK.
at a small distance from the coast, is the
Sacrifice Rock,
supposed to have received its name from certain
Portuguese,
taken by some of the neighboring cruizers of
Cottica,
and on that rock made victims to the revenge of the
Indians
§ Hamilton, i. p. 304.
.
THE city of
Calicut,
seated in Lat. 11° 18′,
CITY OF CALICUT.
stands about eight leagues to the south of the
Rock of Sacrifice.
This place is celebrated as being the first land in
India
which the
Europeans
ever saw, after the long interval of the
Roman
commerce. Here the great
Gama,
on
May
18, 1698, first saw the fertile risings and plains of
Malabar,
backed by the lofty
Ghauts,
rise before him. Mr.
Dalrymple,
in one of his plates, gives a view of what it now is, and, in respect to its natural situation, what it must have been at that time. The works of art are too minute to be perceptible, amidst the bold and eternal operations of nature.
Calicut
was at that time the greatest
emporium
of all
India.
ITS ANTIENT TRADE.
The commerce of the
Arabs
with this port was prodigious. Pretious stones, pearls, amber, ivory,
China
-ware, gold and silver, silks and cottons, indigo, sugar, spices, valuable woods, perfumes, beautiful varnishes, and whatever adds to the luxuries of life, were brought there from all parts of the east. Some of these rich commodities came by sea; but as navigation was neither so safe, nor pursued with so much spirit as it hath been since, a great part of them was conveyed by land, on the backs of oxen and elephants.
ALL its splendor and all its opulence was owing to commerce, yet the houses were mean, but not crowded, detached from each other, and surrounded with delicious gardens; none were built of stone, but the royal palace, which rose with great magnificence above the other buildings. The town was very extensive, and very populous.
AT the arrival of the
Portuguese
it was governed by a monarch,
THE ZAMOREEN.
called the
Zamorin,
who, like a lord paramount, had all the other princes of
Malabar
as tributaries. The account, as related by the
Portuguese
historians, is, that six hundred years before the arrival of
Gama,
or about the year 898,
Perimal
reigned supreme over the whole country. In his old age he became a convert to
Mahometism,
and determined to resign his dominions to his relations, and finish his days at the holy city of
Medina.
His successors retained the antient religion, and are considered as chief of the
Nayrs.
I will relate the tale in the elegant language of
Camoens,
who gives a faithful recital of the event, dressed in poetical numbers, by the elegant pen of Mr.
Mickle.
GREAT
Samoreen,
her lord's imperial style,
The mighty Lord of
India
's utmost soil:
To him the kings their duteous tributes pay,
And at his feet confess their borrow'd sway.
Yet higher tower'd the monarch's antient boast
Of old, one sovereign ruled the spacious coast.
A votive train, who brought the
Koran
's lore,
What time great
Perimal
the sceptre bore,
From blest
Arabia
's groves to
India
came:
Life were their words, their eloquence a flame
Of holy zeal; fir'd by the powerful strain,
The lofty monarch joins the faithful train;
And vows at fair
Medina
's shrine to close
His life's mild eve, in pray'r and sweet repose.
Gifts he prepares to deck the Prophet's tomb,
The glowing labors of the
Indian
loom;
Orixa
's spices, and
Golconda
's gems:
Yet ere the fleet th'
Arabian
ocean stems,
His final care his potent regions claim,
Nor his the transport of a father's name:
His servants now the regal purple wear,
And high enthron'd the golden sceptres bear.
Proud
Cochin
one, and one fair
Chalé
sways;
The spicy isle another lord obeys;
Coulam,
and
Cananoor
's luxurious fields,
And
Cranganore
to various lords he yields;
While these, and others thus the monarch grac'd,
A noble youth his care unmindful past;
Save
Calicut,
a city, poor and small,
Tho' lordly now, no more remain'd to fall:
Griev'd to behold such merit thus repay'd,
The sapient youth the king of kings he made;
And honor'd with the name, Great
Samoreen,
The lordly titled boast of power supreme;
And now great
Perimal
resigns his reign,
The blissful bow'rs of Paradise to gain.
Before the gale his gaudy navy flies,
And
India
sinks for ever from his eyes.
And soon to
Calicut
's commodious port
The fleets, deep edging with the wave, resort;
Wide o'er the shore extend the warlike piles,
And all the landscape round luxurious smiles.
And now, her flag to ev'ry gale unfurl'd,
She tow'rs the empress of the eastern world.
Such are the blessings sapient kings bestow,
And from thy stream such gifts, O Commerce, flow.
Gama
was at first well received at
Calicut,
but the jealousy of the
Arabs,
prevented his friendship with the
Zamorin
from being of any duration. The
Portuguese
never could make themselves masters of the place; but at length
Albuquerque,
in 1503,
SEIZED BY ALBUQUERQUE.
prevaled on the reigning prince to permit him to build a fort not far from the city. This gave him the command of the commerce, notwithstanding the city remained under the line of its antient rulers, who very frequently were engaged in wars with their
European
neighbors. The
English
had their factories here, but, I believe, have long since deserted the place. As to the
Portuguese,
they became so distressed, by the union of the
Dutch
with the
Zamorin,
that they blew up their fortress, and entirely quitted the neighborhood. It was afterwards either undermined with the sea, or overthrown by an earthquake, for
Hamilton
says, that in 1703 his ship, which drew twenty-one feet water, struck on its ruins.
Ayder Alli
advanced towards this town.
BY AYDER ALLI.
It was voluntarily surrendered to him by the
Zamorin,
who prostrated himself at his feet, and presented him with two basons of gold, one filled with pieces of gold, the other with pretious stones; and two small cannons of gold, with golden carriages of the same metal.
Ayder
raised him from the ground, and promised to restore to him his dominions, on condition of paying a small tribute. The two princes parted, seemingly in perfect amity. The next day the palace appeared on fire. In desiance of all attempts to save it, it was wholly destroyed, and with it perished the prince, his family, and vast treasures. The
Zamorin
had just received letters from the
Hindoo Rajahs
of
Travancore
and
Cochin,
bitterly reproaching him with betraying his country to the
Mahometans,
and becoming apostate to his religion, declaring him degraded and expelled from his cast. So affected was he with the disgrace, that he determined on the fatal JOAR, see page 56, and by that rite made the horrible expiation
Life of Ayder Alli, i. 111.
!
IN the year 1782,
BY MAJOR ABINGTON.
this city was taken by Major
Abington.
He was superseded in his command by Colonel
Humberston.
The environs were at that time in possession of the enemy, under
Mugdum Saheb,
a general of
Ayder
's. The youthful hero, panting after glory, sallied forth with a handful of men, and gave him a total defeat.
Mugdum,
several principal officers, and between three and four hundred men, fell in the action. His forces consisted of three thousand foot and near a thousand horse. "I am ashamed," says the modest victor,
to name the number of my troops: they were so few, that you will think me rash to have ventured an action. In consequence the enemy evacuated all the country, which belonged to the
Zamorin,
whom I restored to his possessions
British India, iii. 832.
.
VIII. PALICAUDCHERRY.
THE river
Paniani
rises from the north-east in the
Coimbotore
country,
COIMBOTORE COUNTRY.
and passes through the breach, and in the rainy season is navigable for small boats, to the foot of the
Ghauts.
Its source is from an elevated plain, sixty miles in extent, rising suddenly out of the surrounding country like a vast terrace, and faces the great gap: Such are common in
India,
and are features almost peculiar to the country.
TWENTY-five miles south of
Paniani
is
Cranganore,
CRANGANORE.
the northern frontier of the
Rajahship
of
Travencore.
When
Gama
arrived on this coast he was surprised with a visit of certain deputies from that city, informing him, that they were, like him,
Christians,
and requesting to be taken under the protection of his great master,
Emmanuel. Gama
received them with the utmost affection, and assured them, he should recommend their interests to the
Portuguese
Admirals
Osorio, lib. i. p. 134.
, whom he should leave on the coast. After his departure, a quarrel happened between them and the
Zamorin.
A ship loaden with spices was on its way from
Calicut
to
Cranganore;
such was the avarice of the
Portuguese,
that they could not resist making it a prize. The nephew of the
Zamorin,
who was their warm friend, represented to them the danger of offending his uncle; and at the same time assured them, that the cargo was designed to be disposed of to them. All was in vain; they took the ship, and slew some of the crew. The nephew demanded satisfaction, but his remonstrances were received with contempt.
Lopez Soarez,
a
Portuguese
admiral, came into
India
about this time with thirteen ships. He found that the
Zamorin,
and the citizens of
Cranganore,
were preparing to revenge the injuries done them. He sailed for that port, landed his men, and, assisted by the King of
Cochin,
attacked the
Indian
army, gained a complete victory, and pursued the fugitives into the city, and set it on fire.
BURNT.
It was to no purpose that the
Christian
inhabitants entreated the conquerors to spare their churches. They did indeed attempt to quench the flames, but to no purpose, for very few of the places of worship escaped. This happened in 1504. The
Portuguese
built a strong fort near the spot, about a league up the river, or channel, which is not above a quarter of a mile broad, but very deep, yet on the bar, at spring-tides, had not above fourteen feet of water. A new city arose, but the
Indians
rebuilt it at some distance from the antient site, and it became one of the sinest in
India.
A channel divides it from another narrow isle, which is about four leagues long, and runs north and south, parallel with the main land. Another channel divides it from that of
Cochin.
The
Dutch,
under Commodore
Goens,
made themselves masters of
Cranganore
in 1660, without meeting the lest resistance. The
Portuguese,
enervated with luxury, and detested for their cruelty, in a single year lost every one of their possessions in
Malabar
to their antient foes, who succeeded to their wealth and power, supported by wisdom, oeconomy, and valor. As soon as they were masters of the place, they prohibited all boats or vessels from entering at the two channels, determined to prevent surprise, and illicit trade.
THIS city was distinguished by two most remarkable circumstances:
JEWS IN INDIA.
the one (to begin with the most antient) was its having been the residence of a republic of
Jews,
part of the tribe of
Manassch,
who had been carried into captivity by
Nebuchadnezzar,
who sent numbers of them to this distant place. Their history says, that they amounted to twenty thousand, and that they were three years in travelling to this place, from the time of their setting out from
Babylon.
When they arrived they were treated with great humanity by the natives, and allowed every indulgence in both religious and temporal concerns. In process of time, they grew so wealthy as to purchase the little kingdom of
Cranganore. Hamilton,
i, p. p. 321, 322, makes them increase to eighty thousand families, but in his days they were reduced to four thousand. They established a commonwealth, and selected the two sons of one of the first families, eminent for their wisdom, to govern them jointly. One of them, instigated by ambition, murdered his brother: after which the commonwealth became a democracy; and their territory, many centuries ago, returned into the hands of the natives. Powerful as they were, they are at present very poor, and few. Numbers of them had removed to
God,
where they were greatly encouraged by the
Zamorin
of the time. They have to this day a synagogue, near the king's palace, at a small distance from
Cochin,
where are preserved their records, engraven on copper plates, in
Hebrew
characters, and when any of the characters decay, they are new cut, so that they can shew their history from the reign of
Nebuchadnezzar
to the present time. The
Maecenas
of
Malabar,
M.
von Rheede,
caused these records to be translated into low
Dutch:
The perusal would be very desirable. I trust that these plates were not forgeries to impose on the curious governor, as the famous inscription on the death of the
Danish
monarch,
Hardicanute,
at
Lambeth,
was by a witty wag, which so capitally deceived the first antiquaries of our days
See European Magazine, Vol. xvii.
.
THAT St.
Thomas
preached the Gospel in
India,
CHRISTIANS IN INDIA.
I make no doubt. He first visited the isle of
Socotora;
after performing the orders of his Divine Master, he passed through the several kingdoms which intervened between that isle and
Jerusalem.
From
Socotora
he landed at
Cranganore,
where he continued some time, and made numbers of proselytes, and, in all probability, established a church government. From thence he visited the eastern parts of
India,
and met with martyrdom at
Meliapour;
where we shall resume the history of this great Apostle.
THOSE
Christians
on the
Malabar
coast grew into a potent people; but, if we may credit
Marco Polo,
p. 135, there was in the centre of
India
a country called
Abasia,
divided into seven kingdoms, three of which were
Mahometan,
the other four
Christian.
The
Christians
distinguished themselves by a golden cross worn over their forcheads; but the
Jews
who were among them were marked on their checks with a hot iron.
BUT what weighs greatly with me concerning the truth of the existence of the
Indian Christians,
OR CHRISTIANS OF ST. THEMAS,
or
Christians
of St.
Thomas,
as they are usually called, is, that the knowlege of them had reached
England
as early as the ixth century;
KNOWN IN ENGLAND IN 883.
for we are certain that our great
Alsred,
in consequence of a vow, sent
Sigh
m
II. in the year 883, Bishop of
Sherbourn,
first to
Rome,
and afterwards to
India,
with alms to the
Christians
of the town of
Saint Thomas,
now
Mcliapour,
who returned with various rich gems, some of which were to be seen in the church of
Sherbourn
(according to
William of Malmsbury,
lib. ii. 248) even in his days. I have not extent of faith to favour the legend of the place of the martyrdom of the saint, which was fixed by pious historians to have been at St.
Thomas
on the
Coromandel
coast; of which the reader will find an account in the following volume.
THE rites and customs of these
Christians
differ in several respects from those of the church of
Rome.
THEIR RITES.
In some they accord, which makes me imagine there might have been some accidented communication of the nature of that I have mentioned above.
Osorio,
i. 212, gives an account of their ceremonies. Speaking of the
Christians
of
Cranganore,
he thus goes on—
The
Christians
who reside here, are generally very poor, and their churches of a mean appearance. They keep the sabbath in the same manner as we do, in hearing sermons, and performing other religious duties. The high priest, whom they acknowleged as the head of their church, had his seat near some mountains, towards the north, in a country called
Chaldaeis.
He has a council composed of twelve cardinals, two bishops, and several priests: With the assistance of these, he settles all affairs relating to religion; and all the
Christians
in these parts acquiesce in his decrees. The priests are shaved in such a manner, as to represent a cross on their crowns. They administer the sacrament in both kinds, making use of the juice of pressed grapes, by way of wine, and allow the laity to partake of both; but no one is admitted to this solemn ordinance till he has made a confession of his iniquities. They baptized not their infants till they were forty days old, except in danger of death. When any one amongst them is seized with a fit of sickness, the priest immediately visits him, and the sick person is greatly animated by the holy man's supplications. When they enter their churches, they sprinkle themselves with holy water. They use the same form of burial as in other catholic countries: the relations of the deceased give great entertainments, which last a week, during which time they celebrate his praises, and put up prayers for his eternal happiness. They preserve the sacred writings in the
Syrian
or
Chaldaean
language, with great carefulness; and their teachers are ready in all public places to instruct every one. They keep the
Advent Sunday,
and the forty days of
Lent,
with great strictness, and observe most of the festivals which we have in our church, with the same exactness. They compute their time likewise in the same manner as we do, adding a day to every fourth year. The first day of
July
is kept as a holiday, in honor of St.
Thomas,
not only by these
Christians,
but many of the
Pagans
also. There are likewise convents for the priests, and nunneries for their women, who adhere to their vows of chastity with the utmost probity. Their priests are allowed to marry once, but excluded from taking a second wife. Marriages amongst other people cannot be annulled, but by the death of one of the parties. When a woman becomes a widow, she forfeits her dowry if married within a twelve-month after the death of her husband. These are the customs and manners which the
Christians
in
Cranganore,
as well as many other parts of
India,
have observed with the utmost fidelity, from the time of St.
Thomas.
WHEN
Gama
arrived on this coast, there were about two hundred thousand of them in the southern parts of
Malabar;
during thirteen hundred years they had been under the Patriarch of
Babylon,
who appointed their
Metarene
or Archbishop. They were extremely averse to the doctrine of St.
Francis de Xavier,
when he came among them, and abhorred the worship of images, which they considered as idolatry. They refused to acknowlege the Pope's supremacy, and at length were persecuted as heretics, with all the horrors of the inquisition, newly established at
Goa. Xavier
had never troubled his new converts with any instruction, nor ever instilled into them any knowlege of the principles of the
Christian
religion, any farther than implicit obedience to the head of the church. He gave them crucifixes to worship, and told them, they were then sure of heaven. His preaching was subservient to the political interests of his country; his abilities, and his labors for that end were amazing. In him appeared all the powers which, in after times, gave to his order that vast importance in the affairs of the universe. I will conclude this article with saying, that out of the fifty thousand inhabitants found in
Bednore
when
Ayder Alli
took possession of it, thirty thousand were
Christians,
"who," says his historian, i. p. 83,
were endowed with great privileges.
Cranganore,
and a fort on the opposite side of the river, named
Jacotta,
gave rise to the important war of the
Mysore.
They had been taken from the
Portuguese
by the
Dutch,
and possessed by the last a hundred and fifty years.
Ayder Alli,
seeing the conveniency of
Cranganore
to his
Mysorean
kingdom, in 1780, seized and garrisoned it. In the ensuing war, the
Dutch
repossessed themselves of it. In 1789
Tippoo Sultan,
the successor of
Ayder,
determined to make himself master of it, in right of his father. He raised a mighty army, which so alarmed the
Dutch,
that they resolved to dispose of the two forts to the
Rajah
of
Travancore,
an ally of the
English,
in order to divert the storm from themselves.
Tippoo
marched with his forces, and attacked the lines of
Travancore.
The battle between his army and that of the
Rajah,
the latter in defence of
Cranganore,
on
May
1, 1790, was the signal of the general war, on which commenced the first campaign in
June
following. The conclusion of that glorious war was the putting us in possession of the whole coast, from
Caroor
as far as mount
Dilly,
a tract of a hundred and twenty miles. This is the result of the partition treaty.
Cochin
lies in Lat.
COCHIN.
9° 58′ N. on the southern side of the channel, on an island opposite to another that stretches to the south. It is a
Rajahship,
possibly dependent on that of
Travancore,
who seems to have undertaken the defence of the whole tract southward, by erecting the famous lines of
Travancore,
which begin at
Cranganore
and extend almost to the foot of the
Ghauts.
The coast is very low, scarcely discernible, except by the trees. The soundings are gradual, and are, at the distance of two miles from shore, ten or eleven fathoms. Ships usually lie three or four miles from land; a dangerous bar is an obstruction to entering the harbour; and a most furious surge at times beats on the shore.
THIS was one of the first places visited by the
Portuguese,
after their arrival at
Calicut.
It was at that time governed by a prince, tributary to the
Zamorin,
but who shewed every act of friendship to the Admiral,
Cabral,
and his companions. At his time the harbour was capacious and open. While he was there, two of the
Christians
of St.
Thomas
came and requested him to convey them to
Portugal,
that from thence they might visit
Jerusalem,
and the
Holy Land. Gama
himself afterwards visited
Cochin,
and received every mark of respect. The prince continued faithful to his new allies, and assisted them with a considerable army against the
Zamorin.
At length fortune declared against him; the
Zamorin
burnt his capital, and made himself master of his dominions. The
Portuguese
under
Francis Albuquerque,
says
Lasitau,
came, in 1503, to their assistance, expelled the
Zamorin,
and
Duarte Pachcco,
whom
Albuquerque
had left behind, by his astonishing valor and prudence, reinstated
Triumpara,
the reigning prince, but only to fit him for a new mortification. In the transports of his gratitude he permitted the
Portuguese
to build a fort. This gave them full power over their faithful ally; and, under pretence of reducing his rebellious subjects, made a conquest of the whole country. In a little time the poor prince found himself enslaved.
Cochin
became, under its new masters, a place of great commerce, till the year 1660, fatal to the
Portuguese
power in this part of
India.
It was attacked by the Commodore
Goens.
The garrison made a most gallant defence, nor was it taken till after great loss on both sides. The
Dutch
found the city much too large for their purpose; they reduced it considerably. The titular king did not find any improvement in his situation, and it is said, that the present prince lives near
Cochin,
with an income of little more than six hundred pounds a year. Some of the race of the
Jewish
captives, and some of the
Christians
of St.
Thomas,
reside here. The last are miserably poor and ignorant; but the church of St.
Andrea,
not far from hence, is served by their clergy.
IN this city breathed his last the great
Vasco de Gama,
OF VASCO DE GAMA.
the discoverer of
India,
and, with the illustrious
Albuquerque,
the founder of the
Portuguese
empire in that inexhaustible region of wealth.
Gama
was born at
Sines,
a port in the province of
Alentejo,
in
Portugal,
of a family rendered illustrious by the valour of the individuals.
Vasco
was only the fifth in heraldic history, which does not even acquaint us with the time of his birth. He had served in
France,
and he was Gentleman of the Bedchamber to the great
Emmanuel,
when he was appointed, in 1497, to the important command of the fleet destined for the discovery of the
Indies.
We have successively mentioned his name, on several glorious occasions; our business now is only to trace him to his end: He survived to the reign of
John
III. to be appointed to a third voyage, and to finish his days on that shore, where he had begun his career of glory. He sailed from
Lisbon
on
April
10, 1524. Prodigies attended his voyage; on his arrival off the coast of
Cambay,
in the stillness of a calm, a dreadful swelling of the sea, the then unknown symptons of an earthquake, appalled the boldest.
Gama
discovered the phoenomenon: "Courage!" says he, "
India
trembles at our approach!" Another danger followed this. From the description, his ship was nearly foundered by the fall of a water-spout. He arrived, at length, at this port, where he gave up his great soul, on
December
24, 1525, to be judged according to unerring justice; for, amidst all his fine qualities, he was deeply tainted with the character of his nation, cruelty. His body lay deposited at
Cochin
till 1538, when it was brought to
Lisbon,
where it was received with greater honor than was ever before paid to any person, excepting those of the blood royal.
A FATE similar to that of
Gama
attended
Alphonso Albuquerque,
OF ALBUQUERQUE.
descended illegitimately from the blood royal of
Portugal.
He was sent out by his prince, for the first time in 1503, and in successive voyages shewed himself to have been superior to any one of his nation, before or after him, both in the military and political line: he was fitted by his talents to be the founder of a great empire. We trace him almost every where from the
Red
Sea to the utmost limits of his
Indian
expedition, as far as
Sumatra,
and the distant
Malacca:
on his last voyage he was struck by the hand of death. He directed his pilot to steer for
Goa,
the scene of many of his glorious actions. He was informed on the way that he was recalled, and two persons, most disagreeable to him, were to succeed to the government of
India.
"
Lopez Soarez,
" exclamed he,
Governor of
India!
— it is he! it could be no other!
Don James Mendez,
and
James Pereyra,
whom I sent prisoners for heinous crimes, return, the one governor of
Cochin,
the other secretary! It is time for me to take sanctuary in the church, for I have incurred the King's displeasure for his subjects' sake, and the subjects' anger for the King's sake. Old man, fly to the church, it concerns your honor you should die, and you never omitted any thing that concerned your honor.
HE died in 1515, aged 63, off the bar of
Goa,
DIES.
and was interred there, but his corpse was not removed to its native country for numbers of years, as is said, at the instances of the citizens of
Goa,
who venerated his memory. He died with the highest sentiments of piety; even the
Gentoos
and
Moors,
through devotion visited his tomb, so highly and universally was he esteemed. He was an inflexible lover of justice, and of most polished manners; yet his actions at
Ormus,
at
Calajate
Osorio i. p. p. 338, 339.
, and other places, shew how impossible it is to suppress an inborn and national barbarity.
ALL the tract of country from
Cranganore
almost to
Anjenjo,
a tract of about a hundred and twenty miles, consists of multitudes of very low wooded isles, formed by a thousand rivers, that tumble from the
Ghauts.
This flat country extends thirty miles inland, and has intermixed a great assemblage of lakes, rivers, and forests, the whole marshy, and most unwholesome: it abounds with fish and game, which makes
Cochin,
in that respect, a most luxurious residence.
A distemper prevales in these parts,
SWELLED LEGS.
supposed to arise from the badness of the water, or from an impoverished state of blood from poor living. Its symptoms are a violent swelling in one, and sometimes in both legs, so that it is not uncommon to see them a yard in circuit round the ancle
See the Plate 65, in Linscottan's Voyage.
. It is not attended with any pain, but with an itching; the swollen leg is not heavier than the unaffected. The distemper is called the
Cochin-leg,
and, from the size, the
Elephant-leg;
no remedy has yet been discovered. The
Dutch
procure their water in boats from a distant place, yet
Hamilton
says, that he had seen both men and women of that nation afflicted with the malady. This destroys the hypothesis of its being the effect either of the water or of poor living.
FROM
Cochin
to the termination of the islands, the coast is flat, and so low, as to be distinguished only by the trees, or by the flags on the ensign staffs; the sea clear of shoals, and with good soundings.
PORCAH.
Porcah,
on the island beyond
Cochin,
is a small
Dutch
settlement.
COULANG.
Quilon,
or rather
Coulang,
is another, now sunk into an inconsiderable place. On the first arrival of the
Portuguese
it was governed by a Queen-Regent, who ruled over a small principality. The city was seated on a navigable river, had an excellent harbour, and its buildings were very splendid; but its commerce had declined on the rise of
Calicut.
Numbers of
Christians
of St.
Thomas
were found spread over the country. It was taken from the
Portuguese
by the
Dutch,
in 1662. The country was at that time also governed by a Queen, who resided at
Calliere,
an inland town.
Nieuhoff
was intrusted with a commission to her, and found her a woman of majestic mien, and excellent understanding
Nieuhoff's Voyage, in Churchill's Coll. ii. p. 267.
.
To this place there continues a similarity of low, and morassy country. At a few miles distance, to the south of
Coulang,
the coast immediately alters, the land rises into high and precipitous red cliffs; near them is good fresh water; at
Anjenga,
ANJENGA.
a small settlement (with a fort belonging to the
English
) it is very bad and scarce. The fort was built by the
East India
Company, in 1695. They pay for the ground rent to the queen of the country. By my frequent mention of the Queen, it should seem, that a female reign in these parts was not uncustomary. The trade of the neighborhood is pepper, and a fine long cloth. Mr.
Franklin,
p. 7, remarks, that this is the best place in
India
for intelligence, and that very lately a post to several parts of
India
has been established. "A regular post," says Mr.
Rennel,
p. 317,
is established throughout the parts of
Hindoostan
subject to the
East India
Company, and also from
Calcutta
to
Madras.
The postmen always travel on foot. Their stages are commonly from seven to eight miles; and their rate of travelling, within our own districts, about seventy miles in the twenty-four hours.
CAPE
Comorin,
CAPE COMORIN.
the most southern part of
Hindooslan,
is in Lat. 8°. It is level low land at its extremity, and covered with trees, and not visible from the deck more than four or five leagues. Mr.
Thomas Daniell
Words are wanting to express the merit, beauty, and elegance of his present publication of the views in
Hindooslan.
to whom I am indebted for numbers of informations, informs me, that the lostiest part is the
highland of Comorin,
which is twelve hundred and ninetyfour yards high: and quite smooth and verdant to the very summit. Near the base, bursts forth a most magnificent cataract: and near that is a
Choultry
for the accommodation of travellers.
A LITTLE to the northward is the termination of the
Ghauts,
which may be seen nine or ten leagues at sea. This was the
Comar
of
Arrian,
ii. 175, where there was a castle and a port. The sea adjacent was supposed to have been endued with peculiar virtues; it was a great resort for the purposes of ablutions, and lustrations, by all such persons who had determined to pass a religious and solitary life. The female sex performed the same rites. Written history had, even in
Arrian
's time, delivered a legend of a certain goddess having here performed the ablutions every month. The district was called
Comari Regio;
but this holy water reached, says
Arrian,
as far as
Colchos,
the modern
Mingrelia. Al. Edrisi
speaks, p. 31, of a
Comr. Insula,
and gives it a vast extent. There is a little hill to the north of the cape, which from the sea appears insulated: possibly the
Nubian
Geographer might have received an account of that eminence, mistaken for an island, and its size exaggerated.
CAPE
Comorin
is the termination of the kingdom of
Travancore,
Which extends along the western coast,
KINGDOM OF TRAYANCORE.
from that of
Cranganore,
as far as this headland, a hundred and forty miles. In 1730 it began to rise into importance, by the abilities of its monarch, who reigned forty years. In giving audience to two embassadors, whom he foresaw would weary him with prolix harangues, he cut the first short with this sensible remark; "
Be not tedious,
" says he, "
life is short.
" He raised a fine army, and well disciplined, and meditated the conquest of
Malabar.
Amidst all his great talents, he mingled the weakness of being ashamed of his
cast
or
tribe.
He wished to be a
Brahmin;
he ordered a golden calf to be made, he entered at the mouth, and came out at the opposite part; this was his
Metempsychosis;
and he dated all his edicts from the days, says Abbé
Raynal,
of this glorious regeneration.
THIS kingdom begins in Lat. 10° 18′, near
Cranganore.
The breadth is greatly contracted, by reason of the approach of the
Ghauts
towards the shore. Intersected by rivers, and covered with thick woods, it seems almost unconquerable. The
Rajah,
whom I have mentioned, gave his country additional strength, by which he saved his successor from the oppression of the rising usurper,
Ayder Alli.
Around his capital, and chief province,
says the author of the War in
Asia,
i. p. 266,
he suffered the woods to grow for a number of years, till they formed an impenetrable belt of great depth. This, cut into labyrinths, afforded easy egress to his people, and rendered all attacks from without impracticable. Immured within this natural fortification, he encouraged the cultivation of the arts and sciences: he invited the approach of men of genius and knowledge; he cultivated the friendship of the
Brahmins,
and was himself admitted into their society, by the ceremony of passing, (as
Raynel
says) through a golden cow, which became the property of the
Brahmins,
the cow being sacred in
India,
as formerly in
Egypt;
and by preparing his own military stores, casting cannon, making gunpowder, &c. he rendered himself independent of foreign aid. The subjects of his remoter provinces, who, to avoid the ravages of war, had taken refuge within the woody circle, now returned with their families and effects to their former habitations.
This mode of fortification he evidently copied from his wild neighbors, the
Polygars;
but they live in almost a savage state, while he adopted their plan to secure the cultivation of the mild arts of peace!
EVEN the approach to this difficult retreat was impeded by the famous lines of
Travancore,
LINES OF TRAVANCORE.
which extend from the fouthern banks of the river of
Cranganore,
close to sea, to the foot of the
Ghauts,
strongly fortified in their whole extent: These proved the first check to the ambition of
Tippoo Sultan.
He wished to provoke the
Rajah
to begin hostilities, in order that he might not be charged with being aggressor. For several days, from the 23d to the 28th of
December
1789, the
Sultan
's horsemen rode up to the
Rajah
's lines, and made use of every insulting expedient to draw the first act of hostility from the
Travancore
troops; but finding them aware of his artifice, and that a detachment of
English
troops was stationed at some distance, he at last gave way to his rage, and on the 29th of
December
attacked the lines by storm. His troops had filled the foss with cotton. They passed by that means into the interior of the lines, when, by some accident, the cotton took fire, and the whole formed a tremendous blaze. In their rear were the flames; in front a furious enemy. Actuated by despair, they fought with incredible valour: out of fifteen hundred men, only forty were taken, the rest fell victims to the rage of the
Travancorian
defendants
Mackensie's Sketch, i. p. 18.
.
Tippoo,
from the outside of the lines, was a spectator of the horrid carnage of his soldiers. The
Nayrs
pressed on him on all sides, and being repulsed with disgrace, and himself thrown from his horse in the retreat, he is said to have made an oath, that he never would wear his turban again, till he had taken the
Rajah
's lines, and accordingly he prepared to attack them by regular approach
Dirom's Campaigns, 257.
. On
April
12, 1790, he completely executed his menaces. He attacked the lines with such vigour, that he made himself master of them, totally destroyed this famous barrier, and laid
Cranganore
in ruins, carried desolation through the country, and put every opponent to flight
Mackensie's Sketch, i. p. 37.
.
THE disgrace which
Tippoo
suffered,
OF THE NATRS.
was owing to three battalions of
Nayrs,
and five hundred archers, in all three thousand men, who, stimulated by the cause of their country and of their religion, were crowned with victory
British India, by the Hon, Charles Greville, iii. 766:—Also Mackensie's Sketch of the War with Tippoo Sultan, i. p. 17.
. The
Nayrs
are the nobility of
Malabar,
the antient dominions of the
Zamorins,
and in times of their prosperity formed the body guards. On the first appearance of
Cabrial
at
Calicut,
the
Zamorin
sent two of his
Nayrs
to compliment him on his arrival. They have at all times been famed for their valour and love of war. They are of the great military casts the
Khatre
Sir Thomas Herbert's Travels, 3d edit. p. 337: He calls them Cutteries, meaning Khatres.
, and support to this day the spirit of their ancestors. They are excessively proud, and are never known to laugh. They are besides so very insolent to their inferiors, that it is said, if a person of the lower order dare to look at a
Nayr,
he may be put to death on the spot with impunity. Among the good qualities of the
Nayrs,
may be reckoned their great sidelity. It is customary for them to undertake the conduct of
Christian
or
Mahometan
travellers, or strangers, through their country. The latter never venture without taking a single
Nayr
with them, who makes himself responsible for their safety; even an old decrepit man, or a boy is sufficient for the purpose
Nieuhoff, in Churchill, 272, 273.
. Should any misfortune befall the charge, it is related, that the
Nayrs,
unable to bear the disgrace, have frequently been known to put themselves to death
§ Dellon's Voyage, 94, 95.
. Notwithstanding this, at other times they are notorious robbers, and even will murder the traveller unprotected by one of their cast.
IN their persons they are well made, and of great strength: Their complexion more black than olive, their hair crisp, but longer than that of the
Negro;
their ears enormously long; they think that custom graceful, they lengthen them by art, and hang on them and their noses numbers of baubles. They at times load their arms and necks with silver bracelets and chains of pearl. In time of war, on their head, they wear a most ungraceful clout hanging down, pointed on each side, and a short wrapper round the waist, with a dagger stuck in a sash; all the rest of them is naked. In one hand is a sword of vast length. Such is the figure of one given by Captain
Byron,
engraven by
Vivares.
In religion they are of the
Hindoo;
in marriage strict
monogamists.
PARALLEL to Mount
Dilli
and to
Mahé,
COORGA NAYRS.
a small dominion, called
Coorga,
extends beyond the
Ghauts,
unfortunately into the
Mysore.
It consists of mountains and vast forests, sheltering tigers and elephants innumerable, being one of the few places in which the last are at present found in a state of nature. The late
Ayder Alli
in vain attempted to subdue the brave inhabitants. Family send between the
Rajah
and his brother, enabled him to effect his purpose. He destroyed one family, made prisoners of the other, and poffessed himself of the country. The present
Rajah,
then a boy, was son to the younger of the contesting brothers. This youth was by
Ayder
compelled to become a
Mussulman,
with all the shameful ceremonies of initiation
Dirom, p. 92.
. He was enrolled among the
Chelas,
or corps of slaves, and continued so till he made his escape, in 1785, into his own dominions. His faithful subjects flocked to him. The first act was the slaughter of a brigade of
Tippoo
's troops. The
Rajah
instantly offered his service to the
English:
It was accepted, and he proved a most useful ally.
Mercara,
his capital, was in the hands of the enemy. We offered our assistance to reduce it. This he declined: but, after some prudent delay, besieged it with his own people, took and dismantled it, that in future his subjects might depend on their own valour in the field for the defence of their country. At the treaty of
Seringapatam,
Marquis CORNWALLIS generously stipulated for the security of the gallant
Rajah. Tippoo Sultan
grew irritated to a degree of phrenzy at the demand, and broke off the actual negotiation with our General, who began to renew hostilities.
Tippoo,
finding a reluctance in his troops to defend the capital, was compelled to accept the dictated terms
p. p. 238, 245.
, and the laurels of humanity and fidelity added new glories to the head of the conqueror.
THIS account I have selected from the curious relation of the
Mysore
campaigns, by Major
Dirom:
that of the natural face of the
Coorga
country shall be delivered in his own words
same, p. 95.
.
THIS little dominion
affords not only the
Sandal,
and most valuable woods in
India,
but teems also with the spontaneous productions of all the richest spices of the East. Enjoying a fertile soil and temperate climate, this mountainous country is a fund of wealth, that requires only peace and commerce to render inexhaustible. It is a beautiful scene to contemplate; a delightful journey to the traveller; but a most arduous march, and formidable barrier to an invading army.
FROM Cape
Comorin
I take my departure for the island of
Ceylon,
ISLE OF CALPENTYN.
the nearest part of which, the isle of
Calpentyn,
is about a hundred and fifty miles distant. The intervening sea is the gulph of
Manaar,
which grows narrower and narrower till it reaches the fragments of the prior junction with the continent, of which Cape
Koiel,
a large promontory of the
Marawars,
and various rocks, are parts. The Cape will be described in my progress from Cape
Comorin
along the eastern coasts of
Hindoostan.
BEFORE
Cape Koiel
is the
insula-solis
of
Pliny,
lib. vi. 22,
RAMANA KOIEL.
the isle of
Ramana Koiel,
or the isle of the temple of the god
Rama,
founded near the edge of the water, and on vast stones, to break the force of that element.
Rama
had a right to a temple opposite to
Ceylon,
for he killed the giant
Ravanen,
king of that island, and placed his brother,
Vibouchanen,
on the throne.
Rama
was highly venerated in this country. The capital of the
Marawars,
and the residence of the prince, was named, in honor of the deity,
Ramana-dabaram.
The passage between this island and the continent is called
Odioroa
passage. It is extremely short, about five miles broad, and not exceeding in depth three feet.
FROM the eastern end of the isle of
Ramana Koiel,
is a chain of rocks which runs quite across the narrow channel to the isle of
Manaar,
almost adjacent to the
Ceylonese
shore: the length is about thirty miles, but the whole chain is frequently interfected by narrow passages, so very shallow, says
d'Apres,
in his
Neptune Oriental,
p. 85, as to be navigable only by the small crast of the neighboring shore, and that only in calm weather, so disturbed is the channel in gales by a dreadful surf. The little vessels that wish to make the passage, go under
Manaar,
where they must unload, pay duty to the
Dutch,
get their vessel dragged through the pass, and take in their cargo on the other side. It is very probable, that this succession of rocks was part of an isthmus, which in very early times had united
Ceylon
and the continent; for the water on each side of this chain, does not exceed thirteen or fourteen feet.
Pliny,
in the passage before cited, takes notice of the greenish cast of this part of the channel, of its being filled with shrubs, that is, with corals; and of its being so shallow, that the rowers often brushed off the tops with their oars.
THIS chain of rocks is called
Adam's Bridge;
ADAM'S BRIDGE.
the tradition is, that our common father, after his transgression, was cast down from
Paradise,
and fell upon
Ceylon;
but that afterwards, this bridge was made by angels for him to pass over to the continent.
Manaar
is, as the name implies, sandy. The little channel is on the eastern side, and defended by a strong fort, garrisoned with a hundred men, notwithstanding it is impassable for any vessels which draw more than four or five feet water. It had on it seven churches, built by the
Portuguese.
The natives were converted by St.
Francis de Xavier,
and still continue professors of
Christianity,
notwithstanding they have labored under many persecutions. The pearl mussel is found in great abundance on this coast, and the fishery has, at different times, been attended with good success, since the
Dutch
have become masters.
Pliny
says, that the greatest plenty were found in his days on the coasts of
Tabrohana,
and
Toidis,
and
Perimula,
on the peninsula of
Malacca.
A SPECIES of
Manati
is certainly found here.
Baldaeus,
MANATI.
a learned clergyman, who resided long in
Ceylon,
describes it (
Churchill
's Coll. iii. 793) so exactly, that we cannot mistake the animal he intended.
Here is a peculiar fish (properly a sea-calf) of an amphibious nature; the females have breasts, and give suck, and the flesh, when well boil'd, tastes not unlike our sturgeon, and might easily be mistaken for veal.
FROM
Manaar
is the very short passage into the great island of CEYLON, known to the antients by the name of
Tabrobana.
CEYLON.
I will not attempt to expose their mistakes in respect to extent, and some other particulars, as long as the identity of the isle is ascertained.
Strabo
mentions it in lib. xv. p. 1013,
STRABO's ACCOUNT OF.
noticing the aukwardness of the inhabitants in failing, and fitting their masts in their vessels. Along the coasts are observed various amphibious animals, among which he plainly includes
Manati;
some he compares to oxen, others to horses, and other land animals; the
Dugung, (De Busson,
xiii. 374, tab. lvi.) may possibly have been among them. This
Strabo
delivers from the account left by
Onesicritus,
a follower of
Alexander
the Great, who sent him on a voyage to
India,
where he informed himself of many things, among which is no small share of fable, or misrepresented accounts.
Mela
speaks of this island as the part of another world,
MELA's.
and that it never was circumnavigated.
Pliny,
PLINY's.
lib. vi. c. 22, gives us a large chapter on the subject of this island: he not only gives the authority of
Megasthenes,
who had written a history of
India,
and of
Eratosthenes,
a famous geometrician, who pretended to give the circumference of
Ceylon,
but has drawn many lights from the four embassadors actually sent from this island to
Rome,
in the time of
Claudius.
By accident, a freed slave of a farmer of the
Roman
customs in the
Red
Sea, was driven to the coast of
Ceylon
by a storm; such an impression did he make on the king of the island by his favorable report of the
Romans,
that determined him to send these envoys. From them many particulars were learned; they were not sparing of any thing which tended to exalt the glory of their country: they said that it contained five hunded cities; the chief was
Palesimundum,
that had two hundred thousand citizens. For other particulars I refer to the old historian; more is beyond my plan.
Ptolemy
comes next,
PTOLEMY's.
who is particular as to the productions of this great island. He mentions rice, honey, ginger, beryls, hyacinths; and gold, silver, and other metals; and he agrees with
Pliny
about its producing elephants and tigers. He also says, the antient name of
Ceylon
was
Symondi,
but in his days it was called
Salice,
still in some measure retained in its
Indian
appellative
Selen-Dive.
The principal places named by the geographer, are
Anurogrammum,
ANUROGRAMMUM.
of which the
Cingalese
say there are great remains in the vestiges of the antient city
Anarodgurro.
Maragrammon,
the capital town, which answers to the modern
Candy; Talacoris emporium,
and
Nagadiba, Prasodis sinus,
and numbers of other places
Ptolem. Geograph.
, which shew how well known this island was to the
Romans,
either by their fleet from the
Red
sea, or their coasting traders from the western side of
India.
I will only mention
Malea Mons,
or the modern
Yale,
famous for the
Pascua Elephantum
Ptolem. Geograph. Aelian, Nat. Anim. lib. xvi. c. 18.
Bumasani,
PASCUA ELEPHANTUM.
the great haunt of elephants, and which were driven, and probably shipped, at a port still called by the
Dutch, Geyeweys of Elephants van plaets,
and transported in vast ships to
Calinga
The same.
, probably the same with the modern
Calingapatam,
a city and port on the coast of the northern
Circars.
El. Edrisi,
p. 31,
EL. EDRISI.
speaks of this island under the name of
Serandib,
and
Marco Polo
under that of
Seilam.
It is celebrated by each for its rich gems. By mistake the
Nubian
Geographer places the diamond among them; but all the rest it produces in high perfection, and several kinds of aromatics or spices. Silk was also exported from hence in his days. He speaks highly of the ruling monarch, who had sixteen privy counsellors, four of his own people, four
Christians,
four
Mahometans,
and four
Jews;
such was the moderation of this excellent prince! He loved good wine, which he procured from
Parthia
and
Persia,
and dispersed among his subjects. He was indulgent in this gift of heaven, but a most severe enemy to incontinence.
THE
Portuguese
were the first of the
European
nations who visited
Ceylon.
CEYLON VISITED BY LAWRENCE ALMEYDA.
It was discovered by
Laurence Almeyda,
in 1505, who was driven accidentally from his cruize off the
Maldive
isles, by the violence of the currents, into a port called by the natives
Gabalican
Oforio i. p. 253.
. The ruling prince was, as he is now styled, emperor, and is lord paramount over the lesser kings; he is styled most great, invincible, and
tailed
Wolf's Ceylon, p. 221.
, the first of his race coming from
Siam,
with a tail a foot long, pendent from behind; his posterity in due time (according to lord
Monboddo
's system) shed their tails, and became as capable of the arts of government, as any
European
monarch whatsoever.
Almeyda
was received by the governor with the utmost courtesy. He sent
Pelagio Souza,
one of his officers, to the royal residence at
Colombo,
where he was introduced to the emperor. He met with a most favorable reception, formed a league with his imperial majesty, who agreed to pay
Emmanuel
annually two hundred and fifty thousand pounds weight of cinnamon; on condition, that the fleets of
Portugal
should defend his coasts from all hostile invasions. It is well known that the
Portuguese
soon after made themselves masters of the principal ports, and engrossed the whole trade of the valuable bark. The
Moors,
or
Arabs,
exerted every effort to prevent them from establishing themselves in
Ceylon.
This highly concerned the
Arabs,
who before that time were the sole venders of the cinnamon, which they carried to
Suez,
from whence it was conveyed over the isthmus, and from
Alexandria
to all parts of
Europe;
all their endeavors were to no purpose; that rich trade became monopolized by these new rivals.
THE
Dutch
first landed here in 1603,
DUTCH LAND HERE.
and visited the emperor. In 1632 they received a formal invitation from the ruling monarch, and in consequence appeared off the coast with a potent fleet. They confederated with the king of
Ceylon,
and after a struggle of several years, and after great bloodshed, they expelled the
Portuguese,
whose power ended in the taking of
Colombo,
in 1656, after a siege of seven months, in which the
Portuguese
exerted all that spirit and valour which originally made them lords of the
Indies.
The emperor repaid the
Dutch
all the expence in cinnamon, and other productions of the island; and invested them with many privileges; and in return found himself exactly in the same dependent state as he was before his victories. The
Dutch
fortified every one of his ports. They have besides a grant of coast round the island, twelve miles in breadth, reckoning from the sea
Wolf, p. 244.
. His majesty maintains a magnificent court at
Candy,
but at any time his good allies, by the sole interdiction of the article salt, may make him and his subjects to submit to any terms they are pleased to dictate
Elscheskroon, in Wolf's book, p. 331.
.
THE form and extent of the isle of
Ceylon,
FORM OF CEYLON.
are very much undetermined. The figure which is generally adopted in the roaps, is that of a pear, with the stalk turned towards the north. The length, from
Dondra-head
south, to
Tellipeli
north, is about two hundred and eighty miles; the greatest breadth, or from
Colombo
to
Trincoli,
is about a hundred and sixty. The latitudes of the two extremes in length, are between 5° 50′ 0″, and 9° 51′. Its extremes of longitude are 79° 50′, and 82° 10′.
THE island rises from on every side to the mountains, which run in chains, principally from north to south. The highest and rudest tract is the kingdom of
Conde Uda,
CONDE UDA.
which is impervious, by reason of rocks and forests, except by narrow paths, which are also impeded by gates of thorns, closely watched by guards. At the western skirt of these mountains soars
Hamalell,
and,
ADAM'S PEAK.
in the
European
language,
Adam's Peak.
It rises pre-eminent above all the rest, in form of a sugar loaf.
Le Brun,
ii. p. 81, gives a view as it appears from the sea. On the summit is a flat stone, with an impression resembling a human foot, two feet long, it is called that of our great and common ancestor. The
Cingalese,
or aborigines of
Ceylon,
say that it is of
Buddo,
their great deity, when he ascended into heaven, from whom they expect salvation. The
Mahometan
tradition is, that
Adam
was cast down from
Paradise
(we make his
Paradise
an earthly one) and fell on this summit, and
Eve
near
Judda,
in
Arabia.
They were separated two hundred years, after which he found his wife, and conducted her to his old retreat; there he died, and there he was buried, and there are two large tombs. To this day many votaries visit his imaginary sepulchre; the
Mahometans
out of respect to our common father; the
Cingalese
under the notion I have just mentioned. Is there not a trace of
Christianity
in the opinion of the
Cingalese
respecting
Buddo,
of the necessity of a mediator, which they might have collected from the
Christians
of St.
Thomas?
Here they light lamps, and offer sacrifices, which, by antient custom, are given to the
Moorish
pilgrims. All the visitants are, in places, obliged to be drawn up by chains, so rude and inaccessible is the way to this mount of sanctity.
FROM this mountain rushes the great river
Mavila-Ganga,
GANGES.
or
Ganges,
which passes unnavigable, close to
Candy,
a very long and rocky course to the sea at
Trincomale.
ALL the rest of the isle, except some marshy flats adapted to the culture of rice, are broken into thousands of hills, beautifully cloathed with wood. The intervening valleys are often morassy, or consisting of a rich fat soil; but the fertility of the open parts is astonishingly great.
THE account given by
Ptolemy
of the mineral or fossil productions, is, in a great measure, confirmed.
MINERALS.
Iron and copper are found here, as is black lead. A gold mine is said to be latent in one of the great mountains, but the working prohibited by the emperor. Of gems, the ruby, sapphire, topaz,
GEMS.
the electric tourmalin,
Cronsledt. Ed. Magellan.
sect. 85; and the cat's eye, or
Pseud-opal,
and hyacinth, are met with. But what occasions the neglect of the mines, and of the gems, is the attention to the great staple of the island, the important bark of the cinnamon. Doctor
Thunberg
is very exact in his account of the gems of
Ceylon,
Travels, iv. 215. They are dug up about
Matura,
and the liberty of search is farmed for no more than one hundred and eighty rix-dollars a year. Amethysts, and an infinite variety of crystals and crystalline gems, are found in that neighborhood. The account of my able correspondent well merits perusal.
THE inhabitants are the
Cingalese;
INHABITANTS.
these are aboriginal, and differ totally in language from the people of
Malabar,
or any other neighboring nation. Their features more like
Europeans
than any other. Their hair long, most commonly turned up. They are black, but well made, and with good countenances, and of excellent morals,
RELIGION.
and of great piety. Their religion is derived from
Buddo,
a proselyte of the great
Indian Foe:
his doctrine spread over
Japan
and
Siam,
as well as that of
Foe
Knox, 72, 73, 75. Kaempser's Hist. Japan, i. 241.
. It consists of the wildest idolatry, and the idols, the objects of their worship, are the most monstrous and phantastic. The
pagodas
are numerous, and many of them, like several in
India,
of hewn-stone, most richly and exquisitely carved. The
Cingalese
believe
Buddo
to have come upon earth; and that to him belonged the salvation of souls: all human happiness, say they, proceeds from him: all evil, from the devil, to whom he permits the power of punishment. When sick, they dedicate a red cock to that being, as the
Romans
did one to
Esculapius.
During the time he inhabited the earth, they tell us, that he usually sate under the shade of the
ficus religiosa,
which, in honor of him, is called in the
Cingalese
tongue,
Budaghaha.
His religion is the established religion of the island.
THE civil government is monarchical.
GOVERNMENT.
The emperor, in the time of
Knox,
was absolute, and clamed the most undisputable right over the lives and fortunes of all his subjects. He was a most barbarous tyrant, and took a diabolical delight in putting his subjects to the most cruel and lingering deaths. Elephants were often the executioners of his vengeance, and were directed to pull the unhappy criminals limb from limb with their trunks, and scatter them to the birds of the air, or beasts of the field. The emperor's residence was at
Candy,
nearly in the center of the island; but he was, in
Knox
's time, by the rebellion of his subjects, obliged to desert that city. The government is said, by
Wolff,
p. 235, to be at present very mild, and regulated by the statute laws of the land, the joint production of divers wise princes, and are considered as sacred by the
Cingalese.
It is possible that the tyrant, in the days of
Knox,
had destroyed the liberties of his country, which were afterwards restored.
ROBERT KNOX.
The author
Robert Knox
is a writer fully to be depended on; a plain honest man, who, in 1657, sailed in one of the
East India
Company's ships to
Madras;
and on the return, in 1659, was forced by a storm into
Ceylon,
to refit: when his father (who was captain) went on shore, and, with sixteen more of the crew, were seized by the emperor's soldiers, and detained. The Captain died in a year's time. Our author lived nineteen years in the island, and saw the greatest part of it. At length, with difficulty, he escaped, and arrived safe in
England,
in
September
1680. His history of the island, and of his adventures, were published in 1680; and appears to be the only authentic account of the internal parts, and the only one that can be entirely relied on.
THERE is in this island a race of wild men, called
Wedas,
WEDAS, OR BEDAS.
or
Bedas;
they speak the
Cingalese
language, but inhabit the depth of woods, and the fastnesses of the mountains, and are, in all respects, as savage as the domesticated animals are in the state of nature.
OR BARBARI.
I suspect them to be what
Solinus
Polyhistor, c. 65. These may be the same with the
Wedas,
which Solinus says, made a trade of selling parrots to the Romans.
calls
Barbari,
to distinguish them from other
Indians
in a state of civilization; for I think I have met with elsewhere, the distinction between a wild people, and others in a polished state of manners.
THESE
Wedas
wear their hair long, collect it together, and tie it on the crown of the head in a bunch. Their complexions are, comparative to the other
Cingalese,
light: they inhabit the depth of woods, and their skins, that way, escape the effect of the burning sun. They live entirely on flesh, or on roots; the first they either eat raw, or dried, or preserved in honey. They live either in caves, or under a tree, with the boughs cut and laid round about them to give notice when any wild beasts come near, which they may hear by their rustling and trampling upon them
Knox, p. 62.
. They are like them, without law, and, as
Wolf,
page 259, says, without religion.
Knox,
p. p. 61, 62, asserts the contrary. The wilder sort never shew themselves; the tamer will enter into some kind of commerce with their civilized countrymen. Their dress is only a cloth wrapped round their waists, and brought between their legs. A small ax is usually stuck in the wrapper. They are skilful archers, and very nice in their arrows. The heads are of iron, made by the smiths of the civilized people. They have no other means of bespeaking them, than leaving near the shop a pattern, cut out of a leaf, with a piece of flesh by way of reward: If he does the work, they bring him more meat, otherwise they shoot him in the night.
AFTER this account of the lowest of the human race,
ELEPHANT.
I fear I shall injure the half reasoning elephant, on putting him on a level with such of our own species as have scarcely any of the reasoning particles left. This island was celebrated by
Pliny,
lib. viii. c. 9, for its race of elephants, which were larger, and more adapted for war, than those of
India.
He also gives the methods of capture
Lib. viii. c. 8.
. They are, at present, taken in different manners, and after being tamed, are sent to the great annual fair at
Jaffanapatam.
The merchants of
Malabar
and
Bengal,
have notice of the numbers and qualities of the elephants to be set up to sale; sometimes a hundred are sold at one fair. A full grown beast, twelve or fourteen feet high, will be sold at the rate of two thousand dollars.
THE manner of taking these huge animals is thus described by Doctor
Thunberg,
iv. p. 240, who undertook a journey up the country to see what the
Dutch
call an
Elephant-toil,
or
snare,
"which served for capturing and inclosing a great number of elephants. The toil was constructed of stout cocoa trees, almost in the form of a triangle, the side nearest to the wood being very broad, and augmented with slighter trees and bushes, which gradually extended themselves into two long and imperceptible wings. The narrower end was strongly fortified with stakes, planted close to each other, and held firmly together by ropes, and became at length so narrow, that only one single elephant could squeeze itself into the opening. When the governor gives orders for an elephant chace on the company's account, which happens at the expiration of a certain number of years, it is performed in the following manner: A great multitude of men, as well
European
as
Cingalese,
are sent out into the woods, in the same manner in which people go out on a general hunt for wolves and bears in the north of
Europe.
These diffuse themselves, and encompass a certain extent of land which has been discovered to be frequented by elephants. After this they gradually draw nearer, and with great noise, vociferation, and beat of drum, contract the area of the circle; in the mean time the elephants approach nearer and nearer to the side on which the toil is placed. Finally, torches are lighted up, in order to terrify still more these huge animals, and force them to enter into the toil prepared for them. As soon as they all have entered, the toil is closed up behind them. The last time that elephants were caught in this manner, their numbers amounted to upwards of a hundred, and on former occasions has sometimes amounted to one hundred and thirty."
"THE first care of the captors, is to bring them out of the toil, and to tame them. For this purpose one or two tame elephants are placed at the side where the opening is, through which each elephant is let out singly, when he is immediately bound fast, with strong ropes, to the tame ones, who discipline him with their proboscis, till he likewise becomes tame, and suffers himself to be handled and managed at pleasure. This disciplinary correction frequently proceeds very briskly, and is sometimes accomplished in a few days, especially as the wild elephant is at the same time brought under control by hunger."
THE horses of the island are descended from the
Arabian
breed.
HORSE.
These are kept in a wild state, in certain islands called
Ilbas de Cavallos.
They are at certain times forced into the ponds and rivers, and caught by people, who, in the most dexterous manner, fling over any part they please a noose. These are sent to a fair, immediately following the elephant fair, and sold for large prices. The peasants make no sort of use of horses; but in their place employ the buffalo, which they catch and tame for the cart, and all their rural work
Wolf, p. 170.
.
THE species of deer are very elegant;
DEER.
here are found the spotted
Axis, Hist. Quad.
No 56, the middle sized, No 57, and the great, No 58, called by the
Dutch, Elk,
as tall as a horse; and the rib-faced, No 60, with a tusk from each upper jaw, pointing downwards.
THE little
Indian
musk, called
Meminna,
not larger than a hare, is a native of this isle. This has, like the last, its tusks.
BUFFALOES are very common here, wild and tame;
BUFFALO.
and are the only animals used here for rural oeconomy.
WILD-BOARS are very numerous, and very fierce.
WILD-BOAR.
To fight an enemy, to hunt the elephant, and catch the wild-hog, are the three points of valour among the
Cingalese.
MONKIES swarm here;
MONKEY.
the
Wanderow
is a species mentioned by
Knox,
with a great white beard from ear to ear, a black face, and dark grey body. There is a variety of the above quite white.
THE purple-faced, No 107, has a triangular white beard, purple face, and black body.
THE
Rillow
or
Rolleway,
No 122, is distinguished by the long hair on its head, lying flat and parted. They are as large as a blood-hound, and are able to catch hold of a child, and run up with it to the top of the loftiest trees; and after admiring it for some time, they will lay it gently down on the place they took it from. These are very numerous, and very audacious, and will rob the corn fields and gardens in the very face of the owners, and as soon as they are driven out of one end of the field, will come skipping into the other, and fill both their bellies and hands. Of late years it has been discovered, by a
Russian
tanner, that their skins might be dressed, and made into shoes.
THE tail-less
Macauco,
No 146, and the
Loris,
No 148, are found here.
THE jackal,
JACKAL.
No 172, is numerous here, as it is all over
India.
THE tiger,
TIGER.
No 180, is too frequent in
Ceylon.
These animals are shot with cross-bows, placed in their haunts.
Pliny
says, that tigers and elephants were made by the people the executioners of their kings, whenever they had offended them. They appointed a solemn hunting match, and exposed their monarch to the fury of those beasts.
BEARS,
BEAR.
No 208, are very common, even in this neighborhood of the Line.
Wolf
says, they are large and black, and feed on honey, as they do in
Europe.
THE
Civet,
CIVET.
No 274, is frequent in
Ceylon.
THE
Mungo,
or
Indian Ichneumon,
No 255, is found here. This weesel is famous for its antipathy to the
Naja,
or
Cobra de Capello,
and for its instant recourse to the antidote to the fatal bite, on its receiving a wound from that dreadful serpent. The plants it seeks relief from, are the
Ophiorrhiza Mungos, Strychnos Colubrina,
and
Ophioxylon serpentinum.
The last is figured in
Burman. Zeylan.
141. tab. 64, and in
Rumph. Amboin.
vi. 25, tab. xvi.
THE
Naja
is found all over the hotter parts of
India,
NAJA.
and is distinguished by a mark on the back of the head, of the form of a pair of spectacles, also by the power of dilating the skin of the head into the form of a hood, from which it has gotten the name of the
Cobra de Capello,
or hooded snake. They grow from four to eight or nine feet in length, and are justly dreaded by the
Indians.
Their bite is generally mortal, yet there is a remedy (if timely applied) that has its efficacy. The mortal effect sometimes takes place in a quarter of an hour, sometimes in two or three hours. In its fatal
sacculus
it seems to contain the poisons of the
Seps,
one of
Lucan
's deadly list
Manant humeri fortesque lacerti: Colla caputque fluunt: calido non ocius austro Nix resoluta cadet, nee solem cera sequetur.
. An universal gangrene takes place, and the flesh falls from the bones; convulsions sometimes bring on death, according to the degree of
virus,
on which the symptoms depend.
THIS species never distends its hood but when it is agitated by some passion, such as fear, or rage, it then quits its creeping attitude, raises the fore part of the body a third of its whole length, spreads its hood, and moves its head around, darting a fiery glare to every part, often remaining in all other respects immoveable; or its motion becomes slow, steady, and cautious, so that in
India
it is held to be the emblem of Prudence; it is also held in veneration equal to a deity. The legends of the country are full of strange tales relating to its actions; they call it
Nella Pambou,
or the
good serpent;
it is often represented twisted round the deities, under the name of
Calengam,
in memory of the victory of one of their gods, over an enormous
Naja.
THIS certainly is not the
Deaf Adder.
The
Indian
jugglers, especially those of
Malabar,
have a power of taming these dreadful animals, and instructing them to dance, after the inharmonious and slow air of their flagelets. The serpent first seems astonished, then begins to rear himself, and sometimes by a gentle motion of the head, and with distended hood, seems to listen with pleasure to the notes. This is said not to be peculiar to those which are accustomed to the exercise, but even the snakes newly taken, will shew the same disposition, and fling themselves into the same attitudes.
Nieuhoff
gives a plate of these jugglers, and their snakes, and
Kaempfer
a much better.
I SHALL mention here two or three
Indian
serpents, described by M.
d'Obsonville,
notwithstanding I am uncertain of their native place; one is called, in
French, le Javclot,
a species of
Jaculus,
of a green color, five or six feet long, and most fatal in its bite. It generally lurks, extended or suspended, among the branches of trees. So situated, that they either can dart on their prey, such as little birds or insects, or remove themselves with
See Voyages aux Indes Orient. par M. Sonnerat. Tom. i. p. p. 168, 169, tab. 45, 46, 47.
a spring from bough to bough. It does not appear that they attack mankind, but rather glide from his approach: but the
Indians
have the same notion as the
Arabs
have, of its being a flying serpent.
THE
Poison-Snake
is only two feet long, and very slender,
POISON-SNAKE.
and freckled with pale brown or red. Its bite brings death as rapidly as
Lucan
's
Volucer serpens.
Our author saw a
Gentoo
bit by one. The sufferer could only give a shriek, and advance a few steps, when he fell down dead.
THE
Burning-serpent
seems to possess the dreadful poison of three species:
BURNING-SERPENT.
It gives by its bite the symptoms of raging fire, like the
Torrida dipsas.
It causes, at other times, the blood to flow through every pore, like the
Hoemorrhoïs;
at other times, to cause swelling like the
Prester,
and to incite racking pains; at length, by a happy numbness, death brings kindly relief to the miserable sufferer. The Reverend
Edward Terry
Voyage, in 1615, p. 381.
saw a criminal put to death at
Amedavad,
with all the effects of the bite of the
Dipsas
and of the
Prester.
This species much resembles the last in form; both inhabit dry, hot, and rocky places; and live on insects full of saline and acrimonious particles, which cannot fail of exalting the
virus
of the serpents that make them their food.
OUR great
Ray, Syn. Quadr.
331, enumerates several of the
Ceylonese
serpents: one is the
Oehaetulla,
i. e.
oculis infesius,
the very same with that described above, under the name of
Javelot.
THE
Ninypolonga
is the same with the
Asp,
which kills the person it bites, by flinging him into an endless sleep.
THE vast
Boa,
BOA.
the
Anacandaia
of the
Ceylonese,
is common here, and is compared for size to the mast of a ship
See Doctor Shaw's most elegant work, The Naturalist's Miscellany, Vol. i. tab. 8.
.
Quintus Curtius
mentions it among the monstrous serpents which astonished the army of
Alexander
in his march into
India.
This is common to
Africa,
and the greater islands of
India.
It is the serpent which
Livy,
Dec. ii. c. 16. feigns to have given
Regulus
so much employ on the banks of the
Bagrada.
To what I have said of the
Cobra Manilla,
at page 82, I may here add an instance of the rapid fatality of its bite: A gentleman resident in
India,
sent his servant on an errand into a closet; the man cried out, that something had pricked his finger; before his master could reach him, he fell down dead on the floor! Perhaps the same with the poison snake?
CROCODILES are very common in
Ceylon,
CROCODILE.
and sometimes are found of the length of eighteen feet.
THE
Lacerta Calotes
is a singular lizard,
LIZARD.
with a serrated back.
THE
Lacerta Iguana
is common to both the
Indies,
and grows to the length of five or six feet; its flesh is eaten, and thought to be medicinal.
THE
Lacerta Gekko
is a species justly dreaded for the poison, which exudes even from the ends of its toes, and which infects, to a degree of fatality, any thing it passes over; its urine and saliva are equally dangerous; its voice, which is acute, like that of a cricket, flings a whole company into consternation. The
Indians
obtain from it a deadly poison for their arrows. They tie one of these animals pendent by the tail, and provoke it till it emits its deadly saliva on the point of the weapons, which kill with the slightest wound. This dreadful reptile seldom attains a foot in length.
THE
Draco volans
Same, Vol. ii. tab. 51.
,
FLYING LIZARD.
the animal which bears the dreadful name of
Dragon,
is no more than an innocent little lizard, furnished with membranes, extending along the sides in form of wings, with which it makes short flights from tree to tree, chirruping as it goes. Beneath its chin is a long slender appendage; the tail is very long and slender, but the length of the whole creature is not more than nine inches; and this is the only animal that bears really the form feigned by poets and writers of romance for that of the tremendous dragon.
THE insects of
Ceylon
are of uncommon sizes:
INSECTS.
scorpions have been found there eight inches long, exclusive of the legs;
Scolopendrae
seven inches in length; and of spiders, the
Aranea avicularia, Seb. mus.
i. tab. 69, with legs four inches long, and the body covered with thick black hair, a species that makes a web strong enough to entangle the smaller species of birds, on which it feeds.
THE hare of
Ceylon
differs in no respect from the
English
hare.
HARE.
THE crested porcupine, No 314, is an animal of this island.
PORCUPINE.
A bezoar is sometimes found in its stomach: the reign of its pretended
Alexipharmic
qualities is now over.
Tavernier
gave five hundred crowns for one, which he sold to advantage. It is a mere concretion like the human calculus, and of course of no kind of effect.
THE white legged squirrel,
SQUIRREL.
ii. p. 139. Var. a. is a variety of the common squirrel.
THE
Ceylonese
squirrel, or
Dandoelana, Ind. Zool.
tab. i. is remarkable for being three times the size of our squirrel, and having a tail twice as long as its body.
THE palm squirrel, No 346, lives much in the coco trees, and is yery fond of the
Sury,
or wine extracted from the palms.
THE perfuming shrew,
SHREW.
No 424, is a native of this and others of the
Indian
isles. Its musky odor is so subtil, as to pervade every thing it runs over. It will totally spoil the wine in a wellcorked bottle, by barely passing over the surface.
THE two-toed sloth,
SLOTH.
No 251, and
Wolf,
181, is common to
Ceylon, India,
and
South-America.
THE short-tailed
Manis,
No 460, inhabits this island.
THE
Talgoi
is a species of ant-bear,
ANT-BEAR.
or eater; we cannot ascertain the species, unless it be the same with the Cape, No 466. A Mr.
Strachan,
in the Ph. Trans. Abr. v. 180, gives an account of one found in this island, with the same manners as the others, of its laying its slimy tongue before the ants' nest, and pulling it into its mouth as soon as it finds it covered with those insects. If it is not the same it is a new species. In the
Faunula Indica
I have made two, this and the
Obscure
Doctor Thunberg, iv. p. 178, mentions a species, but leaves it undescribed.
.
THE cordated bat,
BAT.
No 499, with its heart-shaped appendage to the nose; and the striped, or
Kiriwoula,
No 507, inhabit
Ceylon.
The monstrous species called the
Ternate
is very frequent here.
THE
Manati
I have mentioned at page 183, and the water elephant seems no more than the
Dugung,
No 469.
MANY of the above mentioned animals are, in all probability, common to the continent of
India,
and doubtlessly many more which have escaped the notice of travellers: there is all the appearance of
Ceylon
having been united with the continent; and that the gulph of
Manaar
was once solid land. The
Maldives,
and
Laccadives,
seem likewise to have been fragments of the once far extended continent.
BIRDS,
BIRDS.
which have the locomotive power so strongly in their formation, have a less chance to be local than the preceding class. The ornithology of my friend
Latham,
is as unerring a guide, as human imperfection can produce. In respect to the birds, I shall here, and elsewhere, only point out those on whom nature hath impressed any characters worthy of philosophic attention.
To shun prolixity, I avoid giving (in general) descriptions of either beasts or birds. In respect to the first, I refer entirely to the third edition of my
History of Quadrupeds,
in which I flatter myself the reader will find them amply treated. As to the general enumeration of birds, it will be found at page 67 of my
Indian Zoology,
with references to Mr.
Latham;
or, in cases where any species are common to
Great Britain,
to the
British Zoology.
The list of the known quadrupeds of
India,
its fishes, reptiles, and insects, are also given in the same work.
THERE are several sorts of falcons in this island,
FALCON.
many of which are trained for the pursuit of game. There is a white species, with an elegant pendent crest of two feathers. My friend Mr.
Loten,
long Governor in
Ceylon,
could not give any account of any part excepting the head.
THE black and white,
Ind. Zool.
tab. ii. is a small kind, pied like a magpie. The small brown hawk, in
Brown's Illustr.
6▪ tab. iii, is another found here.
Wolf
speaks of a white hawk, which is, with the
Malabars,
a bird of augury, for if they see him fly over their heads in a morning, they will not that day either undertake a journey, or any business of moment. This may be perhaps the species with a white crest.
AMONG birds of elegance of color may be mentioned,
INDIAN ROLLER.
the
Indian Roller, Edw.
326, and the swallow-tail'd, 327, with its two singular external feathers in the tail, of vast length.
AMONG grotesque birds may be reckoned the two species of
Buceros,
BUCEROS.
or horn-bill; the Rhinoceros,
Edw.
281, called from the singular recurvated accessary beak, by the
Dutch, Dubbeld Bek;
and the Wreathed,
Latham,
i. p. 358, called in
Ceylon,
the
Year Bird,
being supposed to have annually an addition of a wreath to its bill. They make a great noise when they fly, and have a sluggish flight, perch on the highest trees, feed on berries, and are reckoned very sweet food.
THE golden oriole,
ORIOLE.
Br. Zool.
ii. App. 626, is an
European
bird, is called in
India
the
Mango
bird, from its feeding on the fruit of that tree. The bee-eater,
Merops Apiaster,
and the greater redstart,
Latham,
i. p. 176, are also common to
India.
THE fasciated
Curucui, Ind. Zool.
tab. iv. and the spotted,
CURUCUI.
Brown's Illustr.
tab. xiii, are elegant birds from Mr.
Loten
's Collection, as is the
Zcylan Barbet,
and the red crown'd,
Brown's Illusir.
tab. xiv. xv.
THE red-headed cuckoo forms the 5th plate of my
Indian Zoology,
CUCKOO.
as does the red-wing'd wood-pecker, tab. vi. Mr.
Latham
gives another, ii. 580, under the name of the
Ceylon.
THE
European Hoopoo
is frequent there.
HOOPOO.
I may say that our common nut-hatch, and creeper, the wheat-ear, the wry-neck, the yellow wren, the house swallow, the woodcock, and snipe, are also natives of
India.
The creepers of this island, the
Ceylon, Latham,
ii. 712, and the
Lotenian,
715, and the green-gold, 716, are elegant little birds.
Knox
mentions a small green Parrot found in
Ceylon,
PARROT.
but not remarkable for its loquacity. The
Romans
were very fond of the parrot kind, which they must have had from the eastern side. The
Indians (Barbari)
profited of this passion, and made them an article of commerce. The
Wedas
are most skilful archers, and probably do the same. These birds inhabit the forests, in which, says
Solinus,
c. 65, the trees were so lofty, that they were beyond the reach of the arrows aimed at their inhabitants. Parrots were esteemed by the
Indians
as sacred, particularly by the
Brachmans.
Aelian, de Nat. An. lib. xiii. c. 18.
.
THE yellow-crown'd thrush,
Brown's Illustr.
tab. xxii,
THRUSH.
is kept here in cages, and is remarkable for its powers of mimicking every note that is whistled to it.
IT is impossible not to mention the tailor bird,
TAILOR-BIRD.
Ind. Zool.
tab. viii, a warbler; on account of its wonderful nest; my own account of its oeconomy, taken from the
Indian Zoology,
page 44, deserves attention. It is thus introduced:
HAD Providence left the feathered tribe unendowed with any particular instinct, the birds of the torrid zone would have built their nests in the same unguarded manner as those of
Europe:
but there, the lesser species, having a certain prescience of the dangers that surround them, and of their own weakness, suspend their nest at the extreme branches of the trees: they are conscious of inhabiting a climate replete with enemies to them and their young; with snakes that twine up the bodies of the trees, and apes that are perpetually in search of prey; but, heaven-instructed, they clude the gliding of the one, and the activity of the other.
THE brute creation in the torrid zone, are more at enmity with one another, than in other climates; and the birds are obliged to exert unusual artifice in placing their little broods out of the reach of an invader. Each aims at the same end, though by different means. Some form their penfile nest in shape of a purse, deep, and open at top; others, with a hole in the side; and others, still more cautious, with an entrance at the very bottom, forming their lodge near the summit.
BUT the little species we describe, seems to have greater diffidence than any of the others; it will not trust its nest even to the extremity of a slender twig, but makes one more advance to safety, by sixing it to the leaf itself.
IT picks up a dead leaf, and, surprising to relate, sews it to the side of a living one, its slender bill being its needle, and its thread some fine sibres; the lining, feathers, gossamer, and down. Its eggs are white: the color of the bird, light yellow; its length three inches; its weight only three sixteenths of an ounce; so that the materials of the nest, and its own size, are not likely to draw down a habitation that depends on so slight a tenure.
Two fly-catchers, of uncommon form,
FLY-CATCHER.
attract the eyes of all strangers: small birds, with tails of enormous length, darting through the air like arrows. Both are engraved by Mr.
Edwards,
one in tab. 113, of a black and white color, with a cuneiform tail; the other with a rufous back and tail, and two feathers exceeding the others in length by near nine inches.
As these are remarkable for the length of their tails, a pie, engraven by Mr.
Edwards,
in tab. 324, is distinguished for the ridiculous brevity of that part, and also for the beauty of its colors.
Linnaeus
calls it
Corvus Brachyurus.
SWALLOWS (I do not know the species) never quit
Ceylon.
PIGEONS in
India
assume the most beautiful colors.
PIGEON.
The pompadour pigeon of this island,
Brown's Illustr.
tab. xix. xx. the general color of which is a fine pale green; the male distinguished by having the coverts of the wings of a fine pompadour color, is one proof. I mention this in particular, on account of its history; but more so for that of the magnificent tree on which it usually alights to seed.
THIS species swarms in certain seasons in the island of
Ceylon,
FICUS INDICA.
particularly when the fruit of the
Ficus Indica,
or broad leaved
Waringen,
is ripe. They alight in vast multitudes on that grotesque tree, and are caught with bird-lime by the natives, who prepare the twigs against their arrival. Mr.
Loten
informed me, that when he was governor in
Ceylon,
one morning at break of day he saw some hundreds entangled on the boughs of the great
Waringen
tree, before his window, and ordered one of his
Ceylonese
servants to take them off. They are excellent food, and are often shot by the
Europeans.
They are observed never to alight on the ground, but to perch on high trees, and give this the preference, on account of the fruit. It is for the same reason the haunt of various other birds; but notwithstanding the sweetness of the fruit, it is neglected by mankind.
THIS tree immediately attracted the attention of the antients.
Onesicritus,
the philosopher who followed
Alexander
the Great in his expedition into
India,
commanded his galley, and recorded his actions, first gives us an account of this wonderful tree. For this, at lest, he does not merit the severe remark made on him by
Strabo,
lib. xv. p. 1022, who seems incredulous to all he says; possibly there may be other points in which he may be also defended. This tree rises high in the air, then drops its boughs, which take root, and successively create new stems, till a vast extent is covered with the arched shade. It is even said to form of itself a forest of arched avenues, and a labyrinth of alleys, impenetrable by the rays of the vertical sun; perhaps the extent may be exaggerated. We will content ourselves with giving the dimensions of one near
Manjee,
west of
Patna;
the diameter of which was from three hundred and sixty three feet, to three hundred and seventy three: the circumference of the shadow at noon, eleven hundred and sixteen; that of the several stems, which were no more than fifty or sixty, nine hundred and twenty-one. Hundreds of people may find a comfortable retreat beneath its foliage. Such is the account given by the veracious Mr.
Marsden,
in page 131 of his excellent history of
Sumatra.
Pliny,
lib. xii. c. 5, gives the fullest description; he was best qualified, for by the time he lived, the
Romans
got tolerably well acquainted with the country. His account is elegant and faithful: speaking of the trees of
India,
he says—
Ficus ibi exilia poma habet. Ipsa se semper serens, vastis diffunditur ramis: quorum imi adeo in terram curvantur, ut annuo spatio infigantur, novamque sibi propaginem faciant circa parentem in orbem, quodam opere topiario. Intra sepem eam, aestivant pastores, opacam pariter, et munitam vallo arboris, decora specie subter intuenti, proculve, fornicato ambitu. Superiores ejus rami in excelsum emicant, silvosa multitudine, vasto matris corpore, ut lx. p. pleraeque orbe colligant, umbra vero bina stadia operiant. Foliorum latitudo peltae effigiem Amazonicae habet: ea causa fructum integens, crescere prohibet. Rarusque est, nec fabae magnitudinem excedens; sed per solia solibus coctus proedulci sapore, dignus miraculo arboris.
He concludes with saying, that it was found chiefly about the
Accsines,
the modern
Jenauh,
which, falling into the famous
Hydaspes,
the
Behut,
proves its growth in those days, at lest as far north as Lat. 30° 30′. It did not escape the notice of
Alexander
the Great, who, after his defeat of
Porus,
admired it on his march to farther slaughters. After the sine description given by the
Roman
naturalist, I shall not injure
Quintus Curtius,
by transcribing, from Book IX. ch. 1, the few very inferior lines he has written on the subject.
IT is now discovered to the very south of
India,
and spreads through many of the islands, even to the
Moluccas.
They are frequently planted in market places, and are therefore called,
Waringen daun Bazaar;
their extensive shade proving very grateful to all who frequent those spots of business. The
Portuguese,
from its multitude of roots, style it
Arbor de raix.
It is by the
English
usually called the
Banyans
tree, or more properly
Yogey
tree, being that under the shade of which the religious of that fect usually practise their senseless austerities.
Pliny,
lib. vii. c. 2, describes them under the name of
Gymnosophistae.
Philosophos eorum, quos Gymnosophistas vocant ab exortu ad occasum praestare, contuentes solem immobilibus oculis: ferventibus harenis toto die alternis pedibus insistere. Others again have supposed this tree to have been the tree of life, and to have furnished the leaves with which our first parents betrayed their sense of shame after the fall.
Milton
adopts the last opinion, and gives us the following beautiful version of the
Latin
naturalist:—
SOON they chose
The fig tree, not the kind for fruit renown'd,
But such as at this day to
Indians
known,
In
Malabar
or
Decan
spreads her arms,
Branching so broad and long, that in the ground
The bending twigs take root, and daughters grow
About the mother; a pillar'd shade,
High over-arch'd, and echoing walks between:
There ost the
Indian
herdsman, shunning heat,
Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds
At loop-holes cut through thickest shade.
AUTHORS who have treated, or given figures of this magnisicent tree, are
Rheede,
in his
Hortus Malabaricus,
iii. p. 85, tab. lxiii.;
Rumphius,
in vol. iii. p. 127. tab. lxxxiv.;
Boullaye de Gouz,
at p. 194.;
Linschotan,
in his curious travels, at p. 68, and
Catesby
in his History of
Carolina,
iii. p. 18, and tab. xviii.? Mr.
Hodge
's Travels, tab. p. 27. Finally, I may mention the figures in
Clusius
's Exotics, p. 2, and that in
Gerard,
p. 1512, (copied from the former) but must observe that both seem more regular than nature will admit.
THAT magnificent bird the peacock swarms in
Ceylon:
PEACOCK.
Its legs are much longer, and its tail of far greater length in its native state, than they are with us. This most elegant and superb of the feathered creation, is confined (in the state of nature) to
India,
and adds highly to the beauty of the rich forests of that vast country, and some of its islands. It inhabits most parts of the continent, even as high as Lat. 31° 14′ N. supposing it to be yet found on the
Hydraotes,
the modern
Rauwce.
It was imported from
India
into
Greece,
as
Aelian
says, by the barbarians, by which he must mean the natives of the country of that bird. A male and female were valued at
Athens
at a thousand
drachmae,
or £.32. 5. 10.
Samos
possibly was the next place they were known at, where they were preserved about the temple of
Juno,
being birds sacred to that goddess: but their use was afterwards permitted to mortals, for
Gellius,
in his
Noctes Atticae,
c. 16, commends the excellency of the
Samian
peacocks.
BUT they were known in
Judaea
many years before the days of
Alexander.
The monarch, first in all human wisdom, and who shined pre-eminently in the knowlege of natural history, imported them in his
Tharshish
navies, which made a three years voyage to procure for
Solomon
the rich productions of the East, and the objects of the study he so fondly cultivated. There can be no doubt but that the birds imported were peacocks, not
Aethiopian
parrots, as has been conjectured, natives of a country nearly bordering on the very sea from which his navies took their departure. Apes, ebony, and spices might have been procured from
Africa,
on one hand, or
Arabia
on the other; but peacocks and pretious stones, seem at all times the monopoly of
India.
THE
Habun Koekella,
WOOD-FOWL.
or wood-fowl,
Ind. Zool.
tab. vii. second edition, is found near
Colombo,
but is not common. It is at once distinguished by its double spurs: in size it is equal to a common fowl.
AMONG the aquatic birds is the great white-headed Ibis,
IBIS.
Ind. Zool.
tab. xi, which makes a snapping noise with its bill; it loses its fine roseate color in the rainy season. Allied to the wood curlew of the
Arctic Zoology,
ii. No 360, a native of the
Brasils,
and southern parts of
North America.
IN the
Indian Zoology,
tab. xiii. xiv, are engraven the wild goose and duck of
Ceylon;
I refer to that work for their haunts and history.
THE
Anbinga,
tab. xv, closes this brief ornithology.
ANHINGA.
It is the terror of passengers; it lurks in thick bushes by the water side, and, darting out its long and slender neck, terrifies them with the idea of some serpent going to inflict a mortal wound.
I WILL not attempt to enumerate the fishes of
Ceylon;
FISHES.
there do not seem to be any that are local. It appears to me, that those of
India
spread from at lest the parallel of Cape
Comorin,
over the vast sea that comprehends the space from thence to the
Molucca
isles, fills the Bay of
Bengal,
and surrounds the great isles which form the
Indian Archipelago.
In the course of this volume I shall point out those which, in form or colors, exhibit the most wonderful proofs of the operations of nature.
I SHALL here only mention the few which I received from Sir
Joseph Banks
and Mr.
Loten,
as authenticated species. The first is the tiger-shark,
Ind. Zool.
tab. xvi, fifteen feet long, finely marked with white bands on a dusky ground, said to feed on shells and
crustacea.
A
Balistes,
the
Kangewena
of the
Cingalese,
BALISTES.
with one horn on the forchead; it grows to the length of two feet, and is esteemed good eating.
Balistes maculosus,
or
Pottoe bora,
elegantly spotted, also a good fish; grows to the length of fifteen inches.
Balistes truncatus,
seemingly cut in two, like our
Mola.
A
Diodon,
a singular species, armed with short strong spines. The
Ikon Toetomba,
or box-fish of the
Malayans.
A VERY large species of
sword-fish,
(different from that described in the
Br. Zool.
iii. No 68), is found in these and other of the
Indian
seas. There is a very fine specimen of it in the
British Muscum,
which is elegantly figured in Doctor
Shaw
's Naturalist's Miscellany, vol. ii. tab. 88. It grows, as I have been informed, sometimes to the length of thirty feet: It is at perpetual enmity with the whale tribe; and a most dangerous enemy, for it will sink beneath those monstrous animals, and rising with great force, transfix them with its vast snout. There have been instances of its mistaking a ship for one of the cetaceous genus. An
East India
-man had its bottom pierced through by a sword-fish, and the weapon quite embedded to the very base in the timber. The fish was killed by the violence of the shock; but had it been able to withdraw the sword, the vessel probably must have sunk in consequence of the leak. The timber, with the weapon lodged in it, is preserved in the
Museum,
to authenticate the fact. This verifies the report of
Pliny,
lib. xxxii. c. 2, respecting the common sword-fish, in cases wholly similar. XIPHIAM, id est, GLADIUM,
rostro mucronato esse: ab hoc navis perfossas mergi in oceano ad locum
MAURITANIAE, qui
gotta
vocetur, non procul
Lixo
flumine.
Oppian
gives a true account of the
Xiphias,
in Book ii. L. 462, iii. 547. The last has a very entertaining description of the manner in which the antient
Massilians
took these singular fishes.
A MOST elegant striped species of
Scorpaena.
THE
Echincis lineatus,
a new species; and finally the
Labrus Zeylanicus, Ind. Zool.
tab. xvi.
WHILE I am in this element,
MONSTROUS SEPIA.
I shall remark that the
Sepia Octopodia, Br. Zool.
iv. No 44, grows in the
Indian
seas to a most amazing size. A friend of mine, long resident among the
Indian
isles, and a diligent observer of nature, informed me that the natives assirm, that some have been seen two fathoms broad over their centre, and that each arm was nine fathoms long. When the
Indians
navigate their little boats, they go in dread of them; and lest these animals should fling their arms over and sink them, they never fail without an ax to cut them off.
THESE may parallel the enormous
Polypus,
or
Sepia,
described by
Pliny,
lib. ix. c. 30, which made its nightly invasions on the magazines of salt-fish at
Carteia,
and long put both men and dogs at defiance.
Ceylon
is peculiarly happy in its
Flora;
VEGETABLES.
the trees and vegetables of
India
seem crowded within its limits. There may be local vegetables in this island, and others again on the continent; but I fear my deficiency in botanical knowledge will deprive me of the power of pointing them out.
Ceylon
has been likewise peculiarly happy in its florists, who have enumerated and described its vegetable treasures. From their labors I shall mention those of most striking use, beauty, or singularity, with references to the authorities and figures. My chief guide will be the
Flora Zeylanica,
compiled by
Linnaeus
from the manuscripts of
Paul Herman,
who from the year 1670 to 1677 had made several botanizing journeys through the island, with great hazard to himself, and at vast expence to the states of
Holland.
These had been lost above fifty years, and then discovered and communicated, in 1745, by
Augustus Gunther,
apothecary at
Copenhagen,
to
Linnaeus,
who reduced the plants into system, and published the
Flora
at
Stockholm,
in 1747.
Burman
favored us with his
Thesaurus Zeylanicus
in 1737, a quarto, enriched with 110 plates. The
Hortus Malabaricus
was published at the expence of the munificent Governor of the coasts of
Malabar, Rheede von Draakenstein,
in twelve volumes folio, between the years 1678 and 1693: And the
Herbarium Amboinense,
in six volumes folio, composed by the
Pliny
of
India, George Everhard Rumphius,
was published between the year 1741 and 1750, under the care of the able
Burman.
These are works to which I shall frequently refer: the word
Rheede
will denote the species to be a native of
Malabar; Rumph.
that it is a native also of
Amboina.
But to proceed to the enumeration:
Indica,
CANNA.
Syst. Pl.
i. p. 2.
Rumph. Amboin.
v. tab. lxxi.
Katu Bala, Rheed. Mal.
ii. 85, tab. 43, the only use is in the seeds, which the
Arabs
use in their rosaries.
THE different species of
Amomum,
AMOMUM.
and the
Costus Arabicus, Jacq. Am.
i. tab. 1, have from the earliest of times been imports of this and other parts of
India.
Rotunda,
CURCUMA.
Rumph.
i. tab. lxvi, is a plant with a tuberous root, equally in use as a medicine, and as a food.
Galanga,
KOEMPFERIA.
Burm. Zeyl.
33, tab. 13, has been a celebrated medicine under the name of
Galangae majoris et minoris radix.
Rotunda, Rheed.
xi, tab. 9, is the
Zedoary,
which retains its place in our dispensatory.
Arbor Tristis,
NYCTANTHES.
Gerard,
1527;
Manjapumeram, Rheede,
i. 35,
Raii Hist.
Pl. 1698. It has the appearance of an olive. It drops its boughs at the rising of the sun, and is only cheerful in the night. The
Indian
poets make it to have been the
Daphne
of
India,
once beloved by the sun, whose embraces she rejected like the
Ovidian Daphne.
Grandiflorum, Merian,
tab. xlvi, inhabits
Malabar;
JASMINUM.
this island and
Sumatra
are famed for the rich odor of their flowers. The
J. Azoricum, Burm. Zeyl.
tab. lviii, found its way from hence to the
Azores.
Echolium, Burm. Zeyl.
6, tab. iv,
JUSTICIA.
is the
Adhatoda
of the
Cingalese,
who attribute to it the imaginary power of attracting the foetus.
OF the PIPER genus,
Ceylon
possesses,
PIPER.
besides the species before mentioned,
P. Malamyris, Rumph. Amb.
v. tab. 116, and
P. Sereboa,
tab. 117.
Indica, Rumph. Amboin.
ii. tab. xxiii,
Balam-pulli, Rheede,
TAMARINDUS.
i. tab. 33,
Raii Hist.
1748. That noble tree grows to a vast size here. The
Dutch
clergy often pitch their pulpits beneath the shade, and deliver their discourses to their great congregations secure from the sun. Providence seems to have given this salutary and cooling fruit to the torrid zone, as the most refreshing at all times, and most efficacious in severs, dysenteries, and
Cholera morbus,
diseases so frequent in
India.
Zeylanica, Burm. Zeyl.
26, and
Ind.
15,
OLAX.
an acorn-bearing tree, smelling like ordure, yet is used by the
Cingalese
as a sallad.
Arborescens, Hort. Cliff.
27,
PANICUM.
deserves to be pointed out as a grass that rivals in height the tallest trees; yet the stalk does not exceed in thickness a goose's quill.
Arbor,
ARUNDO.
or
Bambo,
has been sufficiently treated of at page 142, of this volume.
Coccinea
is a beautiful shrub with scarlet flowers,
IXORA.
engraven at page 169, of the Botanical Magazine, and in
Burm. Zeyl.
tab. 57. The flowers grow in rich rounded clusters, and bright as a red-hot coal. It is therefore called by
Rumphius, Flamma sylvarum.
It is frequent in
Ceylon,
where it inhabits watery places. Peacocks are particularly fond of the berries.
Indica,
PAVETTA.
Rumph. Amboin.
iv. tab. 47, is another specious plant, called, from its brilliant flowers, by the same name,
Flamma sylvarum.
Tomentosa,
CALLICARPA.
Burm. Zeyl.
26, yields a bark, a substitute to the
Indians
for the betel leaf.
Laeta,
SAMARA.
Burm. Zeyl.
76, tab. 30, yields flowers, used instead of saffron in dying.
Turpethum,
CONVOLVULUS.
Blackwall,
tab. 397,
Gerard; Turpeth
is a name given to the root by the old
Arabian
physicians; it was much in use among them, and the
Indian,
in medicine. It was a strong cathartic, and applied in dropsical, gouty, and rheumatic cases, to expel the tough serous humours from the distant parts; it is not at present in our dispensary.
Quamoclit,
IPOMOEA.
Rumph. Amboin.
v. 421. tab. 155, is a beautiful climbing plant, much used in
India
for making bowers.
Orientalis,
NAUCLEA.
iii. tab. 55, is a tree that affords a beautiful yellow wood.
Umbellata,
MORINDA.
iii. tab. 118, is a common useless wood in the watery places of all parts of
India,
with a small tuberous fruit. The root is used for dying red.
Frondosa,
iv. tab. 51, is an elegant shrub,
MUSSOENDA.
called by the
Malayes,
the
Leaf of the Princess,
because their ladies are fond of the grateful odor of its white leaves.
IT takes the generic name from its quality of opening its flowers at four in the evening,
MIRABILIS.
and closing them in the morning till the same hour returns, when they again expand in the evening at the same hour. Many people transplant them from the woods into their gardens, and use them as a dial or clock, especially in cloudy weather
Knox, p. 20.
.
Jalapa,
v. tab. 89, is a climbing plant; notwithstanding its trivial, its uses are quite unknown. It is common both to
India
and
Peru.
The famous
Jalap
comes from an
American
plant, the
Convolvulus Jalapa.
Insanum,
v. tab. 85. This is the commonest,
SOLANUM.
but poorest food universally used in
India.
It has been long since introduced into
Spain,
where it is an universal ingredient in madedishes, and called by the
Spaniards, Berengenas.
The
Arabians
say, that
Mahomet
found this plant in
Paradise,
which makes his followers particularly fond of it.
S. Indicum
is another species, figured in
Burm. Zeyl.
tab. 102.
Barbatum, Rumph. Amboin.
5, tab. 88, and
C. Frutescens,
CAPSICUM.
fig. 1, 3, 4, of the same table. These
Capsicums
have a much more hot taste and acrimony in the torrid zone, than even with us; and are universally used in the dishes of the
Indians,
but the excess always renders them wrinkled and chilly, and brings on premature old age.
Nux Vomica, Rumph. Amboin.
ii. tab. 38,
STRYCHNOS.
grows to a large size; the kernel is slat, inclosed in a round fruit, see
Blackwall,
tab. 395. It was formerly kept in the shops of our apothecaries, but being a rank poison, and liable to abuse, is now totally rejected, especially as it was found to be of no sort of use.
HERE are four species of RHAMNUS,
RHAMNUS.
Lineatus, Burman. Zeyl.
tab. 88,
Napeca, Rumph. Amboin.
ii. tab. 42, or
Vidara Laut;
the chief use is to detect wizards, to whom is given to drink an infusion of the root; if it makes them sick, they are supposed guilty, if not they stand acquitted; much as wise an experiment, as that of swimming of witches in our island.
THE other two kinds are the common, RH.
Jujuba,
ii. tab. 36, and RH.
Oenoplia, Burman. Zeyl.
tab. 61.
Indica,
MANGIFERA.
Rumph. Amboin.
i. tab. 25, 26. This tree, valuable for its fruit, grows to a vast size, and assumes the habit of an oak, and is a tree of the first beauty. The fruit is oblong, and sometimes grows to the size of a goose's egg. When ripe, it is of a yellow and red color, and contains a large kernel, which is covered with a most juicy pulp. It is reckoned (after the
Ananas)
the most delicious fruit in
India,
and very few other fruits are eaten in the hot season. It is often dressed different ways in made dishes. Of them is also made a
mango-rob,
most acceptable to sick people. It is often brought over to
England
pickled. The timber is not of any value. This tree is not found in the
Molucca
isles.
Castrensis,
AMARANTHUS.
v. tab. 84, is the beautiful annual, the amaranthus cocks-comb, that we often see an ornament to our gardens.
Manghas,
CERBERA.
arbor Lactaria,
ii. tab. 81. This also grows to a great size, and in the western parts of the different isles. The fruit is far lesser than the
Mango.
It is of an oval form, with one side concave, as if a piece had been bitten out. This, the
Cingalese
say, was the fatal apple tasted by
Eve,
whom they feign resided along with her mate in this island: They therefore call it
Adam
's apple. It lies under the repute of being of a most poisonous quality; but that notion is effectually exploded by
Rumphius.
It is even taken, in form of an infusion, internally. The kernel may be noxious when eaten to excess, and even fatal, which may be the case with the best things. In
Malabar
it is called
Odallam. Rheede,
i. p. 71, asserts, that it is a common poison, and that a very small portion proves immediately fatal. The wood is of no value: if wounded, it plentifully exudes a milky liquor. The kernel is sometimes pressed for the oil, with which candles are made; but they emit a most rank smell.
Oleander
is common to this country,
NEVIUM.
and the hotter parts of
Spain.
THE BROMELIA
Ananas, Rumph. Amboin.
v. tab. 81,
BROMELIA.
grows wild in many of the
Indian
isles; such as
Celebes, Amboina,
and even the
Philippine
isles
Rumph. v. p. 128.
: It was not, therefore, introduced from
America.
It is common to both worlds, and was originally brought from the
Brasils
into
Spain.
It is now frequent in
Europe;
but cultivated with greatest success in
England.
The natives of
Macassar
call it
Pangram.
The name
Nanas,
and
Nassa,
which is used in some places, is caught from the
Brasilian Nana,
which was changed by the
Portuguese
into
Ananas,
and conferred on the plant, which they found also in
India.
This is the most delicious fruit of the country, and long since cultivated with great attention, by transferring it into the richest soils.
Ceylon
glows with numbers of the most splendid or odoriferous flowers.
PANCRATIUM.
The PANCRATIUM
Zeylanicum, Com. Hort.
i. tab. 38, is a beautiful white flower, with a charming seent.
Asiaticum,
CRINUM.
Miller
's plates, tab. 110, and the
Crinum Zeylanicum, Trew's Ehret.
tab. 13, is that elegant species with a white flower, and pale purple stripe.
Superba,
GLORIOSA.
Com. Hort.
i. tab. 69,
Ind. Zool.
tab. 3, well merits the pompous name. The
Cingalese
style it
Najajala,
possibly from the root being possessed of a poison equally potent with the fatal serpent
Naja.
THE tuberose,
POLIANTHES.
POLIANTHES
tuberosa, Rumph. Amboin.
v. tab. 98, a flower of too exquisite a scent for the majority of people. It emits its odor most strongly in the night. The
Malayans
therefore style it
Sandal Malam,
or the
mistress of the night;
comparing it to a frail fair, visiting her lover in the dark, sweetly perfumed, and highly dressed. It was introduced into
England
in 1664, and is mentioned by our
Evelyn,
that glory of his days, by the name of
Tuberose Hyacinth,
in the
August
of his
Kalendarium Hortense.
Rotang,
CALAMUS.
Rumph. Amboin.
v. tab. 51 to tab. 56, are the varieties of plants which yield the canes which are used to distend the hoops of the fair sex in
Europe.
They grow to lengths incredible, some creeping along the ground, others climbing to the summits of the highest trees, and form a most grotesque similitude of cordage.
Elengi,
MIMUSOPS.
Rumph. Amboin.
ii. tab. 63, approaches nearly the clove, and is remarkable for the rich odors of its flowers.
Pedunculata,
AMBOLIFERA.
ii. tab. 42, is a fruit tree of no great value, resembling an oblong plumb.
WE now are to touch on the glory of
Ceylon,
LAURUS.
perhaps of the vegetable kingdom. The LAURUS
cinnamomum, Burman. Zeyl.
tab. 27,
Raii Hist. Pl.
ii. 1554 to 1563,
Woodville,
i. 80,
Gerard,
1532. This is an elegant species of laurel that grows to the height of twenty feet; the flowers small, and of a yellowish color: the fruit pulpy, with an oblong stone.
THIS valuable tree grows in greater quantity in the isle of
Ceylon,
than any other place. It grows wild in the woods, without any culture: every province does not possess it, there is none in that of
Jaffanapatam,
nor
Manaar,
but abound in most of the internal parts, and about
Negumbo
and
Gale.
A pigeon, I think the Pompadour,
Brown's Illustr.
tab. 19, is the species, which, by carrying the fruit to different places, is a great disseminator of this valuable tree. I do not believe it to be peculiar to this island; but the bark is infinitely superior in quality to any other. Botanists enumerate numbers of kinds, but they only vary being taken from trees of different ages, or growing in different soils, and situations. It may be found in
Malabar, Sumatra,
&c. but is depretiated by another name,
Cassia,
and
Canella,
to our unspeakable loss;
CINNAMON, OR CASSIA.
Cinnamomum
was a more dignified name. The antients speak of it under that title, in such high terms, that the
Dutch
wisely retained the name, which gave it greatest respectability. Our countryman, the late
Taylor White,
Esq. in Ph. Trans. vol. l. p. 860, and Mr.
Combes,
resident in
Sumatra,
in page 873, are entirely of opinion, that
Cinnamon
and
Cassia
do not specifically differ. Mr.
White
's account is accompanied with some very good figures of the leaves of the former.
THE celebrated bark is the inner, and is reckoned the most perfect when taken from trees of seven or eight years old, if they grow in a wet slimy soil; but those which grow in the warm white sand of the vallies, come to maturity in five years.
Seba
says, that the ages of the trees are fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen years. It is the heat which gives the bark that quilled form in which it comes over to us, especially the smaller and more delicate sort, which is taken from the smaller branches. The bark is first freed from the external coat, when it is on the trees; is then cut lengthways, stripped off, dried in the sand, and so becomes merchantable.
THE barkers of cinnamon are brought up to the trade, and are called
Chialiases.
The account given by Mr.
Eschelskroon
of the management, is most authentic; from him I shall transcribe what will be highly satisfactory to the readers. At page 339 of
Wolfe
's account of the isle of
Ceylon,
he begins thus:—
The time for barking the tree commences in the months of
June
and
July,
and sometimes even in
August:
now as soon as they come out of their villages for that purpose, every district sends a detachment of
Dutch
soldiers, and another composed of the natives themselves, called
Lascaryns,
along with them, in order to guard the wood where they are to work, and this partly on account of the roving
Cingalese
mountaineers, which sometimes fall on the barked cinnamon, and make it their booty; but still more for the purpose of having an eye upon the
Chialiases
themselves, that they may not be able to conceal any of the cinnamon, and afterwards carry it off.
THE bark that is peeled during the day, must be carried every evening to the
Dutch
guard, belonging to their respective districts; there cleansed, well dried, and made up into bundles, and afterwards taken in close cases to the factory, where they are weighed, and received by the company as payment of the assessment or tax imposed on these people by government. A man must be a very good hand indeed, that can gather thirty pounds of cinnamon in a day; whence it is easily calculated, how many persons it will take to gather ten or twelve million pounds, and that too of the best; for what is brought in is looked over before it is weighed, and the refuse of it burned.
At the time for gathering this drug, the company are obliged to draw out a
cordon
of seventy-two miles in circumference; and as there are a great many of these
corps de garde,
it follows that the company must pay a great many
Europeans,
as well as
Cingalese.
These cinnamon barkers are under the command of a captain, called a
Malabadde,
and are distributed into four different classes. All the
Chiliases
must be ready at all times to work at the Governor's command, for on him it depends how much is to be barked and delivered in; and this again depends on the demand for it from
Europe.
THIS important article of luxury was well known to the antients. The
Greeks
called it
, and sometimes
, or
Casia Lignea,
and
, to the bark, from the pipelike form it assumed by the rolling up. We have applied the word
Cassia
to the inferior cinnamons of
Malabar
and
Sumatra.
THE
Romans
called it
Cinnamomum,
but generally with some addition. The
Xylo-cinnamomum,
or the wood, we are told by
Pliny,
was sold for twenty
denarii,
or twelve shillings and eleven pence
per
pound. The juice, or expressed oil, at one thousand
denarii,
or £.32. 5. 10. The
Daphnoides,
or
Isocinnamon,
seems not to be thought the genuine kind, yet sold at the price of three hundred
denarii,
or £.8. 13. 9, the same price as the true
cinnamon.
The
Cinnamomum camocans
was the expressed juice of a nut, and perhaps a different article from the true
cinnamon,
was sold for no more than forty asses, or two shillings and seven-pence. The antients, according to
Pliny,
esteemed, as we do at present, the cinnamon of the young twigs. It was chiefly made use of as a perfume, either as an ingredient for their unguents, or to rub their bodies with, in form of oil. They appear to have been ignorant of the tree that produced it, as well as the country; they supposed that it came from that part of
Aethiopia
which bordered on the
Troglodytes. Pliny
says they bought all they could of their neighbors; but even Mr.
Bruce,
who would certainly do all the honor he could to
Aethiopia,
never mentions it among his botanical enumerations.
Pliny
talks confusedly of a long voyage made with the cargoes of this pretious article, and of the crossing of vast seas: of the cinnamon being under the protection of the god
Assabinus,
and of its never being cut without his permission. I dare say that the
Cinnamon
and
Cassia
came then as it does now, from the
Malabar
coast, and
Taprobone
or
Ceylon,
and that the merchants crossing the
Sinus Aethiopicus
in search of it, induced the
Roman
Naturalist to make
Aethiopia
its native country
Pliny, in lib. xii. c. xix. and other parts of his Nat. Hist, treats largely of this tree.
.
THE antients give a most romantic account of these trees, that of their being guarded by a dire species of bat, fighting cruelly with their sharp claws; and by flying serpents; one was the enormous bat of the torrid zone; the others, the winged lizard, before described.
ITS modern use for culinary purposes is unknown to none.
Cinnamon-water
is also a fine
liqueur.
From the leaves is extracted a thick and fragrant juice, appropriated for the candles of his imperial Majesty of
Ceylon;
and from the roots is extracted the oil of camphire, and a sort of camphire superior to what we have in the shops, which likewise is reserved for the Emperor, who esteems it an excellent cordial.
Seba,
in Ph. Trans. abr. vi. 326, from whom we have the account, speaks highly of its virtue in
arthritic
cases. The bark, and essential oil, is an article in our dispensary.
I NOW naturally pass to the LAURUS
Cassia,
LAURUS CASSIA.
the rival to the last. It is the
carna
of
Rheede Malab.
i. 107, tab. 59,
Burman Ind.
91,
Blackwall,
tab. 319. I leave to botanists the settling of the dispute, whether it is distinct, or a variety of the last. The distinction between the bark of this and the real cinnamon, is, that this breaks smooth; the real, splinters. This has a slimy mucilaginous taste; the true cinnamon, rough, and with a rich aromatic smell.
Occidentale, Rumph.
i. tab. 69,
ANACARDIUM.
is common to
East
and
West Indies.
It is the
Cushew
of the last, the
Caghu
of the
Ceylonese.
Heptaphylla,
—iv. tab. 22, would be invaluable,
SOPHORA.
was it not so common; it is the most admirable medicine in the
cholera,
and the
choler a fluxus,
bilious complaints, excessive vomiting, pleurisies, and poison: it is remarkable for its links of berries, connected like beads.
Tomentosa,
BAUHINIA.
and
Acuminata, Burm. Zeyl.
tab. 18, and
Raii Hist.
ii. 1558, are found here. The true ebony, which grows plentifully in this island, is supposed to be a species of
Bauhinia;
yet this once valuable wood is not ascertained.
VARIOUS kinds of
Cassia,
CASSIA.
or
Senna,
are natives of
Ceylon;
among others, the useful C.
Fistula,
ii. tab. 21, so good and sine a purge.
Bonduc,
GUILANDINA.
v.
Rumph.
tab. 48, G.
Nuga Sylvarum,
v.—tab. 50, are remarkable for their rough nuts, with a hook at the end, arresting the travellers.
THE G.
Moringa,
—v. tab. 74-5, has a long slender pod, and erect strait stem.
Monophylla,
LIMONIA.
Burm. Zeyl.
tab. 65, and L.
Acidissima,
—ii. tab. 43. These bear small fruits resembling lemons.
Bilimbi,
AVERRHOA.
—i. tab. 36, is singular for being loaden with fruit issuing from the knots of the body of the tree; the Av.
Carambola,
—i. tab. 35, for its long angular apples; and the Av.
Acida,
—vii. tab. 17, for small rounded fruit, growing on the side of the stalk.
Tapia,
CRATAEVA.
Commel. Hort.
i. tab. 67, or garlick pear of the
West Indies.
CR.
Marmelos, Rumph.
i. tab. 81, has a large pear-shaped fruit, of a disagreeable sweetness, and rank smell.
Antiquorum,
EUPHORBIA.
Com. Hort.
i. tab. 12, EUPH.
nerei solia, Rumph.
iv. tab. 40, an elegant slender angular species. EUPH.
Tiraculli,
vii. tab. 29.
Pyriferum,
PISIDIUM.
—i. tab. 47, a roundish fruit, called in the
West Indies, Guava,
full of seed, and very indifferent to the taste.
Malaccensis,
—i. tab. 36, 38,
Nati Schambu, Rheede,
EUGENIA.
i. tab. 18,
Raii Hist.
ii. 1478, is a pear-shaped fruit, growing to the bare stalk, a cooling and refreshing kind.—EUG.
Iambos,
i. tab. 39,
Malacca Schambu, Rheede,
i. tab. 17,
Raii Hist.
ii. 1478, is remarkable for its crooked timber, useful for the ribs of ships. — EUG.
Acutangula,
iii. tab. 115,
Tsieria Samstravadi, Rhecde,
iv. tab. 7,
Raii Hist.
ii. 1480, and—EUG.
Racemosa,
iii. tab. 116,
Samstravadi, Rheede,
iv. tab. 16,
Raii Hist.
ii. 1479, bear edible fruits.
Ceylon
has four species of myrtle; M.
Cumini,
MYRTUS.
Rumph.
i. tab. 41, smelling like cumin seed; M.
Zeylanica,
remarkable for its great fragrancy; M.
Androsaemoides,
M.
Caryophyllata,
from its aromatic smell; and M.
Pimenta,
or all-spice, common to both the
Indies.
Granata, Woodville,
i. tab. 58. The pomgranate,
PUNICA.
is here cultivated, and prospers greatly.
Gutta, Blackwall,
tab. 393,
Raii Hist. Pl.
ii. 1661,
CAMBOGIA.
grows to be a large tree, and bears a roundish ribbed fruit, of a yellow color. The wood yields a sine yellow concrete solid juice, brought over in large cakes. It is in our dispensary, and acts powerfully both upwards and downwards. Some physicians hold it to be a dangerous medicine; others commend the use, but all recommend it with caution. It is prescribed in dropsies, and leprous cases. Painters know this drug as the richest of yellows.
Lotus, Alpin. Aegypt.
50, or water lilly,
NYMPHOEA.
the
Lotus Aegyptiaca
of
Pliny,
lib. xiii. c. xvii, which appeared after the falling of the waters of the
Nile.
The old
Aegyptians
laid the fruit in heaps, to putrify, and after drying them made bread of the farina.
N.
Nelumbo, Taratta, Rumph.
vi. tab. 63. This elegant plant was the antient
Faba Aegyptiaca.
The flower is of a beautiful rose color. The fruit is well figured in
Gerard,
1552; it is like a poppy cut in two, and with twenty-four round cells, in each of which is a bean. The root was reckoned by the antients very delicious, either raw or drest. The figure is so striking, that the
Indians
feign that
Cupid
was first seen floating down the
Ganges
on one of them, but the lovely floating flowers would have been a more suitable couch for the amorous deity. It has also a grateful smell, not unlike cinnamon. The antients feigned that this plant was shunned by the crocodiles of the
Nile,
on account of the prickly stalks. The
Indians
eat the beans.
Squarrosa,
OCHNA.
Burm. Zeyl.
tab. lvi, a very elegant shrub.
Inophyllum,
CALOPHYLLUM.
Rumph.
ii. tab. 71. This grows to a vast size, and is a tree of amazing circumference; its leaves very large, of a sine green, and yield a delightful shade.
Rheede,
iv. 76, tab. 38, informs us it grows to the height of ninety feet, and the circumference of twelve, and then it bears fruit three hundred years. The flowers small, but of a most fragrant odor; the fruit round. The wood is excellent for wheels, and the greater mechanical uses. Candles are made of the fruit. This magnificent tree adorns the shores of
India.
The
Malabars
call it
Ponna-maram.
Scrrata,
ELEOCARPUS.
iii. tab. 101,
Rumphius
calls it
Ganitri,
and says it is one of the tallest trees of
India,
and proportionably thick. The fruit is perfectly round, of the size of a musquet ball, and of a bluish purple color; the stones seem elegantly carved, are collected in sacks, and sold at a good price, and being strung, serve for ornaments for the neck and breast, and for beads for the rosaries for the
Mahometans.
The timber is used for building; and is an inhabitant of watery places, and even mountains.
Indica, Poenoe, Rheed. Malab.
iv. tab. 15,
VATERIA.
Raii Hist. Pl.
ii. 1482. This tree grows to the height of sixty feet, and to sixteen in circumference, at the bottom; and if wounded exudes a rosin; is an evergreen, and will continue to bear fruit three hundred years. The fruit is of the size of a walnut, and has a bitter kernel. Masts are made of the younger trees. The
Indians
excavate the bodies into canoes, which will hold sixty men.
Capsularis, Rumph.
v. tab. 78.
CORCHORUS.
The
Chinese
make a thread of the stalks stronger than cotton.
Alismoides, Rheed. Malab.
xi. tab. 46.
Alpin. Aegypt.
ii. 51,
STRATIOTES.
tab. 36, 37, a water plant; found also in the
Nile,
mentioned by
Dioscorides
and
Pliny;
is used in
Egypt
as a styptic.
Champaca, Rumph.
ii. tab. 67,
MICHELIA.
a most elegant flowering shrub. The flowers are of the richest saffron color; and are used by the natives of
India
to strew over their beds and furniture. The females stick the flowers in their hair, a fine contrast to its jetty blackness.
Asiatica,
i.
Burm. Zeyl.
21.
ANNONA.
The roots are used by the dyers for dying red.
A.
Squamosa, Rumph.
i. tab. 46.
Burm. Zeyl.
21. The fruit are of no value, and are chiefly devoured by the bats; sometimes are gathered before they are ripe, and left to ripen under heaps of rice, and then eaten.
Indica,
BIGNONIA.
Rheed. Malab.
i. tab. 45.
Raii Hist.
ii. 1741, a lofty, but not spreading tree; loves sandy places; its fruit of a great size, oblong and flat; the leaves useful in dying black.
Orientale,
SESAMUM.
Burm. Zeyl.
tab. 38, fig. 1. This is an annual, cultivated in
Italy,
in early times, on account of the seed, from which abundance of oil used to be expressed. It is thought, that no vegetable contains such a quantity.
Arrian
frequently mentions the seeds or its oil
Arrian, Mar. Erythr. ii. p. 150.
, as a great article of commerce from
India,
and the other eastern regions. It was used both as a food, and in medicine
Plin. lib. xviii. c. 10. lib. xxiii. c. 4.
.
Rumphius,
v. p. 204, tab. 76, describes another
Sesamum
used for the same purposes, universally cultivated in
India.
Pentandrum,
BOMBAX.
Rumph.
i. tab. 80.
Pania Paniala, Rheede,
iii. tab. 49, 50, 51, pod of the wool-bearing tree,
Gerard,
1552, a tree that grows to the size of our walnut; bears long pods filled with seeds, wrapped in a fine short down, too short for spinning; but after being dressed is of great use in stuffing beds and the like. The wood is excellent for making palings, and other fences.
B.
Ceiba, Jacq. Am.
p. 192, tab. 176, bears a long pod, with a prickly coat; common to both worlds.
Populneus,
HIBI
CUS.
Rumph.
ii. tab. 74.
H. Rosa Sinensis,
iv. tab. 8. This
Flos Festalis,
as it is called, is the ornament of every feast, and instead of the
invisa Cupressus,
follows every unmarried youth to his grave, be they
Christians
be they
Gentiles.
Herbaceum,
iv. tab. 12. and
G. Arboreum,
iv. tab. 13,
GOSSYPIUM.
the last having a more shrubby stalk than the other, the first is sown annually, but thrives better on the dry
Coromandel
coast than any other. This produces the great manufactures of the
Indies,
COTTON.
callicoes, and every other species so well adapted to the climate. These plants are natives also of the hotter parts of
America,
and of
Africa;
and even cultivated with most profitable success in
Valentia
in
Spain;
page 421, vol. vi. of the
MS.
part of this work, gives some account of the produce.
Ferrea,
vii. tab. 11,
MESUA.
is a low tree, remarkable for giving a pleasant shade, and the rich mace-like scent of its flowers.
Ferrea, Syst. Pl.
iii. 269,
Baiulla Tsiampacum, Rheede,
iii. tab. 53,
Raii Hist.
1680.
THE superb flower, BARRINGTONIA SPECIOSA,
Lin. Suppl. Pl.
312;
Cook
's second Voyage, i. p. 157.
Butonica, Rumph.
iii. 170. tab. 114, is found in this island, and in all tropical countries: Is a lofty tree, and of considerable thickness, but is seldom erect, bending so that the branches hang into the water, for it is universally an inhabitant of watery places. The fruit is large, and quadrangular, as represented in
Clusius
's Exotic, lib. ii. c. 5. It is used, in
Amboina
as a remedy in the colic. In
Ternate
and
Java,
it is made into a paste, mixed with other drugs, and used to intoxicate fish, as is done by the
Cocculus Indicus.
Draco,
ii. tab. 70, is a tree that grows to a vast height,
PTEROCARPU
▪
much esteemed for the sweetness of its flowers, and the beautiful redness of the wood, uniform or varied, so as to resemble flames of sire bursting out of the smoke. It is therefore in great repute for the making of chests, and furniture: when used as fuel it yields a scent, grateful as that of the sandal or citron. It is also called the
Dragon-tree,
as it exudes a thick juice, of a bloodred, resembling that which falls from that tree, which has been long samed for that quality.
Corallodendron,
ERYTHRINA.
ii. tab. 76, a tree quite brilliant with its scarlet flowers. It grows usually near the shores. It is pretended, that such is the splendor of the long spikes, that during the flowering season they actually terrify the fish from the coasts on which they grow.
Vulgaris.
PHASEOLUS.
Ceylon,
and
India
in general, produce numbers of species of kidney-beans. The species just mentioned is the scarlet. The PH.
radiatus
and
max.
are engraven in
Rumph.
v. tab. 139, and 140.
Pruriens,
DOLICHOS.
Nai Corann, Fl. Zeyl.
No 539, is remarkable for its effects. The downy pile on the pods occasions the most intolerable itching, far beyond that of the nettle. It is called at
Surat, Cohuge,
from which it was corrupted to the
English
name of
Cow-itch; Ray,
vol. i. p. 887, names it
Phaseolus Zurratensis,
and
Cowhege;
and says it has been proved a most efficacious remedy in the dropsy.
Rumphius
figures it in vol. v. tab. 142, under the title of
Cacara Pruritus.
It has been sometimes applied for wanton purposes, to set people an itching. The author of
Hudibras
makes it one of the drugs used in his days to counterfeit the feats of witches. I shall give the whole list, since I may have occasion to refer back to it:—
WITH drugs, convey'd in drink or meat,
All feats of witches counterfeit;
Kill pigs and geese with powder'd glass,
And make it for inchantment pass;
With
Cow-itch
meazle like a leper,
And choak with fumes of
Guiney
-pepper;
Make lechers, and their punks with
Dewtry,
Commit phantastical advowtry;
Bewitch hermetic-men to run
Stark staring mad with
Manicon.
Ceylon
and
India
have great varieties of
Hedysarum.
HEDYSARUM.
The
H. Pulchellum, Burm. Zeyl.
tab. 52, is very remarkable for its long spikes of circular pods.
Tinctoria, Rumph. Amboin.
v. tab. 80,
INDIGOTERA.
is common in all parts of
India
in a cultivated state: but its native country is
Guzerat,
where it grows wild; but its name is derived from
Indicus,
a patronimic taken from the country it was originally brought from. It is also found wild in
Madagascar.
The rich blue dye is procured from it in all parts of
Hindooslan,
and used in the various manufactures.
Dioscorides,
lib. v. c. 68, speaks of two kinds, one extracted from what he calls certain
Indian
reeds.
Pliny
errs when he says it is from the slime which adheres to those plants.
Dioscorides
mentions it medicinally:
Pliny
as a paint.
THE species of CITRUS are two,
C. Aurantium Sinense,
CITRUS.
or
China
orange, probably originally imported from that country, and the
C. Decumanus, Rumph. Amboin.
ii. tab. 64, the
Shaddock,
or
Pumpclmose
of the
West Indies,
which is only cultivated in
Ceylon,
not aboriginal.
Wolf
mentions the lemon, and
Burman,
in his
Thesaurus,
gives a little lemon, the
Limon Nipis, Rumph.
ii, tab. 29, perhaps the common lime.
I NOW proceed to the wonder of the vegetable kingdom,
NEPENTHES.
the famous
Bandura, Burm. Zeyl.
tab. 17,
Cantharisera,
or
Daun Gundi, Rumph. Amboin.
v. tab. 59, the NEPENTHES
Destillatoria
of
Linnaeus.
This is an herbaceous plant, with narrow leaves. From their ends issues a very long tendril, which finishes with a long cylindrical tube, sometimes six inches in length, and furnished at the extremity with a circular valve, completely at times closing the orifice. This is filled with a pure limpid water, which continues during the time that the valve is shut; when it is open the liquor is dried up, but the stock is renewed at night, when the valve is again closed.
Rumphius
has seen a pint of water in those of
Amboina.
They seem a variety of the
Ceylonese,
being thickest in the middle. Those of
Ceylon
being truly cylindrical.
Nepenthes
Pliny,
lib. xxi. c. 21, gives an account of its effects. That wicked wag,
Martin Folkes,
in his witty description of the
Arbor Vitae,
will have it to have been the all-conciliating fruit of this tree, the
Panacea
which
Helen
always kept by her, and used on all occasions.
THE
Cingalese
style this plant
Bandura,
i. e.
Priapus Vegetabilis;
had Mr.
Folkes
known this, it would have furnished him with new arguments. That singular character drew up the humorous paper with wit, which all its obscenity cannot destroy. It was intended as an imposition on the good Sir
Hans Sloane,
and the reading was actually begun before a meeting of the Royal Society, when a member, more sagacious than the rest, discovered the joke, and put a stop to the secretary's proceeding.
Martin Folkes
himself succeeded in the president's chair.
IN
Ceylon
are found two species of the bread-fruit,
BREAD FRUIT.
the
Artocarpus
of botanists. One, the
Integrifolia, Lin. Suppl.
412;
THE INTEGRIFOLIA.
the other, the
Incisus,
411. It is singular, that this blessing to the island should pass so long unnoticed: Yet
Knox,
page 14, informed us of (perhaps) both kinds, certainly of the first, and that above a century ago. The
Integrifolia
he calls by the
Ceylonese
name,
Warragah,
which is the species silled with great kernels: see the fruit expressed in different plates, entire and dissected, by M.
Sonnerat,
in his voyage to
New Guinea,
at page 99. These kernels are taken out and boiled by the natives, and often prove preservatives against famine in scarcity of rice. Exteriorly the rind appears prickly, but the spines are soft, and give way to the touch. After the interval of a century, from the time of
Knox,
Doctor
Thunberg
Travels, iv. p. 255.
gives an account of both species. This he says is the
Maldivian sour sack
of the
Dutch,
that it contains two or three hundred great kernels, each four times the size of an almond; and that the fruit grows to the weight of thirty or forty pounds; that the taste is unpleasant, and cadaverous, yet that not fewer than fifteen dishes are prepared from it. He adds, that the trees of both kind are replete with a milky juice, as tenacious as bird-lime itself; and
Knox
adds, that the boys apply it to that purpose.
Rumphius,
i. p. 104, calls the larger variety of this species
Saccus Arboreus major, Nanha,
and gives the figure in tab. xxx. The other he names
Saccus Arboreus minor Tsjampedaka,
see p. 107, tab. xxxi. both these are oblong; the last sack-shaped. The leaves are entire and ovated. The fruit grow in a most singular manner, hanging by the stalk from the body of the tree,
ex arbore trunco prodemata,
says
Bauhin,
in his Pinax, p. 511. See also the figure in
Rumphius,
and also in
Linschotten,
tab. 76, 77.
THIS species grows in most of the same places with the following.
PLACES.
It is also frequent in the
Maldive
isles, from whence, in about the year 1727, or 1728, some roots were brought, and planted in this island. From this circumstance the species is called
Maldivische Syr Sack.
DOCTOR
Thunberg,
in our Phil. Trans. vol. lxix. has published a long account of these fruits, under the name of
Tsitodium,
and particularly distinguished the second kind by the name of
Macrocarpon,
or
long fruit.
Both kinds have various names: The
Portuguese
call it the
Jacca,
of which notice will be taken in another place.
THE second kind is only mentioned by
Knox
under the name of
Vellas,
who says it is as soft as pap.
INCISUS.
This is the same with the
Seedless,
or
Apyrene
of
George Forster, Pl. Aescul. Ins. Oceani Austr.
p. 25, which is of a globular form, and is universally cultivated in
Otaheite,
and possibly others of the
South Sea
islands. It is also described by Doctor
Thunberg,
and said to grow as large as a child's head. This is silled with a substance like the crumb of new-baked bread; and is universally used in the islands of the
South Sea,
but less so in
Ceylon.
It is the
Bread Fruit
of Lord
Anson,
p. 310; Ed. 1st of Captain
Cook
's first Voyage, i. p. 80. tab. 11; and of Mr.
Ellis,
in his
Monograph.
p. 11; and the
Artocarpus incisus
of
Lin. Suppl.
411.
THE varieties of the
incisus,
which have kernels, are those engraven by
Rumphius,
i. p. 110. tab. xxxii. under the name of
Soccus lanosus.
The
Granosus,
—p. 112. tab. xxxiii. and the
Sylvestris,
—p. 114. tab. xxxiv. but these are all neglected in
Otaheite
G. Forster's Pl. Aese. p. 26.
, in preference of the
Apyrene.
The leaves of every one of these are like that of an oak, and deeply lacerated, and of the length of two feet, and the fruit pendent from the boughs.
THIS, says Doctor
Thunberg
Thunberg's Travels, iv. p. 255.
, is common in
Ceylon,
PLACES.
and from
Coromandel
to Cape
Comorin.
It is found near
Columbo, Gale,
and several other places, both wild and cultivated.
IT seems amazing, that Mr.
Bligh
should be twice sent to the islands of the southern ocean for these valuable plants, when it appears that they may be had with so little difficulty from
Ceylon.
Doctor
Thunberg
brought several hundred shrubs of both species, and quantities of seeds, all of which were destroyed by a violent storm he met with, no farther off his port than the coast of
Flanders
Thunberg's Travels, iv. p. 282.
.
Lacryma,
COIN.
Rumph. Amboin.
v. tab. 75, resembles very much a sugar cane. The
Dutch
have found out its excellency in chicken broth: so it is introduced to all the good tables of
Amboina.
Sonnerat,
HERMANDIA.
ii. tab. 85. The
Indians
call it
Arbor Regia,
as always certain plants are found under its shade or protection: it is also full of ants, which bite with great sharpness: it bears a small clustered berry. This tree is useful in medicine, yet is said to contain a fatal poison. It has its bane and antidote, and is reported to be peculiarly essicacious against the poison of the
Macassar
arrows. I am reminded by this double quality (often incident in
Indian
plants) of the good
Friar
's speech in
Romco
and
Juliet:
—
Within the infant rind of this small flower
Poison hath residence, and medicine power;
For this being smelt with that part, cheers each part;
Being tasted, slays all senses with the heart.
Niruri,
PHYLANTHUS.
vi. tab. 17, is a small plant, called both
Herba Maeroris,
and
Amoris.
When the
Indians
send a branch of it to any friend, it signifies they are oppressed with grief; when it bears the other name, it is for its being used as a philtre by the fair, to conciliate the affections of their lovers.
Indica,
MORUS.
vii. tab. 5, is a species of mulberry-tree, with black fruit, as large as a walnut. The
Chinese,
who visit
Amboina,
say it is the tree which nourishes the silk-worms.
Balanghas, Syst. Pl.
iv. 195,
Cavalam, Rheede,
i. tab.? 49.
STERCULIA.
Raii Hist.
ii. 1754?
Clompanus minor, Rumph.
iii. 169, tab. 107.
FOETIDA,
Syst. Pl.
iv. 198,
Karil, Rheede,
iv. tab. 36,
Raii Hist.
ii. 1564,
Clompanus major, Rumph.
iii. 168, tab. 107, ad lit. A. This is one of the vast trees of
India. Sonnerat,
ii. 234, tab. 132, gives a good figure of it and its flowers. This and the above are remarkable for the excessive foetid smell of both the wood and flowers, which resemble the scent of human ordure.
Linnaeus
therefore gives the genus the name of
Sterculia,
and the trivial of
foetida,
and the tree itself,
Stinckbaum;
and
Sonnerat,
the plainer title of
Bois de Merde.
THE
Croton Lacciferum
grows in abundance in the sand-pits near
Columbo
and other places,
CROTON.
on which the
Gum Lac
is found in great plenty. It is sometimes used for lacquering, after being dissolved in spirits of wine
Thunberg's Travels, iv. 250.
.
THE
Pandanus Odoratissimus, Linn. Suppl. Pl.
p. 424,
PANDANUS.
Rumph.
iv. p. 139, tab. 74.
Bromelia,
&c.
Fl. Zeyl.
p. 54, is a native of this island, and also of
Egypt
Forskhal, Pl. Egypt. p. 172.
. It is the most fragrant of flowers, and its scent so diffusive, that a single spike will perfume a whole chamber. It has the appearance of the
Ananas,
or pine apple. There are many varieties of it in
Rumphius:
The finest he distinguishes by the name of
Venus.
It is also known by the name of the
Wild Pine.
The
Portuguese
call it
Ananas Brava.
The fruit is red, and of the size of a melon. The juice is used medicinally in the
Erysipelas,
&c. &c.
Sativa,
DIOSCOREA.
v. tab. 130. This species has a clustered root; grows wild in
Jamaica,
but is greatly cultivated in
India
as a food. D.
Pentaphylla,
v. tab. 127, and
Alata, Brown's Jamaica,
359,
Gerard,
YAMS.
925. The last the useful yams of the
West Indies;
are of equal service for their salutary roots as a food. These, and numbers of other congenerous twining plants, assist to support the
Indian
peasantry, content with simple diet.
Papaya,
CARICA.
Trew Ehret.
tab. 8, is common to the
East
and
West Indies,
and to
Senegal.
It is a singular tree, having the fruit growing out of the sides of the stem, of the form of a melon, and ribbed, filled in the inside with seeds, and is as large as a child's head: the stem is quite strait, the leaves large, and divided into numbers of lobes. This tree is supposed to have been introduced by the
Portuguese
from the
Brazils
into the
East Indies;
many other species, now common there, are thought to have been brought by them from the new world.
Paradisiaca,
MUSA.
v. tab. 60,
Trew Ehret.
tab. 18, 19, 20. This is the celebrated plant which the
Jews
believe to have been the tree of knowlege of good and evil, placed in the midst of the Garden of
Eden,
which our great mother was forbidden to touch; and by her disobedience brought such heavy penalty on all her offspring.
Milton
does not attempt to describe it; he only says—
A BOUGH of fairest fruit, that downy smil'd,
New gather'd, and ambrosial smell dissus'd.
Moderns do not speak in raptures of the fruit. Sir
Joseph Banks
gives the most favorable account, that they all have a pleasant vinous taste. Three species merit that praise; the others must be dressed by frying or boiling, and so eaten as bread. But the form of the plant is the most grotesque in nature, and most rich when loaden, as it is, with its splendid looking fruit. The stem grows to the height of ten or twelve feet, and to the thickness of a man's leg, yet can readily be cut through with a knife; neither does it live above two years. It cannot rise to the dignity of a tree: Its leaves are the largest of any known vegetable; some are more than twelve feet long, and two broad; are very smooth, of an elegant green above, and yellow beneath; they more resemble paper than a leaf, and give a most rustling sound. The fruit grows in vast clusters, and is of an oblong shape, and is filled with a pulp soft as butter. Doctor
Trew,
by the skilful hand of
Ehret,
gives of it the most comprehensive idea.
THIS fine plant was not overlooked by the antients.
PALA PLINII.
Pliny
certainly means this species by his
Pala,
which he describes in these words, lib. xii. c. 6,—
Major alia pomo et suavitate praecellentior, quo sapientes
Indorum
vivunt. Folium alas avium imitatur longitudine trium cubitorum, latitudine duûm. Fructum cortice emittit, admirabilem succi dulcedine, ut uno quaternos satiet. Arbori nomen palae, pomo arienae.
THIS account agrees well, not only in the size of the leaves and fruit, and delicacy of the pulp, but it also gives us reason to suppose, that there had been some tradition delivered down to the
Indians
of its having been the
Paradisiacal
tree, and that it continued the food of the wise men, or the
Brahmins,
as if it was supposed to still have the power of imparting wisdom to those who fed on its fruits.
Linnaeus
gives the name of MUSA
sapientum, Trew's Ehret,
tab. 21, 22, 23, to another species, with a shorter fruit. By the trivial he seems to think
this
to have been the tree of knowlege: but to decide on the important dispute is far beyond my abilities.
Scrpentinum,
OPHIOXYLON.
—vii. tab. 16, is a plant of most potent virtues, as an alexipharmic, and has been spoken of before.
Orientalis,
CELTIS.
—iv. tab. 61, is the
Roffu,
the bark of fishermen, from its great use in dying their nets, and giving them durability.
Nodosa,
MIMOSA.
M.
Bigemina.
M.
Entada, Jacq. Am.
265, tab. 183. M.
Scandens, Rumph.
v. tab. 4. M.
Virgata, Burman. Zeyl.
tab. 2. M.
Caesia, Fl. Zeyl.
p. 217. M.
Pennata, Burman. Zeyl.
tab. 1, a most elegant species, with the flowers branching on the summit in the lightest manner. M.
Tenuifolia, Sysl. Pl.
iv. 353.
Indica,
FICUS.
Rumph. Amboin.
iii. tab. 84. I have, at page 207, quite out of course, anticipated the account of this wonderful species, perhaps through zoological partiality.
Religiosa
is perhaps the
Arbor conciliorum
of
Rumphius,
iii. tab. 91, 92,
Arcalu, Rheed. Malabar.
i. tab. 27. This is also a very singular kind; the body rude to the highest degree, as if formed of the accretion of many trunks, angular, and in many places cavernous. The branches spread out most extensively on the sides, grow across, interwoven with each other, and often growing together, so that the whole has the appearance of some
Lithodendron:
the leaves of a pleasant green, and placed so closely, as to form the thickest shade: the fruit small and round, of a faint taste, but are quickly devoured by the birds.
THIS tree has been venerated in
India
from the earliest times. The god
Rum,
charmed with its grotesque appearance, directed that worship should be paid to it. The superstition has been retained to this day. It is called the
Pagod tree,
and
tree of councils:
the first from the idols placed under its shade; the second, because meetings were held under its cool branches. In some places it is believed to be the haunt of spectres, as the antient spreading oaks of
Wales
have been of fairies: In others are erected, beneath the shade, pillars of stones, or posts, elegantly carved, and ornamented with the most beautiful porcellane, to supply the use of mirrors. Near
Tanjore
is one of a most prodigious size.
CRYPTOGAMIA.
I SHALL avoid speaking of the
Cryptogamous,
except to instance two or three particular species, as this class is generally too uninteresting to merit attention.
Circinalis,
—i. tab. 21, 22,
Raii Hist. Pl.
ii. 1360.
CYCAS.
Fl. Zeyl.
No 393,
Kaempf. Amaen. Acad.
p. 897, is a curious genus, related to the palms. Writers differ about the height.
Ray,
from the
Hort. Malab.
gives it that of forty feet
Hist. Pl. ii. 1360.
.
Rumphius,
i. p. 86. tab. xxii. xxiii. makes the utmost height but twenty-four, and most usually twelve. The male plant flings out from the summit a substance, in shape like the cone of the
Norway
fir: the female, a stem about a yard long, out of the summit of which issues several upright pinnated leaves, and fruit of the size of a plumb: the last fastened to a slender stalk, and pendent. These contain two nuts.
THIS plant is of great use as a food in every country it grows in. The young shoots are dressed like asparagus; the fruit is also commonly eaten, and forms an ingredient in broths. The soft wood is chewed with the
Areca
nut.
THIS species is not indigenous in
Ceylon,
NOT NATIVE.
and is only cultivated, and that rarely, in that island. In
Malabar
it grows on certain rocky and sandy mountains, and is called there,
Todda Panna;
see
Rheede,
iii. p. 9, tab. 13. 21. It is said to have a great sympathy with iron, and that if dying, will revive on having an iron wedge driven into it. The fruit is eaten by the
Malabars
with sugar,
(Saccharo St. Thomoeo).
The
Thomists,
or
Christians of St. Thomas,
deck their churches with its branches.
RUMPHIUS, i. p. 91, denies that this is the genuine species, and we must allow his authority. At tab. xxiv. he gives the true kind, which is the same with the
Cycas revoluta
of
Thunberg, Fl. Japon.
p. 229, the pith of which is the famous
Sago.
In time of war the
Japanese
soldiers carry it with them in their campaigns; so small a portion will serve to support a single man, that the emperor prohibits the exporting any of the trees to a foreign enemy, under pain of death, for fear of imparting to a hostile neighbour the same benefit
Japan
enjoys from this nutritive food.
THE
Coffee tree
has been introduced,
COFFEE TREE.
and succeeds greatly. Nothing can equal the beauty of the plantations. The trees are placed thinly, and between them is planted that charming shrub the
Erythrina Corallodendron,
with its rich scarlet flowers, designed to protect the delicate coffee from the intense heat of the almost vertical sun
Thunberg's Voy. iv. 153.
.
Scandens,
—vi. tab. 32, and the
Flexuosa
of the same plate,
OPHIOGLOSSUM.
are long climbing plants, and when split are of vast use as thongs, and for the making of baskets.
Quercifolium
is a singular species,
POLYPODIUM.
engraven by old
Clusius
in his Exotics, and by
Rumphius,
vi. tab. 36. It is used in
Amboina
againgst the dangerous poison of the
Gekko.
PALMS.
THE last class, the
Palms,
suddenly appear, superior in sublimity to the rest of the vegetable kingdom.
Nucifera, Calappa,
or
Tinga, Rumph. Amboin.
i. tab. 1, 2,
COCOS.
is the noblest and most useful tree of this class. I have spoken of it at page 138; so shall proceed to the following, as next to it in importance, whether we regard its magnificence or utility.
Flabelliformis, Rumph. Amboin.
i. tab. 10.
BORASSUS.
The leaves are large and palmated, the edges of the stalks serrated; the leaves are four feet long, divided into seventy or eighty rays, like the sticks of a fan, and may be folded up in the same manner. In
Macassar
they are made into
umbrellas,
but are so highly esteemed there, that they are carried by none but by a few persons of the first rank. The fruit grows in clusters, and each is about the size of a child's head. Within is a very eatable pulp, and besides are three lesser nuts, of the size of a goose's egg containing when young a soft kernel, when old, a very palatable liquor. A bread, or cake is made from the kernel, which requires a considerable preparation: and a liquor greatly in use called
Sura,
is extracted from the body, with the usual process of tapping the tree. From that again is got, by boiling, a rich syrup, and a sort of sugar. The timber is elegantly veined, and striated, and often made into chests.
THE ascent to the summit of the tree is performed by a man, who attains the height by the assistance of a girdle, which surrounds his waist and the tree; his knees are fixed against the body, and he gains the height by alternately removing the girdle, which supports his body, and then with his knees gaining a new advance: A most dangerous operation; for should the girdle break, his life is lost.
Dactylifera
has been spoken of before in vol. vi. p. 366. 410. and vol. vii. p. 209,
PHOENIX.
of the M.S. outlines. It is so amply treated of by the learned
Kaempfer,
in his
Amaen. Exoticae,
page 661, that it is difficult to give any thing in addition. It grows not only in
Ceylon,
but in many parts of the peninsula of
India,
and is called (in
Ceylon
at lest)
Indi
and
Mahaindi.
As the plenty and harvest of
India
consists in success of the palm trees, it is supposed by
Linnaeus
that
India
might derive its name from that which these trees bear in that country. It must be the generical name, for Mr.
Ives
says that the dates do not ripen to perfection in the peninsula of
India.
THE beautiful CORYPHA
Umbraculisera,
CORYPHA.
i. tab. 8, is the most elegant species of the palm kind, from the regular expanse of the leaf, which is quite circular, and terminating in the most beautiful rays, resembling a glory, like that of the sun, surrounding the whole. They are about three feet and a half in diameter, and are the finest umbrellas in nature, and in universal use in
Ceylon,
to protect against the rays of the sun, or the fury of the rains.
Knox,
at page 14, shews the
Ceylonese
man under the protection of one of the leaves. They also serve for paper for the lapping of parcels. The wood is hard, and veined with yellow, and serves to make chests, like the preceding. The fruit is in the form of a cannon ball, containing within two other nuts, of the size of a musquet ball, which are eaten by the poor. These are of the richest saffron color, and give a most brilliant appearance to this elegant tree, and hang down in clusters three feet long.
THIS palm is the
Tal
of
Bengal,
the
Brab
of
Bombay,
and the
Talaghas,
and
Tala
of
Ceylon. Arrian,
i. p. 522, mentions the bark of the
Tala
as a food used by the
Indians,
a particular not noted by modern writers.
Sylvestris, Rheed. Malab.
iii. tab. 22,
et seq.
ELATE.
This grows only to the height of about fourteen feet; is covered with a greyish crust, instead of a bark. The fruit, of the size and form of a small plumb, is sometimes made use of, by the poorer people, to chew with
Betel,
instead of the
Areca.
The stalks of the fruit are greedily sought after by the elephants, for the sake of the sweet pith they contain.
Urens, Rumph. Amboin.
i. tab. 14,
CARYOTA.
grows to the height of a middling coco palm. The fruit grows in vast clusters, adhering to the sides of the twigs; are of a round shape, and of the size of a common plumb: each has within two nuts, of no sort of use; the leaves are triangular, and grow in pairs. The timber is useful, especially for shingles to cover houses. Of the pith may be made a sort of
Sago,
but far inferior to the true kind.
I AM so much indebted to my late worthy friend
John Gideon Loten,
JOHN GIDEON LOTEN.
Esq. for my acquaintance with the zoology of
Ceylon,
and various particulars respecting its natural history, that it would be ungrateful in me not to pay the full tribute of praise to his memory. I became acquainted with him a few years after his arrival in
England,
in 1758, and long enjoyed the valuable friendship of a man of the strictest honor, integrity, liberality, simplicity, and gentleness of manners. He was by birth a
Dutchman,
a native of
Utrecht.
He went to
India
in the year 1732, where he exercised several of the highest offices at
Batavia,
and in the islands of
Ceylon
and
Celebes,
with the highest credit, he alleviating the cares of his important duties with the fullest cultivation of the liberal arts. At
Colombo
he established a botanical garden; and in every place made the pleasing study of natural history a principal object. He brought over with him a large collection of drawings, done with equal neatness and accuracy, some by the natives, others by
Europeans
whom he found in the country. I was indebted to his friendship for copies of several; but the greater part he at my request liberally communicated to
Peter Brown,
an ingenious artist, a
Dane
by birth, who engraved not fewer than twentyone, and, with several others from different places, published a splendid work in 1776, with the title of 'NEW ILLUSTRATIONS OF ZOOLOGY,' under the patronage of my late worthy friend
Marmaduke Tunstal,
Esq. and myself.
FROM the same collection was formed my INDIAN ZOOLOGY, begun in 1769, and left a fragment. It was resumed and published more complete in one volume quarto, in 1790. I refer the reader to the preface to that work for an account of its rise and progress.
Mr.
Loten
returned into
Europe
in 1758, and coming into
England,
where he lived several years, in 1765 he married his second wife,
Laetitia Cotes,
of the respectable house of
Cotes,
in
Shropshire,
several years after which he returned into
Holland,
and died at
Utrecht,
on
February
25, 1789, aged eighty, and was interred in St.
Jacob
's church in that city. During the whole of my acquaintance with him, at frequent periods he endured the most severe spasmodic complaints in his chest, which for months together disabled him from the use of a bed. I should not have mentioned these circumstances, was it not to add to his other virtues, those of unfeigned piety, and resignation unexampled amidst the trial of severest misery.
IN the north aisle, westward of
Westminster
Abby, is a most magnificent cenotaph, erected in 1795, to perpetuate the memory of this excellent man, the performance of THOMAS BANKS. A single figure, representing Generosity attended by a lion, sustains a medallion of his head; and on a pedestal is a brief history of his life and his character, in
Latin.
There is another inscription, consisting of the fifteenth psalm (excepting the last verse) so expressive of the life of a good man, concluding with these words—
SUCH WAS JOHN GIDEON LOTEN.
AFTER this account of my worthy friend,
PONTA DE PEDRAS.
I resume the view of
Ceylon,
beginning at the northern extremity of its coast,
Ponta de Pedras,
Lat. 9° 52′, the
Boreum promontorium
of
Ptolemy,
and taking the eastern side, surround the whole island. This northern extremity is broken into two, or perhaps more isles, divided from the greater by a very narrow channel; the other side is faced by rocks and shoals, and affected by most variable currents.
THE city of
Jaffanapatam
stands on the western side of one of the isles;
JAFFANAPATAM.
this retains its
Cingalese
name; most of the other places in the neighborhood have been changed to
Dutch.
When the city was taken from the natives by the
Portuguese,
in 1560, they found in the treasury the tooth of an ape, so highly venerated by the people of
Ceylon,
that immense sums were offered for its redemption, but in vain. To destroy this piece of idolatry, the viceroy ordered it to be reduced to powder, and then burnt. Apes are in many parts of
India
highly venerated, out of respect to the God
Hannaman,
THE APE-GOD, HANNAMAN.
a deity partaking of the form of that race, with the addition of heads of bears, who rendered the god
Vitchenou
great services in this very isle, slaying giants, and performing so many wondrous deeds. In vol. iii. p. 863, of
Churchill
's collection, is a long detail of his exploits. There is a wonderful extravagance in the
Indian
mythology; the warmth of their climate creates ideas filled with the strangest imagery. The tooth was probably worshipped as one belonging to his godship.
MOST of the eastern side of
Ceylon
is guarded with sand banks or rocks
Between the bay of Trincomale and the sort Calirauw is the country called Bedas, a tract of sorest, comprehending a hundred and twenty miles. The habitation of the Bedas.
TRINCOMALE.
Trincomale
harbour is in Lat. 8° 30″, a fine and secure port, protected by a strong garrison, consisting of about four hundred men. Such was the number in fort
Ostenburgh,
when it was taken by assault, on
January
11, 1782, by our brave seaman, Sir
Edward Hughes;
which, on
August
26 of the same year, was wrested from us by his active and gallant rival
Suffrein.
ON
September
2d, the former came off
Trincomale,
and to his great surprise found the
French
colors flying on all the forts,
Suffrein,
with a superior squadron, sailed out of the harbour, secure, as he thought, of victory. Our brave admiral, and his officers, enraged at the loss of the place, eagerly accepted the offer of combat. The contending admirals displayed every proof of courage and skill.
Suffrein
's ship was reduced to a wreck, and he obliged to remove his flag to another. By some neglect of ours we lost the disabled ship. Night alone terminated the battle.
Suffrein
retired into
Trincomale,
crowding in without order. Thus secured,
Hughes
left him reluctantly, and sailed for
Madras
with his shattered squadron. Our loss was inconsiderable, in common men, for it did not exceed fifty-one killed and three hundred wounded. In officers we suffered severely. The captains
Lumley, Watt,
and
Wood
fell in the action. The loss of the
French
was enormous. Four hundred and twelve men were killed, and six hundred and seventy-six were wounded. The carnage on board the gallant
Suffrein
's ship, the
Hero,
was unheard in any fight of any age, it was an unparalleled carnage. Many of the
French
captains had behaved ill, six were broke, and sent prisoners to the island of
Mauritius;
and thus ended the unavailing slaughters in the
Indian
seas.
THE
Ganges
of
Ptolemy
runs into this harbour.
Barticalo
is the next port,
BARTICALO.
lying in Lat. 7° 40″. This also has a strong fortress. Here the
Dutch
first landed in 1638, and took it by capitulation from the
Portuguese.
The mountain, the
Monk's-hood,
some leagues inland, is a remarkable sea mark.
Barticalo
may have been near the site of the town called by
Ptolemy, Bocona;
near it is a river which preserves the name, being called by the natives
Ko-bokan-oye,
or the river of
Bokan
D'Anville, Antiquité de l'Inde, p. 146.
.
FROM the mouth of
Kobakan
river, the land trends to the south-west. Nothing remarkable occurs till we reach
Malawe;
between that place and
Tangala,
is a large plain, thirty miles in circumference, noted for the chace of elephants; their antient place of embarkation, the
Geyrreweys of Elyphants van plaets,
is a little farther to the west.
A LITTLE more to the west is
Matura,
MATURA.
where the
Dutch
have a strong fortress; their policy is only to fortify the ports.
Dondra-head
is next,
DONDRA-HEAD. TANAWAR.
that point is the most southern of any in the island. A little to the west is
Tanawar,
remarkable for having been the
Daiana
of
Ptolemy,
sacred to the moon; the place still has its temple, or
Pagoda,
highly venerated by the natives. Near it is one of the
Dutch
posts, of which they have a succession every ten or twelve miles, guards to the internal parts, and one may say, to the imprisoned Emperor. The garrisons are provided with flags, by which signals, either of internal commotions, or the appearance of ships, are conveyed all along the coasts, even to
Colombo,
the seat of the
Dutch
government. Almost every one of these posts are near the mouth of some river or torrent, which rush on all sides into the sea, at short intervals from the lofty mountains.
Punta de Galle
is a little to the north-west of
Dondra-head,
PUNTA DE GALLE.
in Lat. 6°, turning almost due north. The town is strongly fortified, and is a place of great trade. The fleets return from hence to
Europe,
and generally sail by
December
25th.
COLOMBO.
In Lat. 7° we find
Colombo,
the
Dutch
seat of government, and chief of their cities, built in a beautiful and magnificent manner; it was, as I have before mentioned, taken by them from the
Portuguese.
The death of their gallant general,
Gerard Hulst,
cast a gloom over their success, and caused their important acquisition, for a while, to be lost in their sorrow.
Nigombo
is a fortress some miles to the north of
Colombo,
NIGOMBO.
and is the great guard to the cinnamon country. The whole interval from
Colombo
is filled with beautiful villages, and open towns,
ISLE OF CALPENTYN.
characteristic of
Dutch
neatness and industry. The long isle of
Calpentyn
lies near the shore, about thirty-six miles farther north.
ISLE OF MANAAR.
That of
Manaar,
see p. 182, concludes all I shall say of this magnificent island.
THE LIFE OF SIR WILLIAM JAMES, BARONET;
COMMUNICATED BY LADY JAMES.
SIR WILLIAM JAMES embarked in a sea life at twelve years of age. He was more than twenty years at sea before he got the command of a ship. He was with Sir
Edward Hawke
in the
West Indies,
in 1738, as a junior officer. Some years after, he commanded a ship in the
Virginia
trade; in her he was taken by the
Spaniards,
in the Gulph of
Florida,
and carried a prisoner to the
Havannah.
His sufferings after his captivity will be related hereaster:—In the beginning of 1747, he went to the
East Indies
as chief officer of one of the
East India
Company's ships, and performed two voyages in that station. In 1749, the
East India
Company appointed him to the command of a new ship called the
Guardian,
equipped as a ship of war; in her he sailed to
Bombay,
to protect the trade on the
Malabar
coast, which was much annoyed by the depredations of
Angria,
and other pirates, with which those seas swarmed.
DURING two years he was constantly employed in convoying the merchant ships from
Bombay
and
Surat,
to the
Red Sea,
the Gulph of
Persia,
and up and down the
Malabar
coast, from the Gulph of
Cambay
to Cape
Comorin.
He was frequently attacked on this service by the different piratical states. At one time, when he had near seventy sail of ships and vessels under his charge, he was assailed by a large fleet of
Angria
's frigates and gallivats, full of men. With the
Guardian, Bombay
grab, and
Drake
bomb ketch, he engaged the enemy, and kept them in close action, whilst his fleet got safe into
Tellicherry.
In this conflict he sunk one of the enemies largest gallivats, and obliged the rest to seek for safety in
Gheriah
and
Severndroog.
ABOUT the beginning of the year 1751, Sir
William
was appointed commander in chief of the
East India
Company's marine forces, and hoisted his broad pendant on board the
Protector,
a sine ship of 44 guns. On
April
2d, 1755, he was sent with the
Protector, Guardian, Bombay
grab, and
Drake
bomb, with some gallivats, to attempt such of the ports belonging to
Angria
which lie to the northward of
Gheriah,
his principal fortress, and capital.
THE chief of these fortresses was
Severndroog,
where
Angria
's vessels refitted, and took shelter when they could not reach
Gheriah.
It was well defended by batteries along the shore, and the entrance of the harbour was secured by a strong castle, on which were mounted seventy pieces of cannon.
Angria
's people considered
Severndroog
as their strongest hold next to
Gheriah.
Sir
William,
having reconnoitred the place, and informed himself of its strength, brought his ships with a leading wind close to the castle-walls, and by a steady well-directed fire (whilst the
Drake
threw in her bombs) soon brought on a parley, and in less than three hours the governor surrendered the castle, and the vessels in the harbour; from hence Sir
William
went to
Fort Victoria,
which quickly followed the fate of
Severndroog;
and the next day four other forts were numbered in his conquests: all these falling, was a severe blow to
Angria,
who had a short time before attacked a fleet of
Dutch
ships, under the protection of a 50 gun ship and a frigate: The
Dutch
fleet was dispersed, and the 50 gun ship, and some of the merchantmen, were brought in great triumph to
Gheriah.
WHEN Sir
William
returned with his victorious fleet to
Bombay,
he found Admiral
Watson
there, with three line-of-battle ships, and some frigates, &c. The government of
Bombay
consulted with the Admiral about means to destroy the powers of
Angria,
and the
Mahratta
states joined in the confederacy, for they had suffered by his depredations.
SIR
William
was sent with his little squadron to reconnoitre
Gheriah,
a place represented to be almost impregnable from the sea. He judiciously stood close in to the walls, under the cover of night, and with his boat sounded and examined the channels leading to the harbour, and outer road; in the day-time he stood in within gun-shot of the walls; and having in two days made himself perfectly master of the enemy's strength, he returned to
Bombay.
This piece of service he performed with so much promptness and skill, that he received the thanks of the Governor and Admiral; and they were so well persuaded, from his report, of the practicability of the enterprize, that no time was lost in equipping the ships, and embarking the troops.
THE squadron formed off
Gheriah
the 10th
February,
1756. Sir
William,
in the
Protector,
led the squadron to the attack in one division, whilst another division of frigates led the bombketches in another line; a heavy and tremendous sire began on our part from the ships of the line, whilst the shells were thrown with great success from the bombs into the harbour, where all
Angria
's ships were hawled for safety; these were soon set on fire by the bombs; the fire from the castle and batteries soon slackened, and before the evening set in, the castle surrendered, and
Gheriah,
and all its dependencies, fell into our hands. Thus shortly ended an enterprize, which, for many years, had been in contemplation by the
European
governments in
India,
but which was never before attempted, from an idea that no force sufficient could be brought against the walls of this castle. Lord
Clive,
at this time a lieutenant-colonel, commanded the land forces.
ON the
Malabar
coast, soon after this, he fell in with a
French
ship from
Mauritius,
very much his superior in men and guns; she was called
l'Indienne:
after a smart action she struck, and Sir
William
carried her in triumph to
Bombay.
SIR
William James,
in an eminent manner, displayed his nautical abilities, by shewing, that in despight of a contrary monsoon, a communication between
Bombay
and the
Coromandel
coast may be effected in cases of exigency
The tracks are laid down in Mr. Arrowsinith's map of the world.
.
THIS passage was attempted by Sir
William
in the first instance, and he accomplished it in nearly as short a time as it usually was done in the favorable monsoon. It was of the utmost moment that he succeeded at the time he did, for by it, he consirmed to Admiral
Watson
(then in the
Ganges)
the intelligence of the war with
France,
and brought to his assistance 500 troops, by which the Admiral and Colonel
Clive
were enabled, in
March
1757, to take
Chandenagore,
the chief of the
French
settlements in
Bengal.
IN effecting this passage, the commodore crossed the equator in the meridian of
Bombay,
and continued his course to the southward as far as the tenth degree, and then was enabled to go as far to the eastward as the meridian of
Atcheen
head, the N. W. extremity of
Sumatra,
from whence, with the N. E. monsoon, which then prevaled in the bay of
Bengal,
he could with ease gain the entrance of the
Ganges,
or any port on the
Coromandel
coast.
IN the beginning of this narrative it was mentioned, Sir
William
had suffered shipwreck. The uncommon hardships he and his people encountered were as follows:—After they were released from the
Spanish
prison at the
Havannah,
they embarked in a small brig for
Carolina.
The crew of the brig, and Sir
William
and his people, amounted to fifteen. The second day after putting to sea, a very hard gale of wind came on; the vessel strained, and soon became so leaky, that the pumps and the people bailing could not keep her free; and at length, being worn out with labor, seven of them, with Sir
William,
got into the only boat they had, with a small bag of biscuit and a keg of water; the vessel soon after disappeared, and went down. They were twenty days in this boat without a compass; their biscuit soon got wet with the sea, which for two days made a breach over the boat; a snuff-box Sir
William
had with him served to distribute their daily allowance of water; and after encountering every difficulty of famine and severe labor, on the twentieth day they found themselves on the island of
Cuba,
not ten miles from whence they had been embarked out of a
Spanish
prison: but a prison had no horrors to them. The
Spaniards
received them once more into captivity; and it is remarkable, that only one out of the seven perished, though after they got on shore, but few of them had the use of their limbs for many days.
IN the year 1759, Sir
William
returned to his native country. The
East India
Company presented him with a handsome elegant gold-hilted sword, with a complimentary motto, expressive of their sense of his gallant services. Soon afterwards he was chosen a director, and continued a member of that respectable body more than twenty years; in which time he had filled both the chairs. He was fifteen years deputy master of the corporation of
Trinity House;
a governor of
Greenwich
hospital; served two sessions in parliament for
West Looe;
and on the 25th of
July
1778, the King was pleased to create him a baronet.
He planned the reduction of
Pondicherry
during the
American
war, and received a rich service of plate from the
India
Company, as a testimony of their sense of his skill and judgment in that affair.
ON the 16th
December,
1783, Sir
William
died, aged 62. In the year following, a handsome building was erected on his estate in
Kent,
near the top of
Shooter's Hill;
it is built in the style of a castle, with three sides, and commands a most extensive view. The lowest room is adorned with weapons peculiar to the different countries of the East. The room above has different views of naval actions and enterprizes painted on the ceiling, in which Sir
William
had been a considerable actor. The top of the building is finished with battlements about sixty feet from the base. The top of the battlements are four hundred and eighty feet above the level of
Shooter's Hill,
and more than a hundred and forty feet higher than the top of St.
Paul
's cupola.—On a tablet over the entrance door is this inscription:
This Building was erected M.DCC.LXXXIV.
by the Representative of the late
Sir WILLIAM JAMES, Bart.
to commemorate that gallant Officer's Atchievements in the
East Indies,
during his Command of the Company's Marine Forces in those Seas;
and in a particular Manner to record the Conquest of
the Castle of
Severndroog,
on the Coast of
Malabar,
which fell to his superior Valour and able Conduct
on the 2d Day of
April
M.DCC.LV.
OF Sir
William,
it is said, by a person who knew him intimately near thirty years, and was well acquainted with his professional abilities; That as a thorough practical seaman, he was almost without an equal:—As an officer, he was brave, vigilant, prompt, and resolute; patient in difficulty, with a presence of mind that seemed to grow from danger.
END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
INDEX.
A.
ABDALLA, King of Candahar
Page 10
Abercromby, M. General
Page 130
Abingdon, Major
Page 135
Acesines
Page 17
Adam's bridge
Page 182
Adam's peak
Page 188
Alexander, march of to the Panjab
Page 14
Alexander, wounded
Page 18
Alexander, overcomes Porus
Page 19
Alexander, sails down the Indus
Page 23
Alexander, descendants of his or his troops still in India
Page 16
Alexander, arrives at Babylon
Page 27
Alexandria, near the Ghergistan mountains, or the paropamisan
Page 5, 14
Alexandria, the modern Veh
Page 23
Alexandria, Sogdiana
Page 24
Alfred the Great sends an embassy to India
Page 164
Almeyda visits Ceylon
Page 186
Altars, XII erected by Alexander
Page 22
Ambergrise
Page 148
Ammedabad
Page 67
Ammedabad taken by storm
Page 68
Ammedabad Finch
ibid.
Ammercot fort
Page 30
Amethyst, gem
Page 134
Anchedive, Isles of
Page 115
Angria, the pirate
Page 108
Angria, origin of the name
Page 109
Anjenga
Page 173
Animals of India observed by Alexander the Great
Page 20
Annampour
Page 121
Ancient commerce
Page 3
Anthonie Jenkinson, quoted
Page 7
Anurogrammum
Page 185
Aornos Petra
Page 15
Ape god, the
Page 252
Aral lake
Page 7, 8
Areca
Page 139, 140, 141
Aria, the modern Herat
Page 5
Aristotle
Page 20
Army, Indian, march of one described
Page 86
Arsenicum
Page 134
Astrakan
Page 13
Attock
Page 15
Attock Indus crossed at, by Alexander, Timur Beg, and Kouli Khan
Page 16
Avenue, the great
Page 40
Avery, the pirate
Page 76
Aurungabander
Page 30
Azimere
Page 58
B.
Babel Mandel
Page 29
Bactria
Page 70
Bakhor
Page 35
Bamboo reed, its vast use
Page 142
Banians, merchants of India
Page 38
Banian tree
Page 207
Barace
Page 55
Barbiers, a disease
Page 102
Barygazenus sinus
Page 63
Barochia, ancient Barygaza
Page 69
Barticalo
Page 254
Bassein
Page 90
Batnae
Page 8
Bdellium
Page 25
Bember
Page 44
Bember trees of
ibid.
Behut, or Chelum, ancient Hydaspes
Page 17
Beormas, or Permia
Page 14
Betel leaf
Page 140
Bijore
Page 15, 16
Birds, hospital for
Page 64
Birds, of Ceylon
Page 203
Birds, English, in India
Page 204
Boa constrictor
Page 20
Bochara
Page 12
Bochara trade of
Page 13
Bombax, or cotton tree
Page 232
Bombay, bay of
Page 89
Bombay, Isle of
Page 91
Bombay, town, docks, &c.
ibid.
Bombay, ship building at
Page 92
Bombay, expeditions from
Page 93
Bombay, under Egerton
Page 94
Bombay, under Goddard
Page 95
Bonito fishery
Page 152
Bontius quoted
Page 21
Boule-ponge
Page 136
Brachmins slaughtered by Alexander
Page 24
Braminabad
Page 31
Braithwaite, Colonel
Page 124
Bread fruit
Page 237, 239
Bucephala, city of
Page 20
Buffalo
Page 115
Burhanpour
Page 77
C.
Cabul
Page 10
Cabul taken by Kouli Khan
Page 12
Caffa, taken by the Genoese
ibid.
Canthi-colpus sinus
Page 55
Calicut, city of
Page 153
Calicut, ancient trade
Page 154
Calicut, seized by Albuquerque
Page 157
Calicut, seized by Ayder Ali
ibid.
Calicut, seized by Major Abington
Page 158
Calliana
Page 96
Calophyllum, Ponna-maram
Page 230
Calpentyn, Isle of
Page 181, 256
Cambay
Page 63
Camels
Page 35
Camoens quoted
Page 155
Canals
Page 42
Cananore
Page 130
Cananore ancient commerce at
Page 132
Canhara province
Page 114
Candahar
Page 10
Canooge
Page 20
Cape Comorin
Page 174
Cape Ramas
Page 114
Cape St. John
Page 87
Caranja, Isle of
Page 96
Cardamomum
Page 141
Carwar bay
Page 115
Carwar quadrupeds of
ibid.
Cashgar
Page 8
Cashmere
Page 45
Cashmere its princes
Page 51
Cashmere Tamerlane there
Page 52
Cashmere Marco Polo there
ibid.
Caspatyrus, city
Page 29
Gassia, a coarse cinnamon
Page 142
Gassia, same in Ceylon
Page 223
Castro, John de
Page 62
Cathay
Page 12
Cathaei of Arrian
Page 17
Caucasus, the Indian
Page 3
Caverns, famous
Page 96
Ceylon, Island of
Page 183
Ceylon, Strabo's account of
ibid.
Ceylon, Mela's
Page 184
Ceylon, Pliny's
ibid.
Ceylon, Ptolemy's
ibid.
Ceylon, El. Edrisi's
Page 185
Ceylon, visited by Laurence Almeyda
Page 186
Ceylon, Dutch land here
Page 187
Ceylon, form of
Page 188
Ceylon, inhabitants of
Page 190
Ceylon, religion of
ibid.
Ceylon, quadrupeds of
Page 193
Ceylon, government of
Page 190
Ceylon, reptiles of
Page 197
Ceylon, birds of
Page 203
Ceylon, fishes of
Page 213
Ceylon, vegetables
Page 215
Cheitor
Page 56
Charming of snakes
Page 198
Chelum, or Hydaspes
Page 17
Chenaub river
ibid.
Chockbar
Page 33
Choule
Page 104
Christians in India
Page 163
Christians or St. Thomas's
Page 164
Christians known in England in 883
ibid.
Christians their rites
ibid.
Chrysolite gem
Page 25
Cinnamon, or cassia
Page 223
Cobra de Capello
Page 197
Cobra de Manilla
Page 101
Cobra de Aurellia
ibid.
Cochin
Page 168
Coco-tree, its vast utility
Page 138
Coffee-tree planted in Tellicherry
Page 136
Coffee-tree planted at Ceylon
Page 246
Coimbotore
Page 160
Coins, ancient, found in India
Page 70
Colombo
Page 255
Commerce, ancient, from India by land
Page 4
Commerce, articles of
ibid.
Commerce, Russian
Page 13
Comorin, Cape
Page 174
Comorin, its sea sacred
ibid.
Comedae, or Cashgar
Page 8
Concan
Page 87
Conde Uda
Page 188
Constantinople
Page 10
Cophenes, river
Page 15
Coracles with bamboo frames
Page 143
Coral, red, an import into India
Page 25, 134
Cornwallis, Marquis
Page 180
Coryate, Tom
Page 73
Costus
Page 25
Cottonara, coast of, modern Canhara
Page 132
Cottons, fine
Page 71, 80
Cotton plant
Page 233
Cowitch, or dolichos pruriens
Page 234
Coulang
Page 172
Cranganore
Page 160
Cranganore burnt
Page 161
Cranganore cause of the Mysore war
Page 167
Crocodiles of Ceylon
Page 200
Cunha, Tristan de
Page 130
Cutch, gulph of
Page 55, 60
Cyprea moneta shell
Page 151
Cyrus river, a channel of commerce from India
Page 7
D.
Dabul
Page 109
Dachanus, Dachinabades
Page 72
Damoon, a strong town
Page 87
Darius, his voyage down the Indus
Page 29
Date tree
Page 248
Deccan
Page 2
Delamcotta
Page 5
Delhi
Page 39
Delta, the, of the Indus
Page 25, 29
Deluge, notion of
Page 49
Desert, sandy
Page 30
Dilla mount
Page 129
Dondra-head
Page 255
Draco volans, an innocent lizard
Page 201
Diu
Page 60, 61
E.
Earthquake
Page 48
Ebony
Page 228
Elephants, ancient commerce in
Page 193
Elephantum pascua
Page 185
Elephanta, Isle of
Page 96
El. Edrisi
Page 185
Erythroeum, mare
Page 29
Euxine sea
Page 8
Expedition of Semiramis
Page 27
Expedition of Darius
Page 29
Expedition of Alexander
Page 14
F.
Factory, English
Page 80
Ferasapour
Page 36
Ferdusi
Page 19
Ferose III. his canals, the Shah Nehr
Page 42
Ficus Indica
Page 21
Fishes of Ceylon
Page 213
Fish fall on the land at Bombay
Page 102
Flowers of Ceylon
Page 221
Forster, Mr. journey of
Page 52
Francisco Bareto Rolen
Page 32
G.
Galle, Punta de
Page 255
Gallivats
Page 106
Gamboge, drug and paint
Page 229
Ganges, the Ceylonese
Page 189
Gedrosia
Page 27
Gekko, a most poisonous lizard
Page 200
Gems, ancient
Page 134
Gems, of Ceylon
Page 189
Genoa
Page 11
Getae
Page 25
Ghauts, the
Page 88
Ghauts, the height of
Page 132
Ghauts, the ascent of
Page 117
Ghebres
Page 37
Gheriah
Page 107
Ghizni
Page 15
Ginger
Page 141
Glass, rude
Page 134
Gloriosa superba, a fine plant
Page 222
Goa, Isle of
Page 109
Goa, Isle of seized by Albuquerque
Page 110
Gobi, desert of
Page 8
Goddard's, General, march
Page 67
Gold
Page 18
Grabs
Page 105
Gulph of Cutch
Page 60
Guzerat
Page 15, 60
H.
Hackeries, an Indian carriage
Page 100
Hamath, founded by Solomon
Page 4
Hannaman, the ape god
Page 252
Harmozia, the modern Ormus
Page 27
Hartley, Lieut. Col. his exploits
Page 159
Haemodus, mons
Page 3
Hephistion
Page 22
Herat town
Page 5
Hermits
Page 49
Hierken
Page 9
Hindoostan, the Persian name of India
Page 2
Hospital for birds
Page 64
Hospital for goats
Page 65
Horses, fine
Page 41
Hudibras, quoted
Page 235
Humaion
Page 30, 40
Humberston, Colonel, killed
Page 125
Hunary, Isle of
Page 103
Hyacinthus, gem
Page 134
Hydaspes
Page 17
Hydraotes
ibid.
Hydras, or Nitrias
Page 106
Hyder Ali, his rise
Page 127
Hyder Ali, projects of a navy
Page 128
Hortus Malabaricus
Page 216
Hortus Amboinense
ibid.
Hyphasis, fl.
Page 22
I.
James, Sir William
Page 108
James, life of
Page 257
Jaffanapatam
Page 252
Jehangir
Page 59
Jellamooky
Page 36
Jenaub, a river of the Panjab
Page 17
Jenkinson, Anthonie
Page 7
Jews in India
Page 162
Iguana, an edible lizard
Page 200
Jiggerkhars, magicians
Page 33
Jigat, Cape of
Page 60
Ilak, river
Page 8
India, ancient roads to
Page 3
India, peninsula of
Page 2
Indigo
Page 235
Indo-Scythia
Page 25
Indus, the
Page 1
Indus, the vast tides of
Page 26
Indus, length of
Page 54
Indus, review of
Page 29
Insula Prasiane
Page 24
Joar, dreadful ceremony of
Page 56
John, St. Cape
Page 87
Jones, Capt. John
Page 16
Isle of Ceylon
Page 183
Isle of Bombay
Page 91
Isle of Caranja
Page 96
Isle of Elephanta
ibid.
Isle of Salsette
ibid.
Jumna
Page 30
Jumnaut pagoda
Page 61
K.
Kameh
Page 11
Kanara, Isle of
Page 103
Khatre
Page 18
Knox, Robert
Page 191
Kokra
Page 14
Kouli Cabul
Page 11
Kuzzlebash
Page 12
L.
Lacadive Isles
Page 147
Ladoga
Page 14
Lahore
Page 39
Laribunder
Page 32
Legs, swelled
Page 172
Leonnatus
Page 27
Leopards, where numerous
Page 69
Limyrica, the modern Concan
Page 87
Lions in the province of Malwah
Page 78
Lithinon Purgon
Page 8
Liver, imposthume of
Page 33
Lines of Travancore
Page 176
Lizards
Page 200
Loten, Governor
Page 250
Lucca
Page 52
M.
Macleod
Page 125
Madagee Sindia
Page 78
Mahé
Page 136
Mahé productions of
Page 137
Mahmood I.
Page 15
Mahrattas, the
Page 84
Malabar coast
Page 129
Malebathrum
Page 133
Maldive Islands
Page 149
Maldive most numerous
Page 150
Maldive commerce of
Page 151
Malique, Isle of
Page 149
Malli
Page 17
Manaar, Isle of
Page 182, 256
Manati
Page 183
Mangalore, taken
Page 122
Mangalore, the great port of Ayder Ali
Page 128
Mango tree
Page 220
Mansura, imports and exports
Page 24, 25
Marwars, the
Page 181
Mare Erythraeum
Page 29
Matthews, General, his march
Page 116
Matthews, excesses of his army
ibid.
Matthews, finds vast magazines, &c. at Bednore
Page 121
Matthews, poisoned
Page 124
Matura
Page 254
Mavila Ganga, a river of Ceylon
Page 189
Merchants
Page 79
Metals
Page 41
Milky hedge
Page 125
Milton, quoted
Page 210
Minerals
Page 189
Money, an export of the Romans into India
Page 78
Monkeys of Ceylon
Page 195
Monkton, Hon. Edward
Page 143
Monstrous Sepia
Page 215
Moors
Page 9
Moultan
Page 15, 37
Mount Dilla
Page 120
Mundu
Page 77
Musa, tree of koowlege
Page 242
Musicanus
Page 24
Myrabolans, fruits
Page 11
N.
Nagercote
Page 36
Nagra
Page 64
Naja, serpent
Page 197
Nayrs
Page 177
Nala Sunkra
Page 30
Nardus
Page 133
Nearchus, voyage of, to the Persian Gulph
Page 27
Necho
Page 29
Nelcynda
Page 129
Nelisuram
ibid.
Nepenthes, an admirable plant
Page 236
Nerbudda
Page 72
Nerbudda insulates great part of Hindoostan
ibid.
Neva
Page 14
Nicaea, city of
Page 20
Nigombo
Page 255
Nilab, the old name of the Indus
Page 17
Nile
Page 23
Nomurdis
Page 33
Nortmans, Sueons, Beormas, their commerce with India
Page 14
Noshabo
Page 36
Nymphaea Nelumbo, the couch of Cupid
Page 24, 230
O.
Onore sacked
Page 116
Oritae
Page 27
Othonia
Page 132
Ougein
Page 77
Ouseley, Major
Page 19
Oxen about Surat and Bombay
Page 99
Oxydracae
Page 17
Oxus, river
Page 6, 10
P.
Panjab
Page 17, 35
Partition treaty by allies against Tippoo Sultan
Page 114
Paishwah of the Mahrattahs, what
Page 84
Pagoda
Page 181
Palms
Page 247, 248, 249
Paludes excipientes araxem
Page 7
Paniani
Page 158
Paniani gale
Page 159
Parrots
Page 205
Paropamisan Alexandria
Page 5, 14
Pattala
Page 25
Peacocks
Page 211
Pedras, Ponta de
Page 252
Pepper
Page 137
Persees, the
Page 79
Pestilence
Page 40
Petzora
Page 14
Phasis, river
Page 7
Phoenix dactylifera
Page 248
Pigeon, Pompadour
Page 207
Pilgrims to Mecca
Page 75
Pine apple, or ananas
Page 221
Pirate coast
Page 104
Plains, elevated
Page 88
Pultanah
Page 71
Poisonous plants
Page 222
Polymitae, or embroideries
Page 25, 134
Poon tree, the
Page 83
Porcah
Page 172
Porus, king, battle of with Alexander
Page 19
Post for letters
Page 173
Posts, Dutch, or military stations in Ceylon
Page 255
Prasiane Insula
Page 24
Punta de Galle
Page 255
Plants of Ceylon
Page 215
Plants of Malabar coast
Page 139
Puddar river
Page 54, 55
Q.
Quadrupeds of Malabar
Page 115
Quadrupeds of Ceylon
Page 193
R.
Raipotana
Page 55
Ramana Koiel
Page 181
Ramas, Cape
Page 114
Rana paradoxa
Page 103
Raona Biddalura
Page 118
Rauvee, river
Page 17, 39
Registan, desert of
Page 18, 30
Renas
Page 16
Rhinoceros
Page 20
Roads, ancient, to India
Page 3
Rotang calamus
Page 222
Routes, different into India
Page 7
Roe, Sir Thomas, quoted
Page 57, 59
Russian commerce, the ancient, to India
Page 13
Rustan Alli Beg
Page 122
S.
Sacrisice, rock of
Page 153
Sago-tree
Page 245
Salsette, Isle of
Page 90
Salt rock
Page 42
Samarcand
Page 6, 10
Samiel, wind
Page 31
Samorin, or King of Calicut
Page 154
Sandarac
Page 134
Sanders, white and red
Page 140, 141
Sandracotta
Page 23
Sandy desert
Page 30
Sangala
Page 17
Scylax, his voyage down the Indus
Page 29
Sea snakes
Page 59
Seasons, winter and summer caused by the Ghauts
Page 89
Seiks
Page 39
Seleucus Nicator
Page 23
Semiramis's expedition
Page 27
Sepia, monstrous
Page 215
Seres, the
Page 8
Seringapatam
Page 180
Serpents
Page 101
Sesamum
Page 60
Sesamum Orientale
Page 232
Setlege, river
Page 22
Sevatjee
Page 83
Severndroog
Page 108
Shaw, Major, killed
Page 125
Shawls manufactured at Cashmere
Page 50
Sheep
Page 101
Siddee, or admiral of the coasts
Page 104
Silk, the opinion of the ancients concerning it
Page 9
Solis Insulae of Mela
Page 26
Solis Insulae of Pliny
Page 181
Spring, ebbing
Page 47
Spices, how anciently conveyed to Europe
Page 3
Squirrel, new
Page 137
Sumnaut
Page 15
Stabrobates
Page 28
Stimmi
Page 134
Sugar
Page 146
Sugar antiquity of
ibid.
Sugar its removal into Spain
Page 147
Sultani, tribe of
Page 16
Surat, road of
Page 74
Surat, city of
Page 75
Surat, taken, in 1664, by Sevatjee
Page 83
Swalley, port of
Page 73
Swelled legs
Page 172
Syrastrena Regio
Page 60
T.
Tabaxar
Page 145
Tadmor in the wilderness
Page 4
Tagara
Page 70
Tailor bird, its wondrous oeconomy
Page 206
Talapatra, or Indian leaf
Page 134
Tanawar
Page 255
Taptee
Page 75
Tartars, Usbec
Page 11
Tatta, city, the old Pattala
Page 31
Taxila
Page 16
Tcherdyn
Page 14
Teek tree excellent for ship-building
Page 81
Teek tree vast duration of
ibid.
Tellicherry
Page 135
Termed, on the Oxus
Page 6
Termites, or white ants
Page 19
Testudo chrysonaetica
Page 134
Tide of the Indus
Page 26
Tides, vast, in Cambay
Page 67
Thomas, St.
Page 163
Tin, lead, brass, &c.
Page 134
Toads, vast
Page 103
Toulamba
Page 36, 39
Towns, moveable
Page 35
Travancore, kingdom of
Page 175
Travancore, lines of
Page 176
Travelling in India
Page 99
Trees, vast, in Malabar
Page 137
Trincomale
Page 253
Turbo Scalaris
Page 102
Turkey, of the
Page 114
Turris Lapidea
Page 9
Tuberose plant
Page 222
V.
Vasco de Gama
Page 169
Vast tides
Page 67
Vast heats
Page 32
Vast toasts
Page 103
Vegetables of Ceylon
Page 215
Veh, one of the Alexandrias
Page 23, 35
Vesrabuy
Page 90
Unguentum Regale
Page 133
Volga
Page 13
Voyage of Nearchus
Page 27
Voyage of Alexander the Great
Page 23
Voyage of Scylax
Page 29
W.
Wedas, or Bedas
Page 191
Wedderburne, Golonel, killed
Page 72
Weldon, Mr.
Page 124
Wende-trap shell
Page 102
Wine
Page 134
X.
Xavier, Francis St. lands at Goa
Page 113
Xavier, his history
ibid.
Z.
Zabaim, a gallant king of Goa
Page 111
Zamoreen
Page 154
Zarmonachagas
Page 69