336 On the Maritime Commerce of Bengal. 



annas, four pice, or 2,834,891,48). 4s. 8d. The Dutch 

 company, whose trade from Bengal was formerly so consi- 

 derable, that, within our recollection, their exports to Eu- 

 rope exceeded forty lacks per annum, have not, to our 

 knowledge, provided any investment for Europe for several 

 years past ; we must therefore exclude them for the present 

 from our estimate of Europe exports, and proceed to the 

 country trade. 



Tliat branch of it which first claims our attention, is the 

 intercourse with our settlements, and the different ports on 

 the coast of Coromandel in its greatest extent, including 

 the Northern Circars, and reckoning from Point Palmiras 

 to Cape Comoiin ; which we have already denominated the 

 home trade. 



This trade, as will be perceived from the port lists, gives 

 employ to the greatest pcirtion of our home tonnage; and 

 is important, not onlv for its nature and extent, but for the 

 constant resource which it aflbrds to our shipping, of mo- 

 derate freights, on grain, when other employments fail, or 

 at intervals when they must otherwise remain idle. 



The principal articles of export to Madras and the coast 

 of Coromandel are grain and pulse, sugar, saltpetre, mo- 

 lasses, gineer, long pepper, clarified butter, oil, silk wrought 

 and unwrought, muslinS, spirits, provisions, Stc. 



In the year 1/93, 234 ships, burthen 84,045 tons, cleared 

 out for the coast of Coromandel ; and of this tonnage we 

 suppose that 1 ,033-1- tons were filled by goods intended for 

 Europe, and 80,000 tons at least were occupied by grain 

 and pulse; which, valued on a medium at t\\() and a half 

 current rupees per bag of two bazar maunds, or 164 lb. 

 avoirdupois, when shippt-d, and 13 bags to the ton, amounts 

 to 26 lacks of rujiecs. Other exports to this coast on ship- 

 ping owned by European traders, are estiniated at 8 lacks, 

 makinsi; in the whole 34 lacks of current rupees. But the 

 advantages of this tralHc must not be appreciated by the 

 value of the goods when shipped, but their value when 

 sold ; for the freight of grain is nearly equal to the cost j 

 and, if we take the sales, on a medium of five current ru- 

 pees per baf, or allow for freight and charges two and a 

 half current rupees, we find it to be a trade which pays to 

 the European shipping of India near twenty-seven lacks of 

 current rupees per annum. To this must be added the ex- 

 ports on donies and native craft, or vessels belonging to 

 and wholly navigated by natives of India. Before the pro- 

 hibition of foreign salt their number was very considerable, 

 particularly from tlie Northern Circars ; but that measure 



depriving 



