BOM 



60S 



BON 



Bombay, of its excellent harbour, which is said to be capable 

 of accommodating 1000 - vessels at anchor, and is 

 completely shelte 'd from every wind. On the whole 

 continent of India we do not possess one good har- 

 bour ; so that, on the approach of the monsoons, all 

 vessels are obliged to stand out to sea, in order to 

 prevent inevitable destruction. At these seasons, the 

 harbour of Bombay, and Trincomallee, in the island 

 of Ceylon, are the only ports we possess which are 

 capable of affording a safe retreat. On account of 

 the peculiar importance of Bombay in this respect, it 

 is furnished with convenient dock yards, and a ma- 

 rine arsenal, for building and refitting ships ; and, of 

 late years, a considerable number of vessels have been 

 built on this island, of the celebrated teck wood, 

 which grows on the neighbouring continent ; but it 

 16 found they can be furnished at a cheaper rate from 

 the port of Rangoon, in the Birman empire. 



The population of this island has increased to a 

 singular degree since it fell into the hands of the 

 English. Under the Portuguese government, it is 

 said to have contained only about 10,000 inhabitants ; 

 and Niebuhr informs us, that, when he visited Bom- 

 bay in 1763, they were estimated at 140,000, al- 

 though within 20 years they did not amount to 

 70,000, so that in this short period the number ap- 

 pears to have been more than doubled. In the year 

 1803, Sir James Mackintosh, the eloquent recorder 

 of this island, computed the number of inhabitants at 

 150,000. These consist of English, Portuguese, In- 

 dian Catholics, Hindoos, Persees, Mahometans of 

 different sects, and some Armenian Christians. The 

 English have a handsome church at Bombay ; and 

 the establishment of chaplains for their presidency is 

 four in number, but the list is never full. The Ro- 

 man Catholics have a bishop of Bombay ; they are 

 very numerous, and their churches are sumptuously 

 ornamented within. Government does not, however, 

 allow the Catholics to exert their zeal for the con- 

 version of the natives, but under considerable restric- 

 tions. If any person chooses to embrace the Catho- 

 lic faith, the reasons must be laid before the govern- 

 ment, and, if they are judged valid, he is allowed to 

 make profession of it. The priest6 complain of the 

 difficulty of obtaining this permission ; but they still 

 meet with considerable success ' among the negro 

 slaves. 



Bombay is the seat of the English government for 

 the coast of Malabar. The council consists of a go- 

 vernor and three members ; but they are under the 

 controul of the government-general of Bengal, with 

 respect to treaties of peace with the native powers, 

 the making of war or concluding of peace, collect- 

 ing and applying revenues, levying and employing 

 forces, &c. ; and they are required in all cases to 

 obey the orders of the government-general, unless 

 the directors of the company have sent out contrary 

 orders not known to the government-general, of 

 which, in that case, they are to give the government 

 immediate advice. See Rennel's Memoir of a Map 

 of Hindoslan, p. 31. Cruttwell's Gazetteer, vol. i. 

 Percival's Account of Ceylon. Syme's Embassy to 

 Ava. Buchanan's Memoir on the expediency of a 

 Religious Establishment for India. Asiatic Register, 



vol. v. Niebuhr's Travels, vol. ii. p. 371391. 



(W.B.) 



BOMBIC Acid. See Chemistry. 



BOMBYLIUS, a genus of dipterous insects. See 

 Entomology. 



BOMBYX, a genus of lepidopterous insects. See 

 Entomology. 



BOMMEL-Waeut, called by Ctesar Insula 

 Ba 1 AVOitUM, is an island in Holland formed by the 

 M. use and the Wahal. It is about fifteen miles long 

 from west to east, and nearly six miles broad. It 

 contains the strong town of Bommel, the town of 

 Louvestein, and the three forts of St Andrew, Voorn, 

 and Crevecoeur. The town of Bommel is situated 

 in a plain, fertile in grain and fruits. Its commerce, 

 which was once very considerable, has now passed to 

 Boisle-Duc, chiefly on account of a bank of sand, 

 about 900 feet, which is formed in the Wahal, and 

 prevents vessels from repairing to Bommel. Peuchet 

 says, that the town contains 600 houses, and 300 in- 

 habitants, which is two houses to every inhabitant. 

 He must certainly have meant 3000. (j) 



BONA, Bonne, or Blaid-ll-Aneb, the Aphro- 

 disium of Ptolemy, a sea port town of Algiers, in 

 the province of Constantia, situated near the mouth 

 of the Seibouse. It was formerly a rich and po- 

 pulous town, but its appearance is now mean, and 

 its population greatly diminished. Although its 

 two harbours are both inconvenient and insecure, 

 from being in a great measure choked up, yet a 

 great quantity of corn, butter, oil, hides, wax, and 

 wool, are annually shipped from the French factory 

 at Bona. The vessels are obliged to lie near the Ge- 

 noese fort, about a league to the east of the town. 

 The surrounding country produces corn and fruits, 

 and rears great numbers of cattle, but is greatly 

 exposed to the ravages of the wandering Arabs. 

 The town and harbour are capable of great im- 

 provement. The Genoese have a coral fishery upon 

 the eastern bank of the bay of Bona. E. Long. 7 

 45', N. Lat. 36 52'. See Shaw's Travels in Bur- 

 bary, p. 46. (j) 



BONAIRE, or Buen-Ayre, the name of one of 

 the windward islands, situated about 60 miles from 

 the north coast of South America. It is about 30 

 miles from Curacoa, and nearly 50 miles in circum- 

 ference. The harbour, which is on the south-west 

 of the island near the middle, is tolerably deep. 



Bonaire is inhabited solely by.a small number of 

 negroes, and by the Dutch garrison. The former 

 plant maize, yams, and potatoes, and rear goats, 

 which they cure by means of the salt obtained from 

 the salt pond at the south-east extremity of the 

 island. There are horses, bulls, and cows, but no 

 sheep here. The vegetable productions of this island, 

 and the salted goat flesh, and the salt itself, are daily 

 f.ent off to Curagoa, as provisions for the garrison 

 and negroes of that island. Cottbn is also produced 

 here. W. Long. 68 25', N. Lat. 12 15". (to) 



BONAVISTA, or Buena-vista, the most east- 

 ern of the Cape de Verd Islands, discovered in 1450, 

 is about 24 miles long, and 15 miles broad. There 

 are two bays which are frequented by vessels. One of 

 them, Called the English Bay, is very spacious, but 

 6 



