fit 



INDIA. 



Wert coast 



Gulf of 

 Cutcli. 



Coast of 



tiuzerat. 

 <iulf.,f 

 Cam bay. 



Cotttof 

 Bunt. 



Ignore, about 80 miles in length ; the object was to 



v tin- i-ity with water during the dry season. For 



me purpose three Other C*Mdl were drawn from 



the Hjive\, near Sh-ihpoor, to the south and east of La- 



In tin- year 1803. a canal was made from the 



-town of" Madras to the river F.nnore. Its length 



i, 10,.-,{i() yards; its greatest breadth at the top 40 



.nul 'its greatest depth 12 feet. By means of this 



canal, boats convey ch.-ticoal and fire- wood, the produce 



of the high land behind PuliVat, to Madras. The -rivers 



of Tripapiili'i-c and the Panaur, which approach within 



aliout 1800 yards ,f each other near Fort St David, are 



joined by canal, which rims nearly parallel to the sea, 



at the distance of about 1000 yards. 



The eastern and western -coasts of India differ in a 

 very striking manner. The Malabar, or western coast, 

 is high and bold, and possesses a few excellent small 

 h.irbours, formed by insulated rocks and promontories. 

 The Coromandel, or eastern coast, is low, sandy, and 

 full of shoals and banks, without a port of any kind ; 

 the entrance to its small rivers being- blocked up by 

 the sand thrown in by the dreadful and dangerous surf, 

 which beats against it at all seasons. Having given 

 this general description of the two coasts, we shall 

 commence a more detailed account of them at the north- 

 west extremity of the western coast. 



Cape Monze. which lies in the latitude of 24 55', 

 and in the longitude of 65 4G', is considered as the 

 commencement of the coast of Hindostan in this quar- 

 ter. The bay of Corachie lies between this cape and 

 the Indus. It admits vessels of 300 or 400 ton during 

 the rainy season: the tide rises 12 feet. On the east- 

 ern side of the bay are six rocky islets. From Cape 

 Monze to the Gulf of Cutch, it is called the coast of 

 Sinde. The Gulf of Cutch runs far inland towards the 

 east The upper part is full of shoals, and is bounded 

 by a low narrow plain, always overflowed during the 

 rainy season. It is said to have a communication with 

 the Run, already described. On the south shore of this 

 gulf, the coast of Guzerat begins. Between it and the 

 Gulf of Cambay, it is rather high. The Gulf of Cambay 

 is bounded by the coast of Guzerat on the west, and by 

 that of Surat on the east. It runs nearly 150 miles in- 

 land. Near to Cambay, which stands near the upper 

 part of the Gulf, the tides run with extreme rapidity, 

 nearly at the rate of six miles an hour : at high water 

 rise 40 feet, and at low water leave the Gulf dry, even 

 for seven leagues below the town. Fifteen miles to 

 the east of this town, the breadth of the Gulf is only six 

 miles. It is here also completely dry at ebb tide ; but 

 the bottom is covered with mud and quicksands, so as 

 to render a passage across without a guide extremely 

 dangerous. Both in the Gulfs of Cutch and Cambay, 

 the bore or rush of the tide is nearly as rapid as that at 

 the mouth of the Indus and Ganges. The depth of 

 water in the Gulf of Cambay, is supposed to have been 

 gradually diminishing for upwards of two hundred 

 years. The river Jumbaisier runs into the east side of 

 the Gulf, to the south of Cambay. On it stands a town 

 of the same name. The Nerbuddah also falls into this 

 part of the Gulf. On it stands the town of Baroach. 

 As we approach further to the south, to the coast of 

 Surat, the coart becomes more level. The first sea- 

 port that occurs is Surat, on the left bank of the Tuptee 

 about six leagues from the sea. This river, however^ 

 is so shallow at the town, that large vessels are obliged 

 to anchor at its mouth. During the south-west mon- 

 soon this anchorage is dangerous ; but it is safe and 

 commodious while the north-east and north-west winds 



blow. The coast between Surat and Cape St John Statistics. 

 continues so very low, tltat, during the prevalence of /""' 

 the south-west monsoon and high tides\it is inundated. 

 There are several small rivers in this tract. From this 

 cape to Bombay, a reef, lying three leagues off, stretch- Bombay, 

 es along. Bassein, a port in the province of Aurunga- 

 bad, lies on a narrow strait, or rivulet, which separates 

 it from the island ef Salsette. Across the mouth of 

 this there is a bar of sand, so that only small vessels 

 can enter Salsette. 18 miles long and 14 broad, was 

 formerly divided from Bombay by a strait six miles 

 long, and about 200 yards across, which was occasionally 

 fordable ; but these islands are now united by a cause, 

 way. Bombay is about 10 miles long, with an average 

 breadth of three. This island, with Salsette, Caranga, 

 and Elephanta, forms a most commodious harbour, 

 The tides rise higher here than in any harbour posses- 

 sed by the English in their Indian settlements. The 

 usual height is 14 feet, but they sometimes rise to 17- 

 Advantage has been taken of this circumstance, to con- 

 struct docks large enough to build a 74 gun-ship. We 

 now enter on the coast of Concan, on which the first Concan. 

 object of importance is a rocky promontory, joined to 

 the continent by a narrow neck- of sand, about one mile 

 long mid a quarter of a mile broad. On this promon- 

 tory stands Ghereah, formerly the capital of the cele- 

 brated pirate Angria. A river of some magnitude runs 

 from the Ghauts into the sea, on the north of this pro- 

 montory. About 30 miles to the south of Gheriah, 

 lies Melunday or Malwan island, the principal abode of 

 the pirates who at present frequent this coast. To the 

 south of it, 4 leagues off the coast of Bejapoor, lie a clus- coast of 

 ter of rocks, called the Vingorla, or burnt rocks. On Bejapoor, 

 the left bank of a navigable river, and about seven miles 

 from the sea, stands the town of Goa. There is here a Goa. 

 fine bay, bounded on the south by the peninsula of 

 Marmagon. From Goa to Cape llamas the coast is low, 

 with a beach of sand. Near this cape is Salsette river, 

 a branch of which communicates with the river of Goa, 

 thus making an island of the scite of that town. There 

 are few coasts so much broken into small bays and har- 

 bours, and at the same time retaining so strait a gene- 

 ral outline, as the coast between Bombay and Goa, a 

 distance of nearly 220 geographical miles. 



After passing Cape llamas, the coast of Canara be- coast of 

 gins. At Fort Car war there is an inlet of the sea, Canara. 

 with a wide and deep, but intricate channel. To the 

 south of this is the island of Anjediva, about a mile in 

 circumference) and two from the shore. It lies before 

 a bay, which is formed by two promontories, so lofty, 

 that they afford some shelter to ships, even during the 

 S. W. monsoon. Meerjahur, a river of the same size, 

 which, in the month of February, seven miles from 

 the sea, is 700 yards across, affords the most convenient 

 wooding and watering place on the. coast of Malabar. 

 The Lagoon of Onore, already described, succeeds in 

 latitude 14 18'. On the north entrance of this-lagoon 

 is an island that has been fortified by the British. To 

 the south of this there are several promontories, form- 

 ing bays tolerably well sheltered. There are also se- 

 veral small islands, of which the most remarkable are 

 Hog island and Pigeon island. Mangalore, in South 

 Canara, in latitude 12 49', is situated on a peninsula, 

 which stretches into a large salt lagoon that is sepa- 

 rated from the sea by a sand beach. Across this beach 

 there was formerly an opening capable of receiving 

 large ships ; but at present this channel has become so 

 shallow, as to admit only vessels drawing less than 10 

 feet. There is another channel with still less water. 



