251 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. VIII 
On the 31st October our traveller left “ Onor” (Honawar) and got 
to “ Garsopa’”’ (Gersappa) along with a Portuguese Envoy bound for 
the Court of “ Venktapa Naieka,” a chief then important thereabouts. 
The country was, as usual at that season, looking its best, and “ this 
journey was one of the most delightful passages that ever I (Della Valle) 
made in my life.” Thenext day they “began to climb up a mountain 
which the country people call Gat, and which divides the whole 
length of this part of India.” They halted at a fort “sometimes 
called Garicota, but now Govarada Naghar,” where the schoolmaster got 
Della Valle to examine the school ; just what would probably happen 
to him there to-day. 
On the 4th they were ferried over the “river called Barenghi,” 
which “they say is one of those which goes to Garsopa.” It is very 
odd that no one seems to have told Della Valle anything about the 
falls of Gersappa when he was so near them ; but his comrade, the 
Portuguese Envoy, does not seem to have been a very welcome guest ; 
and probably every one concerned wanted to keep the whole party as 
much to the shortest way as possible. Under this day’s date our 
traveller records “many trees of myrobalanes ;” and gives an unmis- 
takable description of the emblic myrobalan. At least one would 
have thought it unmistakable if the Editor had not suggested an- 
other identification, The myrobalans, says Della Valle, were “such 
as are brought into Italy, preserved in sugar. It hath leaves much like 
that plant which produces gum Arabick, by me formerly described ” 
(an African Acacia), “ different only in this, that in that of gum 
Ayabick the branch, consisting of many leaves, is much less round or 
oval, and seems one leaf made up of many long and narrow ones ; but 
in this myrobalane tree the branch” (leaf) “is sufficiently long, and the 
small leaves composing it in two rows on each side are somewhat 
larger. Nor is the myrobalane tree prickly like that of gum Arabick. 
The fruit is round, hard, of a yellowish green, smooth, shining, of 
little pulp, and furrowed with six circular lines.” 
On the 6th they got to Ikkeri, but Della Valle’s observations here 
are chiefly outside our province. He mentions that ““Giacche” (Jack- 
fruit) were presented to the envoy as “ a fruit very rare at this time” 
(November) and brought from far distant places. In Western India 
