128 T. W. H. Tolbort — Fortuguese Settlements in India. [Juj^e, 



The following- papers were read : 



1. 071 the Fortuguese Settlements in India. By T. W. H, Tolbort, 

 Esq., C. S. 



{'Extracts!) 



The object of the following paper is to describe the present appearance 

 of the Portuguese Settlements in India. Points of historical interest will be 

 chiefly considered ; social and political features will not be dwelt upon. 



The existing Portuguese Settlements are Daman, Dili and Groa. We 

 take Daman first, as the easiest of access from Bombay. The territorjr of 

 Daman is intermixed with British territory and with that of Dharmapiir. 

 This intermixture is due to political events of the 18th century. The 

 neighbouring stations south of Daman were wrested from the Portuguese 

 hj the Marathas about the middle of that century, and from them passed 

 at the downfall of Maratha power into our possession. On the other 

 hand, in 1780, the territory of Daman was augmented by the detached 

 parganah of Nagar [Haweli] Avelly which the Court of Puna ceded in in- 

 demnification for some piratical act against a Portuguese ship. The 

 population of the Daman territory is about 45,000, of whom 1500 are Chris- 

 tians. 



A ride of five or six miles from the Daman Road Station on the 

 Bombay and Baroda Railway takes the traveller to the port of Daman 

 itself. The port of Daman is formed by the estuary of a small river 

 generally known as the Daman Ganga, though I believe it also bears the 

 name of Sandalkal. The environs of Daman on the land side are not very 

 cleanly ; the number of pigs roaming at will, and devouring the garbage in 

 their way, indicates the presence of a Portuguese population. 



There are two forts at Daman, one on each side of the estuary, each 

 having a small town in its vicinity. The larger fort and town are on the 

 south or Bombay side ; the smaller and more recent on the north or Siirat 

 side. The visitor from the railway arrives on the north side, but as tlie 

 southern fort is in every respect the more important of the two, we give it 

 precedence in our description. Its shape, though irregular, approaches that 

 of a square, through the middle of which, north and south, runs the main 

 street from the " Porta do Mar" to the " Porta da Terra," The wall is 

 substantially built of stone. The principal bastion, the" Baluarte da Barra," 

 is at the north-west angle, commanding the entrance to the harbour. 

 Below it is a small supplementar}^ outwork constructed, I believe, in 1830. 

 The remaining bastions are San Phelipe, San Domingo, Santiago, San Jorge, 

 Sant Ignacio, San Sebastian (porta da terra), San Martinho, San Miguel, 

 San Francisco, Madre de Deos, back to the ** porta do mar" again. A 

 description of Daman, dated 1634, published as an extract in the third 

 volume of the " Chronista de Tissuary" gives a list of the bastions nearly 

 identical with the above. From the description generally we may conclude 



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