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Brodera, Neriad, and Ahmedabad; where they received intelli- 

 gence that three English ships had arrived at Lanreebunder on 

 the river Indus. Thither Withington proceeded, travelling for 

 safety with a caravan, which was attacked by the coolies: the next 

 day they met an officer of the great Mogul, with two hundred and 

 fifty heads of these coolies, whom he calls a nation of robbers. 

 He returned, after many disasters, to Surat, by the route of Cam- 

 bay and Baroche. Mr. Aldworlh had also arrived there from 

 Ahmedabad, and Baroche; he had hired a house at each of those 

 places on the Company's account, and left brokers and domes- 

 tics to provide goods, until the factors from Surat should come to 

 examine them, and settle the prices. 



The Dutch, and other European merchants, at that time carried 

 on an extensive trade at Ahmedabad, where the greatest variety 

 of the rich gold and silver-flowered silks and satins, called kim- 

 cobs and allichars, were manufactured, together with silk and 

 cotton goods of almost every description; the trade in indigo was 

 very extensive; the best workmen in steel, gold, ivory, enamel, 

 and inlaid mother of pearl, met with great encouragement; it was 

 also celebrated for excellent paper, and lackered ware, in cabinets, 

 boxes, and ornaments. Few traces of this commerce now remain, 

 except a few small manufactures of chintz and kimcobs; and 

 some of lackercd-work, ornamented with gold and silver for 

 escritoirs, boxes and palanquins, only made when they are pre- 

 viously bespoke. They began and finished for me an elegant 

 sandal-wood escriloir, lackered with black and gold, in ten days. 



Paintings in water-colours by modern artists at Ahmedabad, 

 are in all respects very inferior to those of the portrait and minia- 



