182 J Wise — TJie Barak Blmyas of Bengal. [No. 2 f 



Vasallos), whom the natives call the twelve " Boiones de Bengala, los 

 " quales estan oy todos sugetos al Imperio Mogalano, por guerras civiles 

 " que tubieron entre si despues de la ruirta, y total destruceion del Empe- 

 " radar de Bengala." 



It is impossible to accept as correct the above list given by Manrique. 

 We doubt that Orissa, Jagarnath, and Medinipur, ever had separate 

 rulers ; and the name Bengala seems to recall the fabulous city on which so 

 much was written by the travellers of the sixteenth and seventeenth 

 centuries. Catrabo is Katrabo, now a " tappa" on the Lakhya, opposite 

 Khizrpur, and which for long was the property of the descendants of Tsa 

 Khan. Solimanvas is perhaps Salimbabad in Baqirganj, a parganah 

 which was never included in the territory ruled over by the Chandradip 

 family. 



In the description of the East Indies by Clemente Tosi.* he mentions 

 " Katabro, capo d'una provincia," and goes on to say " eritornando in dietro 

 " per la riva del fiume si vedono un dopo l'altro Siripur, Noricul, eTamboli, 

 " ne cui porti per esser frequentati habitano: et continuando il camino 

 " contra la corrente del fiume vegonsi dalla stessa parte Solimanvas e 

 " Bacala, citta ambedue metropoli di due Provincie." This passage seems 

 to confirm the supposition that Salimabad is Solimanvas. 



Finally, Purchas describing Sondipf in 1602 gives us some insight 

 into the civil war then waging between different nations at the months of 

 the Megna. When Bengal was conquered by the Mughuls, they took pos- 

 session of the island, but Cadaragi [Kedar Rai of Sripur] still claimed it as 

 his rightful property. The Portuguese captured it ; but this roused the 

 anger of the king of Arrakan, who sent a fleet to drive the Portuguese out, 

 " and Cadaray (Kedar Rai), which they say was true Lord of it, sent one 

 hundred Cossi (kosahs) from Sripur to help him. The combined fleets 

 were defeated, and the Portuguese entered into a treaty with Kedar Rai. 

 Carnalius, the leader of the Portuguese, took his disabled vessels to Sripur 

 to refit them. There he was attacked by one hundred kosahs under com- 

 mand of " Mandaray, a man famous in those parts." The Mughul fleet 

 was defeated and its admiral Mandaray killed. 



These authorities advance our knowledge considerably. The Bhuyas, 

 according to them, had been dependants of the king of Gaur, but had 

 acquired independence by force of arms. They refused to pay tribute, or 

 to acknowledge allegiance to any one. From being prefects appointed by 

 the king, they had become kings, with armies and fleets at their command, 



* Dell' India Orientale descrittione geografica et historica, del P. Abbatc D. Cle- 

 mente Tosi, Eoma, 1669. 



t Purchas, His Pilgrimage, p. 513, 



