BOM 



BOM 



Efephanta ; the latter (which fee) being famous for its fub- 

 terraneous temple, and both of them acquifitions from the 

 Mahrattas. It was flrlt talccn pofTcffion of by the Portii- 

 guefe, foon after their an-ival in India, and called bv them 

 Biion Bahia, or Good Bay, from the excellence of its har- 

 bour, which is fo fpacious as to accomtr.odate, as it is 

 affirmed, a thoufand (hips at anchor, and well (hcltered from 

 all winds. The Portuguefe ceded it to the Eng-lifli in 

 1662, as part of the dower of the Infanta, queen of Charles 

 II. After the kir.jj's marriage, a fleet under the command 

 of lord Marlborough was fent to take pofTelTion of it ; and 

 Sir Abraham Shipman was appointed Governor. But upon 

 their arrival in September 1663, the Viceroy, aftuated by 

 the Popilh clergy, who objected to the ceffion of the ifland 

 to heretics, refufed to furrender it. At length, however, 

 in 1664, he was terrified into compliance, and a treaty was 

 eftablifhed, by which Mr. Cook, upon the death of Ship- 

 man, was iuvefted with the pofTeffion of the ifland, in qua- 

 lity of Governor. By this treaty the inhabitants were to 

 be continued in the free exercife of their religion, and in the 

 undilUirbed pofTeffion of their eftates under the crown of 

 England. Although the trade of Bombay was at this time 

 very profperous, it was foon found, that the royal revenues 

 were not fufficient for defrayinor the charge of the eftabliOi- 

 ment, and that the trade itfelf was fubjeft to very confider- 

 able obftruclioiis ; fo that the king found it expedient to 

 make a ftill grant in fee-tail of the port and territory to our 

 Eafl India Company, which was done by charter, dated 

 26th March 1 663, and thus they have continued to hold it 

 to the prefent time. 



The city of Bombay, the principal port and fcttlcment 

 of the Englifh in this part of India, is fituated in the 

 northern part of the ifland, N. lat. 18° 58', E. long. 72"^ 

 38'. It is about a mile in length, but narrow; and de- 

 fended botli towards the fea and land with various fortifica- 

 tions, which have been conlirufted at a great expence, and 

 which have rendered it the moil confiderable fortrefs in 

 India. On the ifland alfo there are fmall forts fufficient for 

 protefting it from any irruption of the Indians ; and in the 

 harbour there are bafons hewn out in the rock, for the pur- 

 pofe of careening fliips. The houfes of Bombay are in ge- 

 neral neither fplendid nor commodious; but there are feveral 

 handfome buildmgs, among which are the governor's pa- 

 lace, and a large, elegant church near it ; the houfes are not 

 flat-roofed, as they are in other parts of the Eafl, but they 

 are covered with tiles in the European fafhion. The Englifh 

 have giafs windows. The other inhabitants of the ifland 

 have their windows of fmall pieces of tranfparent fhells 

 framed in wood, which render the apartments very dark. 

 The foil of the ifland is fterile, and incapable of any great 

 improvement ; its chief produce confifts of cocoas and rice, 

 befides mangoes and fome Indian fruits. It drawi a con- 

 fiderable fupply of provilions from the continent, and from 

 the fertile ifland of Salfette. Large quantities of fait are 

 manufactured on the fhore, from the fea-water that f5ows 

 into pits adapted to this pui-pole. The fea-breezcs and fre- 

 quent rains cool the atmoCphere, and render the climate of 

 this ifland temperate ; and though the air is not fo pure as 

 at Madras, yet it is much more wholcfome than at Bengal ; 

 the coaft of Malabar being pretty healthy, though lefs fo 

 than the coall of Coromandel. The ifland of Bombay has 

 been rendered much more healthy than it was formerly, by 

 a wall, which has been built to prevent the encroachment of 

 the fea, where it formed a fait marfh, by draining the marfhes 

 in its environs, and by an order that none of the natives 

 ftiould manure their cocoa-nut trees with putrid fifli. Ne- 

 verthelefs, many Europeans, efpecially on their firll arrival, 



are feized with fevers, fluxes, and other dlforders, which 

 prove fatal ; and others fliorten their days by not adhering 

 to a mode of life fuitable to the climate. The natives, how- 

 ever, and others, who abllain from excefs of animal food 

 and ftrong liquors, enjoy a good fliare of health, and live to 

 a confiderable age. The want of frefh water is an incon- 

 venience to which the inhabitants are fubjecl ; the btft being 

 that which they preferve in ciflerns afcer rain ; whereas that 

 which is fupplied by their wells has a brackifh tafte. 



This ifland is become vciy populous, in confcquence of 

 the toleration which is ^ranted by the Enghfh to perfons 

 of every religious proftfllan. The number of inhabitants is 

 eftimated by Nicbuhr at 140,000, and of thefe the Euro- 

 peans form the m.oft inco:'.fiderable clafs. The other inha- 

 bitants are Portuguefe, or Indian Catiu I'cs ; Hindoos, the 

 original pofltflbrs of t!ie country ; Ferfians from Kerman ; 

 Mahometans of difEtrent fects ; and fome Oriental Chriflians. 

 The Englifh have a haudfome church at Bombay, but they 

 are difadvamageoufly circiimilanced with regard to officiating 

 clergy. The Catholics are much more numerous than the 

 Protcilant?, and have many pricls, as well Europeans as 

 Indians, who attend their lludits at Goa. The pope, many 

 years ago, appointed for their fuperintendance a bilhop of 

 Bombay, but he was difmifled by the governor of the ifland. 

 The Catholic churches are decent buildings, and are within 

 fumptuoiifly ornamented. Tlie Jews had once a college and 

 a fynagogue in the middle of tliis ifland ; hut the college 

 was converted into a country -lioufe for the Englifh governor, 

 and the fynagogue into a fuitc of affembly rooms. 



Bombay is the feat of the Englifh government for the coafl , 

 of Malabar ; as Madras is for the Coromandel coaif , Calcutta 

 for Bengal, and as Bencoolen was for Sumatra. Thefe four 

 governments, of which that of Bengal has the lupcriority and 

 control, are obliged, by an aft of the Britifh parliament paffed 

 in 1773, ('3 Geo. III. c. 63.) to afford mutual afTnlance in 

 cafesof extraordinary exigence. The different ellabhflimei.ts 

 are under fimilar adminiflration, and all procefFes between fub- 

 jedls of the company arc deterinmed by the law of England. 

 The council or regency of Bombay (as ysell as that of Ben- 

 gal) confiits of a governor and three members of council. 

 The other fervants of the company are factors and writers 

 of different ranks, and are fometiir.es transferred from one 

 department to another. The governor and members of 

 ccmicil of the other prefidencies are to be under the control 

 of the government-general of Bengal, with refpecl to 

 treaties with the native powers of India, levying war, making 

 peace, coUeefing and applying revenues, levying and em- 

 ploying forces, or other matters of civil and military go- 

 vernment ; and they are required in all cafes to obey the 

 orders of the faid government-general, unlefs the direftors 

 of thi company Ihall have fent to thefe fettlements any 

 contrary orders not known to the government-genei-al, ot 

 which, in that cafe, they are to give this governm.ent im- 

 mediate advice. The Court of Direitors are to appoint to 

 thefe feveral governments, and likevvife the commander in 

 cliief of all the forces, and the three provincial commanderi 

 in chief. All governors and counfellors are prohibited from 

 trading, except from the company, 24 Geo. 111. felT. a. 

 c. 25. 3j Geo. III. c. j2. See Bo.iRD of Controui and 

 Eajl India Co M P A N V . 



Bombay Hooh, an ifland of America at the mouth of 

 Delaware rivet, about 8 miles long and 2 broad, formed 

 by the Delaware on the eaflcrn fide, and Duck Creek and 

 Little Duck Creek on the Maryland fide ; thefe are united 

 together by a natural canal. The N. W. end of Bombay 

 Hook is about 47 miles from Capes Her.lopcn and May ; 

 from the Hook to Reedy Ifland is 9 miles. 



BOMBAZINE, 



