328 



BANYANS. 



counts or banking put great power into their 

 hands. At Maskat and the neighbourhood they 

 number nearly 500, and here about 400. 1 They 

 extend southwards to Angosh (Angoxa) and 

 Mozambique, where they make fortunes by the 

 sale of Casimir noir, and where they are now as 

 well treated as they were formerly tyrannized 

 over by the Portuguese. Thus, though never 

 leaving the seaboard, they command the inland 

 trade, sending, where they themselves do not care 

 to travel, Arabs and Wasawahili to conduct 

 their caravans of savages and slaves. For this 

 reason they have ever been hostile to European 

 exploration, and report affirms that they have 

 shown no scruples in compassing their ends. 

 They are equally powerful to forward the dis- 

 coverer; they can cash drafts upon Zanzibar, 

 Mandavi, and Bombay ; provide outfits, supply 

 guards and procure the Pagazi, or porters, who 

 are mostly their employes. Ladha Damha 

 farms the customs at Zanzibar, at Pemba Island 

 his nephew Pisii has the same charge : Mom- 

 basah is in the hands of Lakhmidas, and some 

 40 of his co-religionists ; Pangani is directed by 

 Trikandas and contains 20 Ehattias, including 



1 In 1844 there were 500 Banyans on the Coast and Island, 

 — the number has now nearly trebled. 



