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oriental forest-woods, and more durable than the oak: the master- 
builders and shipwrights of the Parsee tribe, are very skilful, and 
exact imitators of the best models from Europe. 
When I left Bombay, the generality of the public buildings 
were more useful than elegant: the government-house, custom- 
house, marine-house, barracks, mint, treasury, theatre, and prison, 
included the chief of these structures; there were also three large 
hospitals, one within the gates for Europeans; another on the 
esplanade for the sepoys, or native troops in the Company’s ser- 
vice; and a third, on an adjacent island, for convalescents. 
The only Protestant church on the island stood near the centre 
of the town; a large and commodious building, with a neat tower: 
there was also a charity school for boys, and a fund for the poor, 
belonging to the church of England: there were seldom more than 
two chaplains belonging to the Bombay establishment when I was 
in India; the one resided at the Presidency; the other, alternately 
at Surat and Baroche, where were considerable European garrisons. 
The Roman Catholics had several churches and chapels in different 
parts of the island ; and enjoyed every indulgence from the English 
government. 
Idie English houses at Bombay, though neither so large nor 
elegant as those at Calcutta and Madrass, were comfortable and 
well furnished; they were built in the European style of architec- 
ture, as much as the climate would admit of; but lost something 
ot that appearance by the addition of verandas, or covered piazzas, 
to shade those apartments most exposed to the sun; when illumi- 
nated, and fdled with social parties in the evening, these verandas 
gave the town a very cheerful appearance: but since I left India, 
