an island in the East-Indies near the coast of Decan, situated in N. Lat. 19. o. and E. Long. 73. o. It has its present name from the Portuguese Buon-bahia, on account of the excellent bay formed by it, together with the winding of other islands adjacent. The harbour is spacious enough to contain any number of ships, and has likewise excellent anchoring ground, affording also, by its land-locked situation, a shelter from any winds to which the mouth may be exposed.

This island was formerly reckoned exceedingly unhealthy, insomuch that it had the name of the burying-ground of the English, though it is now so far improved in this respect as to be no worse than any other place in the East Indies under the same parallel of latitude. The reasons of this unhealthiness and the subsequent improvements are enumerated by Mr Grofe. 1. The nature of the climate, and the precautions required by it, being less understood than they are at present. 2. Formerly there obtained a very pernicious practice of employing a small fry of fish as manure for the cocoa-trees which grow in plenty on the island; though this has been denied by others, and perhaps with justice, as the putrid effluvia of animal bodies seems to be very effectually absorbed by the earth, when buried in it. All agree, however, that the habitations in the woods or cocoa-nut groves are unwholesome by reason of the moisture, and want of a free circulation of air. 3. Another cause has been assigned for the superior healthiness of this island, viz. the lessening of the waters by the banking of a breach of the sea, though this does not appear satisfactory to our author. There is still, says he, a great body of salt water on the inside of the breach, the communication of which with the ocean being left free than before the breach was built, built, must be proportionably more apt to stagnate, and to produce noxious vapours.

Whatever may be the cause, however, it is certain, that the island of Bombay no longer deserves its former character, provided a due degree of temperance be observed; without which health cannot be expected in any warm climate.

The climate of Bombay seems to be drier than many other parts under the same parallel. The rains last only four months of the year, but with short intermissions. The setting in of the rains is commonly ushered in by a violent thunder-storm, called there the Elephanta from its extraordinary violence. The air, however, is then agreeably cooled, and the excessive heat, then nearly at its height, much moderated. The rains begin about the end of May, and go off in the beginning of September; after which there never falls any, except a short transient shower, and that but very rarely.

A very extraordinary circumstance is related by Mr Ives concerning the island of Bombay during the rainy season, viz. that, ten days after the rains set in, every pool and puddle swarms with a species of fish about six inches long, and somewhat resembling a mullet. Such a phenomenon has occasioned various speculations. Some have imagined that the exhaling power of the sun is so strong in the dry season as to be able to raise the spawn of these fishes into the atmosphere, and there suspend and nourish till the rains come on, when it drops down again in the state of living and perfectly formed fish. A less extravagant supposition is, that after the ponds become dry, the spawn may possibly fall into deep fissures below the apparent bottom, remaining there during the dry season, and being supplied with a sufficient quantity of moisture to prevent it from corruption.

The quantity of rain that falls at Bombay in one season has been accurately measured by Mr Thomas, Mr Ives's predecessor as hospital surgeon. His apparatus consisted of a lead cylinder about nine inches diameter, and as many deep, marked on the inside with inches and tenths. To prevent the water from splashing over, he cut a hole two inches from the bottom, and placed the cylinder in a glazed earthen vessel; after which a wax-cloth was securely tied round it, so as to cover the vessel, and prevent any water from getting in, excepting what passed through the cylinder. When more than two inches fell, the hole in the side was stopped with wax, and the water poured from the vessel into the cylinder to ascertain its quantity. It was kept in an open place free from houses, and measured at fix in the morning, noon, and fix in the evening. The following table shows the quantity of rain that fell from the 25th of May, when it first began, though the sky looked cloudy over land from the beginning of the month.

<table> <tr> <th colspan="2">MAY 1795.</th> <th colspan="2">JUNE.</th> </tr> <tr> <th>Days of the month.</th> <th>Quantity of rain in In. Tenths.</th> <th>Days of the month.</th> <th>Quantity of rain in In. Tenths.</th> </tr> <tr> <td>25</td> <td>0 3</td> <td>4</td> <td>0 6</td> </tr> <tr> <td>31</td> <td>0 7</td> <td>5</td> <td>0 8</td> </tr> <tr> <td>JUNE</td> <td>6</td> <td>0</td> <td>9</td> </tr> <tr> <td>3</td> <td>0 1</td> <td>7</td> <td>0</td> </tr> </table>

June. <table> <tr> <th>Days of the month.</th> <th>Quantity of rain in In. Tenths.</th> </tr> <tr><td>8</td><td>1 0</td></tr> <tr><td>9</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>11</td><td>3 0</td></tr> <tr><td>12</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>13</td><td>0 5</td></tr> <tr><td>14</td><td>4 5</td></tr> <tr><td>15</td><td>1 3</td></tr> <tr><td>16</td><td>2 5</td></tr> <tr><td>17</td><td>5 6</td></tr> <tr><td>18</td><td>0 8</td></tr> <tr><td>19</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>20</td><td>0 4</td></tr> <tr><td>21</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>22</td><td>1 2</td></tr> <tr><td>23</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>24</td><td>0 7</td></tr> <tr><td>25</td><td>0 7</td></tr> <tr><td>26</td><td>0 8</td></tr> <tr><td>27</td><td>4 0</td></tr> <tr><td>28</td><td>6 7</td></tr> <tr><td>29</td><td>5 3</td></tr> <tr><td>30</td><td>1 8</td></tr> <tr><td>JULY.</td><td></td></tr> <tr><td>1</td><td>1 3</td></tr> <tr><td>2</td><td>2 0</td></tr> <tr><td>3</td><td>0 9</td></tr> <tr><td>4</td><td>1 9</td></tr> <tr><td>5</td><td>0 5</td></tr> <tr><td>6</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>7</td><td>0 4</td></tr> <tr><td>8</td><td>0 9</td></tr> <tr><td>9</td><td>1 3</td></tr> <tr><td>10</td><td>3 1</td></tr> <tr><td>11</td><td>3 7</td></tr> <tr><td>12</td><td>0 7</td></tr> <tr><td>13</td><td>5 5</td></tr> <tr><td>14</td><td>4 9</td></tr> <tr><td>15</td><td>2 2</td></tr> <tr><td>16</td><td>0 1</td></tr> <tr><td>18</td><td>0 5</td></tr> <tr><td>19</td><td>1 1</td></tr> <tr><td>20</td><td>0 5</td></tr> <tr><td>21</td><td>0 7</td></tr> <tr><td>22</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>23</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>25</td><td>0 1</td></tr> <tr><td>26</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>27</td><td>0 8</td></tr> <tr><td>29</td><td>0 6</td></tr> <tr><td>AUGUST.</td><td></td></tr> <tr><td>3</td><td>0 4</td></tr> <tr><td>5</td><td>1 4</td></tr> <tr><td>6</td><td>7 0</td></tr> <tr><td>7</td><td>0 8</td></tr> <tr><td>8</td><td>0 6</td></tr> <tr><td>9</td><td>1 3</td></tr> <tr><td>10</td><td>0 4</td></tr> <tr><td>AUGUST.</td><td></td></tr> <tr><td>11</td><td>0 1</td></tr> <tr><td>12</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>13</td><td>1 1</td></tr> <tr><td>14</td><td>0 8</td></tr> <tr><td>15</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>16</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>17</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>18</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>19</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>20</td><td>0 4</td></tr> <tr><td>21</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>22</td><td>0 5</td></tr> <tr><td>23</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>24</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>25</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>26</td><td>0 2</td></tr> <tr><td>27-30</td><td>1 0</td></tr> <tr><td>OCTOBER.</td><td></td></tr> <tr><td>2-7</td><td>2 1</td></tr> <tr><td>9</td><td>2 0</td></tr> <tr><td>15</td><td>0 3</td></tr> <tr><td>16,17</td><td>0 1</td></tr> <tr><td>22</td><td>The air fine and clear, without a cloud, the land and sea-breezes regular.</td></tr> <tr><th colspan="2">Whole quantity of rain in In. Tenths.</th></tr> <tr><td>May</td><td>1 0</td></tr> <tr><td>June</td><td>44 7</td></tr> <tr><td>July</td><td>29 9</td></tr> <tr><td>August</td><td>19 0</td></tr> <tr><td>September</td><td>11 2</td></tr> <tr><td>October</td><td>4 5</td></tr> <tr><td>Total</td><td>110 3</td></tr> </table>

In this journal our author makes no mention of the elephant above mentioned from Mr Grofe as the forerunner of the rainy season, though he mentions a storm under under that name on the 9th of October. It was an excessive hard gale, with violent thunder, lightning, and rain; of which last there fell two inches in no more than four hours. Neither is the quantity of thunder and lightning at all comparable to what people unacquainted with hot climes might be apt to expect. The only thunder-storms mentioned in the journal were on May 31st, June 3d, 5th, 12th, 14th, September 7th, October 9th, an elephant; and some thunder on the 15th of the same month.

The vegetable productions of Bombay are very insignificant. Mr Ives says, that its "soil is so barren as not to produce any one thing worth mentioning;" but afterwards informs us, that its "natural produce is the cocoa-nut tree, from which they extract a liquor called toddy. This is soft and mild when drunk immediately: but if it stands long, it gathers strength, and becomes very intoxicating; whence probably arose the term toddy-headed. For each tree a tax of 20s. a-year is paid to the company, which is appropriated towards maintaining the garrison and ships of war."

Mr Grose gives an account somewhat different.— "The oarts, or cocoa-nut groves, make the most considerable part of the landed property, being planted wherever the situation and soil is favourable to them. When a number of these groves lie contiguous to each other, they form what is called the woods; through which there is a due space left for roads and path-ways, where one is pleasantly defended from the sun at all hours in the day. They are also thick set with houses belonging to the respective proprietors, as well as with the huts of the poorer sort of people; but are very unwholesome, for the reasons already given. As to the cocoa-nut tree itself, not all the minute descriptions I have met with in many authors seem to me to come up to the reality of its wonderful properties and use. The cultivation of it is extremely easy, by means of channels conveying water to the roots, and by the manure already mentioned laid round them. An owner of 200 cocoa-nut trees is supposed to have a competency to live on.

"As to the rice fields, they differ in value, according to the fineness and quantity of rice they produce. The growth of this grain has a particularity not unworthy of notice, viz. that as it loves a watery soil, so to whatever height the water rises wherever it is planted, the growth of the rice keeps measure with it, even to that of 12 and 14 feet; the summit always appearing above the surface of the water. It is also remarked, that the eating of new rice affects the eyes. The fact is certain, though the physical reason of it is unknown.

"Here and there are interposed some few brab trees, or rather wild palm trees (the word brab being derived from brabo, which in the Portuguese signifies wild). They bear an insipid kind of fruit, about the bigness of a common pear; but the chief profit from them is the toddy, or liquor drawn from them by incisions at the top, of which the arrack is reckoned better than that produced by the cocoa-nut trees. They are generally near the sea-fide, as they delight most in a sandy soil. It is on this tree that the toddy birds, so called from their attachment to it, make their exquisitely curious nests, wrought out of the thinnest reeds and filaments of branches, with an inimitable mechanism. The birds themselves are about the size of a Bombay partridge, but are of no value either for plumage, song, or the table.

"This island is a strong instance of the benefits of a good government, and a numerous population; for not a spot of it remains uncultivated; so that though it is far from producing sufficient for the consumption of its inhabitants, and notwithstanding its many disadvantages of situation and soil, it yields incomparably more than the adjacent island of Salfette."

Among the curiosities of Bombay Mr Ives mentions Curiosities a large terapin or land tortoise kept at the governor's in this house, the age of which was upwards of 200 years. Frogs, which abound everywhere through the East Indies, are very large at Bombay. Our author saw one that measured 22 inches from the extremities of the fore and hind feet when extended; and he supposes that its weight would not have been less than four or five pounds. On the sea-shore round the island are a great variety of beautiful shells, particularly the sort called ventle-traps or wendle-traps, held in great esteem among the ladies some time ago. Several pounds sterling are said to have been given by a virtuoso for one of these shells when Commodore Leslie's collection of shells was sold by auction.

Mr Ives enumerates the following kinds of snakes Different found on this island and other parts of the British empires in the East Indies. 1. The cobra de capella, growing from four to eight or nine feet long. They kill by their bite in 15 minutes. 2. The cobra manila is a small bluish snake, of the size of a man's little finger, and about a foot long, frequently seen about old walls. A species of these found at Bombay kill much sooner than even the former. 3. The palmira, a very thin beautiful snake, of different colours: its head is like that of the common viper, but much thicker than the body. Our author saw one that was four feet long, and the body not much thicker than a swan's quill. 4. The green snake is of a very bright green colour, with a sharp head: towards the tail it is smaller than in the middle. The largest part of it is no bigger than a tobacco-pipe. 5. The sand snake is small and short, but not less deadly than the others. 6. The cobra de aurelia resembles an earth-worm, is about six inches long, and no bigger than a small crow-quill. It kills by getting into the ear, causing madness, &c. 7. The manila bomba is a very beautiful snake, of almost the same size throughout the whole length, except at the two ends, where it comes to a point. It is white on the belly, but finely variegated on the back. It lives in the sand, and is said to sting with its tail, which occasions contractions in the joints.

Bombay is the most considerable English settlement on the Malabar coast; and by reason of its situation, may be styled the grand storehouse of all the Arabian and Persian commerce. It is also the most convenient place in all the East Indies for careening or heaving down large ships; and for small ones they have a very good dock. They have also a very good rope-yard; and indeed, says Mr Ives, "this is the only place, in this distant part of the world, for shattered ships to refit at, having always a good quantity of naval stores, and its very name conveying an idea of a safe retreat in foul weather."

On this island are many little forts and batteries, Different which forts, &c. which carry some guns; but the principal fort, which defends the place, has above an hundred. Mr Grofe finds fault with the situation of this last fort, which, he says, not only does not command the harbour sufficiently, but is itself overlooked by an eminence called Dungharee point. The castle itself is a regular quadrangle, well built of strong hard stone. In one of the battions facing Dungharee point is a large tank or cistern which contains a great quantity of water constantly replenished by the stationary rains. There is also a well within the fort, but the water is not very good, and liable to be dried up by the heats. The water of Bombay in general indeed is not good, which has been given as a reason why the Gento merchants were not fond of settling upon it; for as they drink no wine nor spirituous liquors, they are very nice judges of the taste and qualities of waters.

When the town of Bombay began to increase considerably, it was judged proper to add the security of a wall round it to the strength of the fort it had before. Even then, however, it was neglected to take in the dangerous port of Dungharee, which now evidently commands both the town and fort. There has since that time been added, at a great expense, a ditch that encompasses the wall, and can be flooded at pleasure, by letting in the sea, which terminates the ditch on two sides, so that the town is now entirely surrounded with water, and is one of the strongest places in India.

Next to Bombay, the most considerable fort on the island is that of Mahim. It is situated at the opposite extremity of the island, and commands the pass of Bandurah, a fort directly opposite to it on the coast of Saltette. From this island Bombay is separated by an arm of the sea, capable of receiving only small craft. The other forts are capable of making but a slight defence.

About two miles out of town, towards the middle of the island, the sea had gained so far as almost to divide it in two, and rendered the roads impassable. A great quantity of this water, however, was drained off at a very considerable expense, and a causeway raised which kept it from overflowing again. This causeway is above a quarter of a mile in length, and considerably broad; "but (says Mr Grofe), there is one great fault remarked in it; that, being bending near the middle, the architect has opposed to the sea a re-entering angle instead of a salient one." Within the beach, however, there is still a considerable body of water, that has a free communication with the sea, as appears by its ebbing and flowing; so that it is probable the causeway itself, erected at the expense of at least 100,000l. may in no long time be totally undermined and thrown down.

When the island of Bombay was ceded to the English by the Portuguese, it was divided and still continues to be so, into three Roman Catholic parishes, Bombay, Mahim, and Salvacan. The churches of these are governed by priests of that religion, and of any nation excepting Portugal, who were expressly objected to at the time of cession. The bulk of the land-proprietors at that time were Metfizos and Canarins. The former are a mixed breed of the natives and Portuguese; the latter purely aborigines of the country converted to the Popish religion. The other land-owners were Moors, Gentoos, and Parsees; but these last are of more modern date, having purchased estates on the island. The company has also a very considerable landed estate either by purchases, confiscations for crimes, or seizes for debt. The land is laid out in cocoa-nut groves, rice fields, and onion grounds, which last are reckoned of an excellent quality.

There is only one English church at Bombay, a very neat commodious building, seated in a spacious area called the Green; which continues from the church to the fort, and is pleasantly laid out in walks planted with trees, round which the houses of the English inhabitants are mostly situated. These are generally only ground-floored, with a court yard before and behind, in which are the offices and out-houses. They are substantially built of stone and lime, and smooth plastered on the outside. They are often kept white-washed, which, however neat, is in some respects very disagreeable, by reason of the excessive glare it occasions in reflecting the light of the sun. Few of them have glass windows to any apartment; the fathers being generally paneled with a kind of transparent oyster-shells, square cut; which have the singular property of transmitting sufficient light, at the same time that they exclude the violent glare of the sun, and have besides a cool look. The flooring is generally composed of a kind of loam or stucco called chunam, being a lime made of burnt shells, which if well tempered in a peculiar manner known to the natives, is extremely hard and lasting, and takes such a smooth polish, that one may see his own face in it. But where terraces are made of this substance, unless it be duly prepared, and which is very expensive, it is apt to crack by the sun's heat. Some attempts have been made to paint the stucco walls in apartments; but these have proved abortive through the ignorance of the artists, who have not chosen colours capable of resisting the alkaline power of the lime *. Our author remarks, that in the gardens of Surat he saw this kind of stucco made use of instead of gravel for the walks. They were a little raised above the garden beds, so that they must be instantly dry after the most violent rain; though their whiteness and polish must not only produce a disagreeable reflection in sunshine, but be extremely slippery to walk on. The houses of the black merchants are for the most part extremely ill built and inconvenient; the window lights small, and the apartments ill distributed. Some, however, make a better appearance if only one story high; but even the best of them have a certain meanness in the manner, and clumsiness in their execution, which renders the architecture contemptible in comparison of the European. There is one convenience, however, in all the houses of Bombay, viz. small ranges of pillars that support a penthouse or shed, forming what are called in the Portuguese language verandas, either all round the house, or on particular sides of it, which afford a pleasing shelter from the sun, and keep the inner apartments cool and refreshed by the draught of air under them. The pagodas, or temples of the Gentoos, are low mean buildings, having usually no light but what is admitted by the door; facing which is the principal idol. They imagine that a dark gloomy place inspires a kind of religious horror and reverence; and are very fond

* See Co-tour-Making. of having these pagodas among trees, and near the side of a tank or pond, for the sake of their frequent ablutions. These tanks are often very expensive; being generally square and surrounded with stone steps that are very convenient for the bathers.

The natives of Bombay, though composed of almost every Asiatic nation, are shorter of stature and stronger than the inhabitants of the Coromandel coast. Here a palanquin, which requires fix men to carry it at Madras, or Fort St David, is carried by four. Here are some Parsees, who like their forefathers the ancient Persians, are followers of Zoroaster, who is said to have reduced into order the religion of the Persian magi; the fundamental maxim of which was the worshipping of one God under the symbol of light. They adore the sun, particularly when rising, with the most profound reverence and veneration; and likewise pay a kind of adoration to common fire. Mr Ives had once the opportunity of observing the manner in which they perform this devotion. A large bras pan was placed in the middle of the house with fire in it: before this fire, or rather on each side of it, two men were kneeling at their devotions, pronouncing their prayers with great rapidity. He was afterwards informed, that one of them was a priest, at that time on a visit to another priest in a fit of sickness. He was likewise informed, that the Parsees have such a veneration for the fire, that they never put it out, or even breathe upon it; and he observed, that while the two priests were at their prayers over the pan of coals, they had a little white bib over their mouths, as he supposed to prevent their breath from approaching their favourite element. The prayers, however, from the similarity of the sounds, appeared to him only to be a repetition of the same set of words. The visiting priest used many gestures with his hands over the fire, and afterwards stroked down the face of the sick priest, which our author looked upon to be the final benediction, as the ceremony ended immediately.

As the Gentoo burn their dead, one would imagine that the Parsees, who have such a veneration for fire, would be desirous of having their bodies consumed by that element; but instead of this; they expose their dead bodies to be devoured by birds of prey; because, say they, a living man is composed of all the elements; so that it is but reasonable, after he is dead, that every particular element should receive its own again. On the top of Malabar hill, about two miles from the town of Bombay, there are two round buildings for receiving the dead bodies of the Parsees, which remain there till the bones are clean picked by the birds. This is certainly an abominable custom, and affords very shocking spectacles; however, a guard is always placed at a little distance to prevent people from prying too narrowly into these matters, or, as Mr Ives says, to ensure the vultures of their repast without any disturbance. Mr Grofe tells us, that on his going to look into one of these repositories, a Parsee advised him in a friendly manner to let it alone, as no person, who was not a party concerned, would long survive such curiosity. He tells us also, that the person appointed to look after the dead, carefully observes which eye is first picked out by the birds, and from thence judges of the situation of the soul of the deceased; a state of happiness being indicated by the right eye being first picked out. Mr Ives observes, that by reason of the heat of the sun, much less noxious vapour is emitted by these bodies than might be expected; the flesh being soon shrivelled up, and the bones turning quite black.

At the extreme point of Malabar-hill there is a rock, on the descent to the sea, flat on the top, in which there is a natural crevice, which communicates with a hollow terminating at an exterior opening to the sea. This place is used by the Gentoes as a purifier from their sins. This purification is effected by their going in at the opening, and coming through the crevice, though it seems too small for people of any corpulence to pass.

In Bombay, and indeed in many other places of the East Indies, oxen are generally used instead of horses, here indeed not only for drawing carriages but for riding; and, of horses, however ridiculous such a practice may seem to us, it appears that they are not in this respect inferior to ordinary horses, being capable of going at the rate of seven or eight miles an hour. They are commonly of a white colour, with large perpendicular horns, and black noses. The only inconvenience that attends them, is, that, by being naturally subject to a lax habit of body, they sometimes incommode the rider with filth thrown upon him by the continual motion of their tails. In other respects they are far preferable to Indian horses, and will trot and gallop as naturally as the horses of this country. Admiral Watton, while at Bombay, was allowed a chaise drawn by two of these oxen by the East India company. At the end of every stage the driver always puts the near bullock in the place of the other; he then puts his hand into both their mouths, to take out the froth; without which precaution they would be in danger of suffocation.

For the History, Government, &c. of Bombay, see the articles INDOSTAN and EAST INDIA COMPANY.

BOMB KETCH, a small vessel built and strengthened with large beams for the use of mortars at sea.