he, “ fhips bound for the Aurea Cberfonefus, or peninfula- of'
“ Malacca, took their departure.” Prior to the rife of Madras
this place was the great emporium o f the eaftem coaft of Ilin -
dooßan; it was at that time an independent port, and frequented;
by Engliflf, and vefiels of other nations. The coaft is low, bottom
oozy, and the tide rifes about four feet. The Laß India:
Pilot and D'Apres make the Kißnah divide into three branches,,
and form three iflands.on the moft northern o f which ftands
Julipatam. Patam always fignifies a city ; here, poffibly, that of
Mejolia might have flood: i f was antiently an emporium famous
for its commerte, being happy in a- harbour capable of.
receiving fhips of pretty confiderable burden, and the Only oner
from Cape Comorin to this place that could receive one of three
hundred tons ; its trade is chintz, and painted cloth, u e. calli-
coes; its dyes are famous all over India, produced from a;
plant, Hamilton, i.. 370, calls Shaii, growing on the grounds-
overflown by the fpring-tides : it is alfo famed all over India for-
its fnuff, o f the moft exquilite flavor.. The Mogul had in Hamilton's
time a cuftom-houfe here; we, our factory, which was
built with teekwood-, we coveted ibmewhat more,, our ambition;
was conqueft. The French got the ftart of us, and in 1750 took,
the town by furprife, by means o f a force fent from Pondicherry* -
M. iBuß concerted the plan, the ableft officer the French even
had in India, next to La Bourdonnais; they did not profit o f
their fucceis more than a few years, for in April, in the year
1759, we again poffefTed the place 1.
T he northern boundary o f the bay of Majfulipatam is, like
* Orme, i. p. 146. 4 Same, ii. p .p . 480. 489.
the
the other, compofed o f low iflands, formed by the difcharge
into the fea of the great river Godavery, or Gonga Godavery, the
5tyndis of Ptolemy. It rifes within a hundred miles from the
weftern fea, and nearly in the parallel of St. John’s point; it
performs a courfe of above fix hundred miles, of which about
two-thirds are navigable for boats of one ton and a half burden.
Not remote from its fource is NaJJir Turmeck. The waters o f
the river, which is here named Gunga, are efteemed peculiarly
fecred, and are the great refort of pilgrims to perform their
ablutions- It foon after enters the Nizam's dominions, and
croffiis obliquely fouth-wefterly till it reaches the borders
o f Berar. About twenty-two miles from the river, in Lat. 19’
45', Long. 75* 53' eaft, ftands Aurangabad, built by Aureng-
zebe, not far from Dowlatabad, on the borders o f a lake. Paver
nier, ii. p. 61, vifited it in 1645, at which time the emperor
was employed in building a magnificent mofque and monument
and Choultry in honor o f his firft wife : the marble for the
two firft was brought from Lahore, a jotlrney o f four months.
Tavernier met with not fewer than three hundred waggons
loaden with the blocks, the left drawn by twelve oxen. This
place was long after its foundation coniidered as the capital o f
the country.
Dowlatabad, or Deogire, till the rife of the former had been
the chief city. The fortrefs is feated on a lofty mountain,
ieemingly inacceffible :: the city ftands at the foot, and only a
few miles from Aurungabad.
T he pagodas of Ellora are a very fmall diftance from Dowlatabad,
they refemble the fubterraneous work at Llephanta; fee
* vol.
R iver G odav
e r y .
A u r u n g a b a d
D ow la ta b ad,
Pagodas op
£ llo ra.