volved in war with them. In 1783 peace was concluded, at the
expence o f all the conquefts made by Goddard. We retained only
the ifle o f Salfette, and a few ifles within the gulph of Bombay. -
The marches of thefe barbarians are admirably defcribed by
the author o f the memoirs of the late war in AJia, p. 281, voli.
It relates to the armies of Ayder Alii, but applies equally to the
military o f all the powerful chieftains o f India. “ It may,” lays
the ingenious writer, “ perhaps afford fome meafure o f grati-
“ fication to European curiofity, to be informed that the un-
“ difciplined troops of AJia, generally' inflamed with bang, and
“ other intoxicating drugs, pour forth, as they advance, a tor-
“ rent o f menacing and abufive language on their adverlaries.
“ Every expreflion of contempt and averfion, every threat,
“ fitted to make an impreflion o f terror, or to excite ideas of
K horror, that cuftom readily prefents, or inventive fancy can
“ fuggeft, accompanies the utmoft ferocity of looks, voice, and
“ gefture. A murmdring found, with clouds of duft, annour.ce
“ their approach, while they are yet at the diftance of feveral
“ miles. As they advance, their accents are more and more
“ diftinilly heard, until at laft, with their eyes fixed and wea-
“ pons pointed at fome individual, they devote him, with many
“ execrations, to deftrudtion, giving his fleih, like the heroes
“ in Homer, and the Philijline warriors, to the dogs, and the
“ birds of the air, and the beafts of the field. The numbers of
“ the AJiatic armies, the ferocity of their manner, and the
“ novelty of their appearance, would unnerve and overcome
“ the hearts of the fmall European bodies that are oppofed to
“ them in the field of battle, i f experience had not fufficiently
% proved
W E S T E R N H I N D O O S T A N . g7
“ proved how much the filence o f difcipline excels barbarian
“ noife; and uniformity o f defign and a ¿lion, the defultory
“ efforts of brutal force, adting by ftarts, and liable to the con-
“ tagion o f accidental impreflion.”
T he land, from the mouth o f the river o f Surat, makes a Cape S r . J o r o r .
flight curvature as far as Cape St. John, or' the Baryagazenum
Promdntorium. From this Cape, as far as 'Bombay (according to
our Eajl.India pilot), the coaft is fkirted with iflands, divided from
the continent, and from each other, by very narrow channels.
To the north of it is Damoon, a ftrong place, pofleffed, in the laft B ahjo on .
century,, by the Portuguefe, but now in a moft ruihous ftate. It
was once beiieged by Aurengzebe, who had determined to take
it by ftorm, and fixed on .a Sunday for the attack, thinking that
the Cbrijliims, like the Jews, would on that day make no re-
fiftance. The Governor, an old foldier, caufed mafs: to be faid
at midnight; then made a filly with all his cavalry, and a ftrong
body o f infantry, into a quarter guarded by two hundred elephants
; he knew the dread thofe animals had of fire r he
affailed them with fire-works. The diftraaed beafts, in the
darknefs of the night, and without their governors, ruihed on
their own forces, which put the army into fuch diforder, that
before morning, half was cut to pieces by the Portuguefe, and,
in confequence, the fiege raifed.
The tr.aft that borders on the fea, from Bombay even as far C o k c a n
as Soonda, in Lat. 15 , is called Concan. This was the Lymirica
of Arrian, ii. 171, a coaft full of ports, o f which he enumerates
feveral; it once formed part of the kingdom o f Fifiapour. At
the partition teaty it. was. confirmed to the Mabrattas, who nowpoffefs