from thefe two towns, and even fend it to the coafts o f Arabia.
As late as 1695 the Arabs of Mafcat were in fuch itrength as to
come with their fleet, plunder the country, and burn the two
towns, notwithftanding the Canbarians have a line of earthen
forts, each garrifoned with two or three hundred men, as a
defence againft free-booters. The Portuguefe had a fadtory
here, notorious, as I fear all their colonies are, for the exceflive
debaucheries o f both clergy and laity.
A i d e r ’ s g r e a t Ayder Ali, with all his abilities, entertained a moll grand,
hut vifionary plan, not only o f becoming fovereign of the
Indian feas, hut of even retaliating on the Englijh, the feveral
invafions they had made into India. In order to become a naval
power, he invited fhipwrights from all countries, and under
them trained a number of his own fubjedts, He had in his
own dominions abundance o f materials ; and he fixed on Mangalore
as his great dock, and military naval port. He has
hitherto been unfortunate. In 1768, the place was taken by a
fleet fitted out from Bombay, and nine great Ihips and feveral
lefier were brought away *. Ayder foon recovered his port :
and, irritated at the difgrace, redoubled his efforts to reitore his
navy, and carry his great defign into execution. By the year
1781 he had almoft finilhed fix ihips of the line, and feveral
frigates and floops. He had heard fomething of the folidity
and ftrength of the waters of thè European feas, fo under the
notion o f combatting with oceans of ice, he ftrengthened his
Ihips with planks o f great thicknefs +. But we did not permit
• Annual Regifter, 1768, p. 67.
1
-| War in Afia, p. 506.
Ayder
Ayder to make the experiment. General Matthews, fecure as
he thought himfelf in pofieflion of Bednore, defcended on this
city, and in a little time made himfelf mafter of the place, with
three large ihips on the flocks, and feveral lefier, which totally
put to flight the naval vifion of the great Ayder.
In 1783 Mangalore was inverted by 7'ippoo Sultan in perfon,
with an army o f a hundred and forty thoufand fighting men,
aflifted by the French. The governor, Colonel Campbel, made a-
moft gallant defence, and fuffered every extreme o f famine, till
the place was given up, on honorable terms, at the conclufion
of the war, When it was found a mere heap of rubbifh. It had
been affailed in the ftrangeft manner, bombarded by great
mafies o f ftones, flung out o f mortars, which did infinite mif-
chief: the poor foldier who wras ftruck on the body, had a fud-
den relief; thofe who received them on the extremities fuffered
a long and agonizing termination of life. Mangalore remains
in pofieflion of the Sultan, with the whole province o f Can-
hara, the only maritime part allotted to him in the glorious
partition treaty.
Nelifuram is feated a few miles up a river, and is fuppofed N e u su r am .
to be the Nelcynda and Melcynda of the antients.
N e a r this river begins that vaft extent of coaft, called the Malabar
Malabar, Ee Royaume de Melibar of Marco Polo, p. 148, com- CoA5T’
prehending the feveral places, diftridts or principalities I lhall
mention. It reaches to Cape Comorm, and owned the Zamorin,
or King o f Calicut, as Lord Paramount.
M o u n t Dilla, or Deli, is the next place of note, it is a fmall M o u n t D i l l a .
promontory in Lat. 12° 1', and within is a bay, on which pro-
V ol, I. S bably