Title
A Voyage to the East Indies: Page 75
Description
find a Market at Bombay for Copper, Iron, Steel, red & white Lead, Anchors & all kinds of marine Stores. Provisions sell all over India. But they are very rigid at the Custom House, which is a considerable draw back on the Goods. The Bombay Merchants send annually, several ships to China and Bengal, loaded with Cotton, which grows in great Plenty in the Country about Surat. . Lead, Cloth Cochineal etc. are Commodities for the China Markett. To England they send coarse Bale Goods & Pepper, & carry on a brisk Trade up the Persian Gulph. Yet the Trade & Reveneus are not sufficient to defray the Annual Expences, wherefore it is in one Sense a Burden to the Company who are obliged to supply them with Money from Bengal. Those Supplies since the Commencement of the Maratta War have been enormous; The Troops likewise belonging to this Coast which commonly amount to ___, have been found insufficient, so that Bengal & Madras have likewise furnish’d them with Forces. Coll. Goddard march’d over Land from Bengal to Surat, with 6000 Men, but has not been able to gain any great Advantage over the Marattas. The Coast of Malabar is so infested with Pirates that the Government of Bombay is under a Necessity of Supporting a regular Marine. They have a Number of Ships, Grabs, Snows, Ketches, Gallivats commanded by Captains and Lieutenants. [end page 75]
