Title
A Voyage to the East Indies: Page 68
Description
They make a quantity of Arrack here which is its staple Trade We got on board a few Hogs, Bullocks & some water, and Six of our Ship’s Company ran away. April 1st Weigh’d and got under sail, in Company with the Atlas. 2nd Saw Eleven Sail of Marattos. Had a foul Wind and strong Current so were obliged to stand off the Coast. 7th Saw a Fleet for Bombay 9th Spoke them & they prov’d to be Company’s vessels 10th Saw Ragipore. 16th Saw Choul. 17th being off Bombay the Chance cruizer Captn. Bond came on board to conduct us in. We came to to anchor just within the Harbour, but receiv’d orders from the Governor and Council, to continue our Course to Surat. Weigh’d immediately and stood out with the Atlas. Here we found the Tide exceeding strong, so that we were obliged to go up with the Flood and come to with the Ebb. 24th We came to an Anchor at Surat Bar. The City of Surat lies 15 or 16 Miles up the Country on a broad Shallow River, navigable only with the Tide. Its banks are very low, and it divides into a Number of small Streams, wch in the Time of the heavy Rains unite and form a kind of fresh Water Sea. At this Time no Navigation is practicable. Surat lies about two Degrees to the Northward of Bombay, is large & populous, and a Place of Trade. In Time of Peace it is the Key to the Trade of the inward or Guzurat Country, which takes off a Number of european Commodities. The Number of People which [end page 68]
