314 ■ Hamilton’s account of the east indies.

Goga has foine trade, admitting ftrangers to a free commerce in fuch merchandizeas are fit to be imported or exported to or from Guzerat. It has the conveniency ofan harbour for the largeft (hips, though they lie dry on loft mud, at low water; but thetides rifing four or five fathoms perpendicular, afford water enough at high water.The town is governed by an officer from the Mogul, who commands about 200 men*who are kept there for a guard to it.

Chap. XIII .—Gives an Account of Cambay , Baroach, and Surat ; with feveral Occur-rences that happened to them.

CAMBAY , or, as the natives call it, Cambaut, about 12 leagues from Goga, in thebottom of the Gulf of Cambay , on a final! river, that is fent by the overflowing of theIndus into that gulf or bay, is a large city, with high walls, and was formerly the me-tropolis of a kingdom that bore the city’s name ; but Eckbar, great grandfather to Au-rengzeb, fent his fon, Jehan Guire, with a great army in the fixteenth century, andconquered it, and annexed it to the empire of the Great Mogul.

It is ftill a place of good trade, though not half i.-habited, and it contributes verytnuch to the wealth and grandeur of Surat , to which it is fubordinate ; and its vicinityto Amadabant, from whence it is about 150 miles diftant, makes it /hare the advantagesof that great city, which, in magnitude and wealth, is little inferior to the beft townsin Europe. What it exports by fea, comes moft to Cambay, and is carried by the Surat /hipping all over India, except what European /hips carry for Europe .

The product and manufactories of Cambay are inferior to few towns in India . Itabounds in grain and cattle, cotton and filk. The cornelian and agate /tones are foundin its rivers, and no where elfe in the world. Of cornelian they make rings, and/tones for fignets, and of the agate, cabinets, intire /tone except the lids. I have feenfome of 14 or 15 inches long, and 8 or 9 deep, valued at 30 or 40I. fterling. Theyalfo make bowls of feveral fizes of agate, and fpoons, and handles of fwords, daggers*and knives, and buttons, and /tones to fet in fnuff-boxes, of great value.

They embroider the be/t of any people in India , and perhaps in the world. Theirfine quilts were formerly carried to Europe . I have feen fome worth 40I. fterling,and fome cornelian rings, above double their weight in gold. The Patanners are theirnear neighbours. They are moftly horfemen, and bold fellows, who borrow roundfums from the city, by way of compulfion, and the Raffpouts and Coulies make inroadsinto this province, and plunder even to the gates of the city, and fometimes have fur-prifed, and plundered the city itfelf, for which negleft the governor’s heads an-fwered.

In anno 1716, they were very bold and prefumptuous, fo that there was a flop putto all the commerce of Amadabant and Cambay. The governor of Surat got an armyof 20,000 to chaftife and reftrain them ; but they laid fo many ambufeades, that, intwo months, the army was reduced to lefs than half the number, and the reft wereobliged to get home, with forrowful hearts, to Surat .

The next town of note for commerce, is Baroach, a walled town , /landing on a rifingground, on the banks of the river Nerdaba. Formerly it was a place of great trade,but in Aurengzeb’s wars-with his brothers, about the year 166o, this town held out agreat while againft his army. That feafon proving a dry one, Aurengzeb’s folks fuf-fered much for want of freffi water and provifions, but at laft he took it, and put allfo the fword that had borne arms againft him, and razed part of the walls, and pro-

2 ' nounced