It is singular that though the whole shore north and south of Bombay is dotted with these strongholds, no drawings or descriptions of them appear any where to exist in published form. We have embellished, and fancy pictures numberless of Ghauts and Lindoo temples-Government have just arranged for delineations of the mosques and public buildings of Beejapore-how could officers who handle the pencil with skill better employ a few months' leave, or recommend themselves to their honourable masters, than by supplying us with plans and elevations of the fragments still remaining of the keeps and strongholds of the former masters of the land?

From the mouth of the Taptee to Vingorla we might have a hundred pictures of this sort, of surpassing interest, produced in a couple of months' time; and surely Government would not begrudge the service of one of their own sturdy pattimars to accommodate the artist, nor overlook the claims on their notice with which his industry armed him.

The works referred to are fast hastening to decay-antiquities, like Sybylline leaves, seem to become more valuable the less of them that remains; and neglected as they now are, while as yet there is enough to show us what they were in their most palmy days, they will probably become objects of interest as the last fragments of them threaten to disappear.

The sea here becomes shallow, and large spi's and banks of sand are traced on the charts as stretching across as the Gulf of Cambay begins to open out. Lines of fishing stakes, surrounded by flocks of birds, stretch away far out of sight of land; the water is muddy and dirty looking, and the tides so strong that even with a tolerable wind blowing vessels are unable to stem them. The effect of some fifty or sixty native vessels, such was the amount of the fleet within sight of us, which have been all day struggling against a stiff wind, crossing and recrossing each other's paths continually, all coming to anchor at once, as the sun goes down, within no great distance of each other, all sleeping motionless on the waters as dawn approaches, and simultaneously intent with life, ruffling their plumage, and giving their white sails to the wind, as the strength of a favourable current enables them to battle with the breeze, is most interesting. The rush of the tide at its strongest resembles that of a mile race, it comes roaring and foaming down, straining the cable, and rushing against the bows and along the sides of the vessel as if about to carry her along with it.

There is an anecdote of a Government pattimar with treasure on board having been pursued by a privateer or pirate, which threatened at one time to prove too much for her, having dropped the money-boxes into the sea near a line of fishing stakes, with a line and small float attached to each, returning again next next morning to fish them up when the enemy had departed.

Fishing stakes are naturally associated in the English reader's mind with shoals and sandbanks, and so they ought to be; but in India, the deep sea stakes are from 80 to 120 feet in length, so that there is no fear of the largest vessels getting aground in their neighbourhood. They are built of great pieces of teak, from eight to fourteen inches in thickness: where more moderate dimensions suffice, a single palmyra or cocoa-nut stem is sometimes employed. These are often to be found from fifty to eighty feet in height, and, like the teak, seen exempt from the ravages of borers. Between these, large bag-nets are suspended, of from ten to twelve feet aperture at the mouth, and from 100 to 150 feet in length, and narrowing away to a point. Boats are always in attendance on the stakes to remove the fish at the turn of the tide; the nets being emptied, are triced up during the period of slack water, and then dropped into the sea when the current becomes strong. Multitudes of sea birds are always seen flying or floating around them, ready to pounce upon any of the fish which may in their struggles show themselves above water.

A Government pattimar is said on one occasion to have been pursued by an European ship of war: the native craft had no chance with the enemy in fight, and not much in the chase; but she knew the peculiarities of the sea, which her opponent did not. About four in the afternoon, as the sea breeze began to go down, the tide was becoming pretty strong, so as to make both vessels drift to leeward; the pattimar anchored, and then clapped on every stitch of canvass

she could set, making a mighty show of watering her sails; the enemy saw herself losing way, but ascribed it to the superior sailing of the chase. The moment darkness set in and concealed her movements, the pattimar availed herself of the turn of the tide, and knowledge of the coast, and in the morning was nowhere to be found by her pursuer.

Some score of miles to the south of Domus the delta of the Taptee begins, and the land becomes so flat as to be invisible at a distance of ten miles from the shore; and then the curious spectacle presents itself, of palm trees springing apparently from the surface of the sea. No land, or signs of land, appear anywhere; but the tall cocoa-nut, in single trees or clumps, stands clear and distinct against the sky. The present bar is about ten miles from the actual debouchure of the Taptee: outside of this we anchored, and then pulled on shore in a boat. The appearance of the land is most delusive, and looks not one third the distance off it actually is. For a time the sail is pleasant enough; but by-and-bye the currents and cross-currents, with an ebbing tide of the river, come roaring down like a whirlpool, and sweep and whirl the boat about in all directions. Great black banks of mud or sand, like vast sea monsters begin to show their backs on the surface:first one or two appear at once, then others spring up before, and behind, and beside you, till uniting, together, they form long filthy looking spits of sludge and sand. The current now encreasing in strength, and the water decreasing in depth, the boatmen land and tow the vessel along; and in all likelihood the passengers must land a good couple of miles from the shore, and thread their way through heavy sandbanks and deep channels as they best can.

The banks near Domus are full of hollows and basins, of from a few feet to many yards in diameter. These are left full of water by the retiring tide; these open into the sea by narrow deep cuts through the sand, which continue to pour out their little torrents and mimic cataracts, often till past low water. At half tide many of the banks appear from five to seven feet above the level of the sea. Standing on the gunwale of a boat, it is impossible to see over them.

The barrier spit of sand at Domus, running in a long line of sandy hillocks and low hummocks parallel with the shores, is obviously the old bar of the Taptee, when the delta was under water, and the sea probably extended at least as high up as the present site of Surat. There is a very considerable fishing village, with fine groves of trees at Domus, and a number of handsome residences close by; the favorite hot weather retreats of the wealthier European and Native residents of Surat.

Till within these ten years, Surat was the station of a commodore, one or more armed vessels constantly cruizing, or being anchored, off the bar: the last incumbent was the late Captain Pepper, who died at Poona in August 1848; he appears while here to have devoted some attention to the geological marvels in the neighbourhood, many of the finest Perim specimens in the British Museum are marked as presented by his daughter, Miss Pepper.

The commodore's bungalow is now desolate, it seems to have been a very comfortable place of abode, and is still kept in repair by Government, and taken care of by a not over civil or attentive sepoy. A wall, with a neat wooden railing, surrounds the compound; the flag-staff is taunt and entire; the gates are dropping from their hinges, and there are the remains of a shrubbery and flowers inside: one of the bungalows is getting into a state of dilapidation-the other and principal one is clean, neat, and habitable; the outhouses, cook rooms, and servants' apartments, are nearly in ruins: the whole presents that most deplorable of spectacles, a dwelling house in the country long uninhabited, but not yet so much decayed as to sever it from living associations, or make us forget the home it long and till lately presented.

Domus is almost isolated by a marsh and low grounds overflowed by the tide, which extend for a mile and more into the interior. The delta of the Taptee is here indifferently fertile, and very partially cultivated: it is obviously suffering from want of irrigation; water could bring it into the highest state of fertility, Cotton is grown in small quantities, and chillies, after cotton, seem the principal produce along by the river. Surat is scarcely discernible till close by.

NEW CHARTS.

Published by the Hydrographic Office, Admiralty, in March 1851, and Sold by J. D. Potter, 31, Poultry.

LES MINQUIERS, Capt. Martin White, R.N., 1850.

INDEX TO RIVERS, PARANA AND URUGUAY, Capt. Sulivan 1847.

PARANA RIVER. 3 sheets, Capt. B. Sulivan, 1847, each

URUGUAY RIVER,

Do.

do.

s. d.

199666

11122

MALAY, PENINSULA, Singapore TO TIMOAN, Mr. J. T. Thompson, (surveyor)1 6

1849.

COROMANDEL HARBOUR, NEW ZEALAND, Capt. J. L. Stokes, R.N., 1840. 0 EAST INDIA LIGHTS, Corrected to 1851.

PRACTICAL RULES for ascertaining the deviation of the compass, caused by the Iron in a ship, corrected to 1851. Hydrographic Office, Mar. 20th, 1851.

0

63

0 3

EDWARD DUNSTERVILLE, Master R.N.

METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER.

Kept at Croom's Hill, Greenwich, by Mr. W. Rogerson, of the Royal Observatory. From the 21st of February, to the 20th of March, 1851.

THE PACIFIC OR GREAT OCEAN.-A Nautical Sketch.

POLYNESIA, studding the blue bosom of the ocean of oceans, par excellence, the Great Ocean, hitherto the Pacific, popularly the South Sea, with emerald dots almost as countless as the radiant golden stars of the azure concave imagery of heaven, and apparently as mysterious! It must have been an odd "heave and set" (admitting the nautical phrase) of mother Earth's and daddy Neptune's great pond, to settle at last into such a chequer-board of land and water! relics, shall we say, of early, not ancient days, the then measure of time, lost to us postdiluvians, and which, between record and geology has been a puzzle. But whether the earth was created millions of years before Adam, or not, we must leave as a question to the orthodox and the strata savans to settle. At present we have nothing to do with it.

This ocean, without a proper name, claims a passing notice on that very account. It is an undivided whole, of vast extent, studded with islands; yet it has never had a distinguishing appellative! The Spaniards called that portion, which laves the western coast of America south of the equator, the Pacific. The French formerly termed it the Grand Ocean, and latterly the islands Oceanea, by way of eminence; the English geographers for a long time divided it into North and South Pacific, and lately, have adopted a compound Greek word, Polynesia, (many islands); which is very applicable to the numerous insular lands. The ocean, therefore, is still without a specific name. Why not call it the Andean Ocean? The Atlas Mountains gave a name to the Atlantic. Are the Andes less stupendous or less noted, (leaving fabulous fantaNO, 5.-VOL. XX.

2 G

sies out of the question,) than the range of Morocco? The Oriental Ocean is named after the Peninsula of India.

One of two things pertains to this vast area of briny water, the wreck, or skeleton of a monstrous continent, or the relics of great continents, or, Vulcan, from an indefinite period (how long, who can even surmise?) has been blowing up his furnace under the bed of Neptune, and gradually lifting it upwards! No matter which; to the old sea god it must, as the latter action is known to exist, cause great alarm no doubt, as he is likely to lose portions of his domain by piecemeal, through the restless and energetic propensity of his calorific competitor for fame. The serious contemplation of the subject is attended with that sort of indescribable awe, and feeling of wonder that creeps over the mind, whilst reflecting upon the Omnipotent Power which produced such a world as this, and the countless orbs which dazzle our eyes with their brilliant magnificence, as we cast our sight upwards to the heavens.

If we exult in our knowledge, are we sufficiently thankful? If our self-love elevates us, are we sufficiently humble withal? Is our gratitude commensurate with the gifts bestowed upon us? Do we seek to unravel the mysteries of creation as a mere pastime, or, to what end? to mend the heart, and teach us humility? or to flatter our pride and minister to our vanity? Look into the Cosmos, what a display! These questions are important. But, however, any may answer them; let us not be unmindful of their bearing upon our happiness. Now to our theme.

Thousands of fragments (implied) show themselves to prove pressure, in some points at least, upwards; and the safety-valves of the fire-engine below, here and there are seen established. But others occasionally come sliding-up from a depth unknown; many from hidden causes are shut; whilst others take spell and spell to lead the gas off; and some are intermittent. Are we to trace electro-magnetism to these internal

fires?

The islands, many in groups, some in pairs, others single, are as a whole, a curious congregation. But the strangest marvel is, how those almost awash, hold their places against, very often, the tremendous lashings of the angry leaden-weighted billows; and farther, in what manner the sand-bank becomes converted into the grassy cay, then a wooded islet, and lastly a peopled island! It is not the human mason alone who uses lime as an agent in consolidation.

The means of accomplishment, the progressive processes, as far as we are capable of making these out, appear very curious, and would seem to embrace the industry of the following agents; 1. Ignivorous upheaving. 2. The coraline insect. 3. Birds. 4. Current drifts. 5. Wind and consequential storms. 6. And drifted canoes with a living freight. The detailed explanations from facts, would no doubt be interesting, but as our avocation does not lead us to a treatise on the rise and progress of islands, we may safely leave that to scientific voyagers. Mr. Bull has been "beating about the bush" in these localities for a series of years. There was nothing however to tempt a shot, the game was not piquant enough for his palate. Sandal-wood was the only article of importance fit for trade; swine, fruit and vegetables, as supplies