The Ramparts Are Provided With Many Good Cannons, Some Of Which
Are Of Vast Size.
It has one gate on the inland side with a draw-bridge,
and a small postern to the river.
The captain of this castle has a
garrison of 200 horse. In front of the castle is the Medon, [Meidan, or
esplanade,] being a pleasant green, having a may-pole in the middle, on
which they hang a light and other decorations on great festivals. On
this side, the city of Surat is open to the green, but is fenced on all
other sides by a ditch and thick hedges, having three gates, one of
which leads to Variaw, a small village at the ford of the Taptee
leading to Cambay. Near this village on the left hand is a small
aldea, pleasantly situated on the bank of the river, where is a great
pagoda much resorted to by the Indians. A second gate leads to
Boorbanpoor; and a third to Nonsary,[232] a town ten coss from Surat,
where much calico is manufactured, standing near a fine stream or small
river. About ten coss farther in the same direction is Gondoree,
[Gundavee,] and a little further Belsaca, [Bulsaur,] the frontier town
towards Damaun. Just without Nunsary gate is a handsome tank of
sixteen sides, surrounded on all sides by stone steps, three quarters
of an English mile in circuit, and having a small house in the middle.
On the farther side of this tank are several fine tombs with a handsome
paved court, behind which is a small grove of Mango trees, to which the
citizens resort to banquet. About half a coss beyond this, is a great
tree much venerated by the Banians, who alledge that it is under the
protection of a dew, or guardian spirit, and that although often cut
down and grubbed up from the roots by order of the Moors, it has yet
constantly sprung up again.
[Footnote 230: This depth probably refers to the anchorage below the
bar. - E.]
[Footnote 231: Masulipatam, or, more correctly, Mutshelipatnam, is at
the mouth of the Kistna, on the opposite coast of India. - E.]
[Footnote 232: Nunsary is a small river, with a town of the same name,
16 or 18 miles south of the Taptee. - E.]
Near the castle of Surat is the Alphandica, where are stairs down to
the river for landing and shipping goods, and within the alphandica are
store-rooms for keeping goods till they are cleared; the customs being
two and a half per centum for goods, three for provisions, and two for
money. Without the gate of the alphandica is the great Gondoree or
Bazar, being the market-place for all kinds of merchandize. Right
before this gate is a tree with an arbour, where the fokeers,
[faquiers,] or Indian holy men, sit in state. Between this and the
castle, at the entrance of the green, or atmeidan, is the market for
horses and cattle. A little lower, and on the opposite side of the
river, is a pleasant small town named Ranele, inhabited by a people
called Naites, who speak a different language, and are mostly seamen.
The streets of this town are narrow, with good houses, each of which has
a high flight of steps to its door.
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