Page:"Round the world." - Letters from Japan, China, India, and Egypt (IA roundworldletter00fogg 0).pdf/244

 doubling the stormy eape, avd pointing onl the new route to the Indies. Kor many years the Portoguese monopotigad tha rick trade of India, founding cities on both cast- era and western coasts, which they eurleked with most splendid churches, and like the Spaniards in the west, laid the foundation of anempire in injastios, and cemented it with innocent blood.

All that remsins to them now is the litte settlement of Gos, below Bombay on tho western coast, once great and opaient, now & poor, faded place, With a harbor half ehoked with raud, Ynere is ssid to be a easte in Western India called “Gonese,” or “Portuguese,”—black 23 crows, and good fer little exsept exoking—whiek represents the bybrid Lusitanien and eative mixture. The city of Bombay was given away ass misrriagse trosseau slong with tie Infanta Catharine to Charles IT.

But the Bombay of to-day is ruled by a potentate whom we once knew in Americas, “King Cotton,” and his ewsy is bere as ab- solute ag it ever was in Charleston or New Orleans. Catton Aas built the splendid sores aud wWarehouzes, which are uncgusied in aby city of the Hsat, Cation had collect- ed the hundred stesmers and the thousands of native boats tkat are suchored in the harbor, Ehe export of cotton rose from iweaty-five millier dollars worth in 1859 i¢ nearly two hundred millions in 1864; and the population from 400,000 to a million. Not even Chisszo ever took a greater leap then did Borabay in these five years. But the eudden decline in cottes in 1863 brought ou 8 Commercial crisis that ruined nearly evary merchant in the city. It hag now in a messure recovered frem the pauic, aud the rapld development of railways in Ludis, of which Bombay is the wostern terminus, and the spening of the Suez cenal, make thia place the great eatrepos for Huroncan gacds as well a3 the most important export poiat for raw prodootz, auch aacotten, jtte, epices, ivory snd gurss.

In wumbers, intelligence aud wealth the Parsees are the strongest ef ail the rer- chenta cf Bombay. Thisposition they have pained by their superior capacity for bust neve, enterprise and ebsence ct caste preju- dices, Which have made the name of leading Payses merchants widely known in Harope aawell estbeit ustive isnd. Diseiples of “roaster, and driven to Iadia meny hun dred yeasts ago, they haye no nationality of their own, but sre everywhere attached to