order to take advantage
of the monsoon {225} in my passage through the Arabian and Persian
seas. Days, however, grew into weeks, for the favourable time was
already past, and the opportunity of meeting with ship conveyance
was there very rare.

Herr Wattenbach made my stay in Bombay very agreeable; he showed me
everything worth seeing, and accompanied me in excursions to
Elephanta and Salsette.

Bombay lies on a small but remarkably pretty island, which is
separated from the mainland by a very narrow arm of the sea; its
extent is about five square miles, and it is inhabited by 250,000
souls. Bombay is the principal town of Western India, and as its
harbour is the best and safest on the whole west coast, it is the
chief seat of commerce for the produce and manufactures of India,
the Malay country, Persia, Arabia, and Abyssinia. In a commercial
respect, it stands only second to Calcutta. In Bombay, every
language of the civilized world is to be heard, and the costumes and
habits of every nation are to be seen. The finest view of the whole
island and town of Bombay, as well as the neighbouring islands of
Salsette, Elephanta, Kolabeh, Caranjah, and the mainland, is to be
had from the Malabar point. The country, at some distance from the
town, consists chiefly of low hills, which are covered with
beautiful woods of cocoa-nut and date-trees; in the plain
surrounding the town there are also many such groves divided into
gardens by walls. The natives are very fond of building their
dwellings under the dark shadows of these trees; while, on the
contrary, the Europeans seek for as much light and air as possible.
The country-houses of the latter are handsome and convenient, but
not to be compared with those of Calcutta, either in size or
magnificence. The town lies on a level, along the sea-shore.

The active life of the rich inland and European commercial
population must be sought for in the fortified parts of the town,
which constitute a large quadrangle. Here is to be found
merchandise from all parts of the world. The streets are handsome,
the large square called The Green especially so. The buildings most
remarkable for their architectural beauty are the Town-hall, whose
saloon has no equal, the English Church, the Governor's Palace, and
the Mint.

The Open Town and the Black Town {226} adjoin the fortified
portions, and are considerably larger. In the Open Town, the
streets are very regular and broad, more