COCHIN, once the capital of the principality above described, but now a seaport of the district of Malabar, in the presidency of Madras, stands in lat. 9" 58' n.. and long. 76° 18' e., on the s. side of the principal channel, between the open ocean and the back water mentioned the preceding article. As this lake, so to speak, is, even in its lowest state, always navigable for canoes, its value, as a means of communicating with the interior, can hardly be overrated in a country where roads and bridges are nearly out of the question. The harbor affords a depth of fully 25 ft. ; dint there is a bar in front, which, according to the latest survey, has only between 17 and 18 ft. of water upon it. On this bar, during the s.w. monsoon, the surf breaks so violently, that it is sometimes, but not often, impassable for vessels. Still C. is next to Bombay on this coast with respect to ship-building and maritime commerce. Here the Portuguese erected their first fort in India in 1503. They were supplanted by the Dutch in 1653—the epoch also
of the transfer of Bombay to Charles II. In 1796, C. was captured by the British, and about ten years after, its fortifications and public buildings were destroyed, and its pri vate dwellings very much damaged. Notwithstanding this check, the place continued to flourish; many merchant vessels, ranging upwards to 1000 tons, have been built; and, besides ships of war for the local navy, 3 frigates have been launched for the imperial service. The population of the city, numbering about 20,000, is more heterogeneous than even that of the state of the same name, the additional elements being Dutch, Armenian, Arabian, and Persian. Its trade depends almost entirely on the produce of the cocoa-tree—viz., oil and cocoa fiber. Water is brought from a distance of 18 m. The averagt.temperature is Fahrenheit.