The Palomar vessels sail remarkably well, and stow a good cargo. 'They belong principally to Bombay merchants, and partly carry on the coast ing trade to that port. They are grab-built, that is, with a prow stem, which is the same length as the keel ; and the dimensions of the largo class are 76 feet 6 inches in length, 21 feet 6 inches in breadth, 11 feet 9 inches in depth, and about 200 tons burden. They are planked with teak, upon jungle wood frames, and are really very handsome vessels, being put together in the European manner, with nails, bolts, etc.; and their bottoms are sheathed with ineh-board, and a layer of chunam mixed with cocoanut oil and a portion of drunar (country rain) ; this Is a wry durable substance, and a gnat preservative to the plank against worms. Some of the smaller of Him. vessels, of about sixty tons burden, are sewed together with coir, as other native boats are. The small class has one, and the large class two, mists, with the lateen sail ; the foremast raking forward. for the purpose of keeping the ponderous yanl clear when it is raised or lowered. The yard Is slung at one-third of its length ,• the tack of the sail is brought to tire stern-head, through a fixed block, and the sheet hauled aft at the side, as usual. The halyard is a pendent and treble block from masthead aft to mIdships ; thus acting as a backstay for the mast's security, together with about two pairs of shrouds. These vessels generally export salt from Bombay to the coast, and take back coir, rice, cocoanut, copra, oil, timber, sandal - wood, pepper, and various articles, the production of the coast. They are navigated with much skill by men of the Mopila caste, and other Munalmans, and have a crew of ten or twelve men and a tindal, who are good pilots and navigators off the coast from Bombay to Cape Comorin,— generally speaking, honest and trustworthy.
Tho Arab Dow is employed in the trade between the Red Sea, the Arabian coast, the Gulf of Persia, and the coasts of India, in Cutch, Gujerat, and Malabar. They were also used in the Persian Gulf for war and piracy. They are always manned by Arabs. The Arab Dow is 50 to 500 tons, but usually of about 150 to 250 tons burden by measurement ; grab-built, with 10 or 12 ports ; about 85 feet long from stem to stern ; 20 feet 9 inches broad, and 11 feet 6 inches deep. Of late years this description of vessel has been built at Cochin, on the coast of Malabar, most perfectly in the European style. These vessels have a great rise of floor, are calculated for sailing with small cargoes, and are fully prepared, by internal equipment, for defence,. with decks, hatchways, pc.cs, poop-deck, etc., like a vessel of war; many of them are sheathed on two-and-a-half•ineh plank bottoms with one-inch board, and the preparation of chunam and, oil, as before described, which is called galgal, put between the planks and sheath ing-board, causing the vessel to be very dry and durable, and preventing the worm from attacking the bottom. The worm is ono of the greatest enemies in India to timber in the water, while the white ant is as much so out of it. On the outside of the sheathing-board there is a coat of whitewash, made from the same articles as that between the sheath ing and planks, which coat is renewed every season they put to sea. These vessels have .gene rally one mast and a lateen sail ; the yard is the length of the vessel aloft, and the mast raking forward for the purpose of keeping this ponderous weight clear in raising and lowering. The tack of
the sail is brought to the stern-head, and sheets aft in the usual way ; the halyards lead to the taffmil, having a pendent and treble purchase block, which becomes the backstay, to support the mast when the sail is set ; this, with three pairs of shroud; completes the rigging, which is very simple, the whole being of coir rope. (The Ri-Dow is a small Dow.) Several of these vessels were fitted as brigs after their arrival in Arabia. and armed by the Arabs for cruising in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, as piratical vessels ; they were also the class of vessels of which Tipu Sultan's fleet at Onore (Hunawar) consisted. When armed, they were too powerful for the Bombay marine brigs, but this never happened but when in great numbers and the brigs weak and unsupported. Sir John Malcolm says the large Dow ships make generally one voyage in the season to the southward of Arabia, taking advantage of the north-east monsoon to come down, and the south-west to return with an ex change cargo. They generally bring dates, fruit, preserves, Shiraz wine, and horses, and take back rice, coir, canvas, cocoanuts, oil, timber, damar, etc., various articles of cloth of the country manu facture; and from Bombay, European articles 'of every description. The trade in those vessels, ex tending from Allipey, the southernmost port on the coast of Malabar, up to Bombay,—all the trade to Bengal,—is carried on by ships which are called country traders,' from the Gulf of Persia and Arabia.
The Bagla or Budgerow takes its name from an Arabic word, the feminine of baghl, a mule. The Bagla is engaged in the trade of Cutch, Gujerat, and the Malabar coast, to the Gulf of Persia, the coast of Arabia, and the Red Sea. They are Indian vessels, and manned with Indian seamen called lascars. It is one of the Most ancient vessels to be met with in the Indian seas. Their extreme length from stern to taffrail is about 74 feet, the breadth about 25 feet, and the depth in hold 11 feet 6 inches, with about 150 tons burden. The peculiarity of form and extraordinary equipment of these vessels is said to have been the same from the period of Alexander the Great. They are armed with two guns on the afterpart or right-aft of the stern, for defence against pirates, and have their poop-decks with a round stern, their extreme sections about the centre or middle of the vessel ; they are very broad in proportion to their length, with a sharp rising floor ; the stern is straight, and rakes very little more than the stern-post. These vessels are constructed with timbers and planks, which are nail and trenail fastened in the most rude and unsafe manner possible. The topside above the deck is barricaded with mats on the outside of the timbers, which run up to about eight feet from the deck ; and when they have no cargo on board this barricade is removed. They have only one mast, with a huge yard made from two spars, the small ends lashed together, and a lateen sail, the tack of which goes to the stern-head; they generally trade like the Dow, and are navi gated by Arabs and the people of Cutch. This singular and rude vessel, as well as the Arab Dow, is peculiarly adapted to the coasts of Arabia and the Red Sea, which are subject to periodical winds, during which these vessels are navigated with much ease.