Shipbuilding at Bombay

Author(s): R. K. Kochhar
Source: Current Science , 25 June 1994, Vol. 66, No. 12 (25 June 1994), pp. 965-969
Published by: Current Science Association

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/24095910

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 HISTORICAL COMMENTARY AND NOTES

Shipbuilding at Bombay
R. K. Kochhar

The arrival of the Portuguese by sea in marine was meant to protect the coastal dated 23 June 1661, her dowry inclu
1498 introduced navy as a new para- area, whereas the navy could cast its net 'the Port and Island of Bombay in the
meter in the Indian geopolitical equa- wider. It is said that at one time when East Indies, together with all the rights
tions, placing the Indian rulers at a Lord Nelson, 'the future victor of Nile profits, territories, and appurtenan
disadvantage for all times to come. The and Trafalgar was in embarrassed thereof whatsoever'. The small island
Portuguese and the Dutch success in circumstances, he was a candidate for some eight miies long and three mil
East Indies as brought home by the the appointment of the superintendent wide, no doubt mattered little to t
capture of their ships brought the of the Bombay marine'4. king of Portugal. But it enclosed a lan
British to the Indian shores in 1608. The The seaport of Surat was located some locked bay and its natural harbour co
trade was extremely lucrative despite 12 miles to the west at a village called shelter a large fleet. When the n
the risks. During the third voyage cloves Swally. The British repaired their old reached India, the Portuguese circles
were purchased at Moluccas for £2948, ships here and in course of time started India were dismayed and immediately
which on return to England fetched building new ones. Surat had a long pointed out the disadvantages of ma
£36,287. The first 11 years of trading tradition of shipbuilding and even the such a gift. An attempt was mad
with East Indies (including India) 'gave Mughal emperors got their ships built purchase the island back from England
clear profits, seldom below one here. (Figure 1 shows a traditional boat but Charles II wanted such large sums
hundred, and often more than two that was used on the eastern waters.) 'that they reach to millions'. The islan
hundred, per cent, on the capital Once the British shifted from Surat to of Bombay was finally transferred
invested on the voyage1. The Portuguese Bombay, shipbuilding activity was also England on 8 February 1665. withou
violently opposed the British presence transferred. The first Europeans to touch any trace of grace or pleasantness t
in what they considered to be their own Bombay were the Portuguese who one normally associates with a br
zone of influence. The British decided arrived at Mahim in 1509 and took over dowry. The king's governor of Bomba
to meet force with force and inflicted a the island in 1534. In 1538 (or 1541) soon discovered that the island cost
crushing defeat on the Portuguese on Bombay was rented in perpetuity to more to govern than it yielded as
sea in 1612. The chain of events that Garcia d'Orta, a physician and professor revenue. By a charter dated 23 March
culminated in the 1757 battle of Plassey of Lisbon (and said to be a converted 1668, Charles II granted the port and
in Bengal had its beginning in this sea Jew). He paid a yearly quit rent of about island of Bombay to the East India
skirmish. The naval prowess and the £85. In 1563 he wrote a book Company to be held to the said
religious neutrality of the British greatly 'Dialogues on simples and drugs'where Company... in perpetuity and in fre
impressed the Mughal emperors who he mentions the island under the names and common soccage at a fee farm rent
though powerful on land like the of Bombaim and Mombaim. D'Orta of £10 payable on the 30th of
elephant were helpless on sea which was lived in India from 1534 to 1572 September yearly at the Custom-hou
infested with European crocodiles. The (ref. 5). The island of Bombay was formally
British were asked to contain the handed over to the east India company
fanatically anti-Muslim Portuguese, on 23 September 1668.
who were particularly severe on the Haj Bombay While opposing the inclusion of
pilgrims. In return the English mer- Bombay in the dowry, the Portuguese
chants received attractive business con- While Portugal and Britain were viceroy
cessions. (Another factor in favour of engaged in bitter rivalry in India, they Castr
the British was the expertise of its entered into a royal marriage contract India will
ships' doctors, which was made which had far reaching consequences6. the
available to the Mughal umra, that is The English king Charles II married Bombay
nobility.)2 princess Infanta Catherine of the House indeed. The Britis
To protect its trade from the of Braganza of Portugal. According to from S
Portuguese and the pirates, the English the 11th article of the treaty of marriage, little
merchants at Surat locally established, from where Britain went ahead to build
in 1613, east India company'sTable
marine. 1.
Table 1. The
The evolution of Indian
evolution navy a vast
of Indian overse
navy
The small naval service consisted of 1612-1950
1612-1950
coastal boats, known as grabs and
gallivats, on which were mounted two1613-1686 East
to 1613-1686 India
East Indiacompany's
company s marine
marine Dockyard
six guns and which were manned by 1686-1830 Bombay
1686-1830 Bombay marine
marine
1830-1863 Her majesty's Indian navy
volunteers from the company's ships Her majesty s Indian navy Bombay had taken to shipbuilding in
who fought as well as traded.1863-1877
omBombay
ThisHer
1877-1892
• , 1 f . • , r> , 1877-1892 Her
majesty
marine
ay majesty's
manne the Portuguese
Indian marine
s Indian
time itself. In 1625 when
marine ^ , , , _ , . . . ., ,
service developed first into Bombay n„,„i i„ji/„
1892-1950 Royal
t er h • ^ i j- 3 1892—1950
„ the navy
English and
IndianIndian
Royal
the Dutch jointly raided
navy ^ , , _ , ,
marine and finally into
1950- Indian navy Indian navy 1950- Indian n
(see Table 1). Generally speaking, construction which they promptly put to
CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 66. NO. 12, 25 JUNE 1994 965

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HISTORICAL COMMENTARY AND NOTES

first dry dock to be built in India is still

in use, now known as the upper old
Bombay dock. Others were built in the
following years.
In the first phase of shipbuilding the
emphasis had been on repairs and
construction of coastal boats for
protection. The things however soon
changed. Increasing prosperity of th
east India company meant building o
bigger and larger number of ships in
England. This and the marine rivalry i
Europe resulted in large scale felling
oak trees in Britain. Accordingly in
1772 the company was prohibited from
building any large ships. They were
asked instead to either build their
vessels in India or colonies or to charter
vessels built there. Preservation of
British oak forests was one reason.
Superiority of teak over oak was
another. Oak contains lignic acid 'which
corrodes and consumes the very metal
Figure 1. Decca Pulwar', of 17 ton burden, used on the eastern branches and upper (iron) which is employed to unite and
channels of the deltas of Ganga and Brahmaputra. The bottom of the boat resemblessecure it in the various forms into which
the immersed portion of the nautilus shell. These are well-built boats of hard wood, it is converted for the purposes of naval
and use square sails.' (Henderson A., British Association for the Advancement of architecture'. In contrast teak "abounds
Science Report for 1858, p. 272.)
with oleaginous particles, the best and
certain defence of iron from corrosion
by the action of the acid'. In addition
flames. As soon as Bombay passed into or Lowji's son and successor Maneckji
'teak was not disposed to splinter to the
the British hands, repairs and Lowji. The surname Wadia was same extent as oak' and thus 'the effect
shipbuilding were started under the new not appended in official correspon
of shot upon teak is far less dangerous
auspices. The British repaired their dence.)
than upon oak10
merchant ships. In addition they built This was the time when the British
new ones to deal with the menace of were engaged in a bitter fight against
piracy from Indian and foreign the piracy ol die Angrias, which lasted
adventures as well as to meet the threat more than 4<i \ears from about 170/ to
from their European competitors. There 1751. Connajce or Kanhojee [Kanha-ji]
were problems, though. The Portuguese Angria «as a common seaman in
obstructed the supply of timber, and the Shivaji's licet, but rose to command a
Mughal authorities did not permit good feet of his own. "Animated by a lust for
carpenters to leave Surat. Most of the plunder, there now flocked to his
carpenters at Surat were Parsis. A letter standard numerous adventurers, includ
from Bombay to Surat dated 10 January ing renegade Christians, mostly Dutch
1736 states that "We have intention to and Portuguese, Arabs, Mussulmen and
build a new grab but we are in want of a Negroes, a most daring and desperate
good carpenter. We are told that there is band". (Note the selective use of the
one in Surat named Lowjee. If he will adjective renegade.) Kanha-jee Angria
come hither he shall have all fitting died in about 1731 and was suceeded by
encouragement'. Lowjee Nusserwanjee his son Sambhajee. He was finally
(Wadia] arrived in Bombay from Surat defeated by the British in 1751. During
in March 1736, accompanied by ten the period Bombay built a number of
other carpenters. The salary demanded coastal boats apart from repairing
by them was prett> high, but the merchant ships. In 1745 two boats were
Bombay government hoped that 'they made for the viceroy of Goa for use
would deserve it by their performance'. against his enemies. This was done as
(The hope was certainly fulfilled. the "same will be the means of keeping a
Lowjee was designated master builder number of workmen upon the Island and
in 1740. The post remained with his be otherwise beneficial'. In addition to
descendants till 1884 when the meeting its own requirements on the Figure 2. Maneckji Lowji Wadia (1720
dockyard was transferred from the west coast, Bombay also built ships for
92), the second master builder of
Bombay government to the Indian Calcutta and Madras. Construction
Bombay ofdockyards
a 1774-92 (picture
courtesy:
government8. Figure 2 shows Lowjee dry dock was taken up in 1749. This Neville N. Wadia).

966 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 66, NO. 12, 25 JUNE 1994

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 HISTORICAL COMMENTARY AND NOTES

The shipbuilders in Britain were not implied that the case was brought to Britain was now an industr
impressed by these arguments. Their trial not because of the illegality and captive India was the best
main concern was loss of business. As a involved but because the judge of the happening to it. In the. y
sop to them, the British parliament high court wished to embarrass the England sent out cotton goo
ordered that the crew and the captain of Bombay governor (Sir John Malcolm) £156 to India. In the yea
Indian ships should be Englishmen. The and his brother, the navy superintendent figure was £27,876. while 10
British Indian government chipped in by (Sir Charles Malcolm). it had gone up to £108.824. In 1813, the
levying 15% duty on goods imported The court pronounced Hawkins guilty British parliament abolished the trade
into India in India-built ships but only of slave trade and condemned him to 'be monopoly of the company, so that the
half this amount on goods brought in transported to the east coast of New British manufacturers and traders were
British-built ships. In addition, it was South Wales for the term of seven now free to enter the huge Indian
stipulated that only British ships could years.' The sentence was however market. During the 16 years after 1813,
import goods 'from south and east of subverted. Hawkins was put in a navy the company's annual trade averaged
the Cape of Good Hope'. ship with clear instructions that he be £1,882,718 whereas private trade was
Ship-building industry in Bombay treated as an officer and a gentleman. three times higher at £5,451.452 (ref.
under the leadership of the Lowjee When the ship touched Madras, 18). (In 1833 the company ceased to be
family now entered its golden age". The Hawkins and the ship commander 'were a trader altogether. It became admini
frigate 'Cornwallis' built for the com- feted for three days by the community'. strator and ruler of India, deriving its
pany in 1800 by Jamsetjee Bomanjee At Batavia [Jakarata], the commander dividend from the revenues from the
was found to be so beautifully const- decided with a straight face that his ship country. Control of India passed to the
ructed and of such great strength, that it could not proceed to Sydney. It must be crown in 1858, and the company was
was purchased by the admiralty. diverted to England to deliver some wound up in 1874.)
Jamsetjee took a private revenge for the important despatches that had accumu- The merchants were keen to introduce
racial insults that were the order of the lated at Batavia. In London, the presi- steam navigation on three routes: on the
day. On the kelson of this ship, he dent of the company obtained an placid north Indian rivers, in the opium
carved the words 'this ship was built by interview with the king who pardoned tea trade with China, and for steam
a d-d Black Fellow A.D. 1800'. Attent- Hawkins and 'graciously commanded communication between Calcutta and
ion was drawn to this by Jamsetjee that he should appear at the next levee.' England. Early steam machinery was
himself when the ship, renamed Ackbar 'Commander Hawkins obeyed the royal rather daunting. It used coal voraciously
by the admiralty, returned to the mandate, when His Majesty received and was extremely complex for easy
Bombay docks many years later12. him with great kindness, and conversed maintenance. Merchants neither had the
In 1810, Bombay built a 74 gun vessel with him.' Hawkins was paid his back capital nor the patience to see it through
'Minden' for the British navy. It was the wages as well as lawyer's fees and the developmental stages. The company,
first line of ship of the admiralty built reappointed to the command of his old no longer the monopolist it once was,
outside UK13. At about the same time'a ship 'Clive'. He rose to become the had no intention of sinking its money
similar vessel was subscribed by the superintendent of Indian navy. into steam for trade, but it had wars to
inhabitants of Calcutta, built at Kidder- w'n- What saw the steam navigation
pore, and presented to the Admiralty'14. . . throuêh was the Burmese wa
The admiralty however was not impres- Steam navigation (refs 19, 20).
jjcjj.ui ut- Captain Charles James Collie
sed and did not oblige by placing a „ }\ ^
n .I 1 r- , r „ a , i t » j , . . Davidson of Bengal engineers and son
further order for a vessel of that size Although a patent had been obtained as , „ , .. \ * i? u* o od
~ - ,i5 , & ,, tl. of a Calcutta merchant brought an 8 HP
with the Calcutta shipwrights early as 1736 (by Jonathan Hull) for ... . .. ~
v 0 : . v J. ... engine with an iron boiler and meant for
An 18 gun ship 'Clive' built at applying steam eng,nes to pro
Bombay in 1826 lends itself to a brief ,t was not till the steam
ment,on of the prevalent slave trade and perfected by Jam
the patronage ,t received16. Commander navigation could show si
of the ship, John Croft Hawkins, was The lead came from USA, which
asked in 1830 'to proceed to the coast have roads but had large tree
of Africa and islands in its vicinity and rivers. The first steam v
'to adopt the best means of entering for practical success and remuner
the service as many able-bodied lads as owners was a nver boa
you can, in age from twelve to eighteen, in 1807 ran the 146 "tile
free from all disease and bodily between New York city and Albany. It .
infirmity, and of that compact symmetry was almost immediately followed by the ncl enta * e irs* s*eam ProPe e
best calculated for seamen.' On his first sea-going vessel17. In Britain steam vessel in India does not belong to t
return Hawkins was tried for slave navigation was established in 1817 with realm of compulsions of history, but
trade. It became certain that there were a small 3.5 HP steam boat 'Comet' on Bie romance of history, as exemplified
other secret instructions that were never river Clyde. The first regular sea-going hy the idiosyncracies of a naw
brought on record. Hawkins in fact did steamer, 'Bob Ray', with a 30 HP Displaying a magpie like fascination f
not permit his lawyer to address the engine commenced operation in 1815 novelties and probably as a comm
court lest the lawyer compromise for the between Glasgow and Belfast. In 1819, moration of declaration of 'in
sake of his client the navy super- the British navy acquired its first pendence' from the titualar emperor of
intendent or the government. It was steamer, named 'Comet'. Delhi, nawab Ghazi-ud-Din Haider of

CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 66, NO. 12, 25 JUNE 1994 967

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HISTORICAL COMMENTARY AND NOTES

the l ich north Indian state of Oudh performance was declared unsatisfactory steam communi
( correctly Avadh) got a river boat built by the mercantile community, because a the Red sea', aski
for himself at Calcutta, in 1819. It has splendid sailing ship could cover the that 'the expens
an 8 IIP butterfly engine which gave the same distance in 90 days. Steam reduced'.
boat a speed of 7-8 miles an hour. The enthusiasts were disappointed but not Steam, navigati
boat was a toy; when the governor- the investors. On its arrival at Calcutta, consequences. Fi
general of India visited Lucknow, the 'Enterprize' was purchased by the gateway to India. I
boat was decked up for inspection. (The government for £40.000, and sent to tben as tbe bus
nawab, who had a European wife, also Rangoon. It was put to use for towing Secondly, the Re
built a short-lived modern observatory ships between Calcutta and the newly area was scie
at Lucknow.)21 acquired territories. F,nally' a" the countries en route lost
The economics of early steam It was not only Calcutta that was their independence To pmv.de 'Hugh
navigation can be seen from Calcutta's interested in a steam link to England. ln say wd ,Ue,' 1 6 S^a. „IS an(^ °
first steamer, 'Diana'. A member of the Bombay was interested even more. ° ',e orn 0 rica, wa
company's factory at Canton ordered a Monsoon winds made it easier for a 066 6 ^ 3 C°3 "!f Sta°n'. . ^COr ,'gf/
pair of 16 HP engines with a copper sailing ship to reach Calcutta than >t was taken over by the British ,n 1835.
boiler and the whole frame with a view Bombay. Steam would give Bombay the 7°"' , W3S 7 . . ^ " W3S.a
to getting a river steamer built for beneflt of shorter distance to Europe. ^,7 ™ " fh™« 'Ü
service on the Canton river. Unable to The Bombay governor, Mounstart sea routeras the °l0-day long arduous
^ °e1 w h cheML h m a 'to ^ale utt and ^ffere d ElphinSt0ne' made 'a distinCt °ff,cial journey across Egypt. Suez can
i J the pnvernment for Rs65 000 Pr°P0siti°n' m 1823 t0 the C0Urt °f dug in 1869. Ironically, it was dug with
it to the government for Rs 65,000, directors for the establishment of steam French canital even thoueh the hissest
merchant^ blZhUt Ïn^snent^othe^ communication between Bombay and beneficiaries were the British interests.
Rs .0,000 m replace the original ^aj inlo.led ?Tn" ^ f-t ship to pay the toll on the Sue
oakwood frame with the sturdier one of ovelnd ïolrnet Lrlss FPvtetereach C ^ gYPt ^ t0
teatc. The steamer was launched in 1823. 7^0iwrTneL sea t The nn„l B" C emP're 1882
The next year, luckily for the owners, 876 'hm the Court lntroductlon of stcam navigation did
the government bought it for Rs 80,000 3S 6 ^ " 18f' b" .^ C°U ' not mean lmmed.ate end of sailing
for the Burmese war22. 'Diana', unaffec- W6? "7' 8 , UPon the suggest- shlps. Ear,y steamships were so
ted by the south-west monsoons, was !°/Y Elphmstone s successor. Sir John unprofItable that they had to depend on
the 'star of the war'. Called 'fire devil' Malco'm' decided t0 g° ahead °n b,s government subsidies. The commercial
by the Burmese, it easily brought about 7"' A jtca™cr waS ^ at th? viability of steam came only when
British victory which secured Assam dockyard a"d 'ron.cally named Hugh engines were greatly improved and
and added the provinces of Arakan and L'"dsay ^. SfpUCaI COmPany shiPs were made of ,ron and then of
Tenesserim to the Comnanv's fold23 chairman. Hugh Lindsay was a small steel. This effectively brought teak-ship
. , '. ship of only 411 tonnes, with two 80 HP building at Bombay to a close, bringing
The river steamers were no substitute r. „ , ... , 10_. . , ,
, , _ , , engines. It left Bombay in March 1830 to an end a chapter in the colonial
or steam in etween a cutta an jts experimental voyage of 3000 history. From 1736
an u°f W 'C ot 1 e government mjieS; to Suez. It had to carry sufficient built a total of 334 vess
and merchants worked. A steam fund of coa, to reach ^ ,64, mi,es away of owners; Eas, ,nd
Rs 69,903 was collected at Calcutta and Before 'Hugh Lindsay' left, a collier merchants, Nizam
offered as a prize to any one whose brjg; iaden wjtb bQ0 tonnes of coal, was of Muscat, and th
steamship could make four consecutive dispatched so that coal could be stored these 334, 39 w
voyages between Bengal and England at at Aden, Jiddah and Suez. 'Hugh built or subsequen
an average of 70 days per trip (via the Lindsay' itself carried as much coal as it British navy during
cape ot good hope). Towards this fund could, filling with coal more than two 1849. A frigate
Rs 20,000 came from the governor- thirds of the space meant for passengers. 1817 for the British
general, Rs 2,000 from the nawab of -phe voyage was a spectacular success under the name
Oudh, and the rest from various jhe ship could reach Aden in 11 days Wadia vessels w
businessmen ot Calcutta . The inve- under steam alone. The journey to Suez variety of use, from ca
stors in England made a gallant attempt took a total of 32 days consisting of 21 Bombay governor
te rise to the occasion by building days 0f actual journey and 11 for teness it may be adde
Britain's first sea-going ship propelled stoppages. 'Hugh Lindsay' made a total 1936 another 46
by steam25. Aptly named'Enterprize', it of five voyages to Suez till 1833, all the Bombay dock
was a ship of 500 ton powered by two heavily subsidized. The average expense Britain owed its
60 HP engines, with copper boilers of coal per voyage was Rs 46,250 while sfa P°W?F' The Bom
extending across the ship, and seven receipts from passengers and letters Wadias was an im
„„„u , ■ . ., , - n , . small, contributor towards efficient and
furnaces, each seven teet in length. averaged only Rs 14,225 (ref. 26). ,
^ . -,n . c , r~ h ■ to-, a .L ■ f . low-cost maintenance of that power.
Carrying passengers and 30 tons of coal. Finally in 1834, the parliamentary F
'Enterprize' left England in August committee resolved that 'it is expedient
1825, and took as many as 115 days to that measures should be 1.
immediately
Low, C. j Low,
R., C R., Historyof
History of
reach Calcutta under steam and sail. The taken for the regular
vol. establishment of[Gives
1, 1877; see pp. 6, 12. vol. I, 1877; s

968 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 66, NO. 12, 25 JUNE 1994

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 HISTORICAL COMMENTARY AND NOTES

a detailed account of events 1613— when iron was replacing teak as the Historical Records of the Survey of
1863.] material for building ships, a India, 1945, vol. 1, p. 394.
2. A ship's doctor [Gabriel Boughton] conservator of forests [Dr Alexander15.
Ref. 3, p. 212.
visited Shah Jahan's court at Agra in Gibson] was appointed at Bombay. 16.
Ref. 1, p. 505.
1645 and later served as a surgeon to Ref. 3, p. 191. 17. Since Robert Fulton, the owner of
the emperor's son Shah Shuja who was The national anthem of USA, 'star 'Clermont', had obtained the exclusive
the viceroy of Bengal. Then in 1716, the spangled banner', was composed by right of navigating the waters of the
company's embassy to Delhi included a Francis Kay on board the 'Minden' state of New York, John Cox Stevens
surgeon [William Hamilton] who cured when it was in Baltimore. Ref. 3, boldly conveyed his ship from New
the emperor of a painful disease that p. 208. York city to Delaware by sea.
had delayed his marriage. In both cases, This was 'Hastings', the 74 gun, Samuelson, Martin, Q. J. Sei., 1864, 1,
medical services were reciprocated with solitary, line-of-war ship built at 239.
handsome gifts and trading concessions. Kidderpore near Calcutta in 1818. The18. Dutt, Romesh, The Economic History of
See Crawford, D. G., A History of the dockyard was established in 1780 by India, 1906, 2nd edn, vol. 1, pp. 183,
Indian Medical Service, 1914, vol. 1, Henry Watson (1737-86) of Bengal 209.
pp. 51, 113. engineers, on a piece of land obtained as19. Ref. 1, pp. 520-532; Ref. 3, ch. 12.
3. Wadia, R. A., The Bombay Dockyard a grant from the government. In 1781 he20. Headrick, D. R., The Tools of Empire,
and the Wadia Master Builders, launched the 36 gun frigate 'Nonsuch'. Oxford Univ. Press, 1981, ch. 1.
Bombay, 1957 (Reprint 1983), 2nd edn, In 1788 he launched another frigate, the 21. Kochhar, R. K., Vistas in Astronomy,
see p. 20. 'Surprize', of 32 guns. 'But his 1991, 34, 69.
4. Ref. 1, p. 525. resources were by this time exhausted; 22. Ref. 3, p. 288.
5. Douglas, James, Glimpses of Old after having sunk ten lakh rupees in his 23. Ref. 20, p. 21; also see ref. 19.
Bombay and Western India, 1893, vol. dockyard, he was obliged to relinquish 24. Ref. 20, p. 134.
1, p. 249. it'. The major activity at Kidderpore 25. Ref. 19, 20.
6. Ref. 1, p. 54. was in the hands of the two Kyd 26. Ref. 1, p. 532.
7. da Cunha, Garson, Origin of Bombay, brothers James (1786-1836) and Robert 27. Much to its humiliation, Indian navy
pp. 247, 258; cited in ref. 3, p. 9. (d. 1825) sons of Lt. Gen. Alexander was asked to run a steam service for
8. The Wadias received three grants of Kyd, the surveyor general of Bengal post and passengers from 1838 to 1854
inam land in Bombay; they were the 1788-94. The two brothers were trained when the service was handed over to the
only ones ever granted. The first was in in shipbuilding in England. Returning private Peninsular and Oriental Steam
1783, the second was in two instalments to Calcutta in 1800, they were Navigation Co. See ref. 20, p. 138.
in 1821 and 1849, whereas the third was apprenticed to Waddell, the company's
28. Ref. 20, pp. 136, 156.
in 1884 on the retirement of the last master builder. On his retirement in 29. Ref. 3, App. B & C.
master builder (ref. 3, pp. 167, 251, 1807, they purchased the Kidderpore
319). In addition, there were a number dockyard, with James Kyd becoming
of presents of medals, rulers and shawls. master builder to the company. A total
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. I thank Mr Neville
The prestige earned by the shipbuildingof 25 ships were built at his dockyard N. Wadia for his help in collecting material
Wadias helped other branches of the including Hastings. 'Diana' the first for this article.
clan in establishing themselves in steamer on river Hughli, was built in
various lines of business. 1823. On James Kyd's death in 1836,
9. Ref. 1, p. 97. the dockyard was purchased by the
10. Ref. 3, eh. 6. government. See Buckland, C. E., R. K. Kochhar is in the Indian Institute of
11. This ended the golden age of the Dictionary of Indian Biography, 1906,Astrophysics, Koramangala, Bangalore
Malabar-teak forests. Finally, in 1847 pp. 442, 239; Philiimore, R. H„ 560 034, India.

CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 66, NO. 12, 25 JUNE 1994 969

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