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176 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.

that the sliip called the ' Bombay,' grab, of twenty-four guns,
(the secoiul in size belonging to the Company's Marine) has
been built more than sixty years, and is now a good and strong
ship. This timber and plank are pecidiar to India only ; what
grows to the south, on the coast of Malabar, is, however, very
good, and great quantities of it are brought to Bombay ; it is
called tick, and will last in a hot climate longer than any wood
Avhatever."
Mr. Parsons speaks as follows of the strength of the Bombay
Marine, at the time of his visit: — " The Company's Marine, on
the Bombay establishment, are more than twenty in number,
the largest of which is the ' Revenge,' mounting twenty-eight
guns, twenty of which are 12-poimders ; the second is the
' Bombay ' grab, the remainder are from sixteen to eight guns
;
and as there are several little piratical States, both on the north
as well as on the south coast of Bombay, the coasting trade
could not be carried on in safety without being convoyed by
such vessels belonging to the Company. It is usual to see
sixty or eighty coasting vessels sailing between Surat and
Bombay, convoyed by one or two of these vessels." Mr.
Parsons cruised down the Malabar coast with Commodore
Moore in the 'Revenge,' in company with the 'Bombay 'and
the ' Drake,' which lost her Commander, Captain Field, who was
drowned while going on board his ship off Onore. His loss,"
he adds, " is greatly regretted by all who knew him, as he was
a young man of excellent character."
In the year 1775, the head builder of Bombay dockyard was
]\Ir. Manackjee Lowjee, one of the famous Parsee firm of ship-
builders, of whom, perhaps, the most remarkable was his
nephew, Mr. Jamsetjee Bomanjee, who built for the British
nav3''some line-of-battle ships and several frigates which were
remarkable for their strength and seaworthy qualities. Some
estinjate of the durability of the work of these eminent Parsee
builders, who were, for more than a century, associated with
the Bombay Marine and the Indian Navy, may be gathered
from the history of the ' Swallow,' (called after a cruiser of the
same name) built by Manackjee Lowjee, and launched at
Bombay on the 2nd of April, 1777. After serving in many seas,
and in the Indian, Royal and Danish Navies, for a period of
more than half-a-century, the ' Swallow ' ended her career, not
in a ship-breaker's yard, but on a shoal in thellooghly; s'he
was one of those craft of which the old ' Bombay ' grab was,
perhaps, as regards longevity, the most remarkable specimen.
Briefly, the ' Swallow's ' career, from the cradle to the grave,
was as follows :— She was first employed as a Company's packet,
and made several trips between India and England ; was then
taken into the Bombay Marine, and, after a short time, returned
to the Packet Service, in which she continued for many years.