In the size of ships and in number also we excelled.
Lord Wellesley wrote: "The port of Calcutta con-
tains about 10,000 tons of shipping built in India. From
the quantity of tonnage now at command, from the
state of perfection which the art of ship-building has
already attained in Bengal (promising a still more
rapid progress) it is certain that this port will always
be able to furnish the tonnage to whatever extent
may be required for conveying to the Port of London
the trade of the Private British merchants of Bengal."
"Ships built at Bombay were executed one-fourth
cheaper than in the docks of England." From a "Re-
gister of ships built on the Hugli from 1781-1839" it
appears that the total number of ships built was 376.
The best building years during the period were 1801,
1813, 1876, when 10,079, 10,376 and 8,198 tons respect-
ively were launched.
The British borrowed Indian models. In 1811, a
Frenchman, F. Baltazar Salvyus, in his Les Hindous,
testified, "In ancient times the Indians excelled in the
art of constructing vessels. . . . (They) can still offer
models to Europe so much so that the English, atten-
tive to everything which relates to naval architecture
have borrowed many improvements from them which
they have adopted with success to their own shipping.
The Indian vessels unite elegance and utility and
are models of patience and fine workmanship,"
During the 18th century, India built up and main-
tained considerable trade with the Near East, Persian
Gulf Region, Java, Sumatra, West and East Africa, etc.
Dr. Taylor says: "The arrival in the port of Lon-
don of Indian produce in Indian built ships created
a sensation among the monopolists which could not
be exceeded if a hostile fleet had appeared in the
11