Before being leased by the king to the East India Company, Bombay
had formed part of the marriage settlement between Charles II and
the Portuguese princess, Catherine of Braganza. After initial difficulties,
it proved to be a far more convenient and secure base of operations
for the company than their original facilities at Surat. This print,
from around 1750, shows a busy harbour with a number of East Indiamen
in the foreground.
With easy access to the major trade routes of the Persian Gulf and
Indian Ocean, and the increasing importance of trade with China, by
the 19th century Bombay would become an important centre for British
commerce.
National Maritime Museum PAH2685 (c.1750)
Copyright © National Maritime Museum,
London
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