Page:The Periplus of the Erythræan Sea.djvu/254

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‘“The maritime traffic, to which the ship type bears witness, is also attested by the large numbers of Roman coins which are found on the Coromandel Coast.’? (E. J. Rapson, Coins of the Andhra Dynasty, Ixxxil).

Earty Souru InpIAN Corns

(re-drawn and restored from Elliot, Coins of Southern India) Plate I, fig. 38 Plate II, fig. 45

Kurumbar or Pallava coin of the *» Andhra coin, showing a two-masted Coromandel coast; showing a two- ship, presenting details like those of masted ship like the modern coasting ° the Gujarati ship at Boroboedor, and vessel or @’ honi. the Persian ship at Ajanta.

‘The shipping of the Andhra and Pallava coins doubtless survives in the modern ‘‘masula boats’’ at Madras:

‘*The harbor (of Madras) can never be a harbor of refuge, and all that the works will secure’ is immunity for landing and shipping operations from the tremendous. surf Which. is, so general along the whole of the Coromandel. ecdot An. Passenger , trafhc from the shore to the vessels is cattied on by jolly-boats from the pier, or masulah boats’ from’ the shoré: ‘Phese. latter are“relics of a bygone’ day, when Madras was an open roadstead‘and- when landing through the surf by any form of jolly-boat was a matter extremely difficult, if not impos- sible. These masulah boats are flat-bottomed barges constructed . of planks sewn together with rope of cocoanut fibre, caulked with oakum, and are able to withstand better than far more solidly built craft the ‘shock of being landed on. the sandy beach from the crest-of a seething breaker.’’ (Furneaux, J/ndia, 254.)

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