Travels in India (Tavernier) 85.1.4

85.1.4

The only place suitable for the withdrawal of the vessels of the Company is the town of Diu, which belongs to the Portuguese. The advantages of its position are considerable for many reasons. The area of the town includes nearly 400 houses, and is capable of affording dwellings sufficiently numerous, and where the (crews of the) vessels would find all they required during their sojourn. It is situated on the coast of Gujarát, at the point of the Gulf of Cambay, and faces towards the south-east. Its shape is nearly circular, and more than half the circle is surrounded by the sea. It is not commanded by any elevation, and the Portuguese have built some fortifications on the land side which might be easily completed. It has numerous wells of good water, and also a river which falls into the sea near the town, the water of which is better than that of Surat and of Suwáli, and the shelter is very commodious for vessels.