FIROZGUR.-A town in the province of Hyderabad, 105 miles S.W. from the city of Hyderabad; lat. 16°25′ N., lon. 77° 20' E.

FIROZPOOR.-A small fort and village above Suchatal, in the province of Delhi, district of Saharunpoor, where Timour is supposed to have crossed the Ganges; lat. 29° 30 N.(Capt. Hodgson, & c.)

FLORIS (or Endé) ISLAND. A large island in the eastern seas, situated between the eighth and ninth degrees of south latitude, and the 120th and 123d of east longitude. In length it may be estimated at 200 miles, by thirty-six the average breadth. The proper name of this island appears to be Endé, it having been denominated Floris by the early Portuguese writers, and after them by succeeding voyagers and geographers. Viewed from the sea this island appears hilly, and on the south

side there are several conical volcanic mountains, of great elevation, one of which exploded in 1810, with much

uproar.

the natives Mangeray, was colonized from Bima in Sumbhawa, to which state, until 1819, it was subordinate; but in that year it revolted and set up the standard of independence.

The sea-coast of Floris has been

colonized by Malays and Buggesses, while the interior is occupied by the aboriginal natives, respecting whom little is known, except that their physical appearance corresponds more with that of the Papuas than with the natives of Timor. They appear to be subdivided into innumerable petty communities, some consisting of not more than one village, and, like all barbarians in a similar stage, cursed with a never-ceasing hatred to their neighbours; a perpetual warfare is the consequence, during which slaves are made on both sides, and sold for exportation to Macassar and the other ports of Celebes.-(Malay Miscellanies, Bligh, Leyden, Milburn, &c.)

FORMOSA (or Tywan).-A large island lying off the south-eastern coast of China, distant about 200 miles, between the twenty-third and twenty-fourth degrees of north latitude. In length it may be estimated at 180 miles, by fifty the average breadth. The proper name of this island is Tywan, though called Formosa by Europeans, and it is about 200 miles distant from Manilla in the Philippines.

According to Chinese accounts Formosa was not discovered until A.D. 1430, and then only by accident, after which it remained wholly unnoticed for 134 years; nor was it at last occupied by the Chinese until 1661, by which time the European settlers had rendered it worth possessing. The Dutch at an early period established a settlement, and exercised considerable authority. 1625 the viceroy of the Philippines sent an expedition, which landed on that part of Formosa next the island of Luzon, where they erected fortitifications in order to oppose the Dutch, and also to propagate the Roman Catholic religion. In 1630

In

the Dutch governor, Neyts, treacherously seized some Japanese vessels, which were afterwards liberated by the address and bravery of their crews. Prior to this period the island does not appear to have been subject to the Chinese empire. About the middle of the seventeenth century Formosa afforded a retreat to twenty or thirty thousand Chinese, unwilling to submit to the Manchew conquerors of their country. These refugees carried on a great and lucrative trade with their countrymen in China, and produced considerable revenue to the Dutch government, every per son above seven years of age paying a capitation tax of half a guilder per mensem. The island also being at no great distance from Japan, the Dutch Company's factory had an advantageous trade with that rich empire. From 1642 to 1662, while the Dutch possessed Formosa, they procured their teas through that channel, which is still the most natural, being in the vicinity of the tea-producing provinces.

In 1653 the Chinese inhabitants of Formosa entered into a conspiracy against the Dutch, which was suppressed with the assistance of the original natives. Soon after this, Coxinga (Kue Sing Kong), the governor of the maritime province of Tehichiang in China, applied for permission to retire to the island with his followers, to escape the invaders; but his proposal was rejected by the Dutch governor. Coxinga in consequence ordered all the Chinese to join him on the continent, which summons was obeyed by one half, and in order to distress the rest he prohibited all intercourse, and declared war against the Dutch. Two years afterwards peace was restored, but Coxinga, finding his situation in China insecure, determined to establish a more independent sovereignty in Formosa, and in consequence re solved to invade that island, being encouraged by the ruinous state of the Dutch fortifications.

In March 1661 he arrived at Tywan or Formosa with a fleet of 600 ves

sels, and made himself master of the town and adjacent country, and afterwards besieged Fort Zealand. The Dutch made several ineffectual efforts to relieve it, but were each time repulsed with considerable slaughter. At length the governor, Westburgh, having sustained a close siege as long as it was possible to resist, was obliged to surrender on the 5th July of that year, and the survivors of the garrison were allowed to embark on board the Dutch ships. This was a severe blow to the Dutch East-India Company, as while they retained Formosa they could control the commerce of the Spaniards, Portuguese, and Chinese, and had a place of refreshment for their ships trading to Japan.

Coxinga, not long after he had completed the conquest, sent a messenger to the Philippines, requiring payment of tribute from the Spaniards. He also engaged in war with the emperor of China on the mainland, and was afterwards defeated and slain in a naval battle against the united fleets of the Dutch and Chinese. His followers then withdrew from the coast of China in 260 vessels, but the place of their subsequent retreat has never been ascertained. Notwithstanding this victory, the allies could make no impression on Formosa, it was so well defended by Coxinga's uncle, Tavia, and afterwards by his son, Tching King May.

After Coxinga's death it is probable that the dynasty continued to be distinguished by his name, as the records of the East-India Company in 1671 mention a war between the King of Java and Coxsin the chief of Formosa, whose power at that period controlled the Sultan of Jambee on Sumatra, and of Johore on the Malay peninsula. In 1676 the English East-India Company had a factory on Formosa, the principal object of which was, through this medium, to carry on a trade with Japan. At that period the chief exports from Formosa were fine copper and gold, both probably in the first instance procured from Japan.

In the year 1683 the reigning prince, Tching Ki San, voluntarily surrendered his dominions to the Emperor of China, who settled a pension on him; and, having thus easily acquired Formosa, garrisoned it with a strong body of troops, and

with him it has remained until the beginning of the present century. In 1805 the Ladrones, or pirates, had acquired possession of a great part of the south-western coast, which exported a great deal of grain to the province of Fokien in China.-(Macpherson, Bruce, Zuniga, Krusenstern, Crawfurd, &c.)

FOKWAK ISLE.-An island in the Eastern seas, extending thirty-six miles along the east side of the gulf of Siam. It produces agilla-wood, has a sea-slug fishery, and in 1820 was said to contain 2,000 inhabi

tants.

FOOLEYTA.-A small walled town in the province of Ajmeer, belonging to the Row of Ooniara, situated among wooded hills at the entrance of a pass leading from the Tonk pergunnah to that of Ooniara, sixtyfour miles travelling distance south from Jeypoor.

FORT HASTINGS.-A small fort in Northern Hindostan, district of Kumaon, recently erected by the British government on the site of the Gorkha fort (or rather fastness) of Kotalghur, about three miles west from the frontier station of Lohooghaut; lat. 29° 25' N., lon. 80° 3′ E., twentyfive miles S.E. from Almora. This fort stands on the narrow but level summit of a commanding eminence, about 500 feet above the cantonment at Lohooghaut, and 6,321 feet above the level of the sea. The ramparts are irregularly formed to correspond with the margin of the cliff, with a parapet and loop-holes all round, and bastions at the angles; the whole, as well as the buildings within, constructed of an extremely compact gneiss, much better adapted for masonry than the loose schistose rock used at Almora. The hill is insulated and of very difficult ascent, and the

only gate is protected by a palisade, so that with a small garrison of 200 or 300 men it would be almost impregnable.-(Fullarton, &c.),

FORT KING.-A substantial fort in

the island of Ceylon, which commands the ferry of a considerable stream, eighteen miles W.S.W. from Candy, and 631 feet above the level 34' E. The surrounding country is of the sea; lat. 17° 13′ N., lon. 80° productive, and a bazar has sprung up in the vicinity of the fort, where in 1816 nothing but jungle was to be seen.-(Davy, &c.)

FORT MACDONALD.-A military station in Ceylon, in the province of Upper Ouva, thirty-eight miles S.S.E. from Candy; lat. 6° 49′ N., lon. 81° 3′ E. This post stands 3,000 feet above the level of the sea, but the summit of a pass two miles distant is about 1,500 feet higher.-(Davy, &c.)

FORT MACDOWAL.-A military post in the island of Ceylon, first established in 1803, but which soon disappeared. Since the conquest of the Candian provinces it has been reconstructed, and permanently occupied, being on the high road from Candy to Trincomalee; lat. 7° 30′ N., lon. 80° 48′ E., fourteen miles north from Candy.-(Davy, &c.)

FORT MARLBOROUGH.--(See BENCOOLEN.)

FORT WILLIAM.-(See CALCUTTA.)

FORT ST. DAVID.-A fortress on the sea-coast of the Carnatic, sixteen miles south from Pondicherry, and 100 S.S.W. from Madras; lat. 11° 45' N., lon. 79° 50' E. The factory here was first established in A.D. 1691, when the Court of Directors ordered a purchase to be made from the Ram Raja of a new settlement named Tegnapatam, which was accordingly done, and re-named Fort St. David, the territory thus acquired being larger than that of Madras. In 1693 it was discovered that a plot had been arranged by Dr. Blackwell, the garrison surgeon, to deliver up this for

tress to Zulficar Khan, Aurengzebe's general, who was then besieging the Ram Raja in Ginjee, in recompense for which he was promised a large sum of money, and the government of Portonovo. He was seized and carried to Madras, where he made full confession of his treachery, which comprehended also the seizure of all the English settlements on the Coromandel coast. After the capture of Madras in 1746, by the French under M. de la Bourdonnais, the British factory retired hither, and were again besieged, but without sucFrom this period it continued the head of the British settlements in this quarter until 1758, when it was taken by M. Lally, after a short siege. The French then completely demolished the fortifications, which were never rebuilt, and remain now very much in the same state as M. Lally left them. For this dilapidation a severe retribution followed, when Pondicherry surrendered in 1761.(Orme, Bruce, Wilks, &c.)

cess.

FORTIFIED ISLAND (or Baswa Rasa Durga).-A small island in the province of Canara, about one mile in circumference, situated a short distance north from the entrance of Onore Bay. It was originally fortified by an Ikeri raja, and greatly strengthened by Tippoo, who intended to make it his naval arsenal.

FRINGYBAZAR.-A small town in the province of Bengal, district of Dacca Jelalpoor, situated on the west side of the Dullasery river (formed of a branch of the Ganges and one of the Brahmaputra),about thirteen miles S.W. of Dacca; lat. 23° 33′ N., lon. 90° 23′ E.

FUGA ISLE.—A small island in the Eastern seas, about thirty-five miles in circumference, one of the Philippines, and situated due north from the large island of Luzon or Luçonia; lat. 19° N., lon. 121° 30′ E.

river; lat. 10° 17′ N., lon. 104° 16' E. It has a triangular form, thirty-four miles in extreme length, sixteen in extreme breadth, and generally covered with thick woods and luxuriant vegetation. In 1821 it belonged to the Cochin Chinese, and was frequented periodically by Chinese and Cochin Chinese in search of sea-slugs and aguilla-wood.—(Finlayson, &c.)

FULGO RIVER (Phalgu).-A river in the province of Bahar, formed above Gaya by two immense torrents, named the Mohané and the Nilajan. The first enters the Bahar zillah from

Ramghur, twenty miles S.E. of Gaya; the last about eleven miles south from the same place. When it reaches the high and rocky shore of Gaya, the channel of this river, where free of islands, is about 500 yards broad, and when filled by the periodical monsoon, its floods rush past that city with tremendous noise and velocity. It is usually said that the sacred portion of the Fulgo, which extends about half a mile, occasionally flows with milk, but the entire stream has been long noted for its sanctity.-F. Buchanan, &c.)

FULTA (Phalata, fertility). — A large village in the province of Bengal situated on the east bank of the Hooghly river, twenty miles S.S.W. from Calcutta in a straight direction, but much more following the curvatures of the river; lat. 22° 19' N., lon. 88° 20 E. The anchorage here is safe, ships being protected from the The bottom is a swell of the sea. stiff clay, in which anchors hold so fast that it is difficult to weigh them.

FUNNALAGHUR.-A small fort in the province of Candeish, built on a conical peak on the summit of the Satpoora mountains, formerly of conbut now in ruins. Near to Funnalasiderable strength and importance, ghur there was a pass called Kookreem ghaut, leading to Bheekungaum, but not now frequented. The fort stands eighteen miles N.W. from Laowda, and ten miles N. of Beeawul; lat. 21° 24′ N., lon. 75° 47' E. (Malcolm, &c.)

FURDAPOOR.-A village with a fine serai belonging to the Nizam, situated on the Berar frontier just below the Ajuntee ghaut.

FUREEDABAD.—A small town in the province of Delhi, from the capital of which it is distant fifteen miles south; lat. 28° 26' N., lon. 77° 5' E. This place is remarkable for a large tank with a ruined banquetting house on its margin. There is also a large grove of tamarind trees, but no mangoes, few of which grow in the province of Delhi, owing to the unusual multitude of white ants, to whose increase ruins and a dry soil are favourable; indeed the whole country in this vicinity is barren and disagreeable, and the water bad. The white ant always attacks the mango in preference to all other trees.

FUREEDPOOR.-A town in the province of Bengal, district of Dacca Jelalpoor, situated on the south side of the Puddah (Padma), or great Ganges, five miles from the bank of that river, and forty miles from the city of Dacca. This is the headquarters and residence of the judge and magistrate and civil establishment of the zillah of Dacca Jelalpoor.-(Fullarton, &c.)

FUREEDPOOR.-A town with a good serai in the province of Delhi, district of Bareilly, ten miles S. by E. from the city of Delhi.

FURRAH.-A small village with the remains of a mud fort (now converted to a saltpetre manufactory) in the province of Agra, district of Agra, situated on the high road from Agra to Mathura. This place is built within the enclosure of what has been an extensive serai, the walls of which are still preserved as a means of defence. On a little hill in the neighbourhood is a square mud fort, with a round bastion on each flank, and a little outwork before the gate. Formerly all the villages in this part of Hindostan were provided with a similar fort, where the peasantry and their families might seek refuge on the approach of their

a

FURRUCKABAD (Farakhabad, happy residence).-A district in the province of Agra, situated in the Doab of the Ganges and Jumna, and between the 27th and 28th degrees of north latitude. To the north it is bounded by Bareily and Alighur; to the south by Etaweh and Cawnpoor; on the east it has Bareily, and on the west Alighur. This zillah, compared with the adjacent ones, is of small extent, and from its locality exempt from many disadvantages to which they are liable. Its jurisdiction comprises only thirteen police stations, and being almost surrounded by the judicial subdivisions of Cawnpoor, Etaweh, Alighur, and foreign banditti unless they first peBareily, it cannot be molested by gistracies, and it is thus preserved netrate through some of these mafrom a contingency, which it is difficult to guard against in the neighbouring districts. The whole jurisdiction of Furruckabad is within the Doab, except the police station of Kakutnow, which is on the east side of the Ganges, and adjoins the Oude territories. In 1813, according to the collector's returns, this zillah contained 1,805,383 cucha or small begas in cultivation, assessed to the revenue at 10,28,485 rupees, the whole of which was realized within three per cent.: the rate of assessment was consequently about nine annas per bega. Besides this, there were 297,350 begas fit for cultivation, and 1,046,704 waste.

Before the acquisition of the Doab