Indian Antiquary Vol 22

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 30

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JANUARY, 1893.
THE NAME "BASSEIN."
BY MAJOR R. C. TEMPLE. The name Bassein is perhaps the most irritating of all Anglo-Indian corruptions, for there are three towns in the Indian Empire so named by Europeans at the present day, and none of them are so known to the natives.
The most important of these towns is Bassein in Burma, then comes Bassein in Bombay, and lastly there is Bassein in Berar. The natives of these respective countries call Bassein in Burma Pabéng, Bassein in Bombay Wasai, and Bassein in Berar Basim or Wasim.
Old European names for Bassein in Bombay have been Bazai, Bagaim, Basain, Passaí, Bessi; but those for Bassein in Burma have been far more diverse, puzzling, and, it may be said also, interesting. It has been known by many variations of such widely differing words & Cosmin, Persaim and Bassein.
To take Cosmin first. Yule, Hobson-Jobson, 8.v., quotes Cosmin in 1516 and 545, Cosmynt in 1554, Cosmi in 1566 and 1585, Cosmin in 1570 and 1587. In 1800 Symes quotes a chart by Wood, called the “Draught of the River Irrawaddy or Irabatty," published in 1796, which gives both Cosmin and "Persaim or Bassein," as towns 30 or 40 miles apart, I have in my possession an atlas of old maps of the regions about Burma, and from these I can add information on this point. Cosmi appears in du-Val's map of the Royaume de Siam et des Pays circonvoisins," 1685; in Van der Aa's maps in 1720, (1) dressez sur les voyages de Nueno de Cunha, (2) déorites par Lopo Soares d'Albegeria, (3) Datch map after Nuno da Cunha, (4) Dutch map after Ralph Fitch, (5) Dutch map after Lopo Soares d'Albegerin, (6) Datch map after Fernando Perez d'Andrado (7) Dutch and French maps after Caspar Balby; in Pierre Mortier's map of " les igles d'Andemaon, Ceylan, les Maldives," 1740. Cosmin appears in that fine scientific prod action Coronelli's Route Maritime de Brest a Siam, 1685; in del'-Isle's Carte des Indes et de la Chine, 1705, copied in 1710, and again by Covens and Mortier in 1720; in Van der Aa's maps, 1720, (1) déorit par Ralph Fitch, (2) Datch map after Cæsar Frederiks; in a French map. 1764," Carte des Royaumes de Siam, de Tunqnin, Pegu, Ava, Aracan." And, lastly, a French map, "Carte de l'Empire Birman dressée et dessinée par Desmadryl jeune, 1825" gives Persaïm as 35 milles anglais" north of Cosmin, Persaïm being the more important place.
For Persaim, Yule, .. v., quotes Dalrymple's Repertory in 1759, a chart by Capt. Baker in 1754, Symes in 1795, and Wood's chart above mentioned in 1796. These two last be quotes for both Bassein and Persaim, and also for "Persaim or Bassein." Crawfurd, Embassy to Ava, p. 513, quotes Liester, 1757, for Persaim.
Bassein appears to have come into nse about the beginning of this century. It is Rassein throughout in Wilson's Documents relative to the Burmese War, 1827, who quotes, p. xliv. a Gazette Notification of 1826. It is Bassein also in Jackson's map, 1826, attached to Wilson's book. Boileau Pemberton's exceedingly rare and admirable " Map of the Eastern Frontier of British India with the adjacent countries extending to Yunan in China," 1838, has Bassein. But for the lower portion of the "Irawattee River" Pemberton expressly quotes “the chart of the lato Colonel Wood of the Bengal Engineers and the map of Major Jackson, Deputy Quarter-MusterGeneral of Bengal.” Snodgrass, Burmese War, 1827, p. 289, also has Bassein througboat. By the timo of the Second Burmese War in 1852 Bassein seems to have become thoroughly established, vide Wilson, Narrative of the Burmese War in 1824-6, 1852, p. 81; Laurie's Pegu, 1854, pp. 218ff; and in most authors of the period.
The evidence then is that up to 1764, A. D., Cosmin was the usual European name for the
As an instance of the rise of corraptions in place names in the Rast, I found an impressive photograph of the great Kogun Cares in the Amherst District labelled in . Rangoon Photographer's show-book, "The Cocoon Cave."
. . When the author was stationed at Bassein in Burme, about 17 years ago, letters for " Bassein " were constantly sent to the wrong place.
Yule, Hobson-Jobson, 6. v., Bassein. Campbell, Bombay Gasetteer, Thane, Vol. XIV. pp. 28 & Porasim occurs at pp. 57, 58, 62, eto, in Symes.