Cochin
a seaport of Hindustan, in the Malabar district of the Madras presidency; on a small island; a picturesque place place with many quaint old Dutch buildings. Its harbor, though sometimes inaccessible during the S. W. monsoon, is the best on this coast. Cochin was one of the first places in India visited by Europeans. In 1502 Vasco da Gama established a factory, and soon after Albuquerque built a fort; he also died here in 1524. In 1663 the Dutch took the place, in 1795 the British. Pop. about 20,000. t 1 COCHIN