"twenty miles, full of thieves, being under the King "of Calicut, (the Zamorin,) a King alfo of the Gen"tiles, and a great enemy to the Portugals, with "whom he is always in war; and he and his country are the neft and refting for ftranger thieves, and those be called Moors of Carpofa, because they "wear on their heads long red hats, and thieves part "the spoils that they take on the fea with the King of Calicut, for he giveth leave unto all that will go a "roving, liberally to go; in fuch wife that all along "that coaft there is fuch a number of thieves, that "there is no failing in those feas, but with great fhips, "and very well armed; or else they must go in com "pany with the army of the Portugals."

XXVI. Upon the decline of the Portuguese power, the Dutch, establishing themselves on the Malabar coast, took from the former the fortreffes of Cannanore and Cochin and about the same period, or as early as 1664, the English East India Company appear, by the records at Tellicherry, to have begun to traffick in the Zamorin's dominions, in the southern diftricts of Malabar, as well as to have obtained, in 1708, in the northern parts of the fame coaft, a grant of the fort of Tellicherry, from the Colaftry, or Cherical Rajab, the limits of which they foon extended on the fouth fide, by the successful termination of a warfare, which they had in 1719 with the Corngotte Nayr, who alfo agreed that they should enjoy the exclufive trade of pepper duty free within his country; an acquifition which was followed, in 1722, by their obtaining a fimilar exclufive previlege (with a reservation in favour of the Dutch trade alone) throughout the more extensive country of Cherical: and in 1725 they concluded a peace with the Rajah of the diftrict of Cartinad; by which they became entitled to the pre-emption of all the pepper and cardamums it produced; acquiring alfo fimilar exclufive privileges in Cottiote in 1759: and in this manner fo rapid appears to have been the extenfion of the power and influence of the British

Nation on that part of the coaft, that in 1727 the Company's fervants at Tellicherry mediated a peace between the Kings of Canara and Colaftria, under which circumftances they added, in 1734-5, the island of Dermapatam, and the fort of Madacara, to their poffeffions, together with the entire laft mentioned island in the year 1749, with power to adminifter juftice therein, on the fame footing as at Tellicherry: and they appear, in fhort, to have been from this period courted, refpected, and feared, by all the Rajahs and Chiefs within the limits of the ancient Colaftrian kingdom, with which their good intelligence fuffered, however, a temporary interruption, in confequence of the Company's Government having, in 1751, entered into a treaty with the Canarefe King of Bednore; whereby, for the confideration of a factory at Onore, and a freedom of trade in his dominions, they agreed to affift him in the profecution of that Prince's then meditated continuation of hoftilities against the country of Colaftria; but the former harmony was again established in 1757, when a new treaty of mutual defence was concluded between the Company and the Rajah of Cherical; and fuch appears to have been in general the progrefs of the British influence, that the English East India Company became every where entitled to fuperior or exclufive advantages in purchafing the valuable products of the country, viz. pepper, cardamums, and fandalwood; and at laft obtained, in 1761, from the Rajah of Cherical, the further important privilege of collecting for their own behalf, the custom-house duties and tolls within their own territories, for the moderate confideration of a fixed quit-rent of 21,000 filver fanams, or 42,000 rupees per annum, to be paid to his government in addition to all which, he and the other Rajahs had by this time fucceffively yielded up their right to all wrecks or ftranding of the Company's veffels or property; an article which, with the customs on merchandize, conftituted two of the most inherent and acknowledged rights of the Malabar Princes at that period. XXVII.

XXVII. For otherwife thofe Rajahs' rights in general did not then extend to the exaction of any regular, fettled, or fixed revenue from their fubjects, the original conftitution of their government only entitling them to call on their vaffals, the Brahmen and Nayr landholders, for military fervice: but, althought this general exemption from any land-tax is ftated to have thus univerfally prevailed, in the early times of the Rajahs' governments, it is, however, allowed, that they were occasionally fubject to fome contribution for the extraordinary exigencies of defence against the invafion of foreign enemies, fuch as the Canarese and Portuguese and in Cherical, and also in the Samoory's dominions, the custom was at length introduced, or, perhaps, rather continued, from the earlieft period, (as intimated in Section VI.) of the Rajahs' levying from the lands (excepting, perhaps, thofe appertaining to the temples) a fettled revenue or income, in money or kind, equal to one fifth of the produce : and the Rajahs held also large domains of their own, which, with the customs on trade, and mint duties, might have been fufficient for the maintenance of their ordinary state; more especially as, in addition to these rights, they, under the head of Poorefbandrum, exacted from the Mapillas (i. e. the defcendants of the Muffulmans *) a fhare of the eftates of all deceased

perfons;

* Of the term Mahapilla, or Mapilla, I have heard many derivations; one of which was given me by a Cauzy of their own tribe, who fcrupled not (whether jocularly, or otherwife, I cannot determine) to combine it of the two Hindvee words Mah, mother, and Pilla, a puppy; intimating, that it was a term of reproach fixed on them by the Hindoos, who certainly rate them below all their own creditable cafts, and put them on a footing with the Chriftians and Jews; to the former of whom (if not to both) they apply the fame name: and thus the Chriftians of St. Thomas are diftinguished by the name of the Syrian Mapillas: but I rather confide in the more reasonable derivation I obtained thro' Lieut. MAC LEAN's researches, viz. that the term is indeed compounded of Maha, or Mahai, and Pilla, though not in the aforefaid Cauzy's offenfive fenfe, but as a denomination applied to the first strangers who fettled in Malabar, by reason of their being fuppofed to come from Mocha, which in Malabar is called

perfons; whilft, under the donation of Cheradayam, they derived a confiderable casual, though constant, revenue from the fines levied on crimes and offences; a well as from another article, called Chungadum, or protection money, received from the fupport and coun-tenance granted by one Rajah to the fubjects of another; and from the efcheats of the eftates of those of their Hindu fubjects who died without heirs; and from Talapanam, (which was a kind of poll-tax ;) and from the prefents made by their fubjects on the two annual festival days of ONAM and VISHOO; and other certain annual offerings; together with a few profeffional taxes, paid by distillers, weavers, and fishermen, among the lower cafts: befides all which, they claimed, as, royalties, all gold ore *, and all elephants, and the teeth of that animal; and all game, together with cardamum and Sagwan, or teek trees, and bamboos, and honey, and wax, and the hides of tigers, and the fins of all fharks caught, (forming a confiderable article of trade,) and the wreck (as above specified) of all veffels ftranded on their coafts.

XXVIII. The Chiefs who (under the denomination of the Rajahs, with the exception of a few independent Nayr landholders) have thus, for fo long a fucceffion of centuries, governed Malabar, are mostly of the Khetrie, or second tribe of Hindus; but the Cherical and Samoory (who were the two principal families in point of extent of dominions) are of the Samunt or Erary, (i. e. cowherd caft;) as is alfo the Rajah of Travancore, who is a branch of the original Colaftrian or Cherical family: And the mode of fucceffion that has time out of mind been established among these Princes (which I the rather add here, as ZEIRREDDIEN has not otherwise than by inference touched at all on this

part

Mahai; whilft Pilla is also another Malabar word for a child, or orphan; and from these two words the Mapillas are faid to take their name of "Children or Natives, or (perhaps Outcasts) of Mahai, or Mocha."

*Gold duft is found in a hill called Nellampoor Mella, in the talook of Ernaar or Ernaad.

part of the general fubject) is not, as in the rest of India, in favour of their own fons and children, but (as noticed by ZEIRREDDIEN in refpect to the Nayrs) of their brethren in the female line, and of the sons of their fifters, who do not marry according to the ufually received sense of that term in other parts of the world, but form connections of a longer or fhorter duration, according to the choice of the parties, for the most part with Malabar Brábmens, (called Namboories,*) and who differ effentially from others of that caft throughout the reft of India,) by whom are thus propagated the heirs to all the Malabar principalities, without, however, the reputed fathers having, or pretending to, any paternal claim to the children of thefe tranfitory engagements, who, divided under each Rajahfhip into diftinct branches, called Quilon, or Kolgum, or Kollum, i. e. families or palaces, fucceed (as has been already intimated) to the chief Rajahship, or fupreme rule, by feniority; whilft the next fenior, or heir-apparent, is ftiled the firft; and the others, or the heirs in expectancy, are (as for inftance, in the Samoory's family) distinguished by the titles of the fecond, third, fourth, or fifth Rajahs; as far down as which they are called general Rajahs; and being deemed more especially to belong to the ftate, form a kind of permanent council to the Zamorin; whilst all thofe males of the family who are more than five removes from the senior, or Zamorinship,

* Namboory, or Namboodire, is faid by fome (according to the explanation furnished to me by Lieutenant MAC LEAN) to be a corruption of Nambie, applicable to thofe whofe privilege it is to attend to and perform the religious fervice in the temples; whilft others affert that the name is derived from Nama, and Poogia, or Poogikanna, to invoke, pray, or perform religious ceremonies. Nambadie, or Nambidie, a clafs of inferior Bráhmens, faid to have become degraded from their ancestor, a Namboorie, having been employed by SHERMANOO PERMALOO, and the Malabarians, to cut off by treachery (which he effected) CHORA, a former percimal, or governor, whom KISSEN RAO had fent back with an army to fupercede SHERMANOO, as intimated in Section VII. And befides thefe, there are above a dozen more fubdivifions of the Brahmenical tribe..