14 MADRAS FISHERIES BULLETIN [VOL. XVI, 



" with priests, and a naval force conveying troops, on which all the 

 " Parruas of the seven ports were baptized, accepted as subjects 

 " of the King of Portugal, and they dwindled thus from having their 

 " own chiefs and their own laws into subordination to priests and 

 " Portuguese, who however settled the rights and privileges of the 

 " Parruas so firmly, that the Rajas no longer dared interfere with 

 "them, or attempt to impede or abridge their prerogative; on the 

 " contrary they were compelled to admit of separate laws for the 

 "Parruas from those which bound their own subjects. The Portu- 

 " guese kept for themselves the command at sea, the pearl fisheries, 

 "the sovereignty over the Parruas, their villages and harbours, 

 " whilst the Naick of Madura, who was a subject of the King of the 

 "Carnatic," made himself master at this time of the lands about 

 " Madura, and in a short time afterwards of all the lower countries 

 " from Cape Comoryn to Tanjore, expelling and rooting out all the 

 " princes and land proprietors, who were living and reigning there, 

 " but on obtaining the sovereignty of all these countries, he wished 

 "to subject the Parruas to his authority, in which attempt he was 

 " opposed by the Portuguese, who often, not being powerful enough 

 " effectually to resist, left the land with the priests and Parruas and 

 "went to the islands of Mannar and Jaffnapatam, from whence 

 " they sent coasting vessels along the Madura shores, and caused 

 " so much disquiet, that the revenue was ruined, trade circumscribed 

 " and almost annihilated, for which reasons the Naick himself 

 "was obliged to solicit the Portuguese to come back again. 



''The Political Government of India, perceiving the great benefit 

 " of the pearl fishery, appointed in the name of the King of Portugal 

 " military chiefs and captains to superintend it, leaving the churches 

 "and their administration to the priests. Those captains obtained 

 " from the fisheries each time a profit of 6,000 rixdollars for the 

 "King, leaving the remainder of the income from them for the 

 " Parruas ; but seeing they could not retain their superiority in that 

 " manner over the people, which was becoming rich, luxurious, 

 "drunken with prosperity, and with the help of the priests, who 

 " protected them, threatening the captains, which often occasioned 

 " great disorders, the latter determined to build a fort for the King 

 " at Tutucoryn, which was the chief place of all the villages; but the 

 " priests who feared by this to lose much of their consequence as 

 " well as of their revenue insisted that if such a measure was 



Vijayanagai is meant, at this particular period. 



