the Kingdoms of Cochin and Travancore. 17 



lowed to chant and perform all the services of the church of 

 Rome in the Syrio-Chaldaic language by a dispensation from 

 the pope. They live under the authority of the metropolitan 

 of Cranganore and the bishop of Vcrapoli, and dress dif- 

 ferently from other priests. They wear a white surplice, 

 while the priests of the Latin communion wear black gown& 

 like the Capuchin friars of J^Jadras. The Roman catholic 

 Syrians, it is thought, are much more numerous than the 

 members of the original church. Their clergy are spread 

 through the antieat churches, and, by retaining their lan- 

 guage, and acting under the direction of the church of Rome, 

 they leave no means unessayed to draw over their primitive 

 brethren to the Latin communion. It appears to me that 

 they are allowed to use iheir original language, and to fre- 

 quent the original church, entirely with this view ; and, as 

 far as I can karn, their numbers are gaining ground. There 

 are said to be eighty -six parishes of Roman catholic Syrians 

 subject to the dioceses of Cranganore and Verapoli. Their 

 priests, to the number of 400, are styled Catanars, which ii- 

 a Svrian appellation ; their congregations are reported at 

 90,000 (old and young included), agreeably to the last re- 

 turns transmitted to Route. There is an inferior order of 

 priests, who are called Chiamas, in number about 120. The 

 Hindoos have, as far as I can learn, a much greater respect: 

 for the Christian? of the original church than for the eon- 

 verts of the Latin communion; which may be accounted- 

 for by their not associating with the lower orders of people. 

 Attached to each church is a convent, where ihe Catauars 

 reside in community, there being three, four, or five, to each^ 

 church. The service is performed weekly, in rotation. There 

 is a seminary at the college of Verapoli for the education of 

 the Syrio-Rotiian catholics, and also one for the Latin church. 

 The Syrio-Roman catholics are chiefly engaged, as already 

 mentioned, in drawing their antient bretliren within the 

 Romish pale; but it appears that some of them have been 

 employed foriricrly in extending the general object of con- 

 version over the peninsula. I saw one of their churches, 

 at a village near Pillimbaddy, about thirty miles on the 

 Madras side of Trichinopoly ; and I heard of several others.. 



Thejy 



