Lifer ary Discoveries in India. 233 



m'mister hai pronounced his text, the sound of the ironstyle 

 on the palm-leaf is heard throughout the congregation. 

 Even the hoys of the schools have their ollas in their hands ; 

 and may be seen after divine service reading them to their 

 mothers as thev pass over the fields homewards. This apti- 

 tude of the people to receive and to record the words of the 

 preacher renders it peculiarly necessary that '■' the priest's 

 lips should keep knowledge." Upon the whole, the moral 

 conduct, upright dealing, decorous manners, and decent 

 dress of the native prolestants of Tanjore, demonstrate the 

 powerful influence and peculiar excellence of the Christian 

 religion. It ought however to be observed, that the Bible, 

 when the reading of it becomes general, has nearly the same 

 effect on the poor of every place. 



When the Syrian Christians understood that the proposed 

 Malayalim translation was to accord with the English Bible, 

 they desired to know on what authwities our translation 

 had been made ; alleging, that they themselves possessed a 

 version of undoubted antiquity, namely, that used by the first 

 Christians at Antioch ; and that they could not depart from 

 the reading of tJiat version. This observation led to the in- 

 vestigation of the antient Svrio Chaldaic manuscripts in 

 Malayala ; and the inquiry has been successful beyond any 

 expectation that could have been formed. 



It had been commonly supposed that all the Syriac manu- 

 scripts had been burned by the Romish church, at the synod 

 of Udiamper, near Cochin, in 1599; but it now appears 

 that the most valuable manuscripts were not destroyed : the 

 inquisitors condemned many books to the flames ; but they 

 saved the Bible. They were content with ordering that the 

 Syriac scriptures should he amended agreeably to the read- 

 ing of the Vulgate of Rome ; and these emendations now 

 appear in black ink, and of modern appearance, though 

 made in 1599: but many Bibles and many other books were 

 not produced at all ; and the churches in the mountains re- 

 mained but a short time subject to Roujish dominion (if in- 

 deed they can be said to have been at any time subject to it) ; 

 lor the native governments have ever formed a barrier be- 

 tween 



