2 EASTERN HINDOOSTAN. 



TiNEVEiLY, The kingdom of T^ineveUy is feparated from tliat of Travan- 



OR ' 



Fala.mcottah. core by the Ghauts. Its extent of coaft, to the border of the 

 Marazvars, is little lefs than a hundred miles. This province 

 and Madura are flat, and extremely produdlive of rice, which 

 yields a great revenue to the Nabob of Arcot. Abundance of 

 cotton grows in the drier parts. The principal places in the 

 firft zie T'inevelly and the fort of Palamcottah ; the laft has in its 

 neighborhood a peculiar manufacture of muflin. At Madura^ 

 variety of cloths adapted for table-linen, towels, 8cc. Madura 

 and Palamcottah are garrifoned by our troops, but the revenues 

 of thie country are colledted by the Nabob oi Arcot. 



Fishing Coast. '^^^ coaft of Tinevelly is Called the fifhing coaft, from the 

 valuable fifliery of pearls, over which the Dutch clame the 

 fovereignty, and have along the whole extent numbers of fet- 

 tlements. The Portuguefe once poflefled this coaft. Among 

 the niultitude of villages that fkirt the fca, feven are particu- 

 larly diftinguiflied. Tutocoryn (the Sojicure of Ptolemy) is the 

 chief, where are three large churches,built by Xh&Portuguefe,tw(y 

 of which have been applied to the ufe of the Calvinijis. Arrian 

 takes notice of the fiflieries, which he calls KoXu/iS'-jo-;? ra 7r;j;!cs;, 



Div N-G FOR °^ ^^^^^ diving for pearl. El. Edriji, p. 32, and Marco Polo, p. 13S, 

 prove the continuance in their days. The fiftieries are carried 

 on by the natives, who come with their fmall veffels from dif- 

 ferent places. They have two feafons in the year, the firft in 

 March and April, the fecond in Auguji and September, and they 

 keep a fair after each feafon for the fale. They do not fifh 

 every year -, they firft make trial of the ground by fending a 

 few barks, each of which bring back a thoufand fliells : If they 

 do not find in them a thoufand pearls to the value of ^YQfanos, 

 t or 



Pearl 



