25 HISTORICAL REMARKS ON 



perfons ; whilft, under the donation of Cher a day am > 

 they derived a conliderable cafual, though conftant, 

 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 fubjecls of another; 

 and from the efcheats of the eftates of thofe of their 

 Hindu fubjects who died without heirs ; and from 

 Talapava'M) (which was a kind of poll-tax;) and from 

 the prefents made by their fubjecls on the two annual 

 feftival days of Onam and Vishoo; and other certain 

 annual offerings ; together with a few profeffional taxes 

 paid by diftillers, weavers, and filhermen, among the 

 lower calls : be fides all which, they claimed, as 

 royalties, all gold ore*, and all elephants, and the 

 teeth of that animal ; and all game, together with car- 

 damum and Sagwan, or teek trees, and bamboos, and 

 honey, and wax, and the hides of tigers, and the fins 

 of all (harks caught, (forming a confiderable article 

 of trade,) and the wreck (as above fpecifiedj of all 

 veffels ftrandcd on their coafts. 



XXVIII. The Chiefs who (under the denomination 

 of the Rajahs, with the exception of a few indepen- 

 dent Nayr landholders) have thus, for fo long a fuc- 

 ccffion of centuries, governed Malabar, are moftly of 

 the Khetrie, or fecond tribe of Hindus ; but the Che- 

 ricalixid Samoory (who were the two principal families 

 in point of extent of dominions) are of the Samunt or 

 Erdry, (i.e. cowherd call ;) as is alfo the Rajah of 

 Travancore, who is a branch of the original Colaftrian 

 or Cherical family : And the mode of fuccefiion that 

 has time out of mind been eftablifhed among thefe 

 Princes (which I the rather add here, as Zeirreddien 

 has not otherwife than by inference touched at all on this 



part 



Mahai ; whilft: Pitta is alfo another Malabar word for a child, or 

 orphan ; and from thefe two words the Mapillas are faid to take 

 their name of " Children or Natives, or (perhaps Outcafts) of 

 Mahai, or Mocha." 



* Gold duft is found in a hill called Ndlampoor Mclla i in the 

 talook of Emaar or Lrnaad, 



