THE COAST OF MALABAR, 33 



being again given up, the fouthern as well as northern 

 Rajahs were left at Tippoo's mercy, which did not, 

 however, prevent fome of the Samoories from fhll lurk- 

 ing in, and occafionally exciting alarm and difturb- 

 ances, throughout the former part of thefe diftricts -, 

 fo that the officers of Tippoo's government were 

 obliged, in a like manner as their predecefTors under 

 that of his father, to induce this family to a peaceable 

 conducT, by beftowing a penfion in Jaghire upon Ru- 

 vee Vurma, one of the moft adtive of its members; 

 which might, perhaps, have led to a clofer union be- 

 tween the exiled Zamorin and the My fore government, 

 had not the negociations to that end been interrupted 

 in confequence of a refolution formed by Tippoo (in 

 the combined view of indulging his zeal as a Mahom- 

 medan> and of, at the fame time, rooting up, as he 

 fondly might imagine, the caufes of that averfion 

 which the Malabar Hindus had hitherto ihewn to his 

 government) to attempt the forcible converfion of all 

 his Hindu fubjedts in Malabar to the Mujfiilman faith ; 

 for which purpofe, after ineffectually trying in perfon 

 the effects of perfuafion, in a progrefs that he made 

 into that country in April, 1788, he directed his offi- 

 cers of Calicut, to begin by feizing on the Brdbmens 9 

 and to render them examples to the other claffes, by 

 enforcing circumcifion on them, and compelling them 

 to eat beef; and accordingly many Brahmens were 

 feized in or about the month of July, 1788, and were 

 thus forcibly deprived of their caffs ; whilfh others 

 fought for fhelter with the Rajahs of the Samocry's fa- 

 mily, two or three of whom were then within the Ca- 

 licut diffricls ; and Tippoo's having himfelf made 

 fimilar conffrained converfions of a Rajah of the fa- 

 mily of Perepnaad, (one of the fouthern talooks,) and 

 ofTiCHERA Teroopar, a principal Nayr of Nelemboor* 

 in the fame fouthern divifion of that country, together 

 with fome other perfons, whom he had for various 

 caufes carried up with him into Coimbitoor, thefe com- 

 bined circumftances, and the return of the above 

 named victims to his bigotry, fome fhort time thereafter 

 Vol. V. C into 



