THE COAST OF MALABAR. I7 



" and among thcfe Znnaar wearers there are alfo the 

 " higher, middle, and lower. Of the firft are the 

 " Brahmens, who are above all others the moft ref- 

 " peetable ; and thefe alfo have among themfelves the 

 " fame diftindtions of firft, fecond, and third degrees. 

 1 6th. " The Nayrs of Malabar follow the martial 

 " profefTion,* and exceed both in numbers and dignity, 

 " having fundry degrees among themfelves ; and in- 

 " ferio/to them in call: are the leers, whofe practice 

 <c it is to climb up the cocoa-nut trees, and to bring 

 <c down the fruit, and to extract, the intoxicating juice 

 " thereof, called toddy ; and below thefe Teers are the 

 " carpenters, fmiths, goldfmiths, fimermen, &c. and 

 " under thefe again, in refpecl of degree, are the Po- 

 " teres, or Poliars, (i.e. ploughmen,) and thofe of other 

 <f bafe cafts, engaged in the manual part of hufban. 

 " dry ; and among whom alfo are other fubordinat.e 

 tc degrees of diftinclion.f 



* Poliar the labouring lower clans are named ; 

 By the proud Nayrs the noble rank is claimed ; 

 The toils of culture and of art they fcorn : 

 The fhining faulchion brandifh'd in the right, 

 Their left arm wields the target in the fight. 



Camoens, Book vii. 



Thcfe lines, and efpecially the two laft, contain a good defcrip- 

 tion of a Nayr, who walks along, holding up his naked fword 

 with the fame kind of unconcern, as travellers in Other countries 

 carry in their hands a cane or walking- ftaff. I have obferved 

 others of them have it fattened to their back, the hilt being ftuck 

 in their waifiband, and the blade rifirtg up,, and glittering be- 

 tween the fhoulders. It muft not, however, be inferred, that all 

 the Nayrs betake themfelves, at prefent, to the martial profeffion; 

 for, according to the information collected for me with much 

 care on the cuftoms of that country by the late Lieutenant Mac 

 Lean (who was Malabar tranjlator to the commiffion of which I 

 was a member) there are fuppofed to be thirty diftinct clafies of 

 this general tribe ; many of whom do now apply to the peaceable 

 arts of hufbandry, penmanfhip and account, weaving, carpen- 

 ter's work, pottery, oil making, and the like; though formerly 

 they are all faid to have been liable to be called upon by their rcf- 

 peftive fovereigns to perform military fervice. 



+ For a farther account of thefe calls, fee note page 5, and fe- 

 cond note page 1 3. 



Vol. V. B 17th. 



