THE T E L I N G A N RACE, 



181 



White descent; but one of them said, that "the Telinga Bramins 

 were liighly respected ; while the Bengal, Guzerat, Cutch, and Cash- 

 mere Bramins, were regarded as impure." 



From repeated inquiries it appeared, that the rules of ' cast' are 

 independent of colour or physical difference between the two races; 

 and further, that unlike what takes place in other countries and in 

 respect to other races, no such distinction is recognised by the people 

 themselves. I am not, on this account, prepared to abandon the 

 claims of the Telingau to be considered a distinct race; but I confess 

 the population of this part of India seemed so blended, that I was 

 unable to define the precise limits. 



To the Westward of Hindoostan, at Muscat, I saw two individuals 

 whose personal appearance agreed entirely with that of the Telingan 

 race. They were from Bahrein, in the Persian Gulf 



MADAGASCAR 



On the passage from Singapore to the United States, the Vincennes 

 touched at the island of St. Helena ; where I found myself, as I sup- 

 posed, again among Lascars; in this instance, more or less mixed 

 with Negroes. On inquiry, I was greatly surprised to learn, that 

 notwithstanding the admitted resemblance, "this class of the popula- 

 tion had been all brought many years since from Madagascar." 



On the other hand, I was unable to detect the slightest appearances 

 of Telingan admixture, among the numbers of Madagascar people 

 seen subsequently at Zanzihar. It is true, these had been derived, 

 perhaps exclusively, from the Sakalava country, on the western 

 coast. In regard, however, to the alleged origin of the St. Helena 

 people, Ellis's* description of the "Betanimena and Betsimisaraka," 

 seems to correspond; and in another place, he expressly mentions the 

 occurrence of " straight-haired blacks" among the population of Mada- 

 gascar. 



Drury appears to have been the only writer who has seen some 

 of the ' Vazimba' of Madagascar; and he speaks of them as being a 

 distinct race from the other inhabitants of the island; but his descrip- 

 tion does not well correspond with the Telingan race. 



* History of Madagascar, vol. i. p. 130, &c. 

 40 



