214 



ORIENTAL COMMERCE. [Cape Comorin to Madras. 



are more than one story high. It contains a parish church, the duty of which 

 is performed by the Capuchins of the French mission. 



Coins. — Accounts are kept in pagodas, fanams, and cash ; 60 

 cash making 1 fanam, and 24 fanams 1 pagoda. The coins current are 

 gold pagodas, silver rupees, and fanams ; also copper cash or dudus, thus 

 divided : — 



26 Dud lis equal to 1 Fanam. 



24 Fanams « 1 Pagoda. 



There are various kinds of pagodas current here, and nearly all of the 

 same weight. That of Pondicherry was originally equal in value to the 

 star pagoda ; but its standard has been considerably lowered ; it passes for 

 3$ rupees, though the exchange varies from 350 to 300 rupees per 100 Pon- 

 dicherry pagodas. The exchange for Spanish dollars is from 210 to 215 

 rupees per 100 Spanish dollars. 



Weights. — Gold and silver are weighed by the seer, pagoda, 

 rupee, and fanam. A seer weighs 2%{ rupees, 81] pagodas, or 731 \ 

 fanams; a rupee weight is equal to 30 fmiams, or ISO m-Uos ; a pagoda 

 weight is 9 fanams, or 144 nellos : thus 3 rupees are equal in weight to 

 10 pagodas. 



71 S pagodas weigh a French mark, or 3778 English grains, so that the 

 seer contains 4-293 grains. 



The commercial weights are the candy of 20muunds, each maimd S vis. 

 The Pondicherry maund is 25 lbs. 14 oz. $$ drs. avoirdupois. 



Measures. — Rice, and all other sorts of grain, are sold by the garce of 

 GOO marcals ; and 100 marcals are nearly 18 English bushels. The garce 

 thus equals 13^ English quarters. 



A L LEM PA R V A , or ALLUMPAROA — This fort is to the N. of 

 Pondicherry, in latitude 12° 46' N., longitude 80 u 4' E. It has many wells 

 of good water, which are not to be found in all parts of the coast near the 

 sea. The pettah extends along the coast to the N. 



SADIIAS, about seven leagues N. N. E. from Allemparva River, is in 

 latitude 12 3 31 \' N., longitude 8Q J 13$' E. The fort and town are now in 

 a ruinous condition. About seven miles to the N. of Sadras, in latitude 

 12° 36' N., longitude 80° 15' E., are the Seven Pagodas or MM tib a tipa br& m, 

 containing some curious antiquities. 



MELIAPOUR, or St. Thome, is about three miles to the S. of 

 Madras. This town, which lies close to the sea-side, is almost a heap of 

 ruins. There are some churches, especially a cathedral, the see of a Bishop 

 suffragan to Goa, and in whose diocese are all the Portuguese churches on 

 the Coast of Coromandel. 



