1834.] Account of the Christians on the Malabar Coast. 264 



over the Native courts in so short a time. 



After the morning service he was invited to be present at the 

 Nerka, a feast which they celebrate on certain festivals, resembling 

 the ^gf a/?ae of the antient church. The bishop has one half of 

 the provisions, the Priests one quarter and the People the remainder. 

 The Archbishop was too much fatigued to attend, but the episco- 

 pal portion of the repast was sent to him. In the evening he visit- 

 ed all the sick in the town and gave them money and spiritual 

 advice. 



On the Wednesday in Easter week he paid a second visit to 

 Molandurtey but met with a very different reception. Not a sin» 

 gle person attended at the place of landing, and the doors of the 

 church were closed against him. He remamed therefore on board, 

 till the arrival of the chief officer of the king of Cochin, whom he 

 desired the Governor immediately to dispatch to his assistance^ 

 The king, notwithstanding all his former attempts in favour of the 

 Archdeacon, did not dare to refuse compliance with the presenf 

 demand; and the chief immediately on his arrival attending the 

 the Archbishop to Church, and commanding the people, in the 

 king's name, to do whatever the foreign Prelate directed them, the 

 inhabitants submitted, and were reconciled to the Church of Rome, 



In a second visit that he made to DiampeVf by threats and in- 

 timidation he prevdilt'd on the chief officer to issue the same orders, 

 threatening the king of Cochin himself with the vengeance of the 

 King of Portugal, if he did not protect him from the insolence of 

 the people and further his views. The next day, after administering 

 confirmation, he announced that he had excommunicated and de- 

 posed the Archdeacon, as a rebel to the Pope, exhorting them to 

 renounce all connection with him. In the evening he ingratiated 

 himself with the inhabitants by visiting the sick and giving money 

 to the widows and orphans, contrasting his beneficence in giving 

 them alms with the conduct of their own Bishops who took alms 

 from them; but omitting to explain to them that while their Prela- 

 tes depended for their support entirely on the contributions of the 

 people, he enjoyed a princely revenue and had the command of 

 the treasury of Goa. 



This politic behaviour gained him many partizans, among the 

 laity, while his bold and insolent behaviour towards the Native 

 princes and their officers, gave them a high opinion of his power, 

 and made the poor Christians generally wish for the protection of a 

 Prelate, who by his pplitical inflvience would be able to espouse their 



