234 Report on the Macke?ixie Manuscripts. [Oct. 



imagine from forming the Tamil letters (which partake of the Tibetan 

 and Grant'ha features), and from shaping the language into a somewhat 

 grammatical form. A work on grammar is ascribed to him ; said to have 

 contained 12,000 sutras, or concise stanzas. Tolcapiya his disciple, re- 

 duced that work (now lost) to 1,660 sutras, in the Tolcdpnjam ; and Pa- 

 vanandiy a later grammarian, reduced these to 460, in the Nannul, which 

 is now the most commonly used epitome of grammar. 



The Tolcdpiyam complete, should consist of three parts, on letters, 

 words, prosody (or rather versification as an art). Of these the last part 

 is extremely rare ; perhaps cannot be found complete. The two former 

 parts only are found in this copy, as is customary. These two parts are 

 complete. The sutras themselves occupy a small space ; the larger por- 

 tion of the work being a commentary by Ndchinarlcinnaiyar which, out 

 of three different commentaries, is esteemed the best one. The manu- 

 script is but slightly damaged by insects, and does not need restoration. 



It is entered in Des. Cat. vol. 1, p, 247, art. 1, with which entry the 

 above notice may be compared. 



9. Deva Sahaya Sic'hdmam Mdlai, a poem concerning a person sur- 

 named " the crown-jewel of divine aid," No. 206.— Countermark No. 

 ^157. 



This book is very incomplete. Nine palm-leaves are wanting from the 

 5th to the 12th inclusive. From the 13th to the 32d it is in regular 

 order ; but how many leaves afterwards are wanting, or how the defici- 

 ency occurred, can only be matter of conjecture. The work when com- 

 plete, lam informed, is considerably larger. It is likely not to have been 

 in high favour with Colonel Mackenzie's Brahmans ; and may probably 

 have been introduced to the collection by Veda Ndyaka, a Christian in 

 the Colonel's employ: whose name occasionally appears in various 

 portions of the collection. 



The following is an outline of the contents. The i^a/a of Tiruvangudi 

 termed Vdnchi mdtdndan as a titular name, had a minister in his em- 

 ploy, who beginning to doubt the truth of the system of credence in 

 which he was educated, gave ear to the instructions of a Roman Catholic 

 missionary in Travancore; in the end was baptized by the name of 

 Deva Sahdya Sichdmam, and made a public profession of the Roman 

 Catholic faith. Information of the circumstance reaching the king, he 

 sent for liis servant and questioned him, who avowed the fact of Ms 

 change of religion. The king was very angry ; and sent him to the. 



