1836.] Translated from the Mackenzie Manuscripts. 353 



in Vol. 2 of Oriental Historical Manuscripts ; to which I beg leave to 

 refer. Suffice it to observe, as not therein .so specifically mentioned, 

 that the law of succession being very peculiar, and liable to be suspend- 

 ed, by trifling distinctions, arising out of the nature of marriage rela- 

 tions, the following manuscript is of so much the more consequence, 

 from its illustrating those peculiarities.* Out of a family distinc- 

 tion, or arrangement, arose the division of the country between the 

 ruler of Ramnad, and one of his relatives ; the latter, by consent, com- 

 ing into the possession of the town of Sivagangai and a connected 

 district, very near to Madura, which the descendant of the so-styl?d 

 Udiyan still enjoys. The Ramnad succession was disputed and formed 

 matter of appeal to the king in council ; it being doubtful whether 

 the award of the appeal was the correct one : a point on which there is 

 no need to enlarge. 



The following manuscript was evidently written at a time when the 

 country was subject to the control of Mohammedan chiefs, or possibly 

 even so late as when subject to the Nabob of Arcot ; for it speaks of 

 tribute imposed by Amildars. The writer of the manuscript being a 

 Hindu seems to have been struck with those points wherein the Mara- 

 vas differed from pure Hindus ; and chiefly fixed on the detail of these 

 customs. His account evinces, when compared with Raffles s History of 

 Java, that the Maravas are at least quite as much assimilated to the 

 Javanese, as to the Hindus. It is of itself a topic of interest to find, 

 at the extreme south, a race of people originally distinct from tne 

 Hindus, and still materially so. In this respect they are relatively as 

 the Welsh to the English ; while, as to language, the case of the Nor- 

 mans who at length submitted to learn and use the Anglo-Saxon, modi- 

 fied and enlarged by their own tongue, is perhaps a nearer parallel. 

 Sanscrit however, to which I allude, is much less influential on the 

 colloquial speech, or written documents, of the extreme south, than 

 among the natives here, on the northern confines of the usage of the 

 Tamil language; and bordering on the Telugu districts, where Sanscrit, 

 pure or derived, is still more copiously borrowed, and employed. 



It remains perhaps only to state, that the style of the following ma- 

 nuscript is, in the original, loose ; sometimes confused, or prolix. It is 

 not the production of one accustomed to much writing ; neither does 

 the credit of great acuteness, or expansion of mind, belong to it. The 

 chief point of its value is the exhibition of customs different from those 

 of pure Hindus. As such it may be of some interest ; and may also be 

 of use in some contemplated investigations, annunciation of which 

 might, at present, be premature. 



* Since the above was written I have met with a manuscript in the Mackenzie collec- 

 tion giving all the details of this transaction,, 



