1850.] Native Mariners of the Coromandel Coast. 101 



for that help no answer was returned ; and on reiterating the call 

 after a lapse of some months, it was expressly refused ; and a Telugu 

 moonshee was offered, whose aid I did not require, with the best 

 help 1 could obtain, I made slow progress in these papers. The 

 Brahman employed by me prevented the assistance of a Jyotisha 

 Brahmin better versed in the Hala Cannada than himself. 



Both of them were astounded at the heretical and anti caste na~ 

 ture of the Fir a Saiva papers ; and to myself a vista was opened, 

 which I could not follow out to the end. 1 had worked over the 

 time contracted for, at my own cost ; and ecclesiastical duties, or 

 responsibilities, had become so pressing, as imperatively to demand 

 a close ; so that greater interest might not be sacrificed to literary 

 curiosity. 



A large number of Caduttums were left untouched, but these, it 

 is presumed, are of less consequence than the Manuscript Books. 



Possibly as much light, as is needful, is thrown on the Jangama 

 system by the foregoing abstracts. The conclusions then led me 

 to own, in some cases, opposite to conclusions drawn in a paper 

 concerning them in the Madras Journal, and generally different. 

 There are materials in the Canarese documents for further research 

 on that system if thought to be desirable. 



W. Taylor. 



IV. — A Brief Notice of some Contrivances practised by the 

 Native Mariners of the Coromandel Coast, in Navigating, 

 Sailing, and Repairing their Vessels. By Captain H. Con- • 

 greve, Madras Artillery. 



No. 1. 



Description of an Instrument used by them for finding their latitu- 

 dinal position off the Coast. 



An inspection of the drawing will at once manifest the principle 

 of this simple though ingenious instrument, the only one, I appre- 

 hend, used by the Native Mariners of these ports for ascertaining 

 their latitude when out of soundings. A piece of thin board, ob- 

 long in shape, three inches long by one and a half wide, is furnish- 



