1844.] of the Syrian Christians and Jews of Malabar. 1&3 



tent of the ground, — the deed of a freehold only would make 

 them presentable. The Dignitary thus created was then 

 made protector of his tribe and probably patron of some of 

 the lower heathen castes connected with him by the interests 

 of trade, (oilmakers, cultivators, manufacturers ?) his jurisdic- 

 tion and political authority thus extending all over the Peru- 

 maPs territory. Hence the Jewish Emir of whom the Ara- 

 bian merchants relate. Upon the breaking up of the PerumaPs 

 empire, each Lord of a province seized what was within his 

 borders, whereby the power of Manigramam and Anjuwan- 

 nam could not but be reduced to a minimum. But the Rajas 

 continued the former custom of encouraging commerce by 

 the elevation of one foreign family to princely rank. The 

 Calicut Raja as it were in opposition to his old rival of 

 Cochin, encouraged the Arab settlers as the other did the 

 Christians, and pushed his conquests towards the South chiefly 

 by the aid of his chief Merchant and Admiral the Coya or 

 Cosa, the head of the Musselman settlers. The case of the 

 Bibi or Ali Rajah of Cannanore ( dli, i. e. " sea") once a vassal 

 of Collatiri for whom he conquered and from whom he held 

 the Laccadives, seems to be likewise analogous. See both 

 the Coya and Ali Rajah mentioned in the list of princes, Ker, 



trip. p. 52. , ° ° 



6. " the 4 Tali." This incidental information about the 

 four Talis near Codungalur gives confirmation to an important 

 feature of the old Malayalam government, as described in the 

 Ker. Ulp. p. 1 1 . It is there stated that the Brahmans fearful 

 of the encroachment of the Perumals renewed a former divi- 

 sion of their 64 colonies (gramas) into 4 circles, represented 

 by the four chief villages, and these had four Talis or temples 

 for the sittings of their Representatives constructed near to the 

 PerumaPs palace. Their names : Mettali, Kiltali, Nedia 

 Tali, and Chingapura tali. Every government measure had 

 first to be discussed and approved by the members of this 



