4 



Description of the 



[No. S3, 



which disgraced the early operations of the Portuguese and the plunder- 

 ing expeditions of Sodre, Barreto, Sanpayo and others, leave too much 

 reason to believe that the relation of the Arabian historian, is not without 

 foundation. 



Notwithstanding the maratime superiority of the Ali Eajas which led 

 them even on several occasions to attempt the conquests of the Maldives 

 they were unable to retain undisputed possession of the Laccadives. The 

 most northerly Islands of the group seem to have been for a considerable 

 period under the donxinion of the Hindu Princes of Bednore or Nuggar, 

 whose dominions comprehended the northern portion of Mysore and the 

 whole of the modern province of Canara. " Four of the Islands," observes 

 Mr. Eavenshaw in an official communication to the Government of Fort 

 St. George, " with their subordinate islets were formerly comprehended 

 in the territories of the Bedur Eanis of Bednore, and continued so until 

 the war between that State and the Ali Eajah of Cannanore, during which 

 they were captured and retained till friei? when the inhabitants of Ameen- 

 divi under a pretence of oppression and ill treatment from the Bibi's peo- 

 ple came to Mangalore and entreated Mahommed Sahib, the Amildar un- 

 der Tippoo, to get them transferred to his management. He accordingly 

 wrote to Seringapatam on the subject, and the business was adjusted with 

 the Bibi's vakeels there, Tippoo ceding 5 tarahs of the Cherical district as- 

 sessed at 1,500* Pagodas per annum in lieu of them. This was deemed a 

 fair equivalent according to the then value of the islands which were rated 

 to yield 200 candies of coir to the Circar at a government price of 7| Pa- 

 godas per candy, which were sold again on account of the state at 15 Pago- 

 das, and 1,500 were thus netted to the public Treasury." When the Mysore 

 troops were driven out of Malabar, the Rajah of Cherical repossessed him- 

 self of the districts wrested from him by Tippoo. On the restoration of 

 peace the Bibi claimed the interference of the J oint Bengal and Bombay 

 Commissioners appointed in 1793 to adjust the cessions of territory exact- 

 ed by the first treaty of Seringapatam. By them it was decided that the 

 grants made by Tippoo out of the Cherical District, having been confer- 

 red " whilst the Eajah had no power to resist or object, it was very na- 

 tural for him to resume, on recovering his country, those temporary aliena- 

 tions from it, especially when made in favor of a party whom he had 

 ever looked on as highly inimical to his family, in explanation of which, 

 it hath already been noticed that the Bibi's uncle and predecessor held all 

 Cherical under Hyder from 17G6-7 to 1776-7, when he was dispossessed by 

 Hyder in favor of the then Eajah, Eavi Varma, who was again driven out 

 by the Bibi's husband in 1783; besides which a long series of other mu- 

 tual ill offices appears to have existed between these rival families, so 



• Mr. Warden states that her sunnud which he had seen specified the 5 Tarahs to be 

 vorth 7,380 Rupees or 1,845 Pagodas annually. 



