30 On the Syrian and Jewish [No. 9, new series. 



selves. I have not so much endeavoured to explain to my read- 

 ers the character, &c. &c. of these Cairns, as to inform them that 

 such have been discovered in Tinnevelly, the first, I believe, which 

 have been discovered so far south. 



V. Memorandum on the Syrian and Jewish Copper Plates of 

 Malabar* By Kookel Keeoo Naik, District Moonsiff in 

 Malabar. 



[We have given insertion to the following paper, not more on account 

 of the interesting nature of the subject to which it relates than in 

 consequence of the merit attaching to it as the work of an entirely 

 self-taught Native Gentleman. But, we do not therefore affirm or 

 support the conclusions he has drawn, as we know that some per- 

 sons, competent to discuss the matter, are inclined to consider these 

 to be untenable. We shall be happy to give insertion to any re- 

 marks of our contributors to the chronological theory here advocated. 

 —Ed. M. L. S. J.] 



The narrow but very long strip of country stretching along the 

 coast from Cape Comorin to Gokurnom is called Kerala, and also 

 Parasoo Rama Kshetrom (Parasoo Ramen's country). Of this, the 

 tract of land intervening from the river Canjarote Pooya (the ori- 

 ginal southern boundary of Canara) to Travancore, inclusive, is 

 now called Malayalam (or the country below the Ghauts) and by 

 the English generally, the Malabar Coast. 



Kerala was one of the 56 districts of the Bharata-division or 

 Hindostan, and equally with the rest of it was civilized to a cer- 

 tain degree long before many of the other nations of the earth 

 had first begun to be civilized, and ever since has never once been 

 destitute of a ruler or of some form of Government ; but the va- 

 nity, the many superstitions, and gross idolatry, (opposed alike to 

 their own Vedanta and natural reason) of the rulers and their sub- 

 jects, have never, up to the present date, permitted that early 

 civilization to attain perfection. The inhabitants of Kerala may 



* Vide this Journal N. S. Vol. IV. p. 152, and also the O. S. No; 30, 

 June 1844. 



