6 
A JOURNEY FROM MADRAS THROUGH 
Weights. 
CHAPTER It sells in the country for 30 Fees, a Pagoda, or about 9s. 5d. a 
hundred -weight. Could it be converted into either a palatable 
spirituous liquor, or sugar, the barren plains of the Carnatic might 
be rendered productive. The former appears not to be improbable, 
and seems to be an object worth trying. If it should answer, the 
whole of the grain distilled in Europe might be saved for food. 
The proper native weights used in the Company’s Jaghire are 
as follows : 
1 Polam. 
1 Visay. 
1 Manungu 
1 Barmy. 
1 Gursay , called by the English 
Garse. 
The Vara hun, or star Pagoda, weighs 52-7 grains ; therefore the 
Visay is nearly three pounds avoirdupois ; and the Garse nearly 
1205 lbs. 
10 Vara hun ( Pagodas ) 
40 Polams 
8 Visay ( Fees ) 
20 Manungus (Maunds ) 
20 Baruays ( Candies ) 
Land 
Measures. 
Tank at Sri 
Permaturu. 
Abundance 
of milk. 
The land measure of the Jaghire is as follows : 24 Adies square = 1 
Culy ; 100 Culies — 1 Canay. Out of what is called charity, however, 
the Culy is in fact a Bamboo twenty-six Adies , or twenty-two feet 
eight inches in length; the Ady, or Malabar foot, is therefore lOy^ 
inches nearly ; and the customary Canay contains 51,375 square 
feet, or l T Vo acres nearly ; while the proper Canay would only con- 
tain 43,778 square feet. 
The tank at Sri Permaturu is much inferior to the Saymbrumbacum 
reservoir, and serves only to water the ground of one village ; but 
that has very extensive possessions. It is said to contain 1812 Canays, 
or 2137 acres of rice lands; 370 Canays, or 436 acres of ground 
fit for the cultivation of dry grains ; and a large extent of pasture, 
which may be compared to the moors of Scotland, but is in general 
still more barren. 
A native of Bengal, who accompanies me as a painter, is de- 
lighted with the plenty of milk and Dhui in this part of the country. 
