GG 
A JOURNEY FROM MADRAS THROUGH 
CHAPTER IL 
SERINGAPATAJYf, AND ITS VICINITY. 
CHAPTER liyf\AY 18th, I was employed at Seringapatam in delivering my 
credentials. 
May is. 15th May . — I had an interview with Purnea , the Dewan of the 
^eringapa- ^ Mysore Raja , and, during that prince’s minority, the chief admini- 
tam ’ strator of his government By means of Colonel Close, I have re~ 
ceived assurances of every assistance in forwarding the objects 
of my mission ; and a Brahman has been appointed to accompany 
me, with orders to call upon every person that I shall desire for 
information. 
Purnea. Purnea is a Brahman of the Madual sect, and descended from a 
family of the Coimbetore country. His native language is, of course, 
Tamul ; but he speaks the Kamataca, Mussulman, Marat t ah, and I 
believe the Persian. He is said, by good judges, to be a person ex- 
tremely well versed in the affairs of the country, and is much more 
active than Brahmans in general are. By the inhabitants he is now 
called Sri Mantra , the same title that is given to the Peshwa at 
Poonah. It is said to signify a person who has been fortunate from the 
time of his having been in the womb. Next to MeerSaduc , he seems 
to have enjoyed a greater power, under the late Sultan, than any 
other person; but his authority was greatly inferior to that of the 
above-mentioned favourite; and he is said to have been in no 
small danger from the bigotry of his master. The Sultan is reported 
to have once proposed to Purnea to become a convert to the faith 
of Mahomet ; as all proposals from a Sultan are tantamount to orders 
that must be obeyed, the Brdhman replied, s{ I am your slave, 55 and 
