218 
CHAPTER 
IV. 
June 22, &c. 
WhalUaru 
weavers, and 
Parcalla 
doth. 
Spinning. 
Account of 
the manufac- 
tures by the 
cloth mer- 
chants. 
A JOURNEY FROM MADRAS THROUGH 
to make the cloth on their own account. They in general receive 
the thread from the women in the neighbourhood, and work it up 
into cloth for hire. For weaving a piece that is worth 8 Fanams, or 
5s. 4 T cl, they get 2-f- Fanams , or Is. 8 d. This occupies a workman 
lour or five days ; so that his daily gains are from four to five pence* 
They never cultivate the ground. 
The WhalUaru make a coarse, white, strong cloth called Parcalla . 
It serves the poorer male inhabitants, throughout the country, as 
a covering for the upper parts of their bodies. The pieces are from 
24 to 28 cubits long, and from l* to l* broad, and as usual of three 
different degrees of fineness. Weavers of this kind live scattered 
m the villages, and frequently hire themselves out as day-labourers 
to faimeis, or othei persons who will give them employment. 
At the weekly markets the cotton wool is bought up, in small 
quantities, by the poor women of all casts, except the Brahmans ; 
for these never spin, nor do their husbands ever plough the soil. 
The women of all other casts spin^ and at the weekly markets sell 
to the weavers the thread that is not wanted for family use. The 
thread that is brought from Balahari , and other places toward 
the Krishna , is much coarser than that which the women here 
spin 
Such is the account given me by the various weavers; Ibut the 
cloth agents, who are all of a cast called Nagarit, say, that it is not 
customary to make advances for goods of an ordinary kind, unless 
the demand from a distance be very great. When this is the case, 
or when goods of an uncommonly high price are wanted, in order 
to enable the manufacturer to purchase the raw materials, one half 
of the value is advanced. The credit is for three months, and for 
this time there is no interest paid ; but, if the goods are not then 
delivered, monthly interest is demanded at the rate of f per cent 
until the contract is fulfilled. The commission here on the purchase 
of goods is only two per cent, and the agent is answerable for all 
the sums advanced to the weavers. On confronting some of the 
