3 11 . 
MYSORE, CANARY, AND MALABAR. 
of them retired to other countries. As they are a very useful set of CHAPTER 
people, they are now encouraged, and are fast returning. 1 here are 
no distinctions among them that prevent intermarriages, or eating Jul y 12 * 
in common. They eat fowls, sheep, goats, swine, rats, and fish ; but 
reject carrion. They are allowed to take all manner of things that 
intoxicate, and are in fact much addicted to spirituous liquors. 
They many as many wives as they can get, and the women seem to 
be more numerous than the men, as no person is without one wife, 
and the generality have two ; several go so far as eight. A man is 
in general more restricted from taking many wives by the expense 
of the ceremony, than by any difficulty in supporting the family ; 
as the women are so industrious, that the more wives he can get, 
the more he lives at his ease. A lazy woman is immediately divorced 
by her husband ; but, if she can find a man willing to take her, she 
is at liberty to marry again. The girls continue marriageable from 
seven years of age, until their death; and a widow is not prevented 
from taking another husband. Formerly, when the cast was richer, 
a man gave a hundred Fanams (3/. 7 s. Id.) to the parents of the 
girl whom he wanted to marry ; but this is now reduced to two 
Fanams (L\ 4d.) to the father, a piece of cloth to the mother, and 
a hundred coco-nuts as emblematical of the original price™ The 
. marriages are made in an assembly of the tribe ; and the ceremony 
consists in the bridegroom and bride walking thrice round a stake, 
which is erected for the purpose. Next morning they give another 
feast, and present the company with betel. The Fane hang a, or as- 
trologer, does not attend, nor are there any prayers ( Mantrams ) read 
on the occasion. In case of adultery, the custom of the cast is to 
put the woman to death ; but this severity is not always used. In 
case of a man’s treating his wife very harshly, she may retire to her 
mother’s house, and live there; but, without his consenting to di- 
vorce her, she cannot marry again. The custom of the cast is to 
bury the dead; and, although the women are very harshly used 
by their husbands while drunk, and although widows are not 
