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back to her mother’s house; but then, if she can, she may procure 
another lover. A man’s house is managed by his mother so long 
as she lives; when she dies, his sister comes for the fifteen days of 
mourning: she afterwards returns to her lover, and remains with 
him until he either dies or turns her away. In either case she re- 
turns to her brother’s house, of which she resumes the management, 
and brings with her all her children, who are her brother’s heirs. 
A Nair here is not astonished when you ask him who his father 
was; and a man has as much certainty that the children born in 
his house are his own, as an European husband has; while these 
children are rendered dear to him by their own caresses, and those 
of their mother, who is always beloved ; for otherwise she would 
be immediately dismissed: yet, such is the perversity of custom, 
that a man would be considered as unnatural were he to have as 
much affection for his own children, as for those of his sister, which 
he may perhaps never have seen. Of all known manners of con- 
ducting the intercourse between the sexes, this seems to be the 
most absurd and inconvenient.” 
The Namburis, just mentioned, are the brahmins of Malabar, 
who consider themselves of so high a caste, that they will neither 
eat nor drink with those of the northern provinces. These shame- 
less priests, not content with the dancing girls attached to the dif- 
ferent temples, who are all prostitutes to the brahmins, have con- 
nections with the youngest and most beautiful women among the 
high tribes of Malabars, who deem it an honour to admit a Nam- 
buri to their bed. 
The Tivees, although in general onty farmers and husbandmen, 
are far from being a low caste: in the vicinity of Anjengo, they 
