417 
appellations of high distinction: as the tamuri pretend to he of a 
higher rank than the brahmins, and to be inferior only to the in- 
visible gods; a pretension that was acknowledged by his subjects, 
but which is held as abominable by the brahmins. All the chil- 
dren of the Tamburetti, or females of the family, are still of the 
highest dignity: these ladies are generally impregnated by Nam- 
buri brahmins; for any intercourse between them and their hus- 
bands would be reckoned scandalous: they live in the houses of 
their brothers, and the eldest man of the family is the Tamuri 
rajah, called by Europeans the zamorin. 
3 H 
