M A L 
(lie central regions, the exiftence, and, with it, the re¬ 
membrance, of'private property in land, has been nearly 
obliterated ; while, throughout the lower countries, it can 
every-where be diltindly proved, and in many places in 
as perfect a ftate, and as fondly cherilhed, as in any part 
Of Europe.” The following is the criterion of property 
adopted by Col. Wilks: “The inference appears to be 
irreliltible, that the faiSf, of land being faleable, afcertains 
the exiftence of property, and that the right to fell iden¬ 
tifies the proprietor.” Now the lands held by leafe from the 
zemindar were always transferable, by fale, during the re¬ 
mainder of the leafe ; but the fale here meant is of a per¬ 
manent indefeafible property, fubjedl to no other condi¬ 
tion than defraying the dues of the ftate. This, accord¬ 
ing to Menu, was the fixth part of the crop ; a fadt of 
which our author never met with a common Hindoo far¬ 
mer, of ordinary capacity, who was ignorant. Going 
fuccelfively over the low countries of the peninfula, he 
finds that “the hereditary right to landed property in 
Canara and Malabar, was, and continues to be, indefeafi¬ 
ble, even by the longeft prefcriptive occupancy. The 
heir may, at any distance of time, reclaim his patrimony, 
on paying the expenfe of fucli permanent improvements 
as may have been made in the eftate. Private property, 
in Malabar and Travancore, is ditlinguifhed by the em- 
phatical word junmum , a term bearing the exprefs fignifi- 
cation of birthright. The various gradations of mortgage, 
temporary transfer, and conditional pofleflion, which are 
all requisite before a deed of complete and final fale can 
•be effected, mark a ftronger relu&ance to alienation, and 
a more anxious attachment to landed property, than can 
be found in the inftitutions of any other people ancient 
or modern ; and the high felling-price of twenty yeans’ 
purchafe, reckoning on the clear rent, or proprietor's 
fliare, in a country where the legal intereft of money is 
more than double that of Great Britain, teftifies the un- 
diminifned prefervation of this fentiment to the prefent 
day.” ‘ 
Although the unexpected difcovery of Chriftians on 
the Malabar coaft was a matter of the greateft furprife and 
fatisfaCtion to the firft Portuguefe adventurers, who were 
equally enthufiaftic to extend their military glory and 
conquefts, as to propagate their religion among the infi¬ 
dels in the remoteft quarters of the world ; yet their exul¬ 
tation was temporary ; for when, upon nearer inveftiga- 
tion, they found that thefe Chriftians followed the doc¬ 
trine of Neftorius, and acknowledged, inttead of the pope, 
the patriarch of that fed, refuting in Syria, for their ec- 
clefiaftical fupreme chief, they appeared in their eyes worfe 
than infidels. Their number muft have been very confi- 
derable in the beginning of the fixteenth century, when 
the Portuguefe became firft acquainted with them, fince 
they pofleffed about a hundred and ten churches in the 
countries now fubject to the Travancore and Cochin 
rajahs; and at this prefent time, after the manifold perfe- 
cutions, oppre(lions, and fucceffive revolutions, that have 
almoft depopulated the whole coaft, they are computed to 
amount to no lefs than 150,000 fouls- They are indifcri- 
wilnately called St. Thome Chriftians , Neftorians, Syrians, and 
lometimes the Malabar Chriftians of the Mountains, by the 
Portuguefe writers of that time, and by the fubfequent 
miflionaries from Rome. The moll common name given 
to them by the Hindoos of the country, is that of Naza- 
ranee Mapila, and more frequently Surians, or Surianee 
'Mapila. The Portuguefe were fond of beftowing upon them 
the name of St. Thome Chriftians, though this appellation 
does not appear to have been, or now to be, very common 
amongft themfelves. It originates probably from the 
chief who fettled the firft colony of Syrians on the coaft, 
and who was, according to their tradition, their firft bi- 
(hop, and founder of their religion in thefe countries, and 
w hole name was Mar Thome. This is corroborated by the 
curious circumftance of their giving the name of Mar 
Thome to every ecclefiaftical chief or bifhop of theirs, not 
improbably in compliment to their firft bifhop and founder, 
Voi>. XIV. No. 965, 
ABA K. 
for whom they have Hill a religious veneration. His ar¬ 
rival and fettlement on the coaft, may perhaps at a future 
period be afcertained, vvitli hiftorical accuracy, to hare 
taken place during the violent perfecution of the left of 
Neftorius, under Theodofius Il.'or fome time aftir. 
Neftorius was patriarch of Conftantinople, A.D. 428. 
under the reign of Theodofius II. His heretical opinions 
were firft declared in 420, and condemned by the firft 
council of Ephefus in 431. But the emperor was not pre¬ 
vailed on to banifh Neftorius till 425; and four years 
more had elapfed before fentence of profeription palled 
againft his followers. (Gibbon, vol. viii.) Gibbon how¬ 
ever aflerts in another place, on the authority of St. Je¬ 
rome himfelf, that the Indian millionary St. Thomas was 
famous as early as his time. Now Jerome died in 420. 
Confequently the feft originally eltablifhed in Malabar 
could not have been that of Neftorius. Gibbon appears 
to have overlooked this inconfiftency. 
The bigoted Portuguefe miflionaries laid hold of this 
name to renew the ftory of the arrival and martyrdom of 
St. Thomas the Apoftle in India, who they pretended had 
converted a great number of idolaters on the coaft of Ma¬ 
labar, and afterwards on the other fide of India, as far as 
Malliapoor, now St. Thome, where he luftered martyr¬ 
dom ; and, as veftiges of Chriftianity were at the fame 
period difeovered in China, they made the fame apoltle 
preach the Gofpel in that remote region ; and fome car¬ 
ried the abfurdity fo far as to make him pals, fome way 
' or other, over to the Brafils. The Malabar Chriftians, 
they fay, had a long time continued without ecclefiaftical 
chiefs, or Communication with the reft of the Chriftian 
world, till they found means to procure bilhops from 
Moful in Syria, who unfortunately had been abettors of 
Neftorius ; and that through their means this abominably 
herefy had been introduced amongft the Chriftians of Ma¬ 
labar. Though this ftory is fupported by no hiftorical 
proof whatfoever, and evidently fabricated by fome bi¬ 
goted Roman-catholic writers, to ferve the pnrpofe of the 
times, and to vindicate in fome manner the bold doftrine 
of the fee of Rome, that the Gofpel had been preached 
in every corner of the world, at a time when new worlds 
were difeovered, in which it was evident that the Gofpel 
could never have been promulgated, and others in which 
Chriftians were found, who would not acknowledge the 
fupremacy of the pope, and who differed in the molt fub- 
Itantial articles of faith from the Roman-catholics; yet 
the fame improbable ftory has a long time been aflerted, 
and repeated by even proteftant writers, as Baldaeus and 
Valentyn. 
The St. Thome Chriftians made at firft fome profelyter 
amongft the Bramins and Nairs, and were on that account 
much refpedled by the native princes, fo that even at pre¬ 
fent they conftder themfelves equal in rank to either of 
the above two calls. They are in fa£t in much greater 
eftimation amongft the Hindoos, than the new Chriftians 
converted by the Portuguefe, who are moftly picked up 
from the lowed calt. Padre Pavony, a well-informed ex- 
jefuit, who was a long time as milfionary amongft the 
St. Thome Chriftians, declares, that many of them pre- 
ferve till now the manners and mode of life of the Brah¬ 
mins, as to cleanlinefs and abftaining from animal food ; 
and that even he himfelf had been obliged to adopt the 
fame regimen in order to gain credit amongft them. 
As to their former manners, cuftoms, and the privileges 
which they enjoyed, the Portuguefe authors or the Oriente 
Conquiftato, and De Barros, give the following account 
of them : The St. Thome Chriftians-pofTefled upwards of 
a hundred villages, fituated moftly in the mountainous 
part of the fouthern divifion of Malabar. Their habita¬ 
tions were dittinguifhed from thofe of the Hindoos, by 
being moftly folid buildings, and collected in villages, not 
fcattered and difperfed like thofe of the Brahmins and 
Nairs. They obeyed their archbifhop, whole feat was at 
Angamalee, both in ecclefiaftical and civil matters, paying 
a very moderate tribute to the different rajahs in whole 
Z z territory 
