and partly by cutting; the largest are from eighty to one hundred feet long, but the breadth feldom exceeds eight feet, and even this fpace is produced by artificially extending the fides after the trunk has been hollowed. They carry from fifty to fixty rowers, who ufe fhort oars that work on a fpindle; the prow is folid, and has a flat furface, on which, when they go to war, a piece of ordnance is mounted, a fix, a nine, or even a twelve pounder; the gun carriage is fecured by lafhings to ftrong bolts, on each fide, and fwivels are frequently fixed on the curvature of the ftern.

"Each rower is provided with a fword and a lance, which are placed by his fide whilft he plies the oars. Befides the boatmen, there are usually thirty foldiers on board, who are armed with mufkets: thus prepared, they go in fleets to meet the foe, and, when in fight, draw up in a line, prefenting their prows to the enemy. Their attack is extremely impetuous; they advance with great rapidity, and fing a war-fong, at once to encourage their people, daunt their adverfaries, and regulate the strokes of their oars: they generally endeavour to grapple; and when that is effected, the action becomes very fevere, as thefe people are endued with great courage, ftrength, and activity. In times of peace, they are fond of exercising in their boats, and I have often been entertained with the dexterity they difplay in the management of them. The veffels being low in the water, their greatest danger is that of being run down by a larger boat ftriking on their broadfide, a misfortune which the freersman is taught to dread, and to avoid, above all others. It is furprifing to fee the

facility with which they fteer, and elude each other in their mock combats. The rowers are also practifed to row backwards, and impel the veffel with the ftern foremost: this is the mode of retreat, by means of which the artillery ftill bears upon their opponent. The largest of the war boats do not draw more than three feet water. When a person of rank is on board, there is a fort of moving tilt or canopy, for his particular accommodation, placed fometimes in the centre, and fometimes on the prow. The fides of the boat are either gilt as far as the water's edge, or plain, according to the rank of the perfon it carries. Gilded boats are only permitted to princes of the blood, or to perfons holding the highest stations, fuch as a maywoon of a province, and a minifter of state.

"It is by no means improbable, that the ufe of gunpowder was well known in India before its effects were discovered in the west; yet there is not any reafon to believe, that the natives of Ava applied it to the purpose of mutketry, till Europeans inftructed them in the art. According to Indian accounts, cannon were fabricated in the east long before the era of European conqueft: their artillery, however, was not capable of being transported with facility, or at all ufed in the field: they were made of iron bars beaten into a cylindrical form, rudely put together, but of great ftrength and enormous weight, from which, when raifed on a rampart or tower, they threw huge ftones to annoy the enemy. The mufket was first introduced into the Pegue and Ava countries by the Portugueze, and is an implement of war which the inhabitants unwifely prefer to their own

native weapons, the fpear and fabre; a partiality that is highly prejudicial to themselves, for nothing can be less formidable than fuch fire-arms as they poffefs, or have the means of procuring. The proper indigenous weapons of the country are the fpear, the javelin, which is thrown from the hand, the cross-bow, and the fabre; the latter is ufed by the Birmans not only as an implement of war, but is likewife applied to various purposes as an inftrument of manual labour; with this the peafant fells trees, fhapes timbers, cuts bamboos, or defends himfelf against an enemy and wild beafts; he never travels without it, and generally, when on a journey, carries a field on his left arm; they encumber themfelves with lefs baggage than perhaps any other people; and are fatisfied with a fcanty portion of the hardeft fare.

"In their food, the Birmans, compared with the Indians, are

grofs and uncleanly. Although their religion forbids the flaughter of animals in general, yet they ap ply the interdiction only to those that are domefticated; all game is eagerly fought after, and in many places it is publicly fold; reptiles alfo, fuch as lizards, guanas, and fnakes, conftitute a part of the subfiftence of the lower claffes. During our voyage up the river, the boatmen, after we had brought-to, ufed frequently to hunt for cameleons and lizards among the thickets. They are extremely fond of vegetables; at thofe places where garden greens were not to be procured, they gathered wild forrel, and fometimes fubftituted the tender leaves of trees; thefe, boiled with rice, and moistened with a little oil, or feafoned with gnapee, or pickled fprat, compose a meal with which a Birman peafant or boatman is fatisfied: the higher ranks, however, live with more delicacy, although their fare is never very fumptuous."

"TH

HE inhabitants of Malayala, which, comprehending all its provinces from Cape Illi to Tovala, is 120 Indian miles in length; and from the Gauts to the fea, between twenty-five and thirty in breadth, confift, befides the native Indians, who are partly Pagans and partly Chriftians, of Arabs, black and white Jews, Canarians, and Europeans of different nations, who have there formed establishments. In

the year 1771, the Christians of St. Thomas, according to M. Florentius à Jefu, the bishop and apoftolic vicar on the coaft of Malabar, amounted to 94,600. In the year 1787, when a poll-tax was about to be impofed on them by the king of Travancor, they eftimated their number themselves at 100,000 perfons. Ten thousand of them, I confefs, loft their lives during the war against Tippoo Sultan; but ftill

there

there will remain 90,000 Catholic Chriftians, who follow the SyrioChaldaic ritual. They have in their poffeffion fixty-four churches, fome of which however were deftroyed by Tippoo. The Jacobites have thirty-two churches, to which belong 50,000 Schifmatics. Thefe, therefore, form all together 140,000 Chriftians, who adhere to the Syrio-Chaldaic rites. There are likewife feventy-five churches of the Mucoas and Paravas on the coat of Travancor; and twenty churches belonging to the Latin ritual, which lie in the district between Porrocada and Cape Illi. All these churches can mufter more than 100,000 Chriftians, newly converted to the Romish faith. The number of the Jews who refide at Mattincera, Muttam, and Cayamcolla may be about from 15 to 20,000. To these must be added 100,000 Arabs, established there fince the ninth century: alfo the Canarians, Banians, Cettis, and Cumuttis, who together amount to 30,000 fouls; and, laftly, 15,000 Europeans, Creoles, Meftifes, and Topazis, who are partly Catholics, partly Lutherans and Calvinifts. But far greater than the fum-total of all thefe foreigners is the number of the original inhabitants of the country. The former may be estimated at

400,000, the latter at 1,600,000, fo that Malayala contains above two millions of inhabitants. This calculation was made too at a time when the population of the country had greatly fuffered by the wars with Hayder Ali Khan and Tippoo Sultan. If we reflect, therefore, that this district is not very large, that it is interfected by a great number of ftreams, and that on the east it is bounded by high mountains and impenetrable forefts, it is evident that, in propertion to its cultivated furface, it is extremely well peopled *. This is to be afcribed chiefly to the fimple and temperate manner in which the Indians live, as they eat nothing but rice, milk, fruit, herbs, butter, coco-nut oil, fish, and other kinds of food which are eafy of digeftion, and promote the generative powers t. Monogamy, which prevails among the Chriftians and Pagans, though among the latter it is not general, contributes alfo to increafe the population; for, by these means, the affection `between parents and children is preferved, and that alfo between hufband and wife. Another circumftance which tends to promote population is, that all young women, without exception, muft marry. One of the chief objects of every father, whether Christian or Pagan,

is

who live in palm-gardens and enclofures, are much fairer; because they spend the greater part of their time under the thade of trees, and are furrounded by a milder at mofphere, which moderates the heat of the fun. I have feen Brahman women, both married and un. married, who were uncommonly beautiful. The most of the female Indians have fine long hair, black eyes, extended ears which are pierced, and ftraight delicate perfons. They are accustomed to wash themselves twice a-day; to anoint their bodies every week with coco-nut oil, or the white of an egg: and to rub their skin with a plant called incia, the rind of which has the property of removing all filth. This ablution and friction ftrengthen the body, and at the fame time prevent too violent perfpiration. Till their thirtieth year they are ftout and vigorous; but after that period they alter much fafter than the women in any of the nations of Europe t. Early marriage, labour, and difeafes exhauft their conftitutions before the regular time of decay. They are lively, active, and tractable; poffefs great acuteness; are fond of converfation; employ florid expreffions, and a phrafeology abundant in images; never carry any thing into effect till after mature deliberation; are inquifitive and prying, yet modeft

in difcourfe; have a fickle inconftant difpofition; make promifes with great readiness, yet seldom perform them; are importunate in their requests, but ungrateful when they have obtained their end; behave in a cringeing obfequious manner when they fear any one, but are haughty and infolent when they gain the fuperiority; and affume an air of calmness and composure when they can acquire no fatisfaction for an injury, but are malicious and irreconcileable when they find an opportunity of being revenged. I was acquainted with many families who had ruined themselves with law-fuits, because they preferred the gratification of revenge to every confideration of prudence. The men, both of the higher and lower claffes, bind a piece of cotton cloth round their loins, and for the most part leave the remainder of the body uncovered. The women of the inferior cafts go about almoft in the fame manner. The wives and daughters of the Brahmans, on the other hand, conceal the upper part of the body with a piece of fine cotton cloth, the extremity of which is thrown over the shoulder. They go bare-footed; but wear a great many ornaments, which generally confift of three or four bracelets of brass, a necklace of gold or precious ftones, and earrings of gold or of diamonds. They