Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/55

 MALABAK Beypoor, which is with its tributaries naviga- ble for boats of considerable size for about 30 m. inland ; next to this is the Ponany river, which is longer, but shallower. Several inlets run along a short distance from the shore par- allel to the coast, receive the mountain streams, and communicate with the ocean by shallow channels, and are navigable for small boats for nearly the whole length of the province. It is on the banks of the rivers and of these inlets, in the valleys, and along the coast, that the in- habitants reside. The climate is generally healthful, though in the interior jungle fever is prevalent at certain seasons. The hot season is from February to May, the wet from May to October, and the cool during the remainder of the year. The thermometer seldom rises above 90 in the shade, and rarely falls below 70. During the wet season very heavy rain falls along the coast, increasing toward the interior ; the average rainfall throughout the district is more than 75 inches per annum, and at Cana- nore it is 123 inches. The principal vegeta- ble productions of Malabar are pepper, cocoa- nuts, ginger, coffee, hemp, cardamoms, betel nuts, turmeric, arrowroot, sapan wood, sandal wood, timber of different sorts, and various gums and resins. Besides teak, 120 other kinds of valuable timber have been enumerated in a report upon the forests of Malabar. Since 1843 large plantations of teak have been made. Cardamoms are produced from the forest land on the face of the mountains which bound the province, at the height of from 2,000 to 4,000 ft. above the sea, growing spontaneously after the felling and burning of the trees. Pepper, which is the principal commercial product, and is styled the money of Malabar, is chiefly cul- tivated in the northern part, in the neighbor- hood of Tellichery, and thrives especially in the moist valleys of the Ghauts. The trailing plant from which it is produced requires but slight care, the cultivator having little more to do than collect the produce. The culture of coffee was introduced by British planters, on estates situated on the slopes of the mountains, some 2,000 ft. above the sea. The proprietary system of land revenue prevails, under which a percentage of the rent goes to the landlords and the rest to the government. Eice is grown throughout the province, but not in sufficient quantities for internal consumption. The cul- tivation of ginger, since its exportation to Europe began, has been carried on with great vigor. Iron is obtained from laterite in many places, and gold in small quantities is found in the mountain streams. Large herds of ele- phants and buffaloes frequent the interior for- ests. There are some tigers and numerous leo- pards, deer of various kinds, elk, bears, hogs, porcupines, squirrels, and monkeys. There are small bullocks, which, together with buffaloes, are used in tilling the ground ; in the level tracts elephants are employed to drag timber to the rivers, to be floated to the coast. There are but few horses, and traffic is either carried on 525 VOL. xi. 4 by water or upon men's shoulders, as in China. The population of Malabar is made up of Hindoos, Mohammedans, and Christians. There are a few Jews, both white and black, who are principally settled in the southern part of the district. The Brahmans, the highest class of Hindoos, are here called Nainburis ; to limit the numbers of their race, they prevent the younger sons from marrying. There is another caste of Brahmans called Puttar, who are much more numerous. The next in rank are the Nairs, who are of 11 castes, of various ranks and professions, but all pretend to be born soldiers. Their habits and manners are marked by some strange peculiarities, among which may be mentioned the want of that penurious disposition natural to other Hindoos, and their utter disuse of marriage. A girl on reaching the age of puberty forms any connection she thinks fit ; and the children, who have no claim upon their natural father, become the heirs of her brothers. The Tiars, or Theans, are con- sidered next in rank to the Nairs, and are en- gaged in various occupations, but principally in cultivating the ground. The Poliars, or Chermars, are a numerous class, who, before the British interfered in their behalf, were held in slavery, and bought and sold separately or along with the land. The Madis are the low- est specimens of all, and are outcasts consid- ered so impure that even a Chermar would be defiled by their touch. They wander about in companies of 10 or 12, keeping at a little dis- tance from the roads, and upon seeing a trav- eller set up a cry for assistance. They re- fuse all labor, subsist upon roots and any food however loathsome, and live in wretched huts built in secluded spots. The Chermars and Niadis are supposed to be the descendants of the aboriginal inhabitants of the country, and are much smaller in stature and darker in com- plexion than the Brahmans, Nairs, or Tiars, who are all of good height and well formed, with remarkably handsome features and olive- colored complexion. The native Mussulmans, denominated Mapilas, form about one fourth of the population. They are descended from Hindoo mothers by Arab fathers, who settled in Malabar about the 7th or 8th century, and are exceedingly fanatical and treacherous. There are some Syrian Christians toward the S. boundary of the province, who consider themselves descendants of converts made by the apostle St. Thomas in the 1st century (see CHEISTIANS OF ST. THOMAS) ; and also a few thousand converts to Christianity and descen- dants of the Portuguese, who reside chiefly in the neighborhood of their ancient settlements. The Hindoo population of Malabar are not prone to congregate in towns and villages, but for the most part live in separate houses, neatly built and kept scrupulously clean, throughout the country. The towns owe their origin en- tirely to foreign settlers, and the chief are Calicut, Palghat, Tellichery, Cananore, Mahe (which is a French colony), and Ponany. At