MYSORE , CANARA, AND MALABAR. 6 $l

this country. On the top of the hill are four frnall villages, which have their fields,gardens, and tanks, railed high above.the level of the Country, in the fame manner asit is above the parts near the fea. Their little territories are furrounded by highrocks, and feparated by woody, ridges, like a perfect epitome of Karnata Proper, orBalaghat , as it has. been called by the Muffulmans. The foil is fertile, and thewater in many places being near the furface renders it fit for gardens. Althoughhill-forts are generally reckoned unhealthy, this feems to be by no means the cafeon this mountain. .The inhabitants rather look upon the air as more healthy thancommon, and laft year their cattle fuffered much lefs than thofe of their neighbours.The hill feems to attract more, moifture than the level country, and to be morefavoured with rain ; for a certain field on it annually produces a crop of rice, withoutany artificial watering, which in this arid climate is looked upon as a kind of miracle.There is a fpring of water, which flows from the fide of the hill in a fmall ftream;and, fuch a thing being here very uncommon, the Brahmans have conducted it alonga gutter formed in the rock; and where it falls from thence, have, under a. 1building, placed, fome Hones, which the obliging imagination of the natives conceivesto refemble a cow’s mouth. The place, as being holy, is much frequented; anda ruinous temple at. fome diftance attracts to its annual feaft about ten thoufandpilgrims.

Even in fuch a remote place, to which every accefs is fteep and difficult, I found,that the inhabitants were not protected by their extreme poverty, but each villagewas provided with fortifications. The people faid, that whenever any neighbouringPolygar was troublefome, the Baydaru, or hunters, were accuftomed in the night-time, under pretence of being the Polygar’s men, to go and plunder their neighbours.This they always did by. furprife, as their love for plunder is at lead; equalled by theircowardice. Whenever thefe ruffians are prowling about, one or two men keep watch?in a tower; on the firlt alarm, all the inhabitants fly to their arms, and retiring to thetower, from thence fire upon the robbers, who in general atttempt to carry away thecattle.

The trade and manufactures of Colar had been entirely ruined by Tippop; as itwas in the immediate neighbourhood of his enemy’s dominions, with whom he wouldallow of no communication. Both are now rapidly on the increafe, and exceed evenwhat they were in the reign of Hyder. No army came this way in the laft war ; butthey fuffered a little in the invafion by General Smith, and confiderably by that of LordCornwallis. The merchants fuffered much by Tippoo ’s forcing goods on them at ahigh rate; and ftill more by his capricioufly forcing them to change the places of theirabode. He frequently founded new bazars, or market towns, and compelled mer-chants to remove thither; although the place might be quite out of the way by whichtheir trade was ufually conducted. From the officers of the Nabob of Arcot, merchantsmeet with no annoyance. Some of them, being conftant traders take from the cuftom-houfes what they call cowl, or protection; and on that account pay-only one-half- ofthe duties that are exacted from occafional vifitors. A merchant who has this kind ofprotection, for every 800 maunds of betel-nut, worth about 550I. pays to the Nabob’scultom-houfes, on the way between this and Wallaja-petta, 33 liar pagodas, or a littlemore than 12I.

. In the country villages much coarfe cloth is made by the Whalliaru weavers. Thofein the town are Devangas and Shaynigaru, who make the white cotton cloth with filkborders called putaynfhina. They make alfo the muflins called fada Ihilla, anddutary, and white lurhans.

402 Merchants