Relations of Golconda in the Early Seventeenth Century by W.H. Moreland

Author:W.H. Moreland [Moreland, W.H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Nonfiction, History, Modern, 17th Century
ISBN: 9781317068259
Google: rm_azAEACAAJ
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2017-05-15T04:00:00+00:00

Notes

1 This phrase is discussed in the Introduction, § 5.

2 The extent of the Coromandel Coast varies somewhat in different writers, as explained in Hobson-Jobson, s.v. Manār is the island lying off the northwest coast of Ceylon, which marked the limits of ordinary coastal navigation. It will be seen that Schorer here applies the name ‘Orissa Coast’ to the coast north of the Godavāri river, which other writers (e.g., Bowrey, 99, 130) call the Gingelly Coast; a little further on he uses the two names as synonymous.

3 Tegnapatam is now known as Fort St David, in the South Arcot district. The founding of the Dutch factory in 1608 is related in Terpstra (85 ff.). At first the Dutch factors were granted the use of an old fort at this place, but it proved to be uninhabitable, and they were allowed to occupy instead a smaller fort at Tirupāpuliyūr, a short distance away. In the Dutch records the factory is spoken of indifferently as Tegnapatam or Tierepopelier.

4 ‘The great Aya’ was the chief officer of the Nāyak of Gingee, who allowed the Dutch to settle at Tegnapatam; he is described as more powerful than the Nāyak himself (Terpstra, 89, 114 ff.). His name is given as Tiere, or Ciere, Wingelaya, which is read by my Indian correspondents as Tiruvengadayya; and I am told that a respectable person may still be referred to simply as Ayya, the remainder of his name being dropped.

1 Here, and throughout, ‘league’ represents the Dutch mijl, which was approximately three English miles. The two digits in the MS. are illegible; it looks as if the number had been left blank, and hurriedly filled in. The first may possibly be meant for 2, the second is like no other digit in any MS. I have seen. The distance on the map is 70 miles, which would be about 23 leagues.

2 The phrase ‘painted and woven’ which Schorer uses regularly, and which recurs in other Dutch records, is formally incorrect, for all the cloth was, of course, woven; the word ‘woven’ must be read as ‘not painted’ denoting the plain cloth, calico and muslin, as opposed to the patterned goods, pintado or chintz.

3 For the Portuguese unit of currency, the pardao, see Hobson-Jobson, s.v. It depreciated steadily, and its value at any particular time has to be calculated from any equations that may be available. The scales of currency and weights given in the text are discussed in the Appendix.

4 Tolam, or tulam, is the Tamil form of the more familiar tola, which in most parts of India is the name of the highest denomination in the scale of minute weights used by jewellers and goldsmiths, varying from about 160 to 180 gr. In the south, however, the word frequently represents a much larger unit, ranging in different localities from 16 to 32 lb. (Report of the Weights and Measures Committee, 1913-14, p. 40.)

1 Schorer uses three adjectives, black, yellowish, and white, to describe the complexions of the inhabitants

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