one of the most ancient in those parts, they shewed him three plates on which were engraven certain privileges and revenues granted by the king of Ceylon, at the time when the Babylonians Zabro and Proo[423], were in that country.  At this place likewise Don Alexius met Topamuta Pandara, king of Gundara[424] in the neighbourhood of Changanate, to whom he presented a letter from king Philip giving him the title of brother, for having allowed liberty for the exercise of the Christian religion in his dominions[425].

[Footnote 423:  Only a few pages before these men are named Xanio and Prod; but we have no means of ascertaining which are the right names.—­E.]

[Footnote 424:  These petty kings of small districts in the South of India are now known by the titles of Polygars; and the hereditary female chiefs are stiled Rana.  It is prostituting the dignity of king to give that denomination to the chiefs of small villages and trifling districts, often not so large as parishes in Europe.  They are mere temporary chiefs, occasionally hereditary by sufferance; indeed such could not possibly be otherwise, when all the larger dominions and even empires have been in perpetual fluctuation from revolution and conquest for at least 3000 years.—­E.]

[Footnote 425:  The history of this ancient Christian church of Malabar has been lately illustrated by the Christian Researches of Dr Buchannan, who seems to have opened a door for the propagation of the gospel in India infinitely promising, if judiciously taken advantage of.—­E.]

In the year 1596, a Moor, named Pate Marcar obtained leave from the zamorin to build a fort in the peninsula of Pudepatam, 77 leagues from Goa and 33 from Cochin, where was a most convenient station for piratical paraos, to annoy the trade of the Malabar coast; and having built a square fort at this place, he went thither with all his kinsmen and followers, and did much injury to the Portuguese and their allies, even making incursions upon their maritime possessions, whence, on several occasions, he carried off much spoil.  Pate Marcar soon died, and was succeeded in the sovereignty of the fort by his nephew Mahomet Cuneale Marcar, who added greatly to the strength of the fort; and foreseeing that the Portuguese might seek to be revenged for the injuries they had sustained, he fortified the town both by sea, and land, which he named Cuneale after himself.  On the land side he made a deep ditch with a double wall above seven feet thick, flanked at regular distances with towers called zarames, all of which were mounted with small cannon.  Between the two creeks forming the peninsula, he built a strong wall with two towers to secure the town, and lined the sea-shore with strong palisades; flanked by two bastions, one of which considerably larger than the other, was mounted with heavy cannon to defend the entrance of the harbour,