Account of the Moors in Malabar.
As the population of Malabar, includes members of various religions, we are not surprised to find among them a race of Moors, who profess the faith of Mahomet. They deserve our attention the more, that they were the chief foes the Portuguese had to contend with on their first landing on these coasts, for as commerce had hitherto remained solely in their hands, they disputed any share in it being usurped by the new comers. They, being like the St. Thomas’ Christians, born in this land, might be in one sense regarded as natives of Malabar, but as they have mingled with other members of their faith, Moguls, Turks and Arabs, who resort to the country for purposes of trade, they form in some sort a distinct people.
Like the Portuguese here, their disposition is naturally inclined to cruelty and malice. In costume they resemble the natives, the beard, which they alone wear, forming their distinguishing mark, and they also usually carry some weapon, sword or cutlass. There are but few wealthy merchants among the Moors in the neighbourhood of Cochin, who are for the most part in small circumstances; their dwellings, which lie on the banks of the river, beyond the Jews’ locality, are built of stone, and are mostly small and mean. The people are held altogether in small estimation here, and are but little employed in the commercial transactions of the East India Company.
On the other hand, they are very influential at Calicut, and indeed are almost the masters of the place. The chief merchant there is always attended by a large suite of his compatriots, who are armed with sword and shield, in imitation of the pomp and parade of the native princes. The East India Company make every year an agreement with him for turmeric, of which he usually furnishes 100 kandies to the Commissioners there.
The most powerful of all the Moors, who may be regarded almost as an independent prince, resides at Cannanore. He is entitled Ali Rajah, king of the islands, being the lawful sovereign of all the Laccadives which were ceded to him by Colastri. Being descended from the ancient house of Colastri, he is indeed a scion of the royal family, but having embraced Mahometanism, he forfeited his right of succession to the kingdom in Malabar. But he has sufficient territories in his possession, among which the Laccadives are the most considerable; and as a testimony of the above-mentioned cession to these islands a new Ali Rajah must always receive his crown from the reigning Rajah of Colastri. His Turkish or Moorish appellation is, Mahomet Ali Caauw. Although he has embraced the Mussulman faith, the Malabar laws of succession hold good in his domains, the sister’s son being his rightful successor.
Ali Rajah has a large and handsome bazaar, where most of the Moors in his dominions reside. This bazaar extends on one side nearly to the bay, and on the other is within reach of the Company’s fort and cannon. It is itself sufficiently fortified with walls and artillery to enable it to resist the attacks of the heathens. The Moorish Rajah carries on a considerable traffic with Mocha, Persia, Surat and other places, and owns several vessels. The East India Company trade with him at Cannanore, in cardamum and turmeric. They indeed derived considerable benefit from his friendship on their first settlement in Malabar, when they were at war with the Portuguese; and a treaty for mutual protection was entered into between them. Last year, (1722), a great quarrel arose between Ali Rajah and the people of Colastri, which ended in open war. It originated in some private dispute; a party of Moors slew some Nairs, and the latter in revenge killed as many Moors as they could lay hands on. At length the Moors, hearing that a prince of the house of Colastri was about to pass the bazaar on his journey to the Court of the Zamorin, intercepted him, put his retinue to rout, and inflicted disgrace on him by publicly flogging him in the bazaar. An insult so gross offered to one of their own race so enraged the Rajahs that they laid siege to the bazaar, and several conflicts took place; the English always supporting the party of Colastri, and furnishing them with all necessaries of war, on condition, it is said, that if the bazaar was conquered and the Moors expelled, the English should have a factory there. Our Company remained neutral, only permitting the Moors to purchase ammunition, &c., in the city. The siege lasted a long time within sight of the fort of Cannanore, which retained its neutrality, merely warning the belligerents not to carry on their combats within reach of its artillery. But when the Malabars, finding their attempts on the opposite side fruitless, proceeded to assault the bazaar in a quarter where they were within range of the fort, our garrison finding their warnings disregarded, fired a volly among them, which destroyed numbers, and obliged the rest to beat a hasty retreat. After this occurrence the siege proceeded slowly, till at length the parties concluded a treaty, (through the mediation it is said of the English governor of Calicut, Mr. Adams), which was highly disadvantageous to the Moors; they being compelled to pay a large sum of money to Colastri for the expenses of the war, leaving some gardens in pledge till this was done, and also to permit him to retain a fortified village on the further side, the guns of which would command the bazaar.
The Portuguese and Moors nourish a rooted hatred towards each other, which commenced at the first arrival of the former in India, and still endures. It is perceptible even when they are at peace. In the year 1720 the Portuguese, meeting a ship belonging to Ali Rajah which was conveying money and horses from Mocha, attacked it, under the pretext that no one had the right of transporting horses but themselves; and although the vessel had a Dutch passport, they captured it and brought it into the harbour of Cochin. On hearing this, Ali Rajah despatched twenty well manned vessels to pursue the Portuguese, who were discovered in the harbour with the captured ship. The Portuguese commander, or Capitano di Marre Guerre, overcome with terror, fell at the feet of the Dutch Commandant and implored his protection. The latter, moved to compassion by his deep humiliation, charged the Moors to refrain from hostilities in the harbour, and it was mutually agreed that an officer should be appointed by each party to report the event to their superiors, and that in the meantime no hostilities should take place. Shortly after this, a Portuguese named Alba Bordo entered the roadstead, without any salute, and in spite of this compact treacherously stole off with the captured vessel, taking the mate with him.
This treachery against all human laws so incensed the Commandant that he detained two Portuguese Captains who were on land, and not prepared for a sudden flight; and then sent word to the Viceroy, who was compelled to restore the ship and her merchandize in order to obtain his officers’ liberty.
Another event happened at Tanoor last year, which arose from the following cause:—A certain Moor had invited some Danes to trade with him; the Portuguese Resident not approving of this, strengthened with a troop of Nairs, expelled the Danes, and caused the Moor who had called them in, to be bound to a stake and beaten. This so enraged the Moors that they resolved to take violent revenge. The Resident Bibero happening to die soon after, the Viceroy appointed in his place his son-in-law Felisco dos Santos. The offended Moors took an opportunity one day when the new Resident had gone out for a walk to enter his house secretly, and to maltreat his two children in such a manner that they died within two days. Having made a complaint of this at Goa, a ship of war was despatched to his assistance in the beginning of January, conveying troops, who after landing put all the Moors they met to death, and proceeded to plunder and burn their houses. The Moors were obliged for the time to submit; but as soon as the Portuguese had departed they vented their fury on the native Christians, laid waste their houses and gardens, pulled down their church, and even compelled a slave belonging to the Resident to adopt their religion, which was an infraction of the treaty. Meantime the Resident and his wife retired to Cochin. The Zamorin however offers reparation and satisfaction, which will perhaps appease the quarrel.
The extension of the Mahometan doctrines on this coast took place in early times, if we are to believe certain Malabar records in the Arabic language. According to them, some emissaries came here so far back as the reign of Cheramperoumal, when Mahomet was in his 57th year; and so entirely persuaded the Emperor of the Divine mission of their Prophet, that he resolved to go in person to visit him. Cheramperoumal died, however, on his journey, but not till he had taken care by letters which he addressed before his death to the Rajahs of Malabar, that all freedom should be allowed the Mahometan teachers to propagate their religion, make disciples and build temples through the whole country. This they did with equal zeal and success; so that within a few years their false creed had struck deep root here. The narration I have followed is however filled with trifles, and does not hang well together, so I will not detain you longer with it.