Full Description
After a six-month voyage, the Carmelite missionary Paolino da San Bartolomeo (1748-1806) arrived in Malabar in India towards the end of July 1776. Later acclaimed as an orientalist, he was among the first to note the relationship between Sanskrit and European languages, and the present work gives a valuable account of the geography and culture he observed over the course of thirteen years. Returning to Rome in 1789, he wrote many books under the patronage of Cardinal Stefano Borgia, including one of the first works on Sanskrit grammar. Here he uses his impressive knowledge of Indian dialects to revise the accepted spelling and pronunciation of a number of cities and natural features. The book also contains observations on the religion, history, botany and laws of eighteenth-century India. First published in Italian in 1796, the work was soon translated into German, from which William Johnston produced this English translation in 1800.
Contents
Preface; Book I: 1. Arrival at Puduceri (Pondichery); 2. Virapatnam; 3. Geographical, statistical, and historical observations on the kingdoms of Tanjatur, Marava, Madura, and Carnada; 4. Journey from Puduceri to Covalan, Maïlapuri, and Madraspatnam; 5. Indian weights, measures, coins, and merchandise; 6. Topographical description of Malabar; 7. Population of Malayala; 8. Missionary affairs; 9. Quadrupeds, birds, and amphibious animals on the coast of Malabar; 10. Seas, rivers, vessels used for navigation, fish, shell-fish, and serpents in India; Book II: 1. Birth and education of children; 2. State of marriage among the Indians; 3. Laws of the Indians; 4. Classes or families of the Indians; 5. Administration of justice among the Indians; 6. Languages of the Indians; 7. Religion and deities of the Indians; 8. Hieroglyphical marks of distinction among the Indians; 9. Division of time; 10. Music, poetry, architecture, and other arts and sciences of the Indians; 11. Medicine and botany of the Indians; 12. Author's voyage to Europe; 13. The author's voyage to Europe continued; Index.
