CANARA, SOUTH, is situated between the twelfth and fourteenth degrees of northern latitude; and is separated from the province of Malabar by a wide inlet of the sea. It is called Tulava by the Hindus, and South Canara by the British. It is a strip of land along the sea-coast, rising as it approaches the Ghaut Mountains; and the soil becomes gradually less adapted for grain as it recedes from the sea. The best in quality extends from Mangalore to Buntwalla. The banks of the river Mangalore, which in the rainy season is very large, are rich and picturesque; and the whole country resembles that of Malabar, only that the terraces on the sides of the hills have been formed with less care than in that district. Much of the rice land is so well watered by springs and rivulets, that it produces a constant succession of crops of that grain, one crop being sown as soon as the preceding one is cut. The second soil in point of quality is that which extends from Buntwalla to Punjalcutta, and the worst is that which extends from this place to the hills. There the rains are so excessive that they injure the crops of rice; but this inland portion of the country is very favourable for plantations. About Cavila, east of Mangalore, some of the hills are covered with tall thick forests, in which the teak tree abounds. From Urigara to Hopodurga the country near the sea is low and sandy, and too poor to produce even cocoa-nuts. This country has been dreadfully depopulated by the ravages of war. It suffered severely in its conquest by Tippoo. It had been previously shared among petty princes and numerous feudatories, who were all forced to retire before the armies of Tippoo, and to fly into the woods to avoid circumcission, a rite which was invariably forced upon them, in order to make them good Mohammedans; and it generally had this effect, for after suffering such an infliction from Tippoo, they lost their caste, and had therefore no alternative left. The inner parts of the country are much overgrown with woods, and very thinly inhabited.
The sugar-cane is cultivated on the low ground; but very small quantities only are raised. Between the rows are raised some cucurbitaceous plants, and kitchen stuffs that soon come to maturity. On the highest of rice land, where water may be had by digging to a little depth, capsicum is cultivated, as are also ginger and turmeric. The exports consist chiefly of salt, salt-fish, betel-nut, ginger, cocoa-nuts, cocoa-nut oil, and raw silk. The imports are chiefly cloths, cotton, thread, and blankets.
The chief inhabitants are Moplays (Mohammedans), who possess the sea-coast, as the Nairs do the interior. It is observed by Dr Buchanan, that the occupiers of land in this district are richer than those of Malabar; but he adds, that the universal cry of poverty which prevails all over India, and the care with which, owing to long oppression, every thing is concealed, render it extremely difficult to know the real circumstances of the cultivator. He concludes, however, from the obstinate contest which takes place for the possession of the land, that the cultivators have still a considerable interest in the soil. It appears, however, from the evidence of other collectors, that the inhabitants manifest in this way their regard to their paternal inheritance, for which they contend to the last; and when their interest as proprietors is lost in the increase of the assessment, they remain tilling the ground in the humble capacity of cultivators. There is no doubt that they never were so completely subdued by a foreign conqueror as the greater part of the Hindus, and always retained the title
to their lands, which their rulers were never able entirely to take from them. When the province accordingly was conquered by the British, they found the landholders possessed of the clearest titles to their respective properties, which were recognised by the law of the country, as well as by immemorial usage. The chief towns of South Canara are Barcelore, Mangalore, and Callianpoor.
A number of Christians, to the amount of about 80,000, had been ordered to settle in this country by the ancient Hindu princes, with whom they had been in great favour. They were all of Concan descent, and had been instructed in the Portuguese and Latin languages, and in the doctrines of the Roman Church. About this period twenty-seven Christian churches existed in Tulava, each ruled by a vicar, and the whole under the control of a vicar-general, subject to the archbishop of Goa. Tippoo, when he conquered the country, proved himself to be the great persecutor of the Christian religion, throwing the priests into dungeons, destroying the churches, and forcing the laity to embrace the Mohammedan creed. After the conquest of the country by the British, many of these persecuted refugees returned and resumed their former faith; 15,000 came back to Mangalore and its vicinity; 10,000 made their escape from Tippoo to Malabar. These people are of quiet, sober, and industrious habits, and their superiority is acknowledged by the neighbouring Hindus. The Jain sect abound more in this province than in any other throughout India, and many of their temples are to be seen. Like other Hindus, they are divided into many sects, which cannot intermarry. (F. Buchanan's Journey from Madras through the Countries of Mysore, Canara, and Malabar. (D. B.—N.) (E. T.)