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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
(NOVRBER, 1925
MISCELLANEA THE CATAMARAN IN THE EARLY NINE- managed with great ease, and if the mou are TEENTH CENTURY.
washed off by the surf they readily rogain their In Mr. J. J. Cotton's paper on George Chinnery, station on the raft. On those rafte all species of tho Artist, who flourished between 1774 and goods can be oon veyed on ship-board, that will not 1832, in Vol. VI, Proceedings of Meetings, Indian be damaged by salt water, and when several Historical Records Commission, India, January, Cattamarans are joined together, the heaviest 1024, there is an account of a little book entitled Cannon are transported by them to and from the • Views of Madras' which was published in 1807. ships as well as shot, anchors, and many kinds of To this Chinnery contributed six plates. Plate Military stores." IV represents the “Cattamaran," used as & ses
Note by Sir Richard C. Temple, Bt. boat off Madras, and to it is attached a quaint In December 1874, I was a Lieutenant in the and accurate account of them.
Royal Soots Fusiliers, stationed in Fort St. George, "The Cattamaran is a raft composed usually Madrap. I went on board the mail boat going of three, but sometimes of four, logs of wood, which to Calcutts to see a friend. The weather was are fastened together with ropes made from the doubtful and the ses very rough. I spent about an cocoa-nut tree. These are cut to a point at hour with my friend in the saloon, and on going one end, whilst the other is left broad and flat. I on deck I found the cyclone signale flying on shore The opposing surfaces at the junction of the sides and every Masoolah boat gone. The ship iteoll was of the wood are made smooth, but the upper making ready to go to sea, but a Catamaran or and under parts of the raft are rounded off. so still hung about it, looking for letters. To one of They are paddled along by the Natives, and by
the men keeping them I gave a lotter to my their means communication can be held with the Commanding Officer explaining the situation. ships in the roads, much quicker than by the It reached him quite safely through an awful Masoolah Boat, and in weather when the letter surl. I did not see Madras again for several days, could not venture through the surf. They are as the mail boat went right out to see.
BOOK-NOTICE SIVATATVARATNAKARA, by BABAVA RAJA OR KELADI. As a work of Sanskrit literature, which belongs to
Published for the first time by Messrs. B. M. an age of decadence when artificiality in composition Nath and Co., Vepery, Madras
reigned supreme, the book is of great use to the This is an encyclopædic work in Sanskrit con student of culture especially and is quito worthy of taining about 108 Tarangas or chapters in 9 books or publication. Two passages from this work were Kallalas, and contains in all a total of about 13,000 incorporated in the "Sources of Vijayanagar slokas or verses. According to the colophon of History", published by the Madras University, the work, it was composed in the year A.D. Those passages will give an idea of the character 709-10 by the Lingayat prince Basava of Ikkeri. of the work and the historical matter that can be This work was hardly known before, and is one of gleaned from them. those brought prominently to light by the work of Messrs. B. M. Nath & Co., Vepery, Modre, have the search Party of the Government Oriental shown commendable enterprise in undertaking Manuscript Library which made an attempted publication of the work through the co-operation publication possible. It is a work of great magnitude, of a number of scholars, who all of them deserve dealing with all branches of learning much affected at the thanks of the public. Having regard to the the time. Though there is not much that is original size of the book and the expenses involved in this it still gives one an idea of the prevalent state of publication, the enterprise needs public support to culture in South India and the departments of is be carried to completion. We hope that that that came in for cultivation at the time. It is a support will be given in adequate measur, to enable work of some considerable importance historically, the enterprising publishers and those scholars that 28 the chaptons in 16 which may be regarded as agreed to co-operate with them to carry the enter. historical, throw a very considerable light upon a prise through without a bitch. comparatively dark period of South Indian history.
8. K. AIYANGAL. NOTES AND QUERIES. HOBSON-JOBSON. " People in England have no conception of the A few weeks later an illustrated daily paper referred overwhelming religious antagonism which this to the Muharram as 'the Muhrami, a festival in festival (Muharram) oan Arouse, and are not much honour of Hobson-Jobson, the grandson of the Assisted to a better understanding by the London Prophet:" Edwardos, Orime in India, p. 12. It is Press. One of the leading newspapers in 1928 quite clear that the creation of "Hobson-Jobsons" informed its readers that the Bakri Id way a festival is an art still very much alive. in honour of 'Bakeri, # writer of devotional verse.'
R. C. TMPLE.
