ZAMORIN, a titular chief of Calicut, the Samari, descendant of a royal family who ruled over territeries now comprised in the greater part of the collectorate of Malabar. The title is also said to be a dialectal change front Semi RAMA (Semiramis), also from Samudri or Tainudri, See king. By a treaty of 18th August 1792, the zarnorin agreed to act on the civil rules which the E. L Company 'night introduce. Further changes were made by treaties of June 1793, in Septem ber 1794, and 15th November 1806, the last of which gave a consolidated allowance to the zamorin. Calicut town is on the Malabar coast ; in lat. 11° 15f2 N., long. 75°47f' E. The zamorin, in 1513, sent a deputation to Portugal, and his ambassador, who turned Christian, WAS knighted, under the name of John of tho Cross, by John III. On returning to India, he was banished from the zamorin's court. In 1532 he appears to have been installed as the fishermen's chief, as he headed a deputation of 85 of them to Cochin, soliciting the assistance of the Portuguese againat the Aluhammadans. The whole of the embassy are said to have become converts to Christianity. A Portuguese fleet was sent to their relief, and 20,000 aro said to have innnediately consented to be baptized. Ten years subsequent/y, Xavier instituted a church for these people. ha name, Calicut, ia front Colieodu, a cock crowing, as Cheruman Permal gave his sword and all the land within cock crow of a small temple to the zamorin, who attained considerable power in the 15th century ; but in the early wars of the l'ortu guese, the British, and the Ifuhammadans of /tlysore, that high place was lost. Tipu Sultan destroyed the flourishing trade. There are untny of the Tiar and Moplah race herr. Calieut was the first port at which Vasco da Game arrived. It
was visited in 1494 by Pedro da Covilhatn.— llersbargh ; Bartolomeo's Voyage.
ZA.M-ZAlf, a.well near Mecca. 7 feet 8 inches in diameter, and 56 feet deep, which tradition traces to the time of Ilagm• and her son Ishmael, as the spring that gushed forth to relieve their thirst. Its water is exported in little tins, being considered holy. It is Milky in appearance, and is heavy to the taste. When a Sindi ia seen to be in tho agonies of death (sakarat), ail present recite the shahadat or confession of faith. If water from Vault-rain be procurable, it is dropped into the man's mouth, as a traditional saying of the prophet informs his followers that it is a meri torious deed. In 1883, Mr. E. Frankland aualyual the water. and found it to be of the most aboutin able character. In fact, it is sewag,e more than seven times as concentrated as London sewage, and it contains no less than 579 grains of solid matters per gallon. Knowing the composition of this water, and the mode of propegation of Asiatic cholera by excrementitious matters, it ta 110t to be wondered at that outbreaks of this disease should often occur among pilgrim.s to Mecca, while it would scarcely be posaible to provide a more effective means for the distribution of cholera poison throughout 3Iuluunmadan countries. Ile received from the consul Jedda The well is in Mecca ; the water is regarded as holy, and large quantities are annually sent as gifts to all Musalman countries. Most of the Muhammadan princes, especially those of India, have keepers of the well, whose duty it is to send them annually water from the well.'