CALICUT, or CALieonu, the capital of the ancient kingdom of the same name, situated on the coast of Ma labar. This town, which is chiefly inhabited by Moplays, is about three leagues in circumference, including an extensive suburb, principally inhabited by fishermen. Calicut consists partly of houses built of teak wood, or of bricks baked in the sun, and partly of huts composed of palm branches interwoven through each other, and covered with palm leaves, and beautiful gardens appear in every part of the town. The bazar was reckoned one. of the finest in Malabar, and contained four or five fine 'erects. There are very few stone buildings, and the fortre ss is of mild. greater antiquity- than the (it). The natives suppose it to have been built by Ch•ruman Per Mr Torin, the coniniercial resident at Calicut, ha?. been endeavouring (December 26-30th, 1800) to esta blish a manufacture of the plain cough' goods called lung; cloths. It is of six calla fineness, or which is the same thing, its Warp contains 744 threads, and the length of the pieces is 72 cubits, and their width The price of each pi( cc is, to its quality, from 30, 32, to 34 gold lanams, or in our money I 6s. 4 Id. 178. 5 id. 188.61d. When this cloth is bleached, it is sent to Europe on the Company's account. In this IllallULCIllre no fewer than 237 looms are used. These employ 344 men, and pro duce monthly 468 pieces of chitin The weavers, who are indolent and disounest, %sere brougot front the domi niods of Travancore and Cochi. " Solite men of the l'anchala tribe," says Dr Francis Buchanan, " which here is called Peringullan, paint and varnish wood by the following process. They take butter-milk, and boil it with a small quantity of quick lime, until strings form in the accretion, and separate from the watery parts, which they decant. The stringy matter is then mixed with the p•,int, which has been well powdered. With these the woods n work is first painted; it is then allowed to dry for one day, and afterwards receives a coat 0U/un dum, which is the fresh juice of a tree called pcini ma ram. The pundum must be used while it is fresh, and will not keep for more than two or three days. After the first coat of pundunt has dried, another coat of paint is given, and that is followed by another of varnish. In
the same manner leather may be painted and varnished. The varnish effectually resists the action of water. All my attempts, however, to find out the varnish tree were vain.
Calicut and Vuypura form a small district ; and un fortunately I have received no answers to the statistical queries which I proposed relative to it. From Mr Smee's valuable communications, 1 ant persuaded, that, from the southern and middle divisions of Malabar, at least the follow ing quantity of the produce of plantations is annually exported : Cocoa nuts, 38,458, at 131 rupees 519,048 Rupees.
Betel nuts, 58,392, at 3 fanams 32,916 Black pepper, 340 candies, at 125 rupees . 62,500 Total rupees 611,464 Besides large quantities of ginger and turmeric ; and I have already mentioned, that the quantity of black pep per is more than double that here stated." Teak-wood, which was one of the principal articles of commerce at Calicut, has now become very scarce, in consequence of Tippoo having carried off all the ele phants that were employed in this trade. The process of procuring this wood is very tedious. The tree which is intended to be cut down is first deprived of its branches ; the trunk itself is then cut nearly two thirds through, and long incisions made in the bark. In this state it is left to dly for o e year, during which the bark drops off. The tree is I. pushed into the river Be vpour by ele phants, during the rains, and is floated down to within a little distance of Canon.
The coast, which is low, and devoid of shelter, is ac essible only by small flat-bottomed boats. A small cape or promontory projects into the sea ; awl though there is a good roadsted about three leagues from the shore, yet, when the wind blows from the sea, the shipping is exposed to considerable damaiv.:. The harbour is much less capacious than it was formerly, as a gi eat part of it has been filled up with sand by the s•a. The trade of Calicut is consequently in a languishing condition; but there is reason to hope that the Mahometan Arabs will take some fOr rCIII(Mihg the es il.