century, quoted
by Sir F. Palgrave from the _Liber Horne_, it is forbidden to paint on
gold or silver except with fine (mineral) colours, "_e nient de_ brasil,
_ne de_ inde de Baldas, _ne de nul autre mauveise couleur_." (_The
Merchant and the Friar_, p. xxiii.) There is now no indigo made or
exported at Quilon, but there is still some feeble export of sappanwood,
ginger, and pepper. These, and previous particulars as to the present
Quilon, I owe to the kindness of Mr. Ballard, British Resident at
Trevandrum.

NOTE 5.--Black Tigers and black Leopards are not very rare in Travancore
(See _Welsh's Mil. Reminiscences_, II. 102.)

NOTE 6.--Probably founded on local or caste customs of marriage, several
of which in South India are very peculiar; e.g., see _Nelson's Madura_,
Pt. II. p. 51.

[1] The etymology of the name seems to be doubtful. Dr. Caldwell tells me
it is an error to connect it (as in the first edition) with the word
for a Tank, which is _Kulam_. The apparent meaning of _Kollam_ is
"slaughter," but he thinks the name is best explained as "Palace" or
"Royal Residence."

[2] There is still a _Syrian_ church of St. George at Quilon, and a
mosque of some importance;--the representatives at least of those
noted above, though no actual trace of antiquity of any kind remains
at the place. A vague tradition of extensive trade with China yet
survives. The form _Columbum_ is accounted for by an inscription,
published by the Prince of Travancore (_Ind. Antiq._ II. 360), which
shows that the city was called in Sanskrit _Kolamba_. May not the real
etymology be Sansk. _Kolam_, "Black Pepper"?

On the suggestion ventured in this note Dr. Caldwell writes:

"I fancy _Kola_, a name for pepper in Sanskrit, may be derived from
the name of the country _Kolam_, North Malabar, which is much more
celebrated for its pepper than the country around Quilon. This
_Kolam_, though resembling _Kollam_, is really a separate word, and
never confounded with the latter by the natives. The prince of Kolam
(North Malabar) is called _Kolastri_ or _Kolattiri_[A]. Compare also
_Kolagiri_, the name of a hill in the Sanskrit dictionaries, called
also the _Kolla giri_. The only possible derivations for the Tamil and
Malayalim name of Quilon that I am acquainted with are these: (1)
From _Kolu_, the 'Royal Presence' or presence-chamber, or hall of
audience.