Chapter L: Preface: TO SECOND EDITION xi (47)

1800.—"It is diffused in immense masses, without any appearance of
stratification, and is placed over the granite that forms the basis of
_Malayala_.... It very soon becomes as hard as brick, and resists the air
and water much better than any brick I have seen in India.... As it is
usually cut into the form of bricks for building, in several of the
native dialects it is called the brick-stone (_Iticacullee_) [Malayāl.
_vettukal_].... The most proper English name would be LATERITE, from
_Lateritis_, the appellation that may be given it in science."—_Buchanan,
Mysore_, &c., ii. 440-441.

1860.—"Natives resident in these localities (Galle and Colombo) are
easily recognisable elsewhere by the general hue of their dress. This is
occasioned by the prevalence along the western coast of LATERITE, or, as
the Singhalese call it, CABOOK, a product of disintegrated gneiss, which
being subjected to detrition communicates its hue to the
soil."—_Tennent's Ceylon_, i. 17.

LATTEE, s. A stick; a bludgeon, often made of the male bamboo (_Dendrocalamus strictus_), and sometimes bound at short intervals with iron rings, forming a formidable weapon. The word is Hind. _lāṭhī_ and _laṭhī_, Mahr. _laṭhṭha_. This is from Prakrit _laṭṭhī_, for Skt. _yashṭi_, 'a stick,' according to the Prakrit grammar of Vavaruchi (ed. _Cowell_, ii. 32); see also _Lassen, Institutiones, Ling. Prakrit_, 195. _Jiskī lāṭhī, us kī bhaiṇs_, is a Hind. proverb (_cujus baculum ejus bubalus_), equivalent to the "good old rule, the simple plan."

1830.—"The natives use a very dangerous weapon, which they have been
forbidden by Government to carry. I took one as a curiosity, which had
been seized on a man in a fight in a village. It is a very heavy LĀTHI, a
solid male bamboo, 5 feet 5 inches long, headed with iron in a most
formidable manner. There are 6 jagged semicircular irons at the top, each
2 inches in length, 1 in height, and it is shod with iron bands 16 inches
deep from the top."—_Wanderings of a Pilgrim_, i. 133.

1878.—"After driving some 6 miles, we came upon about 100 men seated in
rows on the roadside, all with LATTIES."—_Life in the Mofussil_, i. 114.

LATTEEAL, s. Hind. _lāṭhīyāl_, or, more cumbrously, _lāṭhīwālā_, 'a club-man,' a hired ruffian. Such gentry were not many years ago entertained in scores by planters in some parts of Bengal, to maintain by force their claims to lands for sowing indigo on.

1878.—"Doubtless there were hired LATTIALS ... on both sides."—_Life in
the Mofussil_, ii. 6.

LAW-OFFICER. This was the official designation of a Mahommedan officer learned in the (Mahommedan) law, who was for many years of our Indian administration an essential functionary of the judges' Courts in the districts, as well as of the Sudder or Courts of Review at the Presidency.

It is to be remembered that the law administered in Courts under the Company's government, from the assumption of the Dewanny of Bengal, Bahar, and Orissa, was the Mahommedan law; at first by the hands of native CAZEES and MUFTIES, with some superintendence from the higher European servants of the Company; a superintendence which, while undergoing sundry vicissitudes of system during the next 30 years, developed gradually into a European judiciary, which again was set on an extended and quasi-permanent footing by Lord Cornwallis's Government, in Regulation IX. of 1793 (see ADAWLUT). The Mahommedan law continued, however, to be the professed basis of criminal jurisprudence, though modified more and more, as years went on, by new REGULATIONS, and by the recorded constructions and circular orders of the superior Courts, until the accomplishment of the great changes which followed the Mutiny, and the assumption of the direct government of India by the Crown (1858). The landmarks of change were (_a_) the enactment of the Penal Code (Act XLV. of 1860), and (_b_) that of the Code of Criminal Procedure (Act XXV. of 1861), followed by (_c_) the establishment of the High Court (July 1, 1862), in which became merged both the SUPREME COURT with its peculiar jurisdiction, and the (quondam-Company's) Sudder Courts of Review and Appeal, civil and criminal (_Dewanny_ ADAWLVT, and _Nizamat_ ADAWLUT).

The authoritative exposition of the Mahommedan Law, in aid and guidance of the English judges, was the function of the Mahommedan LAW-OFFICER. He sat with the judge on the bench at Sessions, _i.e._ in the hearing of criminal cases committed by the magistrate for trial; and at the end of the trial he gave in his written record of the proceedings with his FUTWA (q.v.) (see Regn. IX. 1793, sect. 47), which was his judgment as to the guilt of the accused, as to the definition of the crime, and as to its appropriate punishment according to Mahommedan Law. The judge was bound attentively to consider the _futwa_, and if it seemed to him to be consonant with natural justice, and also in conformity with the Mahommedan Law, he passed sentence (save in certain excepted cases) in its terms, and issued his warrant to the magistrate for execution of the sentence, unless it were one of death, in which case the proceedings had to be referred to the Sudder Nizamut for confirmation. In cases also where there was disagreement between the civilian judge and the Law-officer, either as to finding or sentence, the matter was referred to the Sudder Court for ultimate decision.

In 1832, certain modifications were introduced by law (_Regn._ VI. of that year), which declared that the _futwa_ might be dispensed with either by referring the case for report to a PUNCHAYET (q.v.), which sat apart from the Court; or by constituting assessors in the trial (generally three in number). The frequent adoption of the latter alternative rendered the appearance of the Law-officer and his _futwa_ much less universal as time went on. The post of LAW-OFFICER was indeed not actually abolished till 1864. But it would appear from enquiry that I have made, among friends of old standing in the Civil Service, that for some years before the issue of the Penal Code and the other reforms already mentioned, the MOOLVEE (_maulavī_) or Mahommedan LAW-OFFICER had, in some at least of the Bengal districts, practically ceased to sit with the judge, even in cases where no assessors were summoned.[152] I cannot trace any legislative authority for this, nor any Circular of the Sudder Nizamut; and it is not easy, at this time of day, to obtain much personal testimony. But Sir George Yule (who was Judge of Rungpore and Bogra about 1855-56) writes thus:

"The MOULVEE-ship ... must have been abolished before I became a judge (I
think), which was 2 or 3 years before the Mutiny; for I have _no_
recollection of _ever_ sitting with a _Moulvee_, and I had a great number
of heavy criminal cases to try in Rungpore and Bogra. Assessors were
substituted for the _Moulvee_ in some cases, but I have no recollection
of employing these either."

Mr. Seton-Karr, again, who was Civil and Sessions Judge of Jessore (1857-1860), writes:

"I am quite certain of my own practice ... and I made deliberate choice
of native assessors, whenever the law required me to have such
functionaries. I determined _never_ to sit with a _Maulavi_, as, even
before the Penal Code was passed, and came into operation, I wished to
get rid of FUTWAS and differences of opinion."

The office of Law-officer was formally abolished by Act XI. of 1864.

In respect of civil litigation, it had been especially laid down (_Regn._ of April 11, 1780, quoted below) that in suits regarding successions, inheritance, marriage, caste, and all religious usages and institutions, the Mahommedan laws with respect to Mahommedans, and the Hindū laws with respect to Hindūs, were to be considered as the general rules by which the judges were to form their decisions. In the respective cases, it was laid down, the _Mahommedan and Hindū_ LAW-OFFICERS of the court were to attend and expound the law.

In this note I have dealt only with the Mahommedan law-officer, whose presence and co-operation was so long (it has been seen) essential in a criminal trial. In civil cases he did not sit with the judge (at least in memory of man now living), but the judge could and did, in case of need, refer to him on any point of Mahommedan Law. The Hindū LAW-OFFICER (PUNDIT) is found in the legislation of 1793, and is distinctly traceable in the Regulations down at least to 1821. In fact he is named in the Act XI. of 1864 (see quotation under CAZEE) abolishing Law-officers. But in many of the districts it would seem that he had very long before 1860 practically ceased to exist, under what circumstances exactly I have failed to discover. He had nothing to do with criminal justice, and the occasions for reference to him were presumably not frequent enough to justify his maintenance in every district. A _Pundit_ continued to be attached to the Sudder Dewanny, and to him questions were referred by the District Courts when requisite. Neither _Pundit_ nor _Moolvee_ is attached to the High Court, but native judges sit on its Bench. It need only be added that under Regulation III. of 1821, a magistrate was authorized to refer for trial to the Law-officer of his district a variety of complaints and charges of a trivial character. The designation of the Law-officer was _Maulavi_. (See ADAWLUT, CAZEE, FUTWA, MOOLVEE, MUFTY.)

1780.—"That in all suits regarding inheritance, marriage, and caste, and
other religious usages or institutions, the laws of the Koran with
respect to Mahommedans, and those of the Shaster with respect to Gentoos,
shall be invariably adhered to. On all such occasions the MOLAVIES or
Brahmins shall respectively attend to expound the law; and they shall
sign the report and assist in passing the decree."—_Regulation passed by
the G.-G. and Council_, April 11, 1780.

1793.—"II. The LAW OFFICERS of the Sudder Dewanny Adawlut, the Nizamut
Adawlut, the provincial Courts of Appeal, the courts of circuit, and the
zillah and city courts ... shall not be removed but for incapacity or
misconduct...."—_Reg. XII._ of 1793.

In §§ iv., v., vi. CAUZY and MUFTY are substituted for LAW-OFFICER, but
referring to the same persons.

1799.—"IV. If the FUTWA of the LAW OFFICERS of the Nizamut Adawlut
declare any person convicted of wilful murder not liable to suffer death
under the Mahomedan law on the ground of ... the Court of _Nizamut
Adawlut_ shall notwithstanding sentence the prisoner to suffer
death...."—_Reg. VIII._ of 1799.

LAXIMANA, LAQUESIMENA, &c., s. Malay _Laksamana_, from Skt. _lakshmaṇa_, 'having fortunate tokens' (which was the name of a mythical hero, brother of _Rāma_). This was the title of one of the highest dignitaries in the Malay State, commander of the forces.

1511.—"There used to be in Malaca five principal dignities ... the third
is LASSAMANE; this is Admiral of the Sea...."—_Alboquerque_, by _Birch_,
iii. 87.

c. 1539.—"The King accordingly set forth a Fleet of two hundred Sails....
And of this Navy he made General the great LAQUE XEMENA, his Admiral, of
whose Valor the History of the _Indiaes_ hath spoken in divers
places."—_Pinto_, in _Cogan_, p. 38.

1553.—"LACSAMANA was harassed by the King to engage Dom Garcia; but his
reply was: _Sire, against the Portuguese and their high-sided vessels it
is impossible to engage with low-cut_ LANCHARAS _like ours. Leave me (to
act) for I know this people well, seeing how much blood they have cost
me; good fortune is now with thee, and I am about to avenge you on them._
And so he did."—_Barros_, III. viii. 7.

[1615.—"On the morrow I went to take my leave of LAXAMAN, to whom all
strangers' business are resigned."—_Foster, Letters_, iv. 6.]

LEAGUER, s. The following use of this word is now quite obsolete, we believe, in English; but it illustrates the now familiar German use of _Lager-Bier_, _i.e._ 'beer for laying down, for keeping' (primarily in cask). The word in this sense is neither in Minshew (1627), nor in Bayley (1730).

1747.—"That the Storekeeper do provide LEAGUERS of good Columbo or
Batavia arrack."—_Ft. St. David Consn._, May 5 (MS. Record in India
Office).

1782.—"Will be sold by Public Auction by Mr. Bondfield, at his Auction
Room, formerly the Court of Cutcherry ... Square and Globe Lanthorns, a
quantity of Country Rum in LEAGUERS, a Slave Girl, and a variety of other
articles."—_India Gazette_, Nov. 23.

LECQUE, s. We do not know what the word used by the Abbé Raynal in the following extract is meant for. It is perhaps a mistake for _last_, a Dutch weight.

1770.—"They (Dutch at the Cape) receive a still smaller profit from 60
LECQUES of red wine, and 80 or 90 of white, which they carry to Europe
every year. The LECQUE weighs about 1,200 pounds."—_Raynal_, E.T. 1777,
i. 231.

LEE, s. Chin. _lī_. The ordinary Chinese itinerary measure. Books of the Jesuit Missionaries generally interpret the modern _lī_ as 1/10 of a league, which gives about 3 _lī_ to the mile; more exactly, according to Mr. Giles, 27-4/5 _lī_ = 10 miles; but it evidently varies a good deal in different parts of China, and has also varied in the course of ages. Thus in the 8th century, data quoted by M. Vivien de St. Martin, from Père Gaubil, show that the _lī_ was little more than 1/5 of an English mile. And from several concurrent statements we may also conclude that the _lī_ is generalised so that a certain number of _lī_, generally 100, stand for a day's march. [Archdeacon Gray (_China_, ii. 101) gives 10 _lī_ as the equivalent of 3⅓ English miles; Gen. Cunningham (_Arch. Rep._ i. 305) asserts that Hwen Thsang converts the Indian _yojanas_ into Chinese _lī_ at the rate of 40 _lī_ per _yojana_, or of 10 _lī_ per _kos_.]

1585.—"By the said booke it is found that the Chinos haue amongst them
but only three kind of measures; the which in their language are called
LII, _pu_, and _icham_, which is as much as to say, or in effect, as a
forlong, league, or iorney: the measure, which is called _lii_, hath so
much space as a man's voice on a plaine grounde may bee hearde in a quiet
day, halowing or whoping with all the force and strength he may; and ten
of these LIIS maketh a _pu_, which is a great Spanish league; and ten
_pus_ maketh a daye's iourney, which is called _icham_, which maketh 12
(_sic_) long leagues."—_Mendoza_, i. 21.

1861.—"In this part of the country a day's march, whatever its actual
distance, is called 100 LI; and the LI may therefore be taken as a
measure of time rather than of distance."—_Col. Sarel_, in _J. R. Geog.
Soc._ xxxii. 11.

1878.—"D'après les clauses du contrat le voyage d'une longueur totale de
1,800 LIS, ou 180 lieues, devait s'effectuer en 18 jours."—_L. Rousset, À
Travers la Chine_, 337.

LEECHEE, LYCHEE, s. Chin. _li-chi_, and in S. China (its native region) _lai-chi_; the beautiful and delicate fruit of the _Nephelium litchi_, Cambessèdes (N. O. _Sapindaceae_), a tree which has been for nearly a century introduced into Bengal with success. The dried fruit, usually ticketed as _lychee_, is now common in London shops.

c. 1540.—"... outra verdura muito mais fresca, e de melhor cheiro, que
esta, a que os naturaes da terra chamão LECHIAS...."—_Pinto_, ch. lxviii.

1563.—"_R._ Of the things of China you have not said a word; though there
they have many fruits highly praised, such as are LALICHIAS (_lalixias_)
and other excellent fruits.

"_O._ I did not speak of the things of China, because China is a region
of which there is so much to tell that it never comes to an
end...."—_Garcia_, f. 157.

1585.—"Also they have a kinde of plummes that they doo call LECHIAS, that
are of an exceeding gallant tast, and never hurteth anybody, although
they should eate a great number of them."—_Parke's Mendoza_, i. 14.

1598.—"There is a kind of fruit called LECHYAS, which are like Plums, but
of another taste, and are very good, and much esteemed, whereof I have
eaten."—_Linschoten_, 38; [Hak. Soc. i. 131].

1631.—"Adfertur ad nos præterea fructus quidam _Lances_ (read LAICES)
vocatus, qui racematim, ut uvæ, crescit."—_Jac. Bontii_, Dial. vi. p. 11.

1684.—"LATSEA, or Chinese Chestnuts."—_Valentijn_, iv. (China) 12.

1750-52.—"LEICKI is a species of trees which they seem to reckon equal to
the sweet orange trees.... It seems hardly credible that the country
about Canton (in which place only the fruit grows) annually makes 100,000
_tel_ of dried LEICKIS."—_Olof Toreen_, 302-3.

1824.—"Of the fruits which this season offers, the finest are LEECHES
(_sic_) and mangoes; the first is really very fine, being a sort of plum,
with the flavour of a Frontignac grape."—_Heber_, i. 60.

c. 1858.—

"Et tandis que ton pied, sorti de la babouche,
Pendait, rose, au bord du MANCHY (see MUNCHEEL)
À l'ombre des bois noirs touffus, et du LETCHI,
Aux fruits moins pourpres que ta bouche."
_Leconte de Lisle._

1878.—"... and the LICHI hiding under a shell of ruddy brown its globes
of translucent and delicately fragrant flesh."—_Ph. Robinson, In My
Indian Garden_, 49.

1879.—"... Here are a hundred and sixty LICHI fruits for you...."—_M.
Stokes, Indian Fairy Tales_ (Calc. ed.) 51.

LEMON, s. _Citrus medica_, var. _Limonum_, Hooker. This is of course not an Anglo-Indian word. But it has come into European languages through the Ar. _leimūn_, and is, according to Hehn, of Indian origin. In Hind. we have both _līmū_ and _nīmbū_, which last, at least, seems to be an indigenous form. The Skt. dictionaries give _nimbūka_. In England we get the word through the Romance languages, Fr. _limon_, It. _limone_, Sp. _limon_, &c., perhaps both from the Crusades and from the Moors of Spain. [Mr. Skeat writes: "The Malay form is _limau_, 'a lime, lemon, or orange.' The Port. _limão_ may possibly come from this Malay form. I feel sure that _limau_, which in some dialects is _limar_, is an indigenous word which was transferred to Europe."] (See LIME.)

c. 1200.—"Sunt praeterea aliae arbores fructus acidos, pontici videlicet
saporis, ex se procreantes, quos appellant LIMONES."—_Jacobi de Vitriaco,
Hist. Iherosolym_, cap. lxxxv. in _Bongars_.

c. 1328.—"I will only say this much, that this India, as regards fruit
and other things, is entirely different from Christendom; except, indeed,
that there be LEMONS in some places, as sweet as sugar, whilst there be
other LEMONS sour like ours."—_Friar Jordanus_, 15.

1331.—"Profunditas hujus aquae plena est lapidibus preciosis. Quae aqua
multum est yrudinibus et sanguisugis plena. Hos lapides non accipit rex,
sed pro animâ suâ semel vel bis in anno sub aquas ipsos pauperes ire
permittit.... Et ut ipsi pauperes ire sub aquam possint accipiunt LIMONEM
et quemdam fructum quem bene pistant, et illo bene se ungunt.... Et cum
sic sint uncti yrudines et sanguisugæ illos offendere non valent."—_Fr.
Odoric_, in _Cathay_, &c., App., p. xxi.

c. 1333.—"The fruit of the mango-tree (_al-'anba_) is the size of a great
pear. When yet green they take the fallen fruit and powder it with salt
and preserve it, as is done with the sweet citron and the _lemon_
(_al_-LEIMŪN) in our country."—_Ibn Batuta_, iii. 126.

LEMON-GRASS, s. _Andropogon citratus_, D.C., a grass cultivated in Ceylon and Singapore, yielding an oil much used in perfumery, under the name of _Lemon-Grass Oil_, _Oil of Verbena_, or _Indian Melissa Oil_. Royle (_Hind. Medicine_, 82) has applied the name to another very fragrant grass, _Andropogon schoenanthus_, L., according to him the σχοῖνος of Dioscorides. This last, which grows wild in various parts of India, yields _Rūsa Oil_, alias _O. of Ginger-grass_ or _of Geranium_, which is exported from Bombay to Arabia and Turkey, where it is extensively used in the adulteration of "Otto of Roses."

LEOPARD, s. We insert this in order to remark that there has been a great deal of controversy among Indian sportsmen, and also among naturalists, as to whether there are or are not two species of this Cat, distinguished by those who maintain the affirmative, as panther (_F. pardus_) and leopard (_Felis leopardus_), the latter being the smaller, though by some these names are reversed. Even those who support this distinction of species appear to admit that the markings, habits, and general appearance (except size) of the two animals are almost identical. Jerdon describes the two varieties, but (with Blyth) classes both as one species (_Felis pardus_). [Mr. Blanford takes the same view: "I cannot help suspecting that the difference is very often due to age.... I have for years endeavoured to distinguish the two forms, but without success." (_Mammalia of India_, 68 _seq._)]

LEWCHEW, LIU KIU, LOO-CHOO, &c., n.p. The name of a group of islands to the south of Japan, a name much more familiar than in later years during the 16th century, when their people habitually navigated the China seas, and visited the ports of the Archipelago. In the earliest notices they are perhaps mixt up with the Japanese. [Mr. Chamberlain writes the name _Luchu_, and says that it is pronounced _Dūchū_ by the natives and _Ryūkyū_ by the Japanese (_Things Japanese_, 3rd ed. p. 267). Mr. Pringle traces the name in the "Gold flowered LOES" which appear in a Madras list of 1684, and which he supposes to be "a name invented for the occasion to describe some silk stuff brought from the Liu Kiu islands." (_Diary Ft. St. Geo._ 1st ser. iii. 174).]

1516.—"Opposite this country of China there are many islands in the sea,
and beyond them at 175 leagues to the east there is one very large, which
they say is the mainland, from whence there come in each year to Malaca 3
or 4 ships like those of the Chinese, of white people whom they describe
as great and wealthy merchants.... These islands are called LEQUEOS, the
people of Malaca say they are better men, and greater and wealthier
merchants, and better dressed and adorned, and more honourable than the
Chinese."—_Barbosa_, 207.

1540.—"And they, demanding of him whence he came, and what he would have,
he answered them that he was of the Kingdom of _Siam_ [of the settlement
of the Tanaucarim foreigners, and that he came from Veniaga] and as a
merchant was going to traffique in the Isle of LEQUIOS."—_Pinto_ (orig.
cap. x. xli), in _Cogan_, 49.

1553.—"Fernao Peres ... whilst he remained at that island of Beniaga, saw
there certain junks of the people called LEQUIOS, of whom he had already
got a good deal of information at Malaca, as that they inhabited certain
islands adjoining that coast of China; and he observed that the most part
of the merchandize that they brought was a great quantity of gold ... and
they appeared to him a better disposed people than the
Chinese...."—_Barros_, III. ii. 8. See also II. vi. 6.

1556.—(In this year) "a Portugal arrived at _Malaca_, named _Pero Gomez
d'Almeyda_, servant to the Grand Master of _Santiago_, with a rich
Present, and letters from the _Nautaquim_, Prince of the Island of
_Tanixumaa_, directed to King _John_ the third ... to have five hundred
_Portugals_ granted to him, to the end that with them, and his own
Forces, he might conquer the Island of LEQUIO, for which he would remain
tributary to him at 5000 Kintals of Copper and 1000 of Lattin,
yearly...."—_Pinto_, in _Cogan_, p. 188.

1615.—"The King of Mashona (qu. _Shashma_?) ... who is King of the
westermost islands of Japan ... has conquered the LEQUES Islands, which
not long since were under the Government of China."—_Sainsbury_, i. 447.

" "The King of Shashma ... a man of greate power, and hath
conquered the islandes called the LEQUES, which not long since were under
the government of China. LEQUE Grande yeeldeth greate store of amber
greece of the best sorte, and will vent 1,000 or 15,000 (_sic_) ps. of
coarse cloth, as dutties and such like, per annum."—_Letter of Raphe
Coppindall_, in _Cocks_, ii. 272.

[ " "They being put from LIQUEA...."—_Ibid._ i. 1.]

LIAMPO, n.p. This is the name which the older writers, especially Portuguese, give to the Chinese port which we now call _Ning-Po_. It is a form of corruption which appears in other cases of names used by the Portuguese, or of those who learned from them. Thus _Nanking_ is similarly called _Lanchin_ in the publications of the same age, and _Yunnan_ appears in Mendoza as _Olam_.

1540.—"Sailing in this manner we arrived six dayes after at the Ports of
LIAMPOO, which are two Islands one just against another, distant three
Leagues from the place, where at that time the _Portugals_ used their
commerce. There they had built above a thousand houses, that were
governed by Sheriffs, Auditors, Consuls, Judges, and 6 or 7 other kinde
of Officers [_com governança de_ Vereadores, & Ouvidor, & Alcaides, _&
outras seis ou sete Varas de Justiça & Officiaes de Republica_], where
the Notaries underneath the publique Acts which they made, wrote thus,
_I, such a one, publique Notarie of this Town of_ LIAMPOO _for the King
our Soveraign Lord_. And this they did with as much confidence and
assurance as if this Place had been scituated between _Santarem_ and
_Lisbon_; so that there were houses there which cost three or four
thousand Duckats the building, but both they and all the rest were
afterwards demolished for our sins by the _Chineses_...."—_Pinto_ (orig.
cap. lxvi.), in _Cogan_, p. 82.

What Cogan renders '_Ports of_ LIAMPOO' is _portas_, _i.e._ _Gates_. And
the expression is remarkable as preserving a very old tradition of
Eastern navigation; the oldest document regarding Arab trade to China
(the _Relation_, tr. by Reinaud) says that the ships after crossing the
Sea of _Sanji_ 'pass the _Gates of China_. These Gates are in fact
mountains washed by the sea; between these mountains is an opening,
through which the ships pass' (p. 19). This phrase was perhaps a
translation of a term used by the Chinese themselves—see under BOCCA
TIGRIS.

1553.—"The eighth (division of the coasts of the Indies) terminates in a
notable cape, the most easterly point of the whole continent so far as we
know at present, and which stands about midway in the whole coast of that
great country China. This our people call Cabo de LIAMPO, after an
illustrious city which lies in the bend of the cape. It is called by the
natives NIMPO, which our countrymen have corrupted into
LIAMPO."—_Barros_, i. ix. 1.

1696.—"Those Junks commonly touch at LYMPO, from whence they bring
_Petre_, _Geelongs_, and other Silks."—_Bowyear_, in _Dalrymple_, i. 87.

1701.—"The Mandarine of Justice arrived late last night from
LIMPO."—_Fragmentary MS. Records of China Factory_ (at Chusan?), in India
Office, Oct. 24.

1727.—"The Province of _Chequiam_, whose chief city is LIMPOA, by some
called _Nimpoa_, and by others _Ningpoo_."—_A. Hamilton_, ii. 283; [ed.
1744, ii. 282].

1770.—"To these articles of importation may be added those brought every
year, by a dozen Chinese Junks, from Emoy, LIMPO, and Canton."—_Raynal_,
tr. 1777, i. 249.

LIKIN, LEKIN, s. We borrow from Mr. Giles: "An arbitrary tax, originally of one cash per tael on all kinds of produce, imposed with a view of making up the deficiency in the land-tax of China caused by the T'aiping and Nienfei troubles. It was to be set aside for military purposes only—hence its common name of 'war tax'.... The Chefoo Agreement makes the area of the Foreign concessions at the various Treaty Ports exempt from the tax of Lekin" (_Gloss. of Reference_, s.v.). The same authority explains the term as "_li_ (_le_, _i.e._ a cash or 1/1000 of a tael)-money," because of the original rate of levy. The LIKIN is professedly not an imperial customs-duty, but a provincial tax levied by the governors of the provinces, and at their discretion as to amount; hence varying in local rate, and from time to time changeable. This has been a chief difficulty in carrying out the Chefoo Agreement, which as yet has never been authoritatively interpreted or finally ratified by England. [It was ratified in 1886. For the conditions of the Agreement see _Ball, Things Chinese_, 3rd ed. 629 _seqq._] We quote the article of the Agreement which deals with opium, which has involved the chief difficulties, as leaving not only the amount to be paid, but the line at which this is to be paid, undefined.

1876.—"Sect. III. ... (iii). On Opium Sir Thomas Wade will move his
Government to sanction an arrangement different from that affecting other
imports. British merchants, when opium is brought into port, will be
obliged to have it taken cognizance of by the Customs, and deposited in
Bond ... until such time as there is a sale for it. The importer will
then pay the tariff duty upon it, and the purchasers the LIKIN: in order
to the prevention of the evasion of the duty. The amount of LIKIN to be
collected will be decided by the different Provincial Governments,
according to the circumstances of each."—_Agreement of Chefoo._

1878.—"La Chine est parsemée d'une infinité de petits bureaux d'octroi
échelonnés le long des voies commerciales; les Chinois les nomment
LI-KIN. C'est la source la plus sure, et la plus productive des
revenus."—_Rousset, À Travers la Chine_, 221.

LILAC, s. This plant-name is eventually to be identified with ANIL (q.v.), and with the Skt. _nīla_, 'of a dark colour (especially dark blue or black)'; a fact which might be urged in favour of the view that the ancients in Asia, as has been alleged of them in Europe, belonged to the body of the colour-blind (like the writer of this article). The Indian word takes, in the sense of indigo, in Persian the form _līlang_; in Ar. this, modified into _līlak_ and _līlāk_, is applied to the lilac (_Syringa_ spp.). Marcel Devic says the Ar. adj. _līlak_ has the modified sense 'bleuâtre.' See a remark under BUCKYNE. We may note that in Scotland the 'striving after meaning' gives this familiar and beautiful tree the name among the uneducated of '_lily-oak_.'

LIME, s. The fruit of the small _Citrus medica_, var. _acida_, Hooker, is that generally called _lime_ in India, approaching as it does very nearly to the fruit of the West India Lime. It is often not much bigger than a pigeon's egg, and one well-known miniature lime of this kind is called by the natives from its thin skin _kāghazī nīmbū_, or 'paper lime.' This seems to bear much the same relation to the lemon that the miniature thin-skinned orange, which in London shops is called _Tangerine_, bears to the "China orange." But lime is also used with the characterising adjective for the _Citrus medica_, var. _Limetta_, Hooker, or Sweet Lime, an insipid fruit.

The word no doubt comes from the Sp. and Port. _lima_, which is from the Ar. _līma_; Fr. _lime_, Pers. _līmū_, _līmūn_ (see LEMON). But probably it came into English from the Portuguese in India. It is not in Minsheu (2nd ed. 1727).

1404.—"And in this land of Guilan snow never falls, so hot is it; and it
produces abundance of citrons and LIMES and oranges (_cidras é_ LIMAS _é
naranjas_)."—_Clavijo_, § lxxxvi.

c. 1526.—"Another is the LIME (_līmū_), which is very plentiful. Its size
is about that of a hen's egg, which it resembles in shape. If one who is
poisoned boils and eats its fibres, the injury done by the poison is
averted."—_Baber_, 328.

1563.—"It is a fact that there are some Portuguese so pig-headed that
they would rather die than acknowledge that we have here any fruit equal
to that of Portugal; but there are many fruits here that bear the bell,
as for instance all the _fructas de espinho_. For the LEMONS of those
parts are so big that they look like citrons, besides being very tender
and full of flavour, especially those of _Baçaim_; whilst the citrons
themselves are much better and more tender (than those of Portugal); and
the LIMES (_limas_) vastly better...."—_Garcia_, f. 133.

c. 1630.—"The Ile inricht us with many good things; Buffolls, Goats,
Turtle, Hens, huge Batts ... also with Oranges, LEMONS, LYMES...."—_Sir
T. Herbert_, 28.

1673.—"Here Asparagus flourish, as do LIMES, Pomegranates,
Genetins...."—_Fryer_, 110. ("Jenneting" from Fr. _genétin_, [or,
according to Prof. Skeat, for _jeanneton_, a dimin. from Fr. _pomme de S.
Jean_.]

1690.—"The Island (Johanna) abounds with Fowls and Rice, with Pepper,
Yams, Plantens, Bonanoes, Potatoes, Oranges, LEMONS, LIMES, Pine-apples,
&c...."—_Ovington_, 109.

LINGAIT, LINGAYET, LINGUIT, LINGAVANT, LINGADHARI, s. Mahr. _Liñgā-īt_, Can. _Lingāyata_, a member of a Sivaite sect in W. and S. India, whose members wear the _liñga_ (see LINGAM) in a small gold or silver box suspended round the neck. The sect was founded in the 12th century by Bāsava. They are also called _Jangama_, or _Vīra Śaiva_, and have various subdivisions. [See _Nelson, Madura_, pt. iii. 48 _seq._; _Monier Williams, Brahmanism_, 88.]

1673.—"At _Hubly_ in this Kingdom are a caste called LINGUITS, who are
buried upright."—_Fryer_, 153. This is still their practice.

_Lingua_ is given as the name or title of the King of Columbum (see QUILON) in the 14th century, by Friar Jordanus (p. 41), which might have been taken to denote that he belonged to this sect; but this seems never to have had followers in Malabar.

LINGAM, s. This is taken from the S. Indian form of the word, which in N. India is Skt. and Hind. _liñga_, 'a token, badge,' &c., thence the symbol of Śiva which is so extensively an object of worship among the Hindus, in the form of a cylinder of stone. The great idol of Somnāth, destroyed by Mahmūd of Ghazni, and the object of so much romantic narrative, was a colossal symbol of this kind. In the quotation of 1838 below, the word is used simply for a badge of caste, which is certainly the original Skt. meaning, but is probably a mistake as attributed in that sense to modern vernacular use. The man may have been a LINGAIT (q.v.), so that his badge was actually a figure of the lingam. But this clever authoress often gets out of her depth.

1311.—"The stone idols called LING Mahádeo, which had been a long time
established at that place ... these, up to this time, the kick of the
horse of Islam had not attempted to break.... Deo Narain fell down, and
the other gods who had seats there raised their feet, and jumped so high,
that at one leap they reached the foot of Lanka, and in that affright the
LINGS themselves would have fled, had they had any legs to stand
on."—_Amír Khusrú_, in _Elliot_, iv. 91.

1616.—"... above this there is elevated the figure of an idol, which in
decency I abstain from naming, but which is called by the heathen LINGA,
and which they worship with many superstitions; and indeed they regard it
to such a degree that the heathen of Canara carry well-wrought images of
the kind round their necks. This abominable custom was abolished by a
certain Canara King, a man of reason and righteousness."—_Couto_, Dec.
VII. iii. 11.

1726.—"There are also some of them who wear a certain stone idol called
LINGAM ... round the neck, or else in the hair of the
head...."—_Valentijn, Choro._ 74.

1781.—"These Pagodas have each a small chamber in the center of twelve
feet square, with a lamp hanging over the LINGHAM."—_Hodges_, 94.

1799.—"I had often remarked near the banks of the rivulet a number of
little altars, with a LINGA of Mahádeva upon them. It seems they are
placed over the ashes of Hindus who have been burnt near the
spot."—_Colebrooke_, in _Life_, p. 152.

1809.—"Without was an immense LINGAM of black stone."—_Ld. Valentia_, i.
371.

1814.—"... two respectable Brahmuns, a man and his wife, of the secular
order; who, having no children, had made several religious pilgrimages,
performed the accustomed ceremonies to the LINGA, and consulted the
divines."—_Forbes, Or. Mem._ ii. 364; [2nd ed. ii. 4; in ii. 164,
LINGAM].

1838.—"In addition to the preaching, Mr. G. got hold of a man's LINGUM,
or badge of caste, and took it away."—_Letters from Madras_, 156.

1843.—"The homage was paid to LINGAMISM. The insult was offered to
Mahometanism. _Lingamism_ is not merely idolatry, but idolatry in its
most pernicious form."—_Macaulay, Speech on Gates of Somnauth._

LINGUIST, s. An old word for an interpreter, formerly much used in the East. It long survived in China, and is there perhaps not yet obsolete. Probably adopted from the Port. _lingua_, used for an interpreter.

1554.—"To a LLINGUA of the factory (at Goa) 2 pardaos monthly...."—_S.
Botelho, Tombo_, 63.

" "To the LINGUOA of this kingdom (Ormuz) a Portuguese.... To the
LINGUOA of the custom-house, a bramen."—_Ibid._ 104.

[1612.—"Did Captain Saris' LINGUIST attend?"—_Danvers, Letters_, i. 68.]

1700.—"I carried the LINGUIST into a Merchant's House that was my
Acquaintance to consult with that Merchant about removing that _Remora_,
that stop'd the Man of War from entring into the Harbour."—_A. Hamilton_,
iii. 254; [ed. 1744].

1711.—"LINGUISTS require not too much haste, having always five or six to
make choice of, never a Barrel the better Herring."—_Lockyer_, 102.

1760.—"I am sorry to think your Honour should have reason to think, that
I have been anyway concerned in that unlucky affair that happened at the
_Negrais_, in the month of October 1759; but give me leave to assure your
Honour that I was no further concerned, than as a LINGUISTER for the
_King's Officer_ who commanded the Party."—Letter to the Gov. of Fort St.
George, from _Antonio the Linguist_, in _Dalrymple_, i. 396.

1760-1810.—"If the ten should presume to enter villages, public places,
or bazaars, punishment will be inflicted on the LINGUIST who accompanies
them."—_Regulations at Canton_, from _The Fankwae at Canton_, p. 29.

1882.—"As up to treaty days, neither Consul nor Vice-Consul of a foreign
nation was acknowledged, whenever either of these officers made a
communication to the Hoppo, it had to be done through the Hong merchants,
to whom the dispatch was taken by a LINGUIST."—_The Fankwae at Canton_,
p. 50.

LIP-LAP, s. A vulgar and disparaging nickname given in the Dutch Indies to Eurasians, and corresponding to Anglo-Indian CHEE-CHEE (q.v.). The proper meaning of _lip-lap_ seems to be the uncoagulated pulp of the coco-nut (see _Rumphius_, bk. i. ch. 1). [Mr. Skeat notes that the word is not in the Dicts., but Klinkert gives Jav. _lap-lap_, 'a dish-clout.']

1768-71.—"Children born in the Indies are nicknamed LIPLAPS by the
Europeans, although both parents may have come from
Europe."—_Stavorinus_, E.T. i. 315.

LISHTEE, LISTEE, s. Hind. _lishtī_, English word, '_a list_.'

LONG-CLOTH, s. The usual name in India for (white) cotton shirtings, or Lancashire calico; but first applied to the Indian cloth of like kind exported to England, probably because it was made of length unusual in India; cloth for native use being ordinarily made in pieces sufficient only to clothe one person. Or it is just possible that it may have been a corruption or misapprehension of _lungi_ (see LOONGHEE). [This latter view is accepted without question by Sir G. Birdwood (_Rep. on Old Rec._, 224), who dates its introduction to Europe about 1675.]

1670.—"We have continued to supply you ... in reguard the Dutch do so
fully fall in with the Calicoe trade that they had the last year 50,000
pieces of LONG-CLOTH."—_Letter from Court of E.I.C._ to Madras, Nov. 9th.
In _Notes and Exts._, No. i. p. 2.

[1682.—"... for LONG CLOTH brown English 72: Coveds long & 2¼ broad No.
I. ..."—_Pringle, Diary, Ft. St. Geo._ 1st ser. i. 40.]

1727.—"_Saderass_, or _Saderass Patam_, a small Factory belonging to the
_Dutch_, to buy up LONG CLOTH."—_A. Hamilton_, i. 358; [ed. 1744].

1785.—"The trade of Fort St. David's consists in LONG CLOTHS of different
colours."—_Carraccioli's Life of Clive_, i. 5.

1865.—"LONG-CLOTH, as it is termed, is the material principally worn in
the Tropics."—_Waring, Tropical Resident_, p. 111.

1880.—"A Chinaman is probably the last man in the world to be taken in
twice with a fraudulent piece of LONG-CLOTH."—_Pall Mall Budget_, Jan. 9,
p. 9.

LONG-DRAWERS, s. This is an old-fashioned equivalent for PYJAMAS (q.v.). Of late it is confined to the Madras Presidency, and to outfitters' lists. [_Mosquito drawers_ were probably like these.]

[1623.—"They wear a pair of LONG DRAWERS of the same Cloth, which cover
not only their Thighs, but legs also to the Feet."—_P. della Valle_, Hak.
Soc. i. 43.]

1711.—"The better sort wear LONG DRAWERS, and a piece of Silk, or wrought
Callico, thrown loose over the Shoulders."—_Lockyer_, 57.

1774.—"... gave each private man a frock and LONG DRAWERS of
chintz."—_Forrest, V. to N. Guinea_, 100.

1780.—"Leroy, one of the French hussars, who had saved me from being cut
down by Hyder's horse, gave me some soup, and a shirt, and LONG-DRAWERS,
which I had great want of."—_Hon. John Lindsay_ in _Lives of the
Lindsays_, iv. 266.

1789.—"It is true that they (the _Sycs_) wear only a short blue jacket,
and blue LONG DRAWS."—Note by Translator of _Seir Mutaqherin_, i. 87.

1810.—"For wear on board ship, pantaloons ... together with as many pair
of wove cotton LONG-DRAWERS, to wear under them."—_Williamson, V. M._ i.
9.

[1853.—"The Doctor, his gaunt figure very scantily clad in a dirty shirt
and a pair of MOSQUITO DRAWERS."—_Campbell, Old Forest Ranger_, 3rd ed.
108.]

(See PYJAMAS, MOGUL BREECHES, SHULWAURS, SIRDRARS.)

LONG-SHORE WIND, s. A term used in Madras to designate the damp, unpleasant wind that blows in some seasons, especially July to September, from the south.

1837.—"This LONGSHORE WIND is very disagreeable—a sort of sham sea-breeze
blowing from the south; whereas the real sea-breeze blows from the east;
it is a regular cheat upon the new-comers, feeling damp and fresh as if
it were going to cool one."—_Letters from Madras_, 73.

[1879.—"Strong winds from the south known as ALONGSHORE WINDS, prevail
especially near the coast."—_Stuart, Tinnevelly_, 8.]

LONTAR, s. The palm leaves used in the Archipelago (as in S. India) for writing on are called _lontar_-leaves. Filet (No. 5179, p. 209) gives _lontar_ as the Malay name of two palms, viz. _Borassus flabelliformis_ (see PALMYRA, BRAB), and _Livistona tundifolia_. [See CADJAN.] [Mr. Skeat notes that Klinkert gives—"_Lontar_, metathesis of _ron-tal_, leaf of the _tal_ tree, a fan-palm whose leaves were once used for writing on, _borassus flabelliformis_." _Ron_ is thus probably equivalent to the Malay _daun_, or in some dialects _don_, 'leaf.' The tree itself is called _p'hun_ (_pohun_) _tar_ in the E. coast of the Malay Peninsula, _tar_ and _tal_ being only variants of the same word. Scott, _Malayan Words in English_, p. 121, gives: "_Lontar_, a palm, dial. form of _dāun tāl_ (_tāl_, Hind.)." (See TODDY.)

LOOCHER, s. This is often used in Anglo-Ind. colloquial for a blackguard libertine, a lewd loafer. It is properly Hind. _luchchā_, having that sense. Orme seems to have confounded the word, more or less, with _lūṭiya_ (see under LOOTY). [A rogue in _Pandurang Hari_ (ed. 1873, ii. 168) is _Loochajee_. The place at Matheran originally called "_Louisa_ Point" has become "_Loocha_ Point!"]

[1829.—"... nothing-to-do LOOTCHAS of every sect in Camp...."—_Or. Sport.
Mag._ ed. 1873, i. 121.]

LOONGHEE, s. Hind. _lungī_, perhaps originally Pers. _lung_ and _lunggī_; [but Platts connects it with _linga_]. A scarf or web of cloth to wrap round the body, whether applied as what the French call _pagne_, _i.e._ a cloth simply wrapped once or twice round the hips and tucked in at the upper edge, which is the proper Mussulman mode of wearing it; or as a cloth tucked between the legs like a DHOTY (q.v.), which is the Hindu mode, and often followed also by Mahommedans in India. The _Qanoon-e-Islam_ further distinguishes between the _lunggī_ and _dhotī_ that the former is a coloured cloth worn as described, and the latter a cloth with only a coloured border, worn by Hindus alone. This explanation must belong to S. India. ["The _lungi_ is really meant to be worn round the waist, and is very generally of a checked pattern, but it is often used as a _paggri_ (see PUGGRY), more especially that known as the Kohat _lungi_" (_Cookson, Mon. on Punjab Silk_, 4). For illustrations of various modes of wearing the garment, see _Forbes Watson, Textile Manufactures and Costumes_, pl. iii. iv.]

1653.—"LONGUI est vne petite pièce de linge, dont les Indiens se servent
à cacher les parties naturelles."—_De la Boullaye-le-Gouz_, 529. But in
the edition of 1657 it is given: "LONGUI est vn morceau de linge dont
l'on se sert au bain en Turquie" (p. 547).

1673.—"The Elder sat in a Row, where the Men and Women came down together
to wash, having LUNGIES about their Wastes only."—_Fryer_, 101. In the
Index, Fryer explains as a "Waste-Clout."

1726.—"Silk LONGIS with red borders, 160 pieces in a pack, 14 _cobidos_
long and 2 broad."—_Valentijn_, v. 178.

1727.—"... For some coarse checquered Cloth, called _Cambaya_ (see
COMBOY), LUNGIES, made of Cotton-Yarn, the Natives would bring Elephant's
Teeth."—_A. Hamilton_, i. 9; [ed. 1744].

" (In Pegu) "Under the Frock they have a Scarf or LUNGEE doubled
fourfold, made fast about the Middle...."—_Ibid._ ii. 49.

c. 1760.—"Instead of petticoats they wear what they call a LOONGEE, which
is simply a long piece of silk or cotton stuff."—_Grose_, i. 143.

c. 1809-10.—"Many use the LUNGGI, a piece of blue cotton cloth, from 5 to
7 cubits long and 2 wide. It is wrapped simply two or three times round
the waist, and hangs down to the knee."—_F. Buchanan_, in _Eastern
India_, iii. 102.

LOOT, s. & v. Plunder; Hind. _lūṭ_, and that from Skt. _lotra_, for _loptra_, root _lup_, 'rob, plunder'; [rather _luṇṭ_, 'to rob']. The word appears in Stockdale's _Vocabulary_, of 1788, as "LOOT—plunder, pillage." It has thus long been a familiar item in the Anglo-Indian colloquial. But between the Chinese War of 1841, the Crimean War (1854-5), and the Indian Mutiny (1857-8), it gradually found acceptance in England also, and is now a recognised constituent of the English _Slang Dictionary_. Admiral Smyth has it in his _Nautical Glossary_ (1867) thus: "LOOT, plunder, or pillage, a term adopted from China."

1545.—St. Francis Xavier in a letter to a friend in Portugal admonishing
him from encouraging any friend of his to go to India seems to have the
thing _Loot_ in his mind, though of course he does not use the word:
"Neminem patiaris amicorum tuorum in Indiam cum Praefectura mitti, ad
regias pecunias, et negotia tractanda. Nam de illis vere illud scriptum
capere licet: 'Deleantur de libro viventium et cum justis non
scribantur.'... Invidiam tantum non culpam usus publicus detrahit, dum
vix dubitatur fieri non malè quod impunè fit. Ubique, semper, rapitur,
congeritur, aufertur. Semel captum nunquam redditur. Quis enumeret artes
et nomina, praedarum? Equidem mirari satis nequeo, quot, praeter usitatos
modos, insolitis flexionibus inauspicatum illud RAPIENDI verbum quaedam
avaritiae barbaria conjuget!"—_Epistolae, Prague_, 1667, Lib. V. Ep. vii.

1842.—"I believe I have already told you that I did not take any LOOT—the
Indian word for plunder—so that I have nothing of that kind, to which so
many in this expedition helped themselves so bountifully."—_Colin
Campbell_ to his Sister, in _L. of Ld. Clyde_, i. 120.

" "In the Saugor district the plunderers are beaten whenever they
are caught, but there is a good deal of burning and 'LOOTING,' as they
call it."—_Indian Administration of Ld. Ellenborough. To the D. of
Wellington_, May 17, p. 194.

1847.—"Went to see Marshal Soult's pictures which he LOOTED in Spain.
There are many Murillos, all beautiful."—_Ld. Malmesbury, Mem. of an
Ex-Minister_, i. 192.

1858.—"There is a word called 'LOOT,' which gives, unfortunately, a
venial character to what would in common English be styled robbery."—_Ld.
Elgin, Letters and Journals_, 215.

1860.—"LOOT, swag or plunder."—_Slang Dict._ s.v.

1864.—"When I mentioned the 'LOOTING' of villages in 1845, the word was
printed in italics as little known. Unhappily it requires no distinction
now, custom having rendered it rather common of late."—_Admiral W. H.
Smyth, Synopsis_, p. 52.

1875.—"It was the Colonel Sahib who carried off the LOOT."—_The Dilemma_,
ch. xxxvii.

1876.—"Public servants (in Turkey) have vied with one another in a system
of universal LOOT."—_Blackwood's Mag._ No. cxix. p. 115.

1878.—"The city (Hongkong) is now patrolled night and day by strong
parties of marines and Sikhs, for both the disposition to LOOT and the
facilities for LOOTING are very great."—_Miss Bird, Golden Chersonese_,
34.

1883.—"'LOOT' is a word of Eastern origin, and for a couple of centuries
past ... the LOOTING of Delhi has been the daydream of the most patriotic
among the Sikh race."—_Bos. Smith's Life of Ld. Lawrence_, ii. 245.

" "At Ta li fu ... a year or two ago, a fire, supposed to be an act
of incendiarism, broke out among the Tibetan encampments which were then
LOOTED by the Chinese."—_Official Memo. on Chinese Trade with Tibet_,
1883.

LOOTY, LOOTIEWALLA, s.

A. A plunderer. Hind. _lūṭī_, _lūṭīyā_, _lūṭīwālā_.

1757.—"A body of their LOUCHEES (see LOOCHER) or plunderers, who are
armed with clubs, passed into the Company's territory."—_Orme_, ed. 1803,
ii. 129.

1782.—"Even the rascally LOOTY WALLAHS, or Mysorean hussars, who had just
before been meditating a general desertion to us, now pressed upon our
flanks and rear."—_Munro's Narrative_, 295.

1792.—"The Colonel found him as much dismayed as if he had been
surrounded by the whole Austrian army, and busy in placing an ambuscade
to catch about six LOOTIES."—_Letter of T. Munro_, in _Life_.

" "This body (horse plunderers round Madras) had been branded
generally by the name of LOOTIES, but they had some little title to a
better appellation, for they were ... not guilty of those sanguinary and
inhuman deeds...."—_Madras Courier_, Jan. 26.

1793.—"A party was immediately sent, who released 27 half-starved
wretches in heavy irons; among them was Mr. Randal Cadman, a midshipman
taken 10 years before by Suffrein. The remainder were private soldiers;
some of whom had been taken by the LOOTIES; others were
deserters...."—_Dirom's Narrative_, p. 157.

B. A different word is the Ar.—Pers. _lūṭīy_, bearing a worse meaning, 'one of the people of Lot,' and more generally 'a blackguard.'

[1824.—"They were singing, dancing, and making the LUTI all the livelong
day."—_Hajji Baba_, ed. 1851, p. 444.

[1858.—"The LOUTIS, who wandered from town to town with monkeys and other
animals, taught them to cast earth upon their heads (a sign of the
deepest grief among Asiatics) when they were asked whether they would be
governors of Balkh or Akhcheh."—_Ferrier, H. of the Afghans_, 101.

[1883.—"Monkeys and baboons are kept and trained by the LŪTIS, or
professional buffoons."—_Will's Modern Persia_, ed. 1891, p. 306.]

The people of Shiraz are noted for a fondness for jingling phrases, common enough among many Asiatics, including the people of India, where one constantly hears one's servants speak of _chaukī-aukī_ (for chairs and tables), _naukar-chākar_ (where both are however real words), 'servants,' _lakṛī-akṛī_, 'sticks and staves,' and so forth. Regarding this Mr. Wills tells a story (_Modern Persia_, p. 239). The late Minister, Ḳawām-ud-Daulat, a Shirāzi, was asked by the Shāh:

"Why is it, Ḳawām, that you Shīrāzīs always talk of _Kabob-mabob_ and so
on? You always add a nonsense-word; is it for euphony?"

"Oh, Asylum of the Universe, may I be your sacrifice! No respectable
person in Shīrāz does so, only the LŪTĪ-PŪTĪ says it!"

LOQUOT, LOQUAT, s. A sub-acid fruit, a native of China and Japan, which has been naturalised in India and in Southern Europe. In Italy it is called _nespola giapponese_ (Japan medlar). It is _Eriobotrya japonica_, Lindl. The name is that used in S. China, _lu-küh_, pron. at Canton _lu-kwat_, and meaning 'rush-orange.' Elsewhere in China it is called _pi-pa_.

[1821.—"The LACOTT, a Chinese fruit, not unlike a plum, was produced also
in great plenty (at Bangalore); it is sweet when ripe, and both used for
tarts, and eaten as dessert."—_Hoole, Missions in Madras and Mysore_, 2nd
ed. 159.]

1878.—"... the yellow LOQUAT, peach-skinned and pleasant, but prodigal of
stones."—_Ph. Robinson, In My Indian Garden_, 49.

c. 1880.—"A LOQUAT tree in full fruit is probably a sight never seen in
England before, but 'the phenomenon' is now on view at Richmond. (This
was in the garden of Lady Parker at Stawell House.) We are told that it
has a fine crop of fruit, comprising about a dozen bunches, each bunch
being of eight or ten beautiful berries...."—_Newspaper cutting (source
lost)._

LORCHA, s. A small kind of vessel used in the China coasting trade. Giles explains it as having a hull of European build, but the masts and sails Chinese fashion, generally with a European skipper and a Chinese crew. The word is said to have been introduced by the Portuguese from S. America (_Giles_, 81). But Pinto's passage shows how early the word was used in the China seas, a fact which throws doubt on that view. [Other suggestions are that it is Chinese _low-chuen_, a sort of fighting ship, or Port. _lancha_, our _launch_ (2 _N. & Q._ iii. 217, 236).]

1540.—"Now because the LORCH (_lorcha_), wherein _Antonio de Faria_ came
from _Patana_ leaked very much, he commanded all his soldiers to pass
into another better vessel ... and arriving at a River that about evening
we found towards the East, he cast anchor a league out at Sea, by reason
his Junk ... drew much water, so that fearing the Sands ... he sent
_Christovano Borralho_ with 14 Soldiers in the LORCH up the
River...."—_Pinto_ (orig. cap. xlii.), _Cogan_, p. 50.

" "Cõ isto nos partemos deste lugar de Laito muyto embandeirados,
com as gavias toldadas de paños de seda, et os juncos e LORCHAS cõ duas
ordens de paveses por banda"—_Pinto_, ch. lviii. _i.e._ "And so we
started from Laito all dressed out, the tops draped with silk, and the
junks and LORCHAS with two tiers of banners on each side."

1613.—"And they use smaller vessels called LORCHAS and _lyolyo_ (?), and
these never use more than 2 oars on each side, which serve both for
rudders and for oars in the river traffic."—_Godinho de Eredia_, f.
26_v_.