Henry Yule

“ This year of famine the Portuguese of the town of St. Thomé did much good to the people, helping them with quantities of rice and millet, and coco-nuts and jagra (see JAGGERY) , which they imported in their vessels from other parts, and sold in retail to the people at far lower prices than they could have got if they wished it; and some rich people caused quantities of rice to be boiled in their houses, and gave it boiled down in the water to the people to drink, all for the love of God.... This famine lasted a whole year, and it spread to other parts, but was not so bad as in Choromandel. ”

“ When I was a young man with an officer in the camp of Lāt Līk Sāhib (Lord Lake) the sahibs would give an ashrafi (Ashrafee) , when now they think twice before taking out a rupee."—Personal Reminiscences of an old Khansama's Conversation. ”

“ This is the gold mohur.
1540.—"This year there was such a famine in Choromandel, that it left nearly the whole land depopulated with the mortality, and people ate their fellow men. Such a thing never was heard of on that Coast, where formerly there was such an abundance of rice, that in the port of Negapatam I have often seen more than 700 sail take cargoes amounting to more than 20,000 moios (the moyo = 29.39 bushels) of rice.... ”