Musalmans.

Musalma'ns, according to the 1881 census, numbered 17,891 or 4.68 per cent of the population. They are chiefly found in the towns of Alibag, Pen, Roha, Mangaon, and Mahad.

They include four main classes: Konkanis or Jamatis, Daldis [Other Musalmans punningly derive this word from dal dena put away, as if outcaste, Molesworth's explanation from dalad fishing is, no doubt, correct.] or fishers, Deccanis, and. Gujaratis. As in Ratnagiri, the Konkanis and Daldis claim to be partly descended from Arab and Persian settlers, some who fled from Kufa in the Euphrates valley, about the year 700 (A.H. 82), to escape the cruelties of the fierce governor Hajjaj Ibn yusuf. and others who come as traders and adventurers. Early in the tenth century, Arab and Persian Musalmans were settled in large numbers in Chant, where they bad mosques and a governor of their own who decided their disputes [Mas'udi (913), Prairics d'Or, II. 86.]' The first settlers were probably recruited by bands of refugees from the oppression of the Karmatians (A.D. 923-926) and of Halaku the Tartar (A.D. 1258), by Persian and Arab traders, and by foreign mercenaries who flocked to Chanl as the chief seaport of the Ahmadnagar kingdom (1490-1636).

As Musalman power was never thoroughly established in Kolaba, and, as there is no record of any attempt on the part of the Ahmadnagar kings to force the Hindus to embrace Islam, it seems probable that the bulk of Kolaba Musalman are of part. foreign descent. Within the last thirty years, from the increase of communication between the coast and the inland parts, a few Deccan butchers and craftsmen have made their appearance in the district. But their number is so small that they hardly form a distinct class. During the same time a considerable number of Bohora, Khoja, and Meman traders have come to the district from Gujarat and Bombay.

Almost all Kolaba Musalmans can speak a more or less corrupt Hindustani. But the home speech of the Konkanis is a dialect, of Marathi, of the Deccanis Deccani Hindustani with mixture of Marathi, and of the Gujaratis Gujarati or Cutchi.

Besides by the beard, which almost all Musalmans wear, either thin like the Konkanis and Bohoras, full like the Memans, or short or full like the Khojas' and Deccanis, the Kolaba  musalmans differ from Kolaba Hindus by being larger-boned and higher featured and the Bohoras, Khojas, Memans, and a few of the konkanis, by being fairer skinned.

Well-to-do Konkanis have one-storied houses of brick and mortar with from four to eight rooms. They seldom use tables or chairs their furniture consisting of a few Indian carpets, cots, quilts, and some low stools. The building cost of a rich man's house varies from £100 to £200 (Rs. 1000 - Rs. 2000), that of a middle class man from £20 to £50 (Rs. 200 - Rs. 500), and that of a poor man from £2 10s. to £5 (Rs. 25- Rs. 50) Houses are seldom hired, as every family, whether rich, or poor, tries to have a house of its own.

The Konkani's ordinary food is rice and fish, or nachni bread eaten with fish; meat, partly because fish takes its place, and partly because of the want of local butchers, is little used, except at festivals or dinner parties. Bohoras, Khojas, and Memans cat rice, pulse, and wheat or rice bread with vegetables or fish, while Deccanis prefer Indian millet bread and pulse curry with a large seasoning of chillies. They take two meals, one in the morning the other in the evening. The daily cost of food, to a rich Musalman family of four or five persons, varies from 1s. 6d. to 2s. (annas 12 -Re. 1); to a middle class family from 1s. to 1s. 6d. (annas 8-12); and to a poor family from 6d. to 9d. (annas 4-6).

Public dinners generally consist of pulav and dalcha, that is boiled rice and clarified butter eaten with mutton curry, pulse, or vegetables. A dinner of this kind for 100 guests costs from £2 to £2 10s. (Rs.20 - Rs. 25). These dinners are given on occasions of births, marriages, and deaths. Except a few Khojas and rich. Konkanis, no Kolaba Musalmans drink tea or coffee. Of intoxicating drinks and narcotics a few young Konkanis and most of the Daldis drink liquor, and many Konkanis chew tobacco, and a few of the poorer classes eat' betel-leaves. Few Kolaba Musalmans eat or drink opium, or smoke hemp.

The man's head-dress is generally a turban. The Konkanis wear either a Brahman-like turban or a tall Parsi-like hat, and some wear head-scarves or 'Phentas of silk like the head-dress of Khojas and Memans. The Shia Bohoras wear the Gujarati white closely-bound oval turban; the Khojas and Memans wear a Persian silk or embroidered head-scarf; and the Deccanis a Maratha-like white or red loosely-wound turban. The cost of a Konkan or Deccan Hindu-like turban varies from 6s. to 10s. (Rs.3-Rs.5) if of cotton, and from £1 to £3 (Rs. 10-Rs.30) if of cotton with embroidered ends. The Meman and Khoja head-scarves of cotton with silver embroidery cost from £2 to £3 (Rs. 20-Rs. 30). Cotton turbans are used daily and silk turbans on holidays and feasts. The every day turban lasts for about three years, and the dress turban for more than ten years. The house dress of rich and well-to-do Konkanis, Khojas, Bohonis, and Memans is a skull cap, a shirt falling to the knees, a waistcoat, and a pair of trousers. On going out they add a long- coat. The poor try to get a now suit for 6s. or 8s. (Rs. 3 - Rs. 4) on the Ramzan or Bakri-Id festivals, which lasts for a year. Deccanis wear a tight-fitting jacket and a pair of tight trousers, or a waistcloth. On going out they add a long coat and a turban. Konkanis and Deccanis wear country-made high-heeled slippers, and Bohoras, Khojas, and Memans wear high-heeled Gujarat shoes. The price of shoes of all kinds ranges between 2s. to 4s. (Re.1-Rs.2). A rich Musalman's wardrobe is worth from £10 to £20 (Rs. 100-Rs. 200), a middle class man's stock of clothes from £3 to £6 (Rs.30-Rs. 60), and a poor man's from £1 to £1 10s. (Rs. 10-Rs. 15). A rich Musalman spends from £1 to £1 10s. (Rs. 10-Rs. 15) a year on his clothes, a middle class man from 12s. to £1 (Rs. 6-Rs. 10), and a poor man from 4s. to 6s. (Rs. 2-Rs. 3).

Most women, except Bohora Khoja and Meman women, wear the Hindu robe and short-sleeved bodice, covering the back and fastened in a knot in front. Bohora women wear the Gujariti dress, the short head-scarf, the gown or petticoat, and the short-sleeved backless bodice, kanchli or anjia. Khoja and Meman women wear a large shirt falling to the knees, loose trousers rather tight at the ankles, and a head-scarf or odna.

Except Bohora Khoja and Meman women. who use, silk, most Musalman women who wear the Hindu robe and bodice, use cotton, or, in the case of rich Konkani women, silk robes with silver borders for ceremonies and festivals. A cotton robe costs from 4s to 10s. (Rs. 2 - Rs. 5), a cotton and silk robe from £1 to £2 (Rs. 10-Rs. 20), and a silk robe with a silver border from £5to £10 (Rs. 50-Rs. 100). A pair of cotton robes generally lasts from six to twelve months, but a silk robe with silver borders, which is generally the bride's outfit, lasts a lifetime.

Except Bohora women who wear Gujarati slippers, no Muhammadan woman wears shoes. A. few rich Konkanis are the only Musalman women who do not appear in public. Rich Konkani women sometimes go out at night to pay visits, drawing a white sheet over their heads, which covers the body except the face and feet, and Bohora women wear a large dark cloak, that entirely shrouds their figure, with gauze openings in front of the eyes. Other women wear the same dress out-of-doors, which they wear in the house. The colour is red yellow or orange, and white among Konkani widows. The wardrobe of a rich Konkani Bohora or Meman woman is worth from £20 to £50 (Rs. 200 -Rs. 500); of a middle class woman from £8 to £12 (Rs. 80 - Rs. 120); and of a poor woman from £3 to £5(Rs.30-Rs.50).

Bohoras, Khojas, Memans, and some rich Konkanis are fond of dressing their children in gay clothes. Their boys wear silk or embroidered skull caps of Bombay make, silk or chintz trousers, a shirt and a waistcoat, and Konkani girls wear the Hindu robe and bodice, and Bohora, Khoja, and Meman girls wear the same dress as their mothers. Their ornaments are a large golden ring or hansli, worn round the neck, and a pair of kadas, or gold or silver bracelets. Some of these ornaments are presents from grand-parents and near relations on birth and other ceremonies. Poor Musalmans generally allow their children to run about without clothes till they are seven or eight years old. Except gold or silver finger rings, no men wear ornaments. Bohora, Khoja, and Meman women always wear gold necklaces and bracelets. Their only silver ornament is an anklet for which gold is never used. The other classes have no objection to silver anklets, bracelets, and even necklaces. Among the Konkanis and Deccanis, no married woman is without a galsar or necklace of gold and glass beads, which is first worn on the wedding night and is never taken off so long as the husband is alive. Besides this necklace almost all women begin married life with a good store of ornaments. Their parents give them at least one nose-ring-, a set of gold earrings, and silver finger-rings; and their husbands are bound to invest in ornaments as much money as the dowry, which is generally £12 14s. (Rs. 127). Even in poor families women are careful to keep their marriage Ornaments, but they are sometimes forced to part with them in times of dear food or of scanty work. Roughly a Bohora, Khoja, Meman, or rich Konkani woman's ornaments vary in value from £100 to £200 (Rs. 1000-Rs. 2000); a middle class woman's from £20 to £30 (Rs.200-Rs. 300); and a poor woman's from £2 to £5 (Rs. 20-Rs. 50).

Except the Khojas, Bohoras, and Memans who are traders, making from £100 to £200 (Rs. 1000-Rs. 2000) a year, most rich Musalmans are landholders. A few Deccan craftsmen, butchers, dyers, and hardware sellers, too few to form distinct classes, earn from £5 to £10 (Rs. 50-Rs. 100). The poor are either constables, messengers, husbandmen, servants, or labourers.

Almost all traders, shopkeepers, and craftsmen rest on the Ramzan and Bakri-Id festivals, and on the last two days of the Muharram. Khojas and Bohoras, in addition to the regular holidays, rest for a day if they hear of the death of one of their leading men, or of their high priest.

As a class the Alibag Musalmans are orderly, contented, and fairly hardworking. The Bohoras, Khojas, and Memans are noted for their neat tidy and sober habits, and the Konkanis and Deccanis for their vigour and shrewdness.

Except the Bohoras, Khojas, Memans, and a few rich Konkani landlords and traders, who can meet their marriage and other special expenses and save, the majority of Kolaba Musalmans, through fondness for show and good living and from want of forethought, are generally driven to seek the moneylender's and to meet their marriage and special expenses. Hence many landholders have lost their lauds, either by mortgage or sale. The rest of the poor classes live almost from hand to mouth, and are sometimes forced, through the pressure of their creditors, to leave the district in search of employment.

In matters of marriage each class of Musalmans forms a separate community. A Konkani will not give his daughter to a Deccani or other Musalman, nor will a Bohora, Khoja, or Meman take a wife except from the women of his own class. The local Musalmans have no special laws or organization, but in caste disputes or family quarrels their judge, kazi, is chosen as arbitrator, and settles the case with the help of some leading laymen. Any one who neg lects the kazi's decision is fined from 2s. 6d, to 5.s (Rs. 1¼Rs. 2½), and this line is added to the mosque fund to meet lighting and other charges. Kolaba Musalmans do not acknowledge any single kazi as their religious head; there are several kazis, each of whom has separate authority over his own congregation. The Shia communities have no local religious head. They occasionally go to Bombay to have disputes settled by the mukhi it they are Khojas, or by the deputy Mulla if they are Daudi Bohoras.

Kolaba Musalmans as a body are fairly religious. A few of the most devout go to the mosque for the five daily prayers; the less pious content themselves with attending the mosque on Fridays; and, even the most careless, are present at the special Ramzan and Bakri-Id services. Though some of their social observances are more or less Hindu in spirit, Konkani Musalmans seldom worship or pay vows to Hindu gods. Except the Bohoras and Khojas who are of the Shia faith, all Kolaba Musalmans are Sunnis, the Konkanis belonging to the Shafai school., and the Deccanis and Memans to the Hanati school. [The Sunnis, otherwise called the Sunat Jamat, the largest sect of Musalmans, follow the tenets of the four Imams or teachers, Shafai, Abu Hanifa, Malik, and Hambal. The Shafais are most common in Arabia and on the Koakan and Malabar coasts, the Hanafis are the largest sect spread all over the world, and the Maliks and Hambalis are small bodies solely found in Arabia. These schools differ only in the form of certain prayers. Their creed is the same.] The Shias include the two branches of Nazarians and Mustalians of the Ismaili sect. [The origin of the names Ismailian and Mustalian is given in the Thana Statistical Account, Bombay Gazetteer, XIII, 223.] The chief representatives of the Mustalian faith are the Bohoras, the followers of the Mulla Saheb of Surat. Though keen sectarians, hating and hated by the regular Sunnis and other Musalmans not of the Mustalian sect, their reverence for Ali and for their high priest, seems to be further removed from adoration than is the case among the Khojas, who belong to the Nazarian class. They seem to follow the ordinary rules of right and wrong, punishing drunkenness, adultery, and other acts generally held disgraceful. Bohoras and Khojas do not attend the Sunni mosques, nor have they any meeting place of their own in the district. They pray in their houses, and many of them come to Bombay during the Muharram.

The Shias of the Nazarian branch are the followers of His Highness Aga Ali Sha, the son of His Highness the late Aga Khan. They believe in the divinity of Ali and adopt the mystic half-Hindu faith, that Ali was the tenth incarnation of Vishnu, and that the head of Aga Ali Sha's house is Ali's representative. They have no local religious head, nor any special place of worship. They go to Bombay to be married by their priest or mukhi, a deputy of Aga Ali Shah. Except that their women practise Hindu rights at pregnancy and birth, their customs do not greatly differ from those of Sunnis or of Mustalian Shias.

The religious officers of the Kolaba Musalmans are the kazi or marriage registrar, the mulla or priest, and the mujavar or beadle.

The kazi, who under Musalman rules was a civil and criminal judge, is now only a marriage registrar and preacher. Some kazis hold grants of land. As in other parts of the Konkan, though only one of them holds the post, all members of the Kazi's family add the word kazi to their names as a surname. A few can read and understand the Kuran, but many can only repeat the marriage service. Their fee for a marriage is generally 5s. (Rs. 2½), but rich families give them presents of shawls and head-scarves.

Although it is not necessarily hereditary, the post of mulla passes from father to son if the son is fit to hold it. A mulla's duties are to read the burial service and certain funeral services on the first, third, tenth, thirtieth, and fortieth days after a death. He also leads daily prayers in the mosque as pesh imam, and sometimes reads sermons on special occasions. For a funeral service he is paid from 1s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. (annas 10-Rs. 1¼), and for serving the mosque he gets from £1 to £2 (Rs. 10-Rs. 20) a year from the mosque fund.

The mujavar or beadle, is the lowest religious office-bearer. Most beadles are of humble origin and sometimes serve a shrine for many generations. Their chief duties are to look after the shrine and receive offerings. They live either on charity or by tillage.

Of Musalman religious beggars, or fakirs, a few are Konkani Musalmans, and some come from the Deccan. They are not permanent settlers and do not form a community. The few Konkani beggars have wives and children, and therefore belong to the bashara or law-abiding class. They live by begging and alms.

Of places of worship, besides the mosques, which are few and supported by private contributions, there are a few idgahs or special prayer-places outside the towns, which were built during the time of Musalman rule. Since the fall of Musalman power, the practice of holding special prayers at idgahs has declined, and the holiday sermons are now read in the mosques. The local Shia communities have no separate places of worship. They pray at their own houses and never join the local Musalmans in their mosques.

There are three leading Musalman fairs, one at Pen and two at Alibag. The Pen fair is held in honour of Shah Badr-ud-din on the 15th of Paush Shudh (December-January). It lasts for five days and is attended by thousands of people from Bombay and the country round. The two Alibag' fairs are held in honour of Pir Sidi Sat Gazi and of Pir Ali Shah. The Sidi saint, as his name shows, is believed to have been ten and a half feet high. He is said to have fallen in a battle with the Hindus. After the victory half of the revenue of the village of Pedamblo was allotted for the use of his shrine, and is still enjoyed by the Habshis of Janjira. Saint Ali Shah, in whose honour the other Alibag fair is held, is said to be the first Musalman who came to the place, and to have given his name to Alibag. The shrine has a yearly endowment of £1 6s. (Rs, 13), and one of the saint's lineal descendants is still the manager of the shrine. Few Kolaba Musalmans go on pilgrimage to Mecca, nor, for long, have the Sunni Musalmans tried to add to their number by converting Hindus or Shias to their faith.

Few rich Musalman women appear in public. The Deccani and Khoja women go out in the same dress as they wear at home, but the Bohora women, when they appear in public, shroud themselves in a dark cloak which falls from the head with a gauze opening in front of the eyes. Except the Bohoras and Khojas, who do not employ the regular Kazi at their marriages, almost all Kolaba Musalmans have their marriages registered by the Kazi and pay his dues. Among rich Konkanis marriages are performed at an early age, and, for the sake of economy, there is seldom a betrothal. If they can afford it most Musalmans try to marry within a month or two after betrothal. The marriage ceremonies last for six days. The first four days are spent in seclusion, or manjha, applying turmeric to the bodies of the bride and bridegroom. On the fifth day comes the marriage procession and marriage services, and, on the sixth day, the bride is taken home by the bridegroom. To a rich man a son's wedding costs from £100 to £200 (Rs. 1000-Rs. 2000) and a daughter's wedding from £70 to £100 (Rs. 700-Rs. 1000); to a middle class man a son's wedding costs from £30 to £50 (Rs. 300-Rs. 500) and a daughter's from £20 to £30 (Rs. 200 - Rs.300);to a poor man a son's wedding costs from £10 to £15 (Rs. 100-Rs. 150) and a daughter's from £5 to £8 (Rs. 50-Rs. 80). Few Konkanis keep the seventh-month pregnancy ceremony. On the sixth day after a birth, some women prepare boiled rice, fish, and cocoanuts in honour of the goddess Chhathi. The sacrifice, or akika, ceremony is performed by the rich on the seventh day after birth, and by poor and middle class families when the child is two or three years old. This ceremony costs a rich man from £3 to £5 (Rs,30-Rs.50), a middle class man from £2 to £3 (Rs. 20-Rs. 30), and a poor man £1 (Rs.10). When a boy or girl is four years four months and four days old, the initiation, or bismila, ceremony is performed. If the parents are rich they give a dinner party, spending according to their means from £5 to £8 (Rs. 50 - Rs. 80); if middle class or poor they distribute sweetmeats among friends and relations.

A dying Musalman is made to listen to the chapter of the Kuran which tells of the glorious future of the believer. The creed and prayer for forgiveness are read, and a few drops of honey or sugared water are dropped into the dying man's mouth. After death the eyes and mouth are closed. No sooner is life gone than preparations are made for the burial. The body is washed, shrouded in a now white shroud sweet with camphor and scents, laid on a bier, and carried on the shoulders of four men, with the cry La-illa ha illa allah, ' There is no god but God. When the bearers reach the grave, which has meanwhile been dug by labourers, they lay the body with its head to the north leaning to the right side, so that the face turns towards Mecca or the west. Then, laying clods of consecrated earth close to the body, the mourners fill the grave repeating the verse of the Kuran: ' Of earth We made you, to earth We return you, and from earth shall raise you on the resurrection day. Then, returning to the house of mourning and standing at the door, they repeat a prayer for the soul of the dead, and all but near relations and friends, who stay to dine, go to their homes. On the morning of the third day a feast called ziarat is held. A large company of relations and friends meet in the mosque, and a portion of the Kuran is read, ending with a prayer that the merit of the act may pass to the soul of the dead. Besides the third day after death, the tenth, twentieth, thirtieth, and fortieth days are observed either by giving dinner parties or distributing sweetmeats and sugared water, after the usual prayers for the peace of the soul of the dead. The death of a grown member of his family costs a rich man from £10 to £20 (Rs. 100-Rs. 200), and a middle class or poor man from £3 to £6 (Rs. 30-Rs. 60).

The Kolaba Musalmans have made little advance in education. A few of the rich and well-to-do men send their boys to Kazia or Mullas to gain some knowledge of the Kuran, and about ten per cent of the whole send their boys to Marathi schools; but none teach their boys English. No Kolaba Musalman has risen in Government service, beyond the rank of forest inspector or chief constable.

Konkanis.

JAMATIS, or members of the community, as the leading branch of Konkan Musalmans are called, are chiefly Shaikhs, though there are one or two Syeds, such as the Madnis from Madina and the Idrusis from Hadramant. Some families call themselves Khans, but it seems probable that they are not of Afghan descent, but are the representatives of successful soldiers who won the title of Khan. As a rule Konkanis do not prefix Shaikh to their names, but add a surname taken either from their calling as Khot Kazi, or Choghle, or from their dwelling place as Pamorlkar and Tungekar. Their women add Bibi to their names. Their home speech is Konkani Marathi, with a slightly peculiar pronunciation and a mixture of Urdu, Persian, and Arab words. [Of peculiar words they use khawar for kothe, where; awar for ikade, here; kanala for kasala, why japne for bolne, speak; and ovne for vikne, sell.] The men are tall, thin, brown-skinned, and with high features that often bear a notable trace of Arab blood. As a rule the men shave the head, but, some young men and almost all boys wear a forelock, talu, a little above the forehead. The beard is generally short and somewhat scanty. Some of the rich and well-to-do wear a Maratha-Bahman, others a Parsi, and others an Arab head-dress. All wear a Hindu coat, a long shirt falling to the knees, and loose trousers, or in-doors a waistcloth. The poor wear a skull cap, a jacket, and a, waist cloth, or a kerchief passed through a string and wrapt round the loins. The women, who are generally short, delicate, fair, and well-featured, wear a Maratha, robe, a short-sleeved bodice covering the back and tied in a knot in front, and a chintz petticoat, worn under the robe which also serves them as a night dress. They do not use shoes or slippers. On going out, upper class. women wrap themselves from head to foot in a long white sheet showing only the face, but poor women have no special outdoor dress. The rich and well-to-do dress their boys either in plain or embroidered skull caps, a muslin or chintz jacket, and tight trousers. Their ornaments are gold or silver wristlets and silver anklets. The poor wear a piece of cloth tied round their loins. All Musalman girls wear the Maratha robe and bodice, with such women's ornaments as their parents can afford, Both men and women are neat and clean in their habits. The women, though, honest and hardworking, add nothing to the family income. The men are hospitable, hardworking and sober, but, as a class, haughty, proud, and hot-tempered. Though thrifty in every day life, their fondness for show and good living often brings them into money difficulties. Some are landholders, holding estates granted them as Kazis or as Preachers, and others have villages which they originally took in farm. Others trade with Bombay in rice and timber, and some in salt, others hold posts as forest inspectors and. police chief constables. The majority of the poorer families work as husbandmen and field labourers. In religion all are Sunnis of the Shafai school, but few are religious or careful to say their prayers. Though almost all the towns and larger villages have old mosques most of them are in bad repair. In towns the mosques are kept in repair by private subscriptions and lines. To manage the mosques every town or village has besides the Kazis is, some mutavalis or wardens and treasurers, who keep the accounts and manage the mosque. Social disputes are settled by Calling meeting of the community and acting in accordance with the vote of the majority. Fines are levied on any one who breaks the Kazi's decisions. Besides daily prayers a service, is held on special occasions and festivals, when they sing hymns and psalms in praise of God and of the Prophet, going on till near midnight. Before breaking up they hand round flowers. and rose-water, and take tea, coffee, or milk. The cost of these services is generally met by subscriptions and sometimes from the mosque fund. No women attend these meetings. Konkanis generally marry among relations and in their own community. It is thought degrading to marry with any other class of Musalmans. As a rule boys are married at from eighteen to twenty, and girls at from eleven to fourteen. Though there is no religious objection to the practice, the higher families disapprove of widow marriage. A married woman may be known by her blackened teeth and her five or seven Stringed necklace of glass and gold, beads; a widow is known by her white robes. Their staple food is rice or nachni bread, and fish. On account of its dearness animal food is little used. Their chief drink is water, but rich families and those that have spent some years in Bombay drink tea with sugar but without milk. 'They use no narcotics except chewing and smoking tobacco, and, like the Daldis, many of the lower class drink liquor. Except enough Arabic to recite parts of the Kuran, they take little interest in teaching their children. Of late years some of the richer families have begun to send their boys to Bombay to learn English.

Daldis.

DALDIS, or fishermen, from dalad fishing', claim the same origin  as the regular Konkanis Though they visit and may be seen in Kolaba village, most if not all belong to Habsan. Like Konkani Musalmans they are tall or middle-sized, thin, and brown-skinned. The men shave the head, sometimes leaving a forelock. They wear the beard either short or full, and. dress in a skull-cap or a piece of cloth loosely wound round the head, a shirt, a tight fitting jacket, and a waistcloth. Some villagers wear only a skull-cap and a waistcoat, and tie a kerchief round the loins, passing it through a string. The women are tall or middle-sized, thin, brown-skinned, and with regular features. They wear the Marathi robe, a bodice, and a chintz petticoat under the robe, which serves as a night dress. They have no special outdoor dress, except that some families put on a long white sheet. Except the women of rich families they appear in public, but do not add to the family income. Both men and women are rather dirty and untidy. They speak a Marathi much; like that used by the Jamatis. The Daldis are not now fishers, but husbandmen, seamen, servants, and constables. They are hardworking, but, being fond of liquor, are seldom well-to-do or able to save. They form a distinct community and marry only among themselves, or with other poor Konkani families. Their manners and customs do not differ from those of Jamatis and, like them, they settle their disputes by holding' meetings, presided over by the Kazi and Mulla. They are Sunnis of the Shafai school, but few of them are religious or careful to say their prayers. They do not send their boys to school, and, on the whole, are rather a declining class.

Besides Konkanis and Daidi, who form the chief part of the Kolaba Musalman population, there are three special communities, Gujarat and Cutch Bohoras, Khojas, and Memans, all of whom are traders lately come from Bombay.

Bohoras.

BOHORAS of the Daudi, or Mulla Saheb, seet are found in Small numbers in some of the large towns. They speak Gujarati among themselves, and Marathi or Hindustani with others. The men are tall or of middle height, thin, and either light-skinned or brown. They shave the head, wear the beard long and full, and dress in a white turban, or a skull cap if in-doors, a coat, a shirt, a waistcoat, and a pair of loose trousers. The women, who are either tall or of middle height, delicate, and fair with regular features, dress in a petticoat of two or three yards of chintz or silk, a backless bodice, and a scarf of three or four yards of fine muslin or silk to cover the upper part of the body. On going out they put on a large cloak which covers them from head to foot, leaving small gauze openings for the eyes. Though honest and hardworking, they do not add to the family income. Both men and women are neat and clean in their habits. Bohoras deal in hardware and miscellaneous articles, such as iron vessels, tin-pots, lanterns, mirrors, thread, pins, hemp and cotton ropes, string, and paper. They are hardworking and sober, and are said to be very thrifty and well-to-do. They get their stock from their agents in Bombay. They are not permanent settlers, and go to Gujarat every third or fourth year. They marry among themselves only, bringing wives either from Bombay or Guiarat. They form a separate community, and, as far as possible, do not mix with other Musalmans. They are Shias in faith belonging to the Mustalian branch of the Ismaili sect, and are known as Daudi Bohoras from the name of a Mulla whose succession was disputed. Their high priest is the Mulla Saheb of Surat to whom they send yearly dues through his deputy at Bombay. They teach their boys as much Gujarati as is wanted for keeping accounts, but no English, nor do they take to any calling but trade.

Khojas.

KHOJAS, properly Khwaja meaning a teacher, a merchant, or a bard, are found in small numbers in some of the large towns. They are settlers from Cutch and Gujarat, and are said to be descended partly from Hindu converts and partly from Persian immigrants. They speak Cutchi among themselves and Hindustani or Marathi with others. The men are tall or of middle height, strong, and fair. They shave the head, wear the beard short or shave it, and dress in a skull cap or a head-scarf, a long coat, a shirt, a waistcoat, and loose trousers. The women, who like the men are tall or of middle height, are rather inclined to fatness, fair, and well-featured. They wear a long silken shirt falling almost to the ankles, a scarf of one or two yards of silk thrown over the head, and a pair of loose trousers rather tight at the ankles. They have no special outdoor dress, and appear in public and help the men in their work. Both men and women are neat and clean. Khojas are traders, chiefly in fuel, groceries, hardware, parched grain, and piece goods. A few of them act as moneylenders, in spite of the rule against taking interest. They are said to be hardworking, thrifty, and sober, and generally well-to-do. Though not permanent settlers, some have stayed for upwards of thirty years in Kolaba, returning now and then to Gujarat or Cutch for a year or two. They marry among themselves, finding wives in Bombay or Cutch. Their manners and customs differ considerably from those of other Musalmans. The women generally worship Hindu gods and consult Brahmans as to the meaning of omens. They pay special respect to His Highness Aga Ali Shah of Bombay, who is their hereditary high priest. They pay him yearly dues from their incomes. They do not mix with other Musalmans nor obey the regular Kazi. In religion they are Shias like the Bohoras, and belong' to the Nazarian subdivision of the Ismaili sect. They are said to believe in the divinity of Ali and of his descendants down to their present leader. A favourite religious book among them is Sadr-ud-din's Ten Incarnations, dasavatar, nine of them Vishnu's and the tenth that of the most holy Ali. As a class the Khojas are seldom religious or careful to say their prayers. They teach their children Gujarati. On the whole they are said to be a rising class.

Memans.

MEMANS, properly momins that is believers, are found in small numbers at Alibag and in one or two other towns. They are the 'descendants of Kachhia or Lohana Hindus, who were converted in Sind by an Arab missionary named Yusuf-ud-din in the year 1422. They speak Cutchi among themselves and Marathi or Hindustani with others. The men are of middle height, well-made, and fair. They shave the head, wear the beard full, and dress in a silk headscarf, a coat, a long shirt falling to the knee, a waistcoat, and a pair of loose trousers rather tight at the ankles. The women, who are like the men in face, wear a long silk shirt almost reaching the ankles, a silken scarf thrown over the head, and loose trousers like the men's, rather tight at the ankles. They appear in public but add nothing to the family income. Both men and women are neat and clean in their habits. They are traders dealing in piece goods, groceries, and miscellaneous articles, and are hardworking, thrifty, sober, and well-to-do. They are not permanent settlers, but generally go to Gujarat or Kathiawar after a stay of five or six years, and return after a year or two to begin afresh. They form a separate community and marry among themselves only, but have no special organization nor any headman, except the regular Kazi. They mix with other Musalmans at dinner parties and religious meetings. They are Sunnis of the Hanafi school, and are said to be religious and careful to say their prayers. They teach their children to read the Kuran and Gujarati. None of them take to any calling but trade.