1911 Encyclopedia Britannica on Tamils

ரவி — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:39:45 +0000

The Tamils proper are smaller and of weaker build than Europeans,
though graceful in shape. Their physical appearance is described as
follows: – a pointed and frequently hooked pyramidal nose, with
conspicuous nares, more long than round; a marked sinking in of the
orbital line, producing a strongly defined orbital ridge; hair and
eyes black; the latter, varying from small to middle-sized, have a
peculiar sparkle and a look of calculation; mouth large, lips thick,
lower jaw not heavy; forehead well-formed, but receding, inclining to
flattish, and seldom high; beard considerable, and often strong;
colour of skin very dark, frequently approaching to black (Manual of
the Administration of the Madras Presidency, Madras, 1885, vol. i.,
Introd., p. 36; see also Caldwell, Comparative Grammar of the
Dravidian Languages, 18 75, pp. 558-79). The Tamils have many good
qualities – frugality, patience, endurance, politeness – and they are
credited with astounding memories; their worst vices are said to be
lying and lasciviousness. Of all the South-Indian tribes they are the
least sedentary and the most enterprising. Wherever money is to be
earned, there will Tamils be found, either as merchants or in the
lower capacity of domestic servants and labourers. The tea and coffee
districts of Ceylon are peopled by about 950,000; Tamils serve as
coolies in the Mauritius and the West Indies; in Burma, the Straits,
and Siam the so-called Klings are all Tamils (Graul, Reise nach
Ostindien, Leipzig, 1855, vol. iv. pp. 113-212).

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1911 Encyclopedia Britannica on Tamils