Christianity on the Malabar coast will acquire new strength, and be again raised to its former state of respectability. In the year 1783 some of the clergy on the coast of Travancor thought proper to impose certain fines on the Christian fishermen belonging to their congregations. The fishermen complained to the king, who was then at _Padmanaburam_, and requested he would expel these ecclesiastics from the kingdom. The king, in consequence of this application, sent a letter to the bishop and apostolic vicar, Carolus à Sancto Conrado, in which he informed him that he had resolved to separate totally seventy-five congregations from the diocese of Cochin, and to place them under the inspection of the apostolic vicar, that he might commit the charge of them to his missionaries belonging to the _Propaganda_. He therefore desired that the bishop would immediately repair to _Patnam_, to examine into the conduct of the above Portuguese clergy; and that he would dismiss those found culpable, and take possession of the before-mentioned churches. The bishop being at that time sick, I was obliged to supply his place, and to proceed to _Padmanaburam_. At _Tiruvandaburam_ my coolies or palanquin-bearers ran away; so that I was obliged to travel twelve miles on foot on the king’s high road, named _Madacava_, which none but the Brahmans and nobility dare to tread. As soon as I approached _Padmanaburam_, I repaired to a very small church on the south side of the castle; for the gates were shut, and no person belonging to the inferior casts, in which the Europeans are commonly included, was suffered to enter the city. This took place on the 23d of September 1783. Scarcely, however, had the king heard of my arrival, when he resolved to make an exception in my favour from the severity of this law. He therefore sent to me, next morning, four of the nobility of his court to conduct me into the city. They accompanied me to the habitation of the king’s secretary, where his majesty was waiting to receive me; for on that day he could not give me audience in his own palace, lest it should be defiled.