Chapter COLLECTOR to COLOMBO of C by The Hobson Jobson Dictionary

COLLERY-HORN, s. This is a long brass horn of hideous sound, which is often used at native funerals in the Peninsula, and has come to be called, absurdly enough, Cholera-horn!

[1832.—“Toorree or Toorrtooree, commonly designated by Europeans collery horn, consists of three pieces fixed into one another, of a semi-circular shape.”—Herklots, Qanoon-e-Islam, ed. 1863, p. liv. App.]

1879.—“… an early start being necessary, a happy thought struck the Chief Commissioner, to have the Amildar’s Cholera-horn men out at that hour to sound the reveillé, making the round of the camp.”—Madras Mail, Oct. 7.

COLLERY-STICK, s. This is a kind of throwing-stick or boomerang used by the Colleries.

1801.—“It was he first taught me to throw the spear, and hurl the Collery-stick, a weapon scarcely known elsewhere, but in a skilful hand capable of being thrown to a certainty to any distance within 100 yards.”—Welsh’s Reminiscences, i. 130.

Nelson calls these weapons “Vallari Thadis or boomerangs.”—Madura, Pt. ii. 44. [The proper form seems to be Tam. valai tadi, ‘curved stick’; more usually Tam. kallardadi, tadi, ‘stick.’] See also Sir Walter Elliot in J. Ethnol. Soc., N. S., i. 112, seq.

COLOMBO, n.p. Properly Kolumbu, the modern capital of Ceylon, but a place of considerable antiquity. The derivation is very uncertain; some suppose it to be connected with the adjoining river Kalani-gangi. The name Columbum, used in several medieval narratives, belongs not to this place but to Kaulam (see QUILON).

c. 1346.—“We started for the city of Kalanbu, on e of the finest and largest cities of the island of Serendib. It is the residence of the Wazir Lord of the Sea (Hakim-al-Bahr), Jalasti, who has with him about 500 Habshis.”—Ibn Batuta, iv. 185.

1517.—“The next day was Thursday in Passion Week; and they, well remembering this, and inspired with valour, said to the King that in fighting the Moors they would be insensible to death, which they greatly desired rather than be slaves to the Moors. … There were not 40 men in all, whole and sound for battle. And one brave man made a cross on the tip of a cane, which he set in front for standard, saying that God was his Captain, and that was his Flag, under which they should march deliberately against Columbo, where the Moor was with his forces.”—Correa, ii. 521.

1553.—“The King, Don Manuel, because … he knew … that the King of Columbo, who was the true Lord of the Cinamon, desired to possess our peace and friendship, wrote to the said Affonso d’Alboquerque, who was in the island in person, that if he deemed it well, he should establish a fortress in the harbour of Columbo, so as to make sure the offers of the King.”—Barros, Dec. III. liv. ii. cap. 2.