refolution of apparent evil into real good, than they have hit upon, and the fubjection of one animal to another as food, and of all animals to man, who frequently takes away life wantonly as well as of neceflity, would appear to be a merciful difpenfation, tending to general happiness, and hastening the bleffed confummation, when that which is perfect thall come, and that which is imperfect thall be done away.

The Gentoos, however, upon the fame principles on which they condemn the eating animal food, condemn all modes of worship by facrifice, in which they differ from all other nations in the world. The Bramins fay, that no being but Moifafoor himself, the author of all evil, could have invented an inftitution fo horrid, fo repugnant to the fpirit of devotion, and fo abhorrent to the perfections of God.

But the Bramins, though they abhor the propitiatory facrifice of brutes, do yet inculcate another fa`crifice infinitely more horrid, more repugnant to the spirit of devotion, and more abhorrent to the divine attributes, the voluntary facrifice of the wife to the manes of her huf, band.

The Bramins, to encourage this practice, teach, that the fpirit of a wife that voluntarily burns with the body of her husband, immediately ceafes to tranfmigrate, and enters the first planet of purification. But why this practice was firft enjoined as a religious duty, Mr. Holwell has not told us; and it appears plainly, from what he has faid about it, that he does not know. He fays that when Bra

mah, the great law-giver of the Gentoos, quitted the form of man, his wives, being inconfolable for his lofs, offered themfelves voluntary victims upon his funeral pile; and that the wives of the Rajahs or great men, difdaining to be outdone, followed their example. But fuppofing this to be true, we are as much at a lofs as ever to account for the practice being enjoined as a duty, or recommended as meritorious in a religious view.

It has generally been fuppofed, that the widow was compelled to burn with the body of her husband, to put a stop to a custom which has become too common among the Gentoo women of poisoning their hufbands. This Mr. Holwell fays is a miftake; and that the Gentoo women are not compelled to burn, though they are encouraged to it.

The burning, he fays, is always voluntary; and a woman is not permitted even to declare her refolution to burn till four-and-twenty hours after the death of her huf. band; if she does not then refolve to burn, she loses her reputation in deed, but the faves her life. If the does refolve to burn, and declares her refolution, she cannot afterwards retract; and those who do not willingly fulfil their refolution, are burnt by force.

Mr. Holwell fays, that he has been present at many of thefe facri. fices; that in fome victims there have appeared dread, reluctance, and horror; in others fortitude, alacrity, and triumph.

He has added a relation of one of thefe diabolical rites which hap pened in the chief- fhip of Sir Francis Ruffel at the Eaft India Company's

Company's factory at Coffimbuzar, with which this article may very properly be concluded.

"At five of the clock on the morning of the 4th of February, 1742-3, died Rhaam Chund Pundit, of the Mahabrattor tribe, aged twenty-eight years. His widow, (for he had but one wife) aged between feventeen and eighteen ; as foon as he expired, difdaining to wait the term allowed her for reflection, immediately declared to the Bramins and witneffes prefent, her refolution to burn. As the family was of no fmall confideration, all the merchants of Coffimbuzar and her relations, left no arguments uneffayed to diffuade her from it. Lady Ruffel, with the tendereft humanity, fent her feveral meffages to the fame purpofe; the infant ftate of her children (two girls and a boy, the eldest not four years of age,) and the terrors and pain of the death fhe fought, were painted to her in the ftrongest and moft lively colouring. She was deaf to all; the gratefully thanked Lady Ruffel, and fent her word, he had now nothing to live for, but recommended her children to ber protection. When the torments of burning were urged in terrorem to her, the, with a refolved and calm countenance, put her finger into the fire, and held it there a confiderable time; he then with one hand put fire to the palm of the other, fprinkled incenfe on it, and fumigated the Bramins. The confideration of her children left

deftitute of a parent, was again urged to her. She replied, he that made them would take care of them. She was at laft given to understand fhe fhould not be permitted to burn; this for a short space feemed to give her deep affliction, but foon recollecting herfelf, fhe told them, death was in her power, and that if he was not allowed to burn, according to the principles of her caft, he would ftarve herself.— -Her friends finding her thus peremptory and refolved, were obliged at laft to affent.

"The body of the deceased was carried down to the water- fide, early the following morning; the widow followed about ten o'clock, accompanied by three very principal Bramins, her children, parents, and relations, and a numerous concourfe of people. The order of leave for her burning did not arrive from Hoffeyn Khan, Fouzdaar of Morfhadabad, until after one; and it was then brought by one of the Soubah's own officers, who had orders to fee that fhe burnt voluntarily.-The time they waited for the order, was employed in praying with the Bramins, and washing in the Ganges; as foon as it arrived, the retired, and ftaid for the space of half an hour in the midft of her female relations, among ft whom was her mother; fhe then divefted herself of her bracelets, and other orna. ments, and tied them in a cloth, which hung like an apron before her, and was conducted by her

female

female relations, to one corner of the pile; on the pile was an arched harbour, formed of dry sticks, boughs, and leaves, open only at one end to admit her entrance; in this the body of the deceased was depofited, his head at the end oppofite to the opening.-At the corner of the pile, to which the had been conducted, the Bramin had made a small fire, round which The and the three Bramins fat for fome minutes; one of them gave into her hand a leaf of the bale tree (the wood commonly confecrated to form part of the funeral pile,) with fundry things on it, which the threw into the fire; one of the others gave her a fecond leaf, which the held over the flame, whilft he dropped three times fome ghee on it, which melted, and fell into the fire (these two operations were preparatory fymbols of her approaching diffolution by fire ;) and whilft they were performing this, the third Bramin read to her fome portions of the Aughtorrah Bhade, and afked her fome questions, to which she anfwered with a steady and ferene countenance; but the noife was fo great, we could not understand what fhe faid, although we were within a yard of her.-Thefe over, fhe was led, with great folemnity, three times round the pile, the Bramins reading before her; when the came the third time to the fmall fire, fhe stopped, took her rings off her toes and fingers, and put them to her other ornaments; here the took a folemn majestic leave of her

children, parents, and relations; after which, one of the Bramins dipped a large wick of cotton in fome ghee, and gave it ready lighted into her hand, and led her to the open fide of the arbour; there all the Bramins fell at her feet;-after he had bleffed them, they retired weeping ;- - by two steps fhe afcended the pile, and entered the arbour; on her entrance the made a profound reverence at the feet of the deceased, and advanced and feated herself by his head; she looked in filent meditation on his face, for the space of a minute, then fet fire to the arbour, in three places. Observing that she had fet fire to leeward, and that the flames blew from her, inftantly feeing her error, fhe rofe, and fet fire to windward, and refumed her station. Enfign Daniel, with his cane, feparated the grafs and leaves on the windward fide, by which means we had a diftinct view of her as the fat. With what dignity and undaunted a countenance, fhe fet fire to the pile the last time, and affumed her feat, can only be conceived, for words cannot convey a just idea of her.--The pile being of combuftible matters, the fupporters of the roof were prefently confumed, and it fell in upon her."

The victim has fometimes been forcibly refcued from the fire by the Europeans, who have been prefent, and it is generally believed that the prefent wife of Mr. Job Charnock was thus taken from the pile to his bed.

CON