To reason with her in this state was impossible, and being surrounded by Brahmins, who had great fears lest an ancient custom should be infringed by my interference, I had no opportunity of doing it, even if she had been in a fit state to converse, as their clamorous shouts totally prevented what I said from being heard, and the corpse was become so extremely offensive that I could not approach close to her.

About eleven o'clock the brother returned with the perwhanna, duly signed by the magistrate, which having been shewn to the Daroga, he gave orders to his men to attend and prevent any violence being offered to the woman, and very respectfully offered to do any thing I wished, as far as his orders would permit him to go.

The pile was soon in readiness: it was about seven feet long and five feet broad, and raised about five feet from the ground, composed of dry billets laid across each other, and kept in place by strong stakes driven into the ground; the interstices were filled with flax and shavings dipped in oil, and two large bands of flax were laid across the pile. Whilst this work was going forward, the woman was led to the river side, and went through the required ablutions, and then approached the fatal pile. As she walked boldly towards it, I attempted to gain her attention once more, but the Brahmins now became very insulting and violent: appealing to the multitude around, they besought them not to suffer a bhelattee padree to

interfere with their holy ceremonies. However, I called to the jemmadar of the Thanna, and he soon, by actively employing a large cane, cleared a way for me to the pile, which the woman had now reached, and insisted upon my being allowed to speak to the Suttee; but all was in vain-burn she would, and added, "I have burnt several times before!" so infatuated and deluded was her mind.

Having proceeded seven times round the pile, during which time she had given parched rice and several little ornaments to her surrounding relatives and friends, she boldly clambered up, and franticly cast herself upon the putrid corpse already deposited there. The two bands of flax were immediately drawn tightly round both the bodies, and tied fast together; many large dry billets were then piled upon them to a great height, and flax was cast in between every layer, then over the whole, ghee (a kind of liquid butter) was poured in abundance and lest the poor victim should, on feeling the fire, make her escape, two large green bamboos were fixed in the ground, on one side of the pile, and being bent over, were held down tightly by men on the other side, so that the escape of the woman was rendered impossible. Soon as this was completed, which was done in a very short time, a light was placed in the hand of the eldest child, and this poor suppliant for his mother's life was constrained to walk round the pile seven times, and then to set light to some flax

beneath the heads of his dead father and living mother. The pile was instantly in a blaze, and the noise of the tomtoms and screams of the multitude quite drowned the cries of the poor widow, except to those who were close to the pile; but I heard a scream from that fire, which I shall never forget! It was a cry of horrible anguish and entreaty for liberation! But in a few minutes the cry ceased, and shortly after nothing but a heap of burning coals was seen on the spot.

But, blessed be God, these appalling sights are no more witnessed; and I do hope that the time is not far distant, when all kindred scenes will vanish too.

CHAPTER VIII.

"Hinnom ! thou slaughter valley, here behold
Thy counterpart. Not Moloch's self e'er saw
Such carousal of death: drunk with the wine
Of overflowing vintage, lo! he riots

All wantonly. To mortal view it seems
He throws in random rage the fatal dart
That needs must hit.

Grinding the crashing

Here rolls the hated car,

bones, and hearts, and brains,

Of men and women. Down they fling themselves
In the deep gash, and wait the heavy wheel,
Slow rolling on its thunder-bellowing axle,
Sunk in the wounded earth."

JUGGANATHA.

RUTH JATRA-CAR DRAWN-MR. STIRLING AND Dr. BUCHANAN—JUGGERNATH'S ESTABLISHMENT-IRO

NICAL POEM-TRADITION OF THE IDOL-AFFECTING

NARRATIVE.

WHILST the mind is most painfully affected by the cruel rites practised at the Churruck Poojah, a still greater cause of grief is found in the licentious and degrading scenes witnessed at other Poojahs. The Ruth Jatra, for instance, unites both in its festival. The orgies of Bacchus or Venus were pure, when compared with this and other religious ceremonies of the Hindoos. Their temples teem with horrible representations of the various attri

butes of Brumhu, in illustration of his creative power and fecundity, and their holy places (as they call them) are the very thrones of the principalities of wickedness. Many of the temples of Juggernath, especially the one in Orissa, are richly endowed, and maintain a large concourse of Brahmins and prostitutes, who spend their lives in voluptuous indolence, the latter accompanying the former in the various forms and ceremonies of their idol worship, with the most indecent and disgusting words and gestures.

At the car festival, when Juggernath, his brother and sister, are brought from their thrones, and placed on cars, to be drawn to another temple at some distance, to pay a visit to other gods, vast numbers of pilgrims from all parts of India are present. Mr. Peggs has so ably described the miserable state of these pilgrims, and has so fully exposed the system of the pilgrim tax, that I refer my readers to his interesting work on the subject, and shall content myself with a brief delineation of the car festival, which I witnessed on a large plain near Serampore, and an extract from the work before mentioned.

The multitudes assembled far exceeded my expectation, though I had anticipated seeing a vast number. It was with difficulty that two of us could force a passage through the dense mass spread upon the plain, nearly a mile from the Rhat: however, by much perseverance, aided by a native police daroga, we did make our way to the car; when, ascending a small mound of earth