December 6, 1817.] and the empress-mother, entered Moscow on the 12th ult. An Algerine squadron, consisting of five small vessels, put to sea on the 28th of September, to cruize against Hamburgh and Prus sian vessels. A dispatch from the Spanish minister for foreign affairs, repeats the intelligence of a squadron having sailed from Algiers with the plague on board, and adds, that the pirates landed frequently upon the shores of Grenada, and communicated with several vessels upon that coast. DOMESTIC NEWS. Foreign Intelligence.-Domestic Affairs. ance in the Chapel, began to chaunt the solemn service of "I know that my Redeemer liveth;" the canopy followed the choristers, and moved at a very slow pace-it appeared to be of immense length, and, being borne high in the air, had a most imposing effect: under this.was the coffin, carried by eight Yeomen of the Guard, and the magnificent pall was supported by four Baronesses. Prince Leopold followed the coffin as chief mourner: his appearance created the deepest interest; his countenance was dejected; his manner full of despondency; and though he made evident efA smart shock of an earthquake at St. He-forts to preserve calmness and fortitude, yet lena was experienced on the 21st September. he now and then burst into a flood of tears. He walked along with unsteady steps, and took the seat provided for him at the head of the coffin, between the Dukes of York and Clarence. The royal dormitory in which the Princess's remains are deposited, adjoins the east end of St. George's Chapel. It made a most ruinous appearance until the year 1800, when his Majesty ordered the windows and other external parts to be repaired. In the year 1810, his Majesty was determined to construct within its walls a royal dormitory. An excavation was formed of the whole length and width of the building, to the depth of 15 feet from the surface. In this the sepulchre is constructed. The dimensions of the tomb are 70 feet in length, 28 in width, and 14 in depth. The receptacles for bodies on the sides of the tomb are formed by massive Gothic colums, of an octagon shape, supporting a range of four shelves, each of which in the space between the two columns, will contain two bodies, the whole range of each side adniches for the reception of as many coffins. mitting 32 bodies. At the east end are five In the middle 12 low tombs are erected for the Sovereigns. The sepulchre will thus contain 81 bodies. The columns are of fine Bath stone, and the shelves of fine Yorkshire stone. A subterraneous passage is formed from the vault under the choir of St. George's Chapel, in which an aperture is made, near the ascent to the altar, for the bodies to descend. From tomb.-In this mausoleum are deposited the the columns springs a vaulted roof over the bodies of the Princess Amelia, who was interred November 13, 1810, and the Duchess of Brunswick, interred March 31, 1813. Funeral of the Princess Charlotte. On Tuesday the 18th, pursuant to the preparations made, the mortal remains of the Princess Charlotte and her infant were solemnly removed from Claremont to Windsor for interment; and, at a little past 8 o'clock on the evening of Wednesday, were deposited in the royal sepulchre of St. George's Chapel. When the bodies of the Princess Charlotte and her Royal infant came into Windsor, the funeral procession was preceded by 100 of the Horse Guards Blue, and the infant and the urn were immediately conveyed to St. George's Chapel, and there received by the Hon. and Rev. Dr. Hobart, the Dean, the Rev. Mr. Northey, and the Rev. Dr. Cockson. The most profound silence was observed by all; eight Yeomen of the Guard standing round. The body and the urn were then gradually lowered by a windlass into the Royal cemetery; two of the yeomen descending to receive them. They were deposited temporarily on a shelf, previous to being placed on the coffin of the Princess. No service took place, but an awful stillness was preserved. His Serene Highness had expressed his intention to sit up all night with the corpse of the Princess, or, at least, to visit it. He did so during the night, and again at eight o'clock next morning. Some few persons attached to the household were afterwards permitted to enter the awful chamber. The pa rish church was exceedingly thronged this morning to hear divine service, and a sermon to be preached by the Rev Isaac Gossett. At eight in the evening, the funeral procession of the Princess set out from the Lower Lodge to the Chapel. There were no torch lights, A general meeting of the inhabitants of nor beating of drums. Prince Leopold, at- this city has been held here, respecting the buildtended by Baron Hardenbrooke and Dr. ings now erecting and proposed to be erected Stockman, followed the hearse in a mourn- on both sides of the North Bridge. The meeting coach and six.-Then came two carriages ing was numerously and most respectably atof his Serene Highness.-Five mourning tended, Professor Playfair in the chair. coaches, empty, closed the procession. At rious resolutions were proposed by Mr. J. a quarter before nine, the hearse, drawn by Stuart, W. S. which were seconded by Sir F. eight black horses, preceded by two troops of Walker, W. S. 1. That it was agreed the the Blues, entered the Castle gate. Ninety- New Town should be built agreeably to a plan -nine of the royal servants in state liveries, with given in by Mr. James Craig, architect. 2. torches, and twenty-four mutes, accompanied That the tenants contracted with the town on the body. Eleven coaches belonging to the the faith of the North Loch being laid out as Royal Family, with six horses each, followed garden ground. 3. That it was fixed by a in funeral procession. The serenity of the decreet-arbitral of the late Lord Justice-Clerk night, the moon shining in unclouded majesty, Rae, that no buildings other than those existblending its tranquil rays with the artificial ing should be erected on the ground opposite glare of the funeral flambeaux, threw an awto Princes Street. 4. That the magistrates ful, a religious, and an interesting effect on have, notwithstanding, in 1779, 1800, and the whole of this sepulchral pageant. The 1811, attempted to grant feus of parts of the choristers, as soon as they made their appear-ground opposite Princes Street; and that in Edinburgh, December 4, 1817. Va 167 1812 the town was advised by counsel that Mr. Craig's plan was an effectual bar to such design. After noticing the act of Parliament for building the Chapel at the west end of Princes Street, and empowering the magistrates to carry into execution the improvements in St. Ann's Street, it was farther resolved, That as the magistrates had no legal power to authorize the erection of such buildings as are now in progress at the west side of the North Bridge, immediate legal steps should be taken to prevent their being proceeded with; it being the understanding of the meeting that no buildings higher than the shops can be erected on the North Bridge, without serious injury to the city. A committee was then appointed to confer with the magistrates; and it was agreed that the expence of the proceedings be discharged by a subscription. The nature of the design, and the height to which those buildings have been carried, seem to have disappointed the expectations of many persons; and to this cause doubtless is to be attributed the delay in making the present opposition, till the buildings were nearly finished. St. Ann's Street, it cannot be denied, presented a very unseemly appearance; and the plan of erecting a row of elegant houses in place of it seemed deserving of approbation. How far the design, now it is so nearly completed, can be said to be ornamental, is a question on which every one is called upon to decide. It is certaintly to be regretted that the proposi tion of the magistrates for receiving designs from Messrs. Burn and Elliot, the architects, had not been acceded to by the proprietors of the ground; that no difference of opinion tion of this improvement. might have existed as to the effect and execu Anniversary of St. Andrew.-Sunday being the Anniversary of the Tutelar Saint of Scotland, the Grand Lodge, in consequence of the arrangements of the Most Worshipful Grand Master, assembled in Freemasons' Hall on Monday, at one o'clock, for the purpose of electing their office-bearers for the ensuing mously: year, when the following were chosen unani His Royal Highness the PRINCE REGENT, grand master mason and patron of the order. Sir John Marjoribanks of Lees, Bart. M. P. acting grand master under his Royal Highness. Most Noble George Marquis of Tweedale, grand master elect. Right Honourable James Earl of Fife, past grand master. William Inglis, Esq. of Middleton, substi- John Hay, Esq. younger of Hayston and Sir William Hamilton of Preston and Fin- Sir John Hay of Hayston and Smithfield, 163 walked in grand funeral procession, from Freemasons' Hall to the High Church, where an appropriate discourse was preached by the right worshipful grand chaplain, Dr. Lee, Professor of Church History in St, Mary's College, St. Andrews, from the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the Temple, 2d Chronicles vi, 28, 29, 30, and 31. After divine service, the order of procession being reversed, (the junior lodge first), the brethren of the different lodges returned to Freemasons' Hall, whence each lodge departed to its respective lodge room, agreeable to the resolution of the grand master, that no public celebration of the festival should take place this year, in consequence of the recent great national calamity. A detachment of the Scots Greys paraded the streets with inuffled music, during the procession. Lady Frances Buchanan Riddel, of a son. At Broughty Ferry, the Lady of Sir William Wiseman, Bart. of a daughter. The Lady of Major-General Nead, of a son. In Charlotte Square, Mrs. Tytler, of Woodhouselee, of a daughter. At Edinburgh, Mrs. Greig, of Hallgreig, of a daughter. At Dalkeith, the wife of John Robertson, a poor industrious day labourer, of two sons and a daughter. The Countess of Abingdon, of a son. At Easton Cottage, on the 18th ult. the Lady of Lieutenant-Colonel Balfour, of a son. At Windsor, the Lady of Lieutenant-Colonel West, of a daughter. At Lambeth Terrace, the Lady of John Begbie, Esq. of a son. MARRIAGES. At Upper Halloway, John Hunter, Esq. of Middlesex, to Jessie, daughter of John Young, Esq. of Bellwood. At Dundee, James Bonnar, Esq. surgeon, Auchtermuchty, to Hannah, second daughter of Mr. John Ferrier, merchant there. At Dalkeith, Mr. Walter Simpson, to Mary, third daughter of the late Mr. John Ferme, Riggenhead. Rev. John Cleghorn, of North College Street Chapel, to Miss M. Callender, daughter of the late Mr. George Callender, measurer, Edinburgh. At Burnhouse, Mr. Benjamin Mathie, writer, Glasgow, to Elizabeth, daughter of the deceased James Forlong, Esq. late merchant, Glasgow. At Perth, Mr. James Nicoll, younger, merchant in Dundee, to Miss Agnes Maria, daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Constable. At Downpatrick, Ireland, David Thomas, Esq. 92d, or Gordon Highlanders, to Miss Caldos, daughter of Captain Caldos, Donegal militia. Births.-Marriages.—Deaths.-Markets. [December 6, 1817. At Cumbernauld, Anne Hamilton, wife of the Rev. Professor Geo. Hill. At Buntingford, Dr. Robert Wood, youngest Captain Frederick Thomas Hutchinson, of the East India Company's military service in Bengal, to Miss Isabella Mitchelson, third daughter of the late Archibald Hepburne, son of the late Dr Wood of Perth. Mitchelson, Esq. of Middleton. At Port Glasgow, Mr. Peter Hutcheson, of the Customs At Luffness, Thomas Darling, Esq. West Fortune, to Miss Alison Yule, youngest daughter of James Yule, Esq. of Gibslees. At Edinburgh, Mr. James Johnstone, from Haddington, student of medicine, to Jane, youngest daughter of Admiral Campbell, Letham, near Haddington. At Manse of Logie, David Watson, Esq. late of Martinico, to Miss Ogilvie, from Balrownie. DEATHS. At his house, in Portland Place, London, Arthur Balfour, Esq. late Major in the service of the East India Company. At Drumsheugh, William Walker, Esq. of Coats. Here, at his house, Buccleuch Place, aged 75, Mr. John Ogill, writer. Here, at Fountainbridge, Mrs. Ann Davidson, widow of Mr. John Thornton, late merchant in Haddington, aged 47. Here, aged 77, Mrs. Lyall, relict of James Lyall, Esq. provost of Montrose. At Kirkton-house, Campsie, Mrs. M'Lachlan, wife of James J. M'Lachlan, Esq. of Kilchoan, Argyllshire. At Edinburgh, the Rev. John Young, late minister of the Associate Congregation, Kincardine. At Shotts Manse, Henrietta Porteous, only child of the Rev. William Proudfoot, minister of Shotts. At his house in George's Square, Sir Patrick Inglis, Bart. At Deptford, Mary, wife of John Oswald, Esq. of the Victualling Office, and daughter of the late James Drummond, of the same establishment. At Sandbed poor-house, Dumfries-shire, aged 70, Ann Sim. She was remarkable for her pedestrian powers, as she was often known to walk to Dumfries and back again, a distance of 50 miles, by mid-day of the day she thence in the space of 40 hours, though the set out; as also to Edinburgh, and return distance travelled is 174 miles. M'Donald, late of the Royals. MARKETS. CORN EXCHANGE, Nov. 28. We have had a few fresh arrivals of Wheat since Monday, for which that day's prices were fully obtained.-Barley meets a better sale than on Wednesday, but we do not quote it higher.-In Beans, Pease, and Oats, we have no alteration to notice. Haddington, Nov. 28. A large supply of Wheat in market, which sold heavily; prices considerably lower than last day; best new 48s current prices from 32s. to 44s.; best old ditto 36s. current prices from 28s. to 35s. Barley 1s. 6d. higher than last day; best 39s. current prices from 31s. to 37s. Oats the same as last day; best 30s. current prices from 21s. to 29s. Pease from At his house in King's Street, Donald Mac- 28s. to 32s. and Beans from 29s. to 35s. 1306 lachlan, Esq. of Maclachlan. Bolls of Wheat in market. At Glasgow, Mr. James Alexander, surgeon. At the Cape of Good Hope, Thomas Sheridan, Esq. eldest son of the right honourable Richard Brinsley Sheridan. At Hopes, East Lothian, Mr. John Hay, aged 16, eldest son of James Hay, Esq. W. S. Mrs. Susan Edgar, widow of Mr. William Dickie, secretary to the Caledonian Insurance Company, Edinburgh. Mr. James Anderson, cooper, Leith. At Bushelhill, David Rochead, Esq. of Barnside, late writer in Haddington. Dalkeith, Dec. 1. The quantity of oatmeal at market was 260 bolls, which sold readily at fully higher prices; best 28s. current 27s. inferior 24s. per boll; retail Is. 9d. to 1s. 10d. per peck. Edinburgh, Dec. 3. This day there were 360 bolls of oatmeal in At his house, Tranent Lodge, in the 79th Edinburgh market, which sold, First 30s. 6d. year of his age, Mr. William Wood, late-Second, 29s. 6d. per boll.-Retail price per bleacher at Gifford. peck of best oatmeal 2s.-Second 1s. 11d. -There were also 59 bolls of Pease and BarAt Invergowrie, James Menzies Clayhills, eldest son of James Clayhills, Esq. of Inverley Meal, which sold at 20s. 6d.—Retail price gowrie, and late a captain in the royal Scots, per peck, 18. 5d. in the 31st year of his age. At sea, on his passage from Demerara to Quebec, at the age of 24 years, Lieutenant Robert M Kenzie, of the 60th regiment. At her house in Buccleuch Street, Miss Brown, eldest daughter of the late John Brown, Esq. merchant in Edinburgh. Here, Mr. Alexander Wilson, painter, aged 27 years. At Oakfield, Argyllshire, John Macneill, Esq. senior, of Gigha. At Milmalcolm Manse, the Rev. John Brown, minister of the parish, in the 69th year of his age, and 30th of his ministry. At Leith Walk, Mrs. Jerment Crawfurd, aged 77, relict of Mr. Robert Shortreid, late merchant in Leith. December 3. There were 1350 sheep in the Grassmarket, Edinburgh, this morning, which sold at from 12s. to 27s. per head. There were also 300 black cattle in the market, which sold at from 6s. to 7s. 6d. per stone, sinking offals, (sale dull). Edinburgh Corn Market, Nov. 26. We had a good supply of Wheat at market. Fine sold readily, and Is. dearer, but inferior was heavy, at last prices; best 50s. current 40s. to 48s. A good supply of Barley, top price same as last, but general prices 1s. higher; best 36s. current 30s. to 35s. 6d. Oats as last; best 30s. Pease and Beans 1s, dearer; best 31s. Alex. Lawrie & Co., Printers, Edinburgh. The First of April, or All Fool's Day.doctrine. This was done in order to agree. While April morn her Folly's throne exalts; halts; While Nell meets Tom, and says his tail is loose, PRICE 15. Little of the means of conjec In poor Robin's almanac for 1760 there is a metrical description of the modern fooleries on the first of April, with an open avowal of ignorance as to the origin: The first of April some do say, quiet their possession, and to secure ture has been transmitted to us; and their tenure an admirable expedient, that little can only be eked out by conand extremely fit in those barbarous jecture. times to prevent the people from returning to their old religion. Among these, in imitation of the Roman Saturnalia, was the Festum Fatuorum, when And glean some moral into Wisdom's grange. part of the jollity of the season, was a Verses on Several Occasions, London, 1782. burlesque election of a mock mock pope, A custom, says "The Spectator," cardinals, mock bishops, attended with a prevails every where among us on the thousand ridiculous and indecent cerefirst of April, when every body strives monies, gambols, and antics, such as to make as many fools as he can. The singing and dancing in the churches, in wit chiefly consists in sending persons lewd attitudes, to ridiculous anthems, on what are called sleeveless errands, for all allusively to the exploded pretensions the History of Eve's Mother, for pigeon's of the Druids, whom these sports were milk, with similar ridiculous errands. calculated to expose to scorn and deHe takes no notice of the rise of this rision. singular kind of anniversary. This feast of fools, he continues, had The French too have their All Fool's its designed effect; and contributed, Day, and call the person imposed upon, perhaps, more to the extermination of an April fish, "poison d'Avril." Bel- those heathens than all the collateral aid lenger, in his French proverbs, endea- of fire and sword, neither of which were vours at the following explanation of spared in the persecution of them. The this custom : the word poison, he con- continuance of customs, especially droll tends, is corrupted through the igno- ones, which suit the gross taste of the rance of the people from "passion;" multitude, after the original cause of and length of time has almost totally them has ceased, is a great, but no undefaced the original intention, which common absurdity. was to commemorate the passion of our The epithet old fools (in the northern Saviour. That took place about this and old English auld) does not ill accord o' th' first of April had the scene been laid, time of the year, and as the Jews sent with the pictures of Druids which have I should have laugh'd to've seen the living made the son of man backwards and forwards been transmitted to us. The united Such April fools and blockheads by the dead. to mock and torment him, i. e. from appearance of wisdom, age, and sanctity, Annas to Caiaphas, from him to Pilate, which these ancient priests assumed, from Pilate to Herod, and thence again doubtless contributed in no small degree to Pilate, this ridiculous or rather impi- to the deception of the people. The ous custom took its rise, by which we christian teachers, in their labours to send about from one place to another undeceive the fettered multitudes, would such persons as we think proper objects probably spare no pains to pull off the of our ridicule. Such is Bellenger's ex-masks from these venerable hypocrites, planation. and point out to their converts that age At last some tells them of the cheat, In Ward's "War of the Elements," London 1708, in his epitaph on the French prophet, who was to make his resurrection on the 25th of May, he says, Goldsmith, in his Vicar of Wakefield, speaks of rustics who shewed their wit on the 1st of April. So, in "The First of April, or Triumphs of Folly," London, 1797— 'Twas on the morn when April doth appear, And wets the primrose with its maiden tear; "Twas on the morn when laughing Folly rules, And calls her sons around and dubs them fools, Bids them be bold, some untried path explore, And do such deeds as fools ne'er did before. There is nothing, hardly, says the author of the essay, to retrieve the ancient Celtic, that will bear a clearer deSee the World, No. 10, for some monstration, than that the primitive pleasant remarks on this subject, supchristians, by way of conciliating the Should the above be considered as a posed to be from the pen of Lord Orford. pagans to a better worship, humoured forced interpretation, it can be offered See a forced conjecture on the origin of their prejudices by yielding to a confor- in apology that, in joining the scattered this custom, which is scarcely worth mity of names, and even of customs, fragments that survive the mutilation of copying, in the fifty-third Gentleman's where they did not essentially interfere ancient customs, we must be forgiven Magazine, for July 1783. There is anwith the fundamentals of the gospel if all the parts are not found closely to other vague guess in the British Apollo, 170 London, 1708, which is ridiculed in a subsequent part of the same work; but I dare not transcribe either. T. Row, which is well known as the nom de guerre of the venerable Dr. Pegge, accounts for it in this way. The year formerly began as to some purposes, and in some respects, on the 25th of March, which was supposed to be the incarnation of our Lord, and it is certain that the commencement of the new The First of April, or All Fool's Day. [December 20, 1817. Come, my Corinna, come: and coming mark | Gracing another with her cherry lip; Or branch: each porch, each door, ere this Back, and with white-thorn laden home, This custom was observed by noble "fourth and royal personages, as we learn from year, at whatever time that was suppos- able in themselves. The custom prevails in Sweden, as we learn from Toreen's voyage to China. In Lisbon, as we are informed by Mr. Southey (Letters from Spain and Portugal p. 497) they play the fool on the Sunday and Monday preceding Lent. The First of May. -If thou lov'st me then, Shakespeare (Henry VIII, A. v. sc. 3.) says it was impossible to make the people sleep on May morning; and (Mids. N. Dream, A. iv. sc. 1.) that they rose early to observe the rite of May. Milton has the following beautiful song, On May Morning. Steal forth thy father's house to-morrow night, Now the bright morning star, day's harbinger, And in the wood, a mile without the town, Midsummer's N. Dream. Ir was the custom, anciently, for all ranks of people to go out a Maying early on the first of May. In the north of England, the juvenile part of both sexes were wont to rise a little after midnight of the morning of that day, and walk to some neighbouring wood, accompanied with music and the blowing of horns, where they broke down branches from the trees, and adorned them with nose. gays and crowns of flowers. This done, they returned homewards with their booty, about the time of sunrise, and made their doors and windows triumph in the flowery spoil. In Herrick's Hesperides, the customs of May-day, are alluded to, in language, which is not the less poetical because it is not modern. her The flow'ry May, who from her green lap throws The yellow cowslip, and the pale primrose. Browne, in his " Britannia's Pastorals," Built by the May-pole, where the jocund swaines, Dance with the maidens to the bagpipe straines, gone, Call for the merry youngsters one by one, And, for their well performance, soon disposes, The May Pole. The May Pole is up, Now give me the cup, I'll drink to the garlands around it, Whose hands did compose Among the publications which the fanatical spirit of 1660 produced, there is a curious tract, entitled, "The Lord's loud call to England." In this book there is a letter from one of the Puritans of the north, which commences with these words: "Sir, the country as well as the town, abounds with vanities; now the reins of liberty and vanity are let loose: May-poles, and playes, and jugglers, and all things else now pass current. Sin now appears with a brazen face," &c. of the puritannical writers, published his Under heaven's cope, When he is chosen ? so have I too: Doth he upon mens' shoulders ride ? December 20, 1817.] The First of May-Religious Martyr-State of Religion in Scotland. For, where 'tis nois'd that I am come, The scnm of all the raskall crew ear. ver. 171 ing his face painted after the manner of "Now, before we speak of the alteration the Rujpoots, and a star, made of nume- court influences made upon the Church rous coloured threads, and small thin of Scotland, let us consider in what pieces of bamboo, about the size of a case it was at this time. There be in thick darning needle, attached to his all Scotland some 900 parishes, divided Upon the same cot, in a reclining into 6 presbyteries, which are again posture, was his wife, superbly dressed contained into fourteen synods; out of in muslin and fine cloths; her hair was all which, by a solemn legation of comloose and encircled with various wreaths missions from every presbytery, they used of yellow flowers, and she had rings of yearly to constitute a national assembly. pure gold in her ear and nose, and upon At the king's return, every parish had her wrists and ancles rings of pure sil- a minister, every village had a school, Numerous attempts were made by every family, almost, had a bible; yea, her relations to dissuade her from the in most of the country, all the children rash step she was about to take, but to of age could read the scriptures, and no purpose. At length, the night fast were provided of bibles, either by the approaching, various coolies were em- parents or ministers. Every minister These extracts might be multiplied ployed to dig a hole in the ground, during was a very full professor of the reformed without end, but I fear my readers are the making of which she made inqui- religion, according to the large confesnot so fond as I am of these researches.ries as to its exactness. She observed there sions of faith, framed at Westminster by I avail myself, as freely as I dare, of the was not a sufficiency of wood to keep the divines of both nations. Every mi"Observations on Popular Antiquities," up a large fire till day-light, and then di-nister was obliged to preach thrice a by Mr. Brand, who has investigated rected her Bramin confessor to get seven week, to lecture and catechise once, these curious subjects with an uncom- Suparee trees, which being brought, she besides other private duties wherein mon degree of industry and success. descended from the cot, placed a num- they abounded, according to their proIn collecting the memorials of May, ber of cowries in a cloth, which she dis- portion of faithfulness and abilities. it would be unpardonable to forget the tributed to her own caste, repeating a None of them might be scandalous in beautiful poem, preserved in "The small sentence from the Vedas, and re- their conversation, or negligent in their World," No. 82, entitled, "The Tears ceiving for answer, the words Ram, office, so long as a presbytery stood; of Old May Day," ascribed to Mr. Lo- Hori, kam, Khrishno, Hori. She then and, among them, were many holy in veybond. We have only room to tran-bathed, and walked round the funeral conversation, and eminent in gifts; the pile, which was about six feet long and dispensation of the ministry being fallen four broad, three times. She was again from the noise of waters and sound of bathed; and distributed her wearing trumpets, to the melody of harpers, apparel, but retained her ornaments. which is, alas! the last mess in the She again walked four times, in all seven, banquet; nor did a minister satisfy round the pile, and was again bathed. himself except his ministry made the She then advanced to the pile and spoke seal of a divine approbation, as might to her female relations, recommending witness him to be really sent from God. Brahmin to give her a black pigeon, and ed to be poured out with the word, them to follow her example, desired aIndeed, in many places, the spirit seemcorpse of her deceased husband was verts, and also by the common work of resolutely stepped upon the pile. The both by the multitude of sincere conthen brought and placed close to her, reformation upon many who now come which she clasped in her arms and the length of a communion; there were› kissed; then desired her friends to make no fewer than sixty aged people, men to the pile amidst loud shouts from the even they might be able to read the no delay. Fire was now communicated and women, who went to school that spectators, and the clangour of music, scriptures with their own eyes. I have and, although the flame was very bright, yet for a time it was completely hidden from the sight by showers of short bamboos which were thrown into it by the by-standers, both Hindoos and Mussulmans. She was a most beautiful woman, and very fair. scribe from it, the following stanzas, in lawn. To her no more Augusta's wealthy pride Pours the full tribute from Potosi's mine; Norfresh-blown garlands village maid's provide, A purer offspring at her rustic shrine. A variety of very ingenious conjectures have been made as to the origin of these customs: but I am inclined to consider them, with Polydore Virgil, as the relic of an ancient custom among the heathens, who observed the four last days of April, and the first of May, in honour of the goddess Flora, the deity who presided over fruits and flowers. A Religious Martyr. So late as the 27th November 1816, a niece of the late Rajah of Tipperah burnt herself on the funeral pile of her husband. About four o'clock in the evening, the procession made its appearance to the sound of martial music; upon a cot appeared the corpse at full length, elegantly dressed in the finest muslin, hav lived many years in a parish where I never heard an oath, and you might have rode many miles before you had heard any. Also, you could not, for a great part of the country, have lodged in a family where the Lord was not worshipped by reading, singing, and public prayer. Nobody complained more of our church government than our taverners, whose ordinary comment(FROM Mr. Kirkpatrick Sharpe's edi-ation was, their trade was broke, peotion of Kirkton's History of the Church ple were become so sober. of Scotland.) Now, in the midst of this deep tranquillity, as State of Religion in Scotland at the Restoration. |