held down upon them like the levers We made much objection to their se bamboos, and insisted that it was ce to prevent the woman getting up when urned her; but they declared it was ono keep the pile from falling down. We t bear to see more, but left them; exloudly against the murder, and full of

what we had seen."

a dreadful custom! yet it is said that ousand of such victims perish annually ast Indies.

s evening," says Mr. Ward, "we went man rise from his grave who had been month! A great croud was collected and e waiting with impatience to see the ren. Brother Carey had some conversah one of the Musselmans, who asked, = denying the divine mission of Mahomat was to become of Musselmans and 1. Brother Carey expressed his fears that uld all be lost. The man seemed as if he ave torn him to pieces. At length, when moon appeared, the top of the grave was and the man came forth, apparently unby his confinement. He bowed with his the ground several times at the foot of a tree, which I suppose he had planted on nto the grave, and upon which he also water. It was necessary that he should new moon immediately on coming forth is confinement. Many crouded round nd put out their hands for a gift, which all ked obtained, and which, as far as I could onsisted merely of particles of dust. Seve

ral persons brought presents, and it was probable a goat was offered in sacrifice after we were gone. This subterraneous abode was cut very deep, and divided into three or four rooms; one to sit in, another to sleep in, &c. It was covered over with mats and soil, and the only opening into it was a hole at one end, two or three inches in diameter; through which he was supplied with milk and fruits by a man who waited on him, and who had a hut by the side of the grave. This is a Musselman's custom; and they say it has an allusion to the flight of their prophet. Perhaps it would not be continued, but that it is a qualification for receiving lands or offerings to canonized saints amongst them: many persons in this country have built places like raised tombs, in a hole of the centre of which a lamp is kept burning in the night: these are consecrated to some saint, and the person who tends the lamp has whatever is given or left to the place. Passengers make their salem, and throw down a few cowries as they pass. In the above cave, some ground has been left to the place, and the man could succeed to it only by burying himself a month."

The following account of sacrificing aged persons and children to the Ganges, where they are devoured by sharks, is very affecting. These sacrifices are of two descriptions; first, of aged persons of both sexes, which are voluntary; and of children which of course are involuntary. The fixed periods for the performance of those rites are at the full moons in November and January. The custom of sacrificing children arises from superstitious vows made by the parents, who,

rehensive of not having issue, promised, ent of their having five children, to deifth to the Ganges.

island of Sagar, where these inhuman dministered, is held to be peculiarly san its being considered as the termination nges; and the junction of that river with denominated The place of Sacrifice. tely as November 1801, some European elonging to the pilot service of Bengal shore on the island, were witnesses to this remony. The information they gave beof the justices of the peace for Calcutta ath to the following effect :

I, on going on shore, they saw the enhuman body floating on the water, and he time a great number of the natives asthe beach; as near as they could guess, 00: that, on asking a Fakeer, why so he natives were put into the water, he anthat the Head Fakeer had ordered them o the water to be devoured by sharks, rosperity of their respective families; that eleven men, women, and boys, thus deand it further appeared, by other inconevidence, that the victims destroyed in er amounted to 39; and, moreover, that twelve years old, who had been thrown iver, having saved himself by swimming, ne endeavoured to extend his protection Out, singular and unnatural as it may apwas again seized, and committed to deby his own parents!!!"

ought the recital of these dreadful cus-cherish in us a love for our own country,

and gratitude for that gospel which is the glory of it! and how ought it to rouse us to the most ardent concern for the diffusion of gospel light where there is so much darkness! What a cold, yea, what a barbarous heart must that be which would ask, "What have Christians to do with this ?" and how criminal those who refuse to lend a helping hand to so noble a work!

FINIS.

INDEX

IRD VOLUME OF MISCELLANIES, BEING ALL

ANECDOTES.

Mr. Buck had not prepared an Index for his first volume of
a part of which is in the second volume of Miscellanies.