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the girl is given to a bramhun without reward.-2. Doivũ, when she is presented as a gift, at the close of a sacrifice.-3. Arshu, when two cows are received by the girl's father in exhange for a bride.-4. Prajapŭtyŭ, when the girl is given at the request of a bramhun.-5. Asoorů, when money is received in exchange for a bride.-6. Gandhŭrvů, when a marriage takes place by mutual consent."-7. Rakshŭsů, when a bride is taken in war; and 8. Poishachu, when a girl is taken away by craft.

A Hindoo, except he be grown up, as in second marriages, never chooses his own wife. Two parents frequently agree while the children are infants, to give them in marriage, but most commonly a parent employs a man called a ghutŭků, to seek a suitable boy or girl for his child."

The son of a shōōdrŭ is often married as early as his fifth year; the son of a bramhun, after being invested with the poita, at seven, nine or eleven. Delays to a later period are not unfrequent: parents cannot always obtain a suitable match, or money is wanting; marriages also must be regulated by the cast, and by complicated Amongst the middling ranks, five hundred

customs.

The pooranus relate, that formerly, when a king's daughter had not been married in childhood by the contract of her parents, and she was grown up to be old enough for marriage, she might solicit of her father to have what is called a shŭyumbŭrů wedding, in which the girl chooses her own husband. To enable her thus to choose, the king makes a great feast, and invites multitudes of kings, and from amongst them the girl chooses her husband. Ramů, Urjoonŭ, Krishnů, Nŭlŭ, and others, are all said to have been chosen by the princesses to whom they were afterwards united.

"The espousals, or contract before marriage," among the Romans, says Kennett," was performed by an engagement of the friends on both sides."

roopees are often expended, and amongst the rich many thousands, at the marriage of a son.

One of the Hindoo shastrus gives the following direc tions respecting the qualities of a wife;" She who is not descended from his paternal or maternal ancestors within the sixth degree, is eligible by a twice-born man for nuptials. In connecting himself with a wife, let him studiously avoid the following families, be they ever so great, or ever so rich in kine, goats, sheep, gold and grain; the family which has omitted prescribed acts of religion; that which has produced no male children; that, in which the védŭ has not been read; that, which has thick hair on the body; and those, which have been subject to [here a number of diseases are men-tioned.] Let a person choose for his wife a girl, whose form has no defect; who has an agreeable name; who walks gracefully like a young elephant; whose hair and teeth are moderate respectively in quantity and in size; whose body has exquisite softness."

The following account of the person of Sharŭda, the daughter of Brumha, translated from the Shivů poorană, may serve as a just description of a perfect Hindoo beauty this girl was of a yellow colour; had a nose like the flower of the sesamum; her legs were taper like the plantain tree; her eyes large like the principal leaf of the lotus; her eyebrows extended to her ears; her lips were red like the young leaves of the mango tree; her face was like the full moon; her voice like the sound of the cuckow; her arms reached to her knees; her throat was like that of a pigeon; her loins narrow like those of a lion; her hair hung in curls down to her feet; her

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teeth were like the seeds of the pomegranate; and her gait like that of a drunken elephant or a goose.

Each cast has its own order of ghŭtukus, which profession may be embraced by any person qualified by cast and a knowledge of the ghŭtuku shastrus. They sometimes propose matches to parents before the parents themselves have begun to think of the marriage of their child. Many of these men are notorious flatterers and liars," and, in making matrimonial alliances, endeavour to impose in the grossest manner upon the parents on both sides. If the qualities of a girl are to be commended, the ghŭtŭké declares, that she is beautiful as the full moon, is a fine figure, of sweet speech, has excellent hair, walks gracefully, can cook and fetch water, &c. After the report of the ghŭtuků, a relation on each side is deputed to see the children, and if every thing respecting cast, person, &c. be agreeable, a written agreement is made between the

• Some ghůtůkŭs are not employed in making marriage agreements; but, after studying the books belonging to their profession, they subsist on the gifts received at weddings, and quarter themselves on those koolēēnus and shrotriyus who are very rich. When a ghŭtukŭ visits such a koolēēnŭ or shrotriyŭ, he rehearses a number of honourable qualities which he ascribes to the ancestors of his host; but if this person be not disposed to be liberal towards him, he endeavours to bring forward all the violations of the rules of the cast into which he or his ancestors may have fallen; and sometimes this disappointed ghůtŭkŭ endeavours to involve the person in disgrace among his friends, or in the presence of large assemblies of bramhŭns. In almost all families there are faults respecting the cast, which are well known to these ghütükŭs, and which they know how to use as means of extorting money.

Among the vŭngshujus, those families which have sunk lowest in honour, meet with great difficulties in finding girls for their sons, and it is not uncommon for the ghŭtukŭs to impose the child of a shōōdrů upon such a vängshuju as the daughter of a bramhún.

two fathers: and in this way, persons are united in wedlock with as much indifference as cattle are yoked together; matrimony becomes a mere matter of traffic, and children are disposed of according to the pride of parents, without the parties, who are to live together till death, having either choice or concern in the business.

These very early marriages are the sources of the most enormous evils: these pairs, brought together without previous attachment, or even their own consent, are seldom happy. This leads men into unlawful connexions, so common in Bengal, that three parts of the married population, I am informed, keep concubines. Many never visit, nor take their wives from the house of the father-in-law, but they remain there a burthen and a disgrace to their parents; or, they abandon the paternal roof at the call of some paramour. Early marriages also give rise to another dreadful evil: almost all these girls after marriage remain at home, one, two, or three years; and during this time numbers are left widows, without hav ing enjoyed the company of their husbands a single day: these young widows, being forbidden to marry, almost without exception, become prostitutes. To these miserable victims of a barbarous custom are to be added, all the daughters of the kooleenus, who never leave the house of the father, either during the life, or after the death of their husbands, and who invariably live an abandoned life. The consequences resulting from this state of things, are, universal whoredom, and the perpetration of unnatural crimes to a most shocking extent.

Some days or weeks before a wedding takes place, a second written agreement is made between the two fathers, engaging that the marriage shall take place on

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such a day. This is accompanied sometimes with the promise of a present for the daughter, which may amount to ten, fifty, or more roopees. On signing this agreement, a dinner is given, in general by the girl's father; and gifts are presented to the bramhuns present, as well as to the ghŭtuků, according to the previous agreement, perhaps five, six, eight, or ten roopees. Where a present is made to the father of the girl, which is very common at present, the cast of the boy is not very respectable: in the most reputable marriages, the father not only gives his daughter without reward, but bears the expenses of the wedding, and presents ornaments, goods, cattle, and money to the bridegroom.

Three or four days before the marriage, the bodies of the young couple are anointed with turmerick, and the boy, day and night, till the wedding, holds in his hand the scissars with which the natives cut the betle-nut, and the girl holds in her hand the iron box which contains the black colour with which they daub their eyelids. The father of the boy entertains all his relations, and others; to relations giving a cooked dinner, to others sweetmeats, &c. and the father of the girl gives a similar entertainment to all his relations. After this, the rich relations feast the bridegroom and family, and add presents of cloth, &c. On the day before the marriage, the parents on each side send presents of sweetmeats amongst their friends.

During the night preceding the wedding, the most hideous noises are made at the houses of the two parents, with instruments whose noise resembles that of a kettle-drum. In the beginning of the night, the women leave four pots containing lamps at each of the two houses, expressing

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