hair was smeared with ghee and other greasy substances, and decorated with flowers and gaudy ornamented paper: round her neck was a large rope nearly as thick as my wrist, and one or two smaller ones: thus attired, she looked the picture of all that is degraded and wretched. Before her stood one of Satan's high priests with two paltry pictures of Juggernaut, which he was very anxious she should look upon continually. Altogether, I never saw any thing so infernal. The barbarous indifference of the multitude to every feeling of humanity-the thoughts of an awful eternity-the idea that the poor creature before me would soon rush, thus polluted with Idolatry, into the presence of an awful God, who hates sin and abominates Idolatry-the multitude who evinced so savage a pleasure in the bloody work-and the malicious countenances of the principal actors in this wretched scene, rendered more horrible than ever by the interruption, altogether so pressed upon my mind that the feeling beggars description. But what could be done! something must be attempted. We bid the people stop. I got off my horse, and the two Europeans came near with their elephant; I made my way to the woman, and found she was quite intoxicated; there was a strange wildness in her appearance. I looked at her eyes, turned up the eyelids and found them very bloodshot and heavy: the woman could not utter a syllable distinctly, all that could be understood was, 'Juggernaut,' and 'koosee,' meaning, I suppose, Juggernaut is my pleasure. A thrill of horror ran through my veins: her youth-her destitute condition, for she had not a friend even to 'give her fire,' viz., light the pile-her total insensibility-and the general horror of the scene, induced the mutual feeling that she was about to be cruelly murdered. We thought the law protected us under such circumstances, and determined to rescue her. The people looked at us amazed; the crowd soon thickened upon us, and assumed rather a formidable appearance; but there was no time for parley, we put on a determined aspect, and insisted on her being taken back, urging that she was quite intoxicated: this many of them admitted, but still retained their hold of the hoop by which she was enclosed, and urged that it was her wish to burn, and that it was Juggernaut's pleasure; we however insisted upon her being taken back till she was sensible. Captain G. and Lieutenant M. behaved nobly, they charged a few servants in their employ to keep off the people; they soon gave way without making any further resistance, and left us in charge of the woman and the principal actors. I should observe that the Daroga (head policeofficer) was absent. I then mounted my horse and rode before, the road was made through the crowd by the servants and a few idle seapoys who attended as lookers on, the officers followed the woman on their elephant till they saw all was safe, and then returned to the pile. I rode before the crowd and the woman towards the police officer's place of confinement: in my way I met with brother B. and surprised him with what was done : he accompanied me to the prison, and delivered the woman into the charge of the Daroga, who was much surprised and disconcerted at what was done, but was obliged to attend to Captain G.'s orders to secure the woman. All seemed consternation. I am sure that I wondered at our success, Bampton seemed to wonder more; the people seemed thunderstruck, and exclaimed, 'Now you have done something!' others said, 'This is merciful!' and indeed among the thousands of spectators not a sound of disapprobation was heard, or the least confusion excited. The woman herself kept saying, as well as we could understand, This is well done! you have broken my purposes:' she was however quite stupified. What may be the result we know not, or whether we shall be able to save her is quite uncertain; we know, however, it might be done with the most trifling interference on the part of the Magistrate. Her husband's corpse is already consumed."

He adds,- -"On Tuesday the Judge, much to his credit and honour, determined that the woman should not burn. May God overrule it to promote his own glory, and for the putting out for ever these flames which hell itself has kindled. O that this circumstance may be the harbinger of this happy consummation! How easily might it be done! Only think, that three individuals, at the very worst place in all India, without authority, and without the least disturbance, and without giving offence to any except three or four individuals immediately concerned, have succeeded in saving this wretched woman from the devouring flames!"

If so much satisfaction is felt by humane minds in the rescue of a single individual, how would humanity-how would Christianity hail the merciful suppression of all those barbarities!

The opinion of J. H. Harington, Esq, officiating chief Judge in the Nizamut Adawlut, Calcutta, relative to the expediency of abolishing

the Suttee, has been given. The second Judge, C. Smith, Esq., says: "The practice of Suttee OUGHT TO BE ABOLISHED, and it may be abolished with PERFECT SAFETY." The third Judge, J. T. Shakespear, Esq., likewise states:- "I am prepared to concur in a recommendation to Government, that a regulation be promulgated prohibiting Suttees throughout the country." The fifth Judge, W. B. Martin, Esq., at the same time stated:-"The toleration of the practice by our Government, and its disposition to interfere no further than was necessary to guard it from abuse, has been misconstrued into a tacit recognition of the principle of an usage, the legality of which within certain limits, it has formerly acknowledged."

The minute of the officiating Judge, J. Ahmuty, Esq., relative the documents from which the above extracts are taken, is as follows: "I feel satisfied that it would be far preferable to enact a regulation prohibiting the practice of Suttees at once, and rendering it punishable by law, than having recourse to any partial or indirect means to repress it gradually, if even such a result could be reasonably expected to ensue."*

The Governor General in Council, Lord Amherst, evidently anticipates the final abolition of Suttee, as appears from the observations upon the statement of the number of widows who were burned in 1823. His words are:-"His Lordship in Council is unwilling to abandon the hope, that the abolition of the practice may, at a future period, be found safe and expedient; and he has already had occasion to remark, that the more general dissemination of knowledge and the discussions of the question among the better informed Hindoos themselves, may be expected to have some effect in gradually preparing the minds of the natives for such a measure.t (Jud. Depart., Dec., 1824.) Humanity, in her tears, asks, why delay to rescue the unhappy widow? "The argument that we may ultimately look for the cure of this evil in the gradual increase of intelligence which is beginning to develope itself in India, might have some weight, if the progress of intelligence were of a more accelerated character than circumstances allow us to suppose, or if the immediate abolition of the rite were not proved to be both safe and practicable. But this fact, once satisfactorily established, to delay the enjoyment of an acknowledged good, because at some future, yet more remote time, you anticipate its attainment by the operation of other causes,-what is this but to procrastinate a happiness already within your reach, and to be justly responsible for all the misery of the intervening period of a long and criminal delay?"

The authorities for the propriety and safety of the immediate abolition of Suttee are numerous and decisive. This has appeared from the various references which have been made to the Parliamentary Papers upon the subject, and they may be increased from various

other sources.

The Magistrate of Poona, under the Bombay Presidency, (Captain

* Par. Papers, No. iv. p. 148, 149. + Page 153.

See Grimshawe's Appeal to British Humanity in behalf of Hindoo widows, p. 26-28.

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26

H. D. Robertson,) thus states the nature of the popular feeling relative to Suttees:-"The feeling, I might almost say, is general to stop them; it was hinted to me, through various respectable channels, that although a show of discontent would be exhibited, an order of Government to prevent their continuance would be a palatable

Another Magistrate in Bombay, (J. Barnard, Esq.,) declares:→→ "The circumstances under which Suttees prevail, the classes interested therein, the number of instances, and the conduct of the community in their communications, both with the Magistrate and with each other, on such occasions, as well as the impressions generally entertained by those not concerned, convince me that there are few cases in which evil would ensue from prohibition and coercive prevention."+

Colonel Dow, in his History of Hindoostan, says," All religions must be tolerated in Bengal except the practice of some inhuman customs which the Mahomedans have already, in a great measure, destroyed. There are particular usages, established by time into a law, which our humanity must destroy. Let no women burn themselves with their husbands, no dying person being exposed by his friends. To leave the natives entirely to their own laws would be to consign them to anarchy and confusion." Vol. iii. p. 128, 143.

"The Commentaries of Bras de Albuquerque, the son of the Great Albuquerque, one of those extraordinary men who, nearly three hundred years ago, raised to the highest pitch of glory the Portuguese name in India, contains the following passage: "When Alf. de Albuquerque took the kingdom of Goa he would not permit that any woman from thence forward should burn herself; and although to change their custom is equal to death, nevertheless they rejoiced in life, and said great good of him, because he commanded that they should not burn themselves. Long after his death, when a Moor or Hindoo had received wrong and could obtain no redress from the Governor, the aggrieved person would go to Goa, to Albuquerque's tomb, and make an offering of oil at the lamp which burned before it, and call upon him for justice."§ Wilberforce's Speech, 1813, 8vo. page 93, 94.

The Rev. T. S. Grimshawe, in his valuable pamphlet, called, " An earnest Appeal to British Humanity in behalf of Hindoo Widows," (1825, published by Hatchard, London,) refers to the suppression of Suttees by other powers.

"The Mogul Government has uniformly discountenanced the practice of burning widows alive; and the extent of the benefits thus conferred may be estimated by the remarkable fact that in no part of Hindoostan is the rite less known than under their sway; and in none is it more common than in that which is the centre of British power and ascendancy! This example was humanely followed by the Portuguese. The Dutch, the Danish, and the French Governments, uniformly refused to sanction the custom. Why is the name of Bri

Par. Papers, No. iv. p. 167. + Page 209. "Collection of Facts and Opinions relative to the Burning of Hindoo Widows," by Dr. Johns, p. 89. § Page 103, 104.