who had lost cast by intercourse with Musulmans, and was called a pēēr-alee,' died. Kalēē-průsad was much concerned about presenting the offerings to the manes, and, after much intreaty and promise of rewards, at last prevailed upon eleven bramhuns to perform the ceremonies in the night. A person who had a dispute with these bramhuns informed against them, and they were immediately abandoned by their friends. After waiting several days in vain, hoping that his friends would relent, one of these bramhuins, suspending a jar of water from his body, drowned himself in the Ganges !-Some years ago, Ramŭ, a bramhun, of Trivénēē, having, by mistake, married his son to a pēēr-alee girl, and being abandoned by his friends, died through grief. In the year 1803, Shivŭ-ghoshŭ, a kayŭst❜hì, married a pēēr-alee girl, and was not restored to his cast till after seven years, and he had expended 700 roopees.--About the same period, a bramhunēē, of Vélŭ-pookhŭriya, having been deflowered, and in consequence deprived of her cast, refused all food, and expired in a few days. In the village of Bujbuj, some years ago, a young man who had lost his cast through the criminal intrigues of his mother, a widow," in a state of frenzy,

A nŭwab of the name of Peer-alee is charged with having destroyed the rank of many Hindoos, bramhŭns, and others; and from these persons have descended a very considerable number of families scattered over the country, who have been branded with the name of their oppressor. These persons practice all the ceremonies of the Hindoo religion, but are carefully avoided by other Hindoos as outcasts. It is supposed, that not less than fifty families of pēēr-alees live in Calcutta, who employ bramhun priests to perform the ceremonies of the Hindoo religion for them. It is said, that raja KrishnŭChundru-Rayŭ was promised five lacks of roopees by a pēēr-alee, if he would only honour him with a visit of a few moments: but he refused.

"On account of marriages being contracted so early in this country, the number of virgin widows is very great. The Hindoos acknowledge that almost all young widows, being excluded from a second marriage, live in a state of adultery.

poisoned himself, and his two brothers abandoned the country. Gooroo-prusad, a bramhun, of Charna, in Burdwan, not many years ago, through fear of losing cast, in consequence of the infidelity of his wife, abandoned his home, and died of grief at Benares.-About the year 1800, a bramhŭnēē, of Shantee-pooră, murdered her illegitimate child, to prevent discovery and loss of cast.-In the year 1807, a bramhŭn, of Trivénee, murdered his wife by strangling her, under the fear that he should lose cast, through her criminal intrigues.-About the year 1790, Kalēē-dasŭ, a bramhun, who had married, through the wickedness of a ghŭtuků, a washerman's daughter, was obliged to fly with her to Benares, but being there discovered, he sold all his property and fled, and his wife fell into a state of insanity. In the time of raja KrishnŭChundrŭ-Rayu, a bramhun, of Shantee-poorů, was charged with a criminal intrigue with the daughter of a shoe-maker: the raja forbad the barber to shave the family, or the washerman to wash for them: in this distress, they applied to the raja, and afterwards to the nuwab, but in vain. After many pretended friends had, by fair promises, drained them of their all, the raja relented, and permitted them to be shaved, but the family have not obtained their rank to this day.

Numbers of outcasts abandon their homes, and wander about till death. Many other instances might be given in which the fear of losing cast has led to the perpetration of the most shocking murders, which in this country are easily concealed; and thousands of children are murdered in the womb, to prevent discovery and the consequent loss of cast, particularly in the houses of the kooleenů bramhuns.

Not only is a person who has lost cast deprived of his property, and renounced by his friends, but he is excluded from all the services and comforts of religion; from all its supposed benefits at and after death, and is of course considered as miserable in a future state.

The Hindoos relate a story of Vachusputee-mishrů, who lived about six hundred years ago, and who, for repeating the four védŭs from memory before the king of Nit❜hila, received as a fee 10,000 cows. As the reception of a gift of cows is forbidden, in the kŭlee yoogu, the friends of the pundit renounced him as an outcast, till he had made the proper atonement, by offering a piece of gold. And thus, a man who according to the bramhuns, could repeat the four védŭs from memory, the repetition of the trilliteral syllable of which would remove the sins of a world, was made an outcast, because he had received a present of cows. If he had received a gift to the same amount in another form, he would have been blameless.

According to the shastrus, the offences by which rank is lost, are, the eating with persons of inferior cast; cohabiting with women of low cast; eating flesh or drinking spirits; partaking of that which has been pre

This is forbidden both in the smritees and pooranus: though most of the bramhuns, at present, find the temptation too strong to resist. A gift of gold is also forbidden.

The Hindoo system is not only a system of terror as it respects the rules of the cast; but of pride, as admitting, on the one hand, no proselytes, and, on the other, branding other casts with opprobrious names, and declaring their very birth and manners infamous. Invite one of the lowest orders of shōōdrus to a feast with an European of the highest rank, and he turns away his face with the most marked disgust.

pared by a person of an inferior order; dealing in things prohibited by the shastru, as cow-skins, fish, &c.

Persons may sink lower in cast, in cases where they do not become entire outcasts. A bramhun, by officiating as priest to a shōōdră, does not become a shōōdrů, but he sinks into a despised order of bramhuns.

Persons breaking the rules of the cast were formerly punished by the Hindoo kings; now it depends upon mere accident whether a person violating the rules of the cast be proceeded against or not. Strictly speaking, scarcely any Hindoos live according to these rules, and vast multitudes daily and notoriously violate them. In some respects, the great body of the people do that which is forbidden: as for instance, they eat rice prepared for sale by Musulmans: here the number of offenders is so great, that the law cannot be enforced. Where a person is known to retain a Măsălman mistress, the offence is frequently winked at, unless he happens to quarrel with another, and then the latter insists upon his being excluded the cast. When only one person objects to eat or smoke with another who has forfeited his cast, he is often bribed to hold his peace; but if a number of persons object, the case is desperate; yet there are times when a delinquent forms a party in his favour, who declare, that they will retain him amongst them. Sometimes the whole village assembles, to decide about a person's retaining the cast; when, if the decision be in his favour, all his friends eat with him; if not, they refuse, and prohibit his entering their houses. There is no other form of exclusion.

Persons who have been deprived of their cast, have, in

some instances, offered large sums to regain it, but in vain. On the contrary, other offenders, who have had no enemy to oppose them, and very little that the bramhuns could seize, have regained their cast for a mere trifle. The only way of being reinstated in their rank is to give a feast to bramhŭns: all things may be obtained by pleasing this privileged order, in whose hands the cast is either a treasury chest, or a rod of iron.

After the establishment of the English power in Bengal, the cast of a bramhun of Calcutta was destroyed by an European, who forced into his mouth flesh, spirits, &c. After remaining three years an outcast, great efforts were made, at an expense of 80,000 roopees, to regain the cast, but in vain, as many bramhans of the same order refused consent. After this, an expense of two lacks of roopees more was incurred, when he was restored to his friends. About the year 1802, a person in Calcutta expended in feasting and presents to bramhuns, 50,000 roopees to obtain his cast, which had been lost through eating with a bramhŭn of the pēēr-alee cast. After this, two peer-alee bramhuns of Calcutta made an effort to obtain their cast, but were disappointed, after expending a very large sum.

Sometimes a person is restored to his cast on making

2 Many different casts have at their head individuals called Pramanikus, who are consulted on all points relating to the cast. When persons wish to make a feast, they consult their pramanikŭ respecting who shall be invited, and what presents shall be given to the guests. The shōodrús of one cast living in four or five villages have one pramaniků, who adjusts differences between the individuals of the cast over which he presides. If a person says, he will not eat with another, because he has done something contrary to the rules of the cast, the pramaniků sometimes adjusts the business, by reminding this man, that in his family also there are such and such marks of the plague.