parable as at this moment: "And the door was shut !”— I was exceedingly anxious to be present while the marriage formulas were repeated, but was obliged to depart in disappointment,

From time immemorial, the Hindoo young men have considered a wedding procession, as it passes through the villages to the house of the bride, as fair game :-groups of wicked boys and young men, therefore, attack the wedding company in all those ways by which they can most annoy them, and in which they are greatly assisted by the darkness of the night. Serious disputes, attended with the loss of lives, have sometimes occurred amidst this rough and dangerous mirth.

After entering the house, the bridegroom is led to the place where the marriage rites are to be performed, and where the father-in-law, taking off the old garments and poita of the boy, arrays him in new clothes, and takes him into an inner apartment, where they make him stand on a stool placed on the cow's head and certain other things buried in the earth, adding a number of female superstitious practices, to induce the bridegroom to behave well to the bride. They next bring the bride on a stool covered with the bridegroom's old garments, and carry the girl round the bridegroom seven times; they then permit the bride and bridegroom fairly to look at each other for the first time. The happy pair are then brought to the former place, and made to sit near each other, when the father-in-law puts into the hands of the bridegroom fourteen blades of kooshŭ grass, tied in two separate parts, which the boy ties under his feet. The father-inlaw now pours some water into the right hand of the bridegroom, and while the latter holds it there, the

with a prayer; and then The officiating brambun hand on a pan of water,

former reads an incantation, at the close of which the bridegroom lets it fall on his feet; rice, flowers and dōōrva grass are next given, which he lays on his head; water is presented as at first sour milk; then again water. now directs the boy to put his and places the hand of the bride on that of the bridegroom, and ties them together with a garland of flowers, when the father-in-law says, " Of the family of Kashyŭpů, the great grand-daughter of Bhoirŭvů, the grand-daughter of Ramŭ-Huree, the daughter of Ramu-soondără, Kshuma, wearing such and such clothes and jewels, I, T'hakoorŭ-dasŭ, give to thee, Ůbhuyu-churună, of the family of Sandilyŭ, the great grandson of Soondură-dasŭ, the grandson of Kanaee, the son of Bhuju-Huree." The bridegroom says, "I have received her." The fatherin-law then makes a present, "for good luck," and adds to it household utensils, &c. according to his ability; and then takes off the garland of flowers with which the hands of the married pair were bound, repeating the gayutrēē. A cloth is now drawn over the heads of the couple, while they again look at each other; and this part of the marriage ceremony here closes, after the boy and the girl have been directed to bow to the shalŭgramů and to the company, that they may receive the blessing of the gods and of the bramhŭns. A bramhun, or a

female whose husband and son are living, then fastens the bride and bridegroom together by their garments with the above piece of cloth, as a token of their union ; and they are thus led back into the midst of the family.

During the ceremonies of marriage, selections from the Mishru, a work on the different orders of Hindoos, are rehearsed by the ghitukus, amidst the assembly, and

when the marriage ceremony is concluded, the father-inlaw, or some one in his stead, proceeds to the assembly, and says, "These friends have favoured us with their presence, let us pay them the honours due to their rank." As on these occasions it is an invariable custom to mark the forehead of the guests with the powder of sandalwood, this person now asks in the assembly, “Who shall first receive the sandal-wood?" To which a ghŭtŭkŭ replies, "Except Übhuyŭ-chŭrŭnŭ, who shall receive the sandal-wood?”—Another asks, “Why should he receive it ?"—The ghŭtŭkŭ then enumerates a number of qualifications which this person possesses; as, that all ranks of koolēēnŭs, and shrotriyus, “stand in his door ;”• that þe is generous, hospitable, liberal in showing respect; that, in fact, he is a second Yoodhist❜hirŭ. Not unfrequently another ghutŭku, amidst fierce disputes, proposes some other candidate, enumerating a number of qualifications: the man who is most liberal to these men, however, always obtains the honour. In some cases, no person is found in whom the assembly can agree, and it is at length proposed, that it shall be conferred without preference, by commencing at either end of the room; should this be overruled, the only remedy left is, to select some child, and give it the honour of being first marked with the sandal powder. When a proper person, however, can be found, and all are agreed in him, a bramhŭn takes the sandal-wood, on a brass or silver plate, and goes up to the person for whom it is decreed, and again asks the assembly, Shall I apply the sandal-wood? A number of voices at once reply in the affirmative, when the bramhun rubs some sandal-wood on his forehead, and places a garland of flowers round his neck. Several per

That is, are nourished by him.

sons then join in conferring the same honours on all the the company; presents of betel-nut, or panu, are added.

This being concluded, the father-in-law invites the company to a supper, promising that the delay shall not be great. Not unfrequently, before they sit down to the entertainment, quarrels arise; perhaps a number of persons maliciously unite, to bring dishonour upon the family of the bride, and either throw the food away, or refuse to partake of it. The guests consider themselves as conferring the obligation, and therefore, unless the food be excellent, they do not hesitate to utter, the loudest complaints. Several hours are sometimes spent in composing these differences, and in persuading the guests to sit down quietly to the repast. Some are so malicious as to cut with scissars the garments of the guests, while sitting in a crowded manner in the assembly.

The girl's father having entertained the persons who accompanied the bridegroom, presents gifts in money to the ghutŭků, the officiating bramhun, the bramhuns, and relations, according to his ability. The bridegroom remains all night at the house of his father-in-law, but while there he is forbidden to eat any food except that which he has brought with him.

Early the next morning, the women of the house and neighbourhood carry small presents of money to the bridegroom. About the same hour, five women take up the mat upon which the married couple have slept, for which service they receive a trifling present; after this, the bride and bridegroom, having anointed their bodies with turmerick, bathe in the small pool mentioned before; and after the guests have taken some refreshment, the bride

groom takes home his bride. The girl's palanqueen is closely covered, so that she cannot be seen: Bengalee women never ride in an open palanqueen. The procession consists merely of the remnant of the first shew; the only novelty is a quantity of artificial flowers fastened on sticks, and carried before the bridegroom. On their arrival, in the place where the offerings were presented to the manes on the day of marriage, the boy's mother takes up the pots, and the ball of rice called Shrēē, and with them touches the foreheads of the married pair; after which she takes some betel in her hand, and, beginning at the ancle, slowly raises her hand till it arrive opposite her son's head, making an awkward noise by the shaking of her tongue, in which she is joined by all the women present. She repeats this to the bride; and also places a fish in the folds of the bride's garments, and some sweetmeats in the mouths of the bridal pair; she then pours some milk mixed with red lead on the feet, and places a measure of corn on the head of the bride, under which the bridegroom puts his left hand; and in this manner they proceed into the house, the bridegroom with his right hand scattering the corn as they go. The burntsacrifice is next offered by the bridegroom, amidst the repetition of many formulas by the officiating bramhŭn :' among the rest, the bridegroom pours clarified butter on the fire, and rubs a little on the forehead of the bride, saying, “ by this burnt-offering I promise, that whatever fault you may commit with any of your members [he mentions each] I forgive them." They next take up parched rice, and the leaves of the shumee tree, and hold them in their hands, those of the bridegroom supporting

Pliny says, that the most solemn part of the marriage ceremony was, when the matrimonial rites were performed with solemn sacrifices and offerings of burnt cakes,