in filence on Brahma, the lord of creatures. After various other ceremonies, the priest prinkles water ali round the fire, while he pronounce this text; "Generous fun! approve this rite; approve the performer of it, that he may fhare its reward. May the celestial luminary, which purifies the intellectual foul, purify cur minds. May the lord of speech make our prayers acceptable !"

Holding cus-a grafs in both, he then recites an expiatory prayer, and throwing away the grafs, he thus finishes the hallowing of the facrificial implements: a ceremony which neceffarily precedes all other religious rites. Another oblation to fire, confifts of facrifice to the nine planets, accompanied by as many pray

ers,

We now proceed to a defcription of funeral rites: When a man has no hopes of furviving, he is laid on a bed of cus-a grats, either in or out of the houfe, if he be a Súdra; but in the open air if he belong to another tribe. When he is at the poi cint of death, donations of cattle, land, gold, filver, or other things, according to his ability, fhould be made by him, or by fome other perfon in his name. His head fhould be fprinkled with water, drawn from the Ganges, and smeared with clay brought from the fame river. A Sálagráma ftone ought to be placed near the dying man; holy ftrains from the Veda or from facred poems fhould be repeated aloud in his ears, and leaves of holy bafil must be scattered over his head. When he expires, the corpfe must be washed, perfumed, and decked with wreaths of flowers; a bit of tutenag, another of gold, a gem, and a piece of coral, fhould be put into the mouth of the corpfe, and bits of gold in both nostrils, both eyes, and both

longed to the military class; and by the eastern portal, if he fprung from the mercantile tribe. Should the road pafs through any inhabited place, a circuit must be made to avoid it; and when the proceffion has reached its destination, the corpfe must be laid on a bed of cús-a. The relations having prepared the funeral pile with a fufficient quantity of fuel, it is to be lighted with any fire, except what is taken from another funeral pile, or from the abt de of an outcall, or of a man belonging to the tribe of executioners, of a woman who has lately born a child, or of any perfon who is unclean. For a priest, the funeral pile must be lighted with confecrated fie.

When the body is laid on the pile, a relation of the deceafed takes a lighted brand, and exclaims, "May the Gods with flaming mouths burn this corple ! he then walks thrice round the pile, with his right hand towards it, and thifts the facrificial cord to his right shoulder. The fire must be fo managed that fome bones may remain for the fubfequent ceremony of gathering the afhes. While the pile is burning, the relations of the decealed take up feven pieces of wood, which they throw over their fhoulders upon the fire, faying, "Salutations to thee, who doft confume flesh."

The body of a young child under two years old muft not be burnt, but buried. It is decked with wreaths of fragrant flowers and carried out by the relations, who bury it in a clean spot, while a priest chaunts the fong of Yama.

When funeral rites are performed for a perfon who died in a foreign country, or whofe bones cannot be found, a figure is made with three hundred and fixty leaves. of the butea, or as many woollen threads diftributed fo as to reprefent the several parts of the human body; round the whole must be tied a thong of leather, from the hide of a black antelope, and over that a woollen thread; it is then fmeared with barley meal mixed with water, and mult be burnt as an emblem of the corpfe.

After the body has been burnt, all who have touched it muft walk round the pile, keeping their left hands towards it, and taking care not to look at the fire. They then walk in proceffion, according to feniority, to a river, and after washing and again putting on their apparel, they advance into the ftream. They then ask "Shall we the deceased's reprefentative, prefent water?" If the deceafed were an hundred years old, the answer muft be fimply "Do fo:" but if he were not fo aged,

2

圈

aged, the reply is, "Do fo, but do not repeat the oblation." Upon this they all hift the facerdotal ftring to the right fhoulder, locking towards the fouth, and being clad in a fingle garment, without a mantle, they stir the water with the ring finger of the left hand, faying, "Waters purify us." With the fame finger of the right hand, they throw up fome water towards the fouth, and after plunging once under the furface of the river, they rub themfelves with their hands. An oblation of water must be next prefented from the joined palms of the hands, naming the deceafed and the family from which he fprung, and faying, "May this oblation reach thee !"

When the persons who attended the funeral return home, and approach the houfedoor, they each bite three leaves of nimba between their teeth, fip water, and touch a branch of læmi with their right hand, while the prieft fays, "May fire grant us happiness!" and ftanding between a bull and a goat, they touch both thofe animals, while the priest recites an appropriate prayer and before any one enter into his houfe, the prieft fays for him, "May I be firm like this ftone!" upon which he ftands.

During ten days, funeral cakes with libations are to be offered; and fo long as the mourning lafts, the neareft relations of the deceased must not exceed one meal daily, nor eat fleth meat, nor any food feafoned with factitious talt; they must ufe a plate made of the leaves of any tree but the plantain, or take their food from the hands of fome other perfons; they must not handle a knife or any implement of iron; nor fleep upon a bed-ftead, nor adorn their perfons, but remain fqualid, and refrain from perfumes, and other gratifications; they must likewife omit the daily ceremonies of ablution and divine worship. On the third, fifth, seventh and ninth days, the kinfmen affemble, bathe in the open air, offer tila and water to the deceased, and take a repast together, they place lamps at cross roads, and in their own houses, and likewife on the way to the cemetery, and they obferve vigils in honour of the deceased.

We fhall now notice fome mifcellaneous cuftoms: The householder is injoined to give daily alms, but no particular time is prefcribed for the diftribution of them: he is fimply directed to give food to religious mendicants whenever they come to his door; but especially if they come at the time when food is ready for his own meal. It is alfo the common practice to feed a

Hi doo legiflavors have heaped together a multitude of precepts, many of them trivial and abfurd. Some relate to diet, prohibiting many forts of food, forbidding the conftant ule of others; in feveral, the time of taking nourishment is specified, and the perfons with whom it is to be taken are particularly mentioned. Directions are given as to the potture in which a Hindoo must fit, and the point of the heavens to which he must look.

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After washing his hands and feet, and fipping water without fwallowing it, he fits down on a stool, or on a cushion, be fore his plate, which must be placed on a clean fpot of ground, that has been wiped and finoothed, in a quadrangular form, if he be a Brahmanà; a triangular one, if he be a Chatriya; circular, if he be a Vaisya; and in the fhape of a cresent, if he belong to the fourth tribe. When the food is first brought in, he is required to bow to it, railing both hands, in the form of humble falutation, to his forehead, and faying, May this be always ours;" that is, " May food never be deficient." When he has fat down, he should lift the plate with his left hand and blefs the food, faying, "Thou art invigorating." He fets it down, naming the three words, or if the food be handed to him, he fays, 'May Heaven give thee,” and receives it with thefe words, "The earth accepts thee;" before he begins eating, he muft move his hand round the plate, to infulate it, or his own perfon rather, from the ret of the company. He next offers five lumps of food to Yama, by five different titles; he figs and fwallows water, he makes five oblations to breath by five diftinct names, and, laftly, he wets both eyes. He then eats his repaft in filence, lifting his food with all the fingers of his right hand, and afterwards again fips water, faying, "Ambrofial fluid! thou art the couch of Vishnu and of food.”

་

The Reverend Dr. John has laid before the fame fociety a fummary account of the life and writings of Ayar, a Tamul female philofopher, from which it appears

The

fhe was a Polytheift, and worshipped the GOD SUPPIRAMANIEN, who is confidered by the Hindoos to be the protector of learning and science, as Mercury was among the Greeks. Some pretend the was a goddefs, one of Brima's wives, and had been guilty of a trefpafs, for which he had been driven from heaven to earth, where the was condemned to remain till The had performed atonement for her fin, by fevere and long repentance. On earth, the compofed her moral writings, for the benefit of mankind, and particularly for youth. On account of her divine origin, the is greatly refpected. Others take her to be one of the feven wife or moral philofophers, in whom the Tamuls glory as well as the ancient Greeks. All these seven wife perfons belonged to the fame family, were of the fame parents, but were edu. cated by different charitable guardians. One in the royal palace, by a king; the other in a hut of a basket-maker; another by a Bramin; another even by an outcaft; at length they all turned out fages. Their father was Perali, and their grandfather Vedamoli, both great faints and philofophers. The latter faw once in the night a bright ftar falling down, in a village inhabited by outcafts, upon a houfe in which a girl was just born. By his prophetic power, he discovered that this girl would be one day married to his fon, Perali, who was then twelve years of age, which made him very uneasy.

He communicated his forrow to his fellow Bramins: they were ftruck with terror, and they deliberated as to the difpofal of the infant. The father of it was called, and was asked which ought to fuffer, his child, or the revered caft of the Bramins? The poor man answered very fubmiffively, "I deliver up my child to you; do with her what you think proper." It was at length determined to put it in a box, and, floating it on the river Kaveri, to leave it to the destiny of the Deity. During this transaction, the old prophet ordered his fon to go and look at the child before it was committed to the water, and fee if he could difcover any diftinguifhing mark on her body: this he did; the matter was now dropt, and the old man died foon after.

When the poor little naiad was thus floating to a remote country, a Bramin was one morning at the river, washing and performing his ufual devotions and ceremonies; he faw the box coming on, and instead of finding a treafure, as he had anticipated, he difcovered in it a newborn smiling girl. Having no children,

though he had often prayed to obtain that bleffing, he imagined his deity had heard his prayers, and favoured him with this child. He put her to nurse, and provided for her education as his own daughter. Meanwhile, young Perali having been well inftructed in philofophy, began, after the example of his father, to travel as a Njani to vifit holy places, and to converse with faints and philofophers for his improvement.

On thefe travels, he came accidentally to the houfe of the Bramin, who had adopted the girl, and in a few years married her. Not long after, he discovered the mark by which he knew she was the fame perfon that had formerly been abandoned to the waves. Distracted at his fituation, he refolved to leave her. She wandered about in fearch of him, weeping and deploring her lofs. At length the was taken under the protection of a Bramin, as a companion to his own daughters. After fhe had lived in this fituation feveral years, the good man died, and left her part of his fortune, with which he built a fheltrum, where the paffed her days religiously, affording accommodations to travellers who might pafs that way. To these the ufed to relate the events of her own life, requesting them at the fame time to give fome account of their hiftory. In a few years her husband came, and was entertained by her as a pilgrim. They knew not each other, till the related to him her hiftory. He then took her as his wife, upon her engaging to do every thing he fhou'd command. She had by him seven children, who became the philofophers before mentioned. This was, indeed, no great wonder, as they were born with the gifts of fpeech and of wisdom. She was ordered by her husband to expose the children in the woods, in the open air, leaving them to Providence, to which the yielded implicit obedience, though not without the greatest reluctance and inward grief. The children, however, each though but a few days old, are faid to have spoken to her, and given reasons why the fhould be refigned to her fate. They were found and educated by perfons of different ranks, It was Avyar's fate to be educated by a poet; the time in which the lived was about the ninth century of the Chriftian æra.

Among other fciences, fhe was well acquainted with chemistry, and became an adept, poffeffing the power of making gold, and a celebrated medicine which preferves life to a great age, and by the virtue of which the lived 240 years.

Such

Such is the fabulous narration of this person, which, however, is differently reprefented in several Tamul ancient writings. Her performances authenticate her exiftence; these are little moral treatifes under different titles. They are introduced in the Tamul fchools, and read by the children amongst the first books which they learn to read. The fentences are all thort and contain fome moral precept or maxim. They are arranged according to the order of the Tamul alphabet, each

A

begins with a letter; therefore it is called the Golden Alphabet of the Tamuls, The following precepts will fhew the nature and fpirit of her writings. "Do not use thy hands to do mischief.-Do not defire stole a goods.-Keep ftrictly to the laws of thy country.-What thou doeft, do with pro priety. Speak not difrefpectfully of the Deity. He who is without knowledge, is like a blind man. Gain by deceit will at last be loft."

CCORDING to the annual Report of the vifitors, on the accounts of the ROYAL INSTITUTION for 1803, and on the progrefs and state of the Inftitu tion, it appears that the expenditure of the year 1803, has been only 15781. 6s. 5d. and in this total of expence are included all the recent improvements in the labo ratory, model-room, and lecture-room, &c. and fome fmall part of what has been expended for the library and collection of minerals. Befides the return of fome annual fubfcribers who had quitted the Inftitution, there has been, fince the commencement of the prefent feason, the addition of three proprietors, three life fubfcribers, 175 annual fubfcribers, and 242 ladies and young perfons fubfcribing to the Lectures only; and the sum received for fubfcriptions and proprietors' fhares, from the ft January to the 31st March, 1804, has amounted to 1902l. 12s. The Lectures, Experiments, &c. are now regularly and fully attended; and there is every reason to fuppofe, that a general intereft in favour of the establishment has been created among the inhabitants of the metropolis. The laboratory, which had been formed fome years fince, on a limited fcale, has this year been enlarged to the fize of 48 feet by 34, by the addition of the old workshop; on the fide of which, and under flues already exifting, three additional furnaces have been conftructed, and the remainder of the space has been fitted up with feats, as a theatre, for thofe who attend the Experiments of Refearch; an arched opening being made in the wall, in front of the table of the laboratory. The chemical apparatus has been improved, and this part of the establishment MONTHLY MAG. No. 115.

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is now found to answer very completely the end of enabling the Profeffor of Chemistry, and his affiftants, to prepare ma. terials for the Chemical Lectures, and to carry on original inquiries upon new objects of fcience.

A collection of minerals has been formed during the last year, principally from prefents liberally made by fome of the proprietors and fubfcribers; and this collection, which already confifts of more than 3000 fpecimens, will, it is prefumed, when arranged and defcribed, be found a very useful part of the Inftitution. Great progrefs has been made in completing the library, the plan for which was formed previous to the laft annual meeting, and is noticed in the Report of the vifitors at that period. The old lecture-room, rendered ufelefs by that which has been built on a larger fcale, has been fitted up with fhelves on three fides, and a gallery, conftructed at half the height, fo as to make every fhelf acceffible. The lifts of books undertaken to be furnished, have been moftly fince delivered, and purchafes have been made in the different branches, as opportunities have offered; in particular, the library of the late Thomas Aftle, Efq. purchased for 1000 guineas, has proved an important acquifition to the collection, furnishing in itself almost every book in ancient British Hiftory, Topography, and Antiquities, be fides a variety of fcarce and valuable books in other claffes. Of the total fum of 48461. 15s. raised by a separate fubfcription for this exprefs purpofe, and increaf ed by intereft of exchequer - bills to 49221. there has been expended in fitting up the room 2071. 118. in falaries and other expences 471. 5s. 6d. and in books 3 P

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25591. 108. 48.; the refidue (excepting 1691. 148. 4d. in hand for prefent fupply, and 1311. 58. fubfcriptions not yet paid) remaining invested in exchequer-bills, till opportunities of fuitable purchases offer. On the whole, fuch is the forward ftate of the collection and arrangements, that the managers expect to be enabled to open the room to the proprietors and fubfcribers in a few weeks.

Mr. BARROW who has published fo fatisfactory an Account of the Cape of Good Hope, has announced, a New Account of the Embaffy of Lord Macartney to the Court of China. It will appear in a few days, and will be accompanied with Engravings.

Mr. EDWARD WILLIAMS, the Welsh Bard, is preparing for the prefs a new edition, with additions, of his Poems, Lyric and Paftoral; to which will be prefixed, an Introductory Effay on Paftoral Poetry; alfo, an Account of the Ancient British Bards and Druids, their Intitutes, Poetry, Ethics, Theology, Aris of Memory, &c.-With a few Ancient Welsh Melodies, to which fome of the Songs are adapted.

Dr. TURNER intends to publifh his work, entitled the Principles of the New tonian Philofophy; or, a Mathematical Demonstration of the Properties of Nature, the latter end of this month. It will be comprifed in one volume, 8vo.

A new edition of Mr. JOSHUA STEELE'S ingenious Treatife on the Meature and Melody of Speech, with a popular Commmentary, and fome Improvemen's on the Syftem of Notation invented by that gentlemen, is intended either to proceed or to accompany Mr. THELWALL'S work on the Phyfiology of Elocution. According to the fyftem of the lecturer, phyfiology and the laws of mufical proportion are the bafes of elocutionary fcience; thefe two works are, therefore, intended to throw light upon each other; and to render fo much both of anatomical and mufical research, as may be useful in correct ing the tones and inflections of the voice, and in removing impediments and ungraceful habits of fpeech, interesting to the Rudent of polite and general literature, and intelligible even to thofe readers who are not initiated into the minutia of thofe abstract fubjects.

The Chichester prefs, which has been lately brought to fuch particular notice by Hayley's Life of Cowper, will fhortly produce a fecond edition of Mr. ROBERDEAU'S "Fugitive Verse and Profe," with confiderable additions.

A very improper and unfounded reference to the name of Mrs. DUNCOMBE, of Canterbury, having found place in feveral Journals, relative to a fuppofed collection of the correfpondence of Richardson being in her poffeffion, we are authorized to ftate, that Mrs. Duncombe poffeffed no letters of that eminent writer, befides his correspondence with her; the whole of which the liberally and voluntarily configned to the care of Mrs. BARBAULD, to be incorporated in the general affemblage of Richardfon's Correfpondence, which is to be published in a few days, under the direction of that lady.

Mr. WEBSTER, lecturer in philofophy, has ready for publication, Elements of Natural Philofophy, explaining the Laws and Principles of Attraction, Gravitation, Mechanics, Pneumatics, Hydrostatics, Hydraulics, and Optics, with a general View of the Solar Syftem; adapted to public and private inftruction, and illuftrated with a great number of diagrams.

The original Correfpondence of J. J. ROUSSEAU with Madame LATOUR DE FRANQUEVILLE and M. DU PEYRON, the friend to whom he bequeathed his manufcripts, relating to his difference with DAVID HUME, &c. &c. Attefted by the executors of M. du Peyron and the Magiftrates of Neufchatel; tranflated from the French, just published at Paris, will be ready for fale in a few days.

Mr. RICHARD PARKINSON, author of "The Experienced Farmer," late of Orange Hill, near Baltimore, propoles to publish by fubfcription, in one volume octavo, a work under the title of The Experienced Farmer's Tour in America; exhibiting in a copious and familiar view the American fyltem of agriculture and breeding of cattle, with its recent improvements.

Mr. W. IRELAND intends to publish, by lubfcription, a romance, under the title of St. Columba; or, the Abbot of Oronza; interfperfed with Legendary Ballads, and a Poetical Introduction to the Reader, in Vindication of this Species of Literary Publication.

Mr. THELWALL has just concluded a very fuccefsful Courfe of Lectures on the Science and Practice of Elocution, to a numerous audience, at Edinburgh; where also he has been employed upon fome fe rious cafes of impediments of fpeech, for the cure of which he has difcovered a new and efficacious procefs. His Course of Lectures is to be repeated at Liverpool, in the ensuing autumn; and will be commenced in London, during the course of

the