Hamilton's account of the east indies. 363

the bar, built, of old, by the Portugueze, when they were lords paramount of allthe fea-coafts of India ; but the Rajah of Canara was fo affronted by them, that helaid fiege to the caftle, but was three years in reducing it; and fo long he blockedit up, till hunger forced a furrender.

The religion, by law eftablifhed, here, as well as in Sundah, is the Pagan . Andthere is a pagod or temple, called Ramtrut, that is vifited yearly by great numbersof pilgrims. Clofe by the temple, there is a fine ciflern or tank, of a fquare oblongfigure. It is continually furnifhed with good water, that gufhes out of the face of arock, as big as a man’s thigh. There are about 50 fleps cut out of the fame rock,that lead from the furface of the earth down to the tank ; and at the foot of the flairsis a little fummer-houfe built. The tank is about three fathoms deep in the middle,and is ftored with plenty of pretty brown fifh, with a white ftroke from their head totail, on each fide of the back-bone. And when any mufical inflrument is played onby the fides of the tank, they come in fuch numbers towards the raufic, that theymay be taken up in bafkets; but none dare meddle with them, becaufe they are con-fecrated to the pagod.

Sometimes they carry the image of the pagod in proceffion. In figure he is morelike a monkey than a man. They put him into a coach in form of a tower, with apyramidal top about 15 feet high, where eight or ten priefts are fet to bear the imagecompany, and to fing his praifes. The coach has four wheels, and a rope of a goodthicknefs made fall to it, and drawn through the flreets by flrength of hand, witha great mob attending bis godfhip, wherever he is drawn.

In Canara there are feveral cuftoms peculiar to itfelf, and many of them are fpreadabroad to remote countries. Here it was, that the cuftom of wives burning on thefame pile with their deceafed hufbands had its beginning. It is reported, that beforethe Brahmans invented this law, poifon was fo well known and praftifed, that the leadquarrel that happened between a married couple, cofl the hufband his life, and this lawput a great flop to it; and now cuftom fo far prevails, that if any faint-hearted ladyhas not courage enough to accompany her fpoule to the other world, fhe is forthwithfhaved and degraded, and obliged to ferve all her hufband’s family in all kinds ofdrudgery.

I have feen feveral burned feveral ways. In this country they dig a pit about tenfeet long, and fix broad, and fill it with logs of wood. One great piece is fet at thebrim of the pit ready to fall down on pulling a bit of firing. When all is ready, thereis good flore of oil or butter thrown on the wood, and then the hufband’s corpfe isplaced about the middle of the pile, and fire fet to it, which blazes in an inflant.Then the fpoufe took her leave of all friends and acquaintances, and drums, trumpetsand hautboys being playing cheerfully, fhe walked three or four times round the pile,which, by this time, was all in a great blaze, and then leaps in on the corpfe. As foon.as ever fhe leaped in, a priefl drew the firing, and down fell the great log of wood, atleaft 500 pound weight, over her body, and all confumed together.

In other parts they do not ufe pits, but a pile is built, and the corpfe laid on it, andfire put to it; and the victim dancing round it for a little time, to the noife of loudmufic, leaps in; and, if fhe hefitates, the priefts thrufl her in with long poles,making fuch an hideous noife that fhe cannot be heard; and, all the while fhe is aburning the priefts dance round the fire. Others again take fomnific medicines, andHand by the pile till they fall on it wfttile alleep. I heard a ftory of a lady that hadreceived addreifes from a gentleman, who afterwards deferted her, and her relationsobliged her to marry another, who died fhortly after - the marriage, and who, accord-

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