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Of the Ceremony of the GENTOO WOMEN burning themfelves with the Bodies of their Hufbands.

56

[From the Narrative of D. CAMPBELL, Efq.]

THIS
HIS day I went to fee a

Gentoo Woman refign herself to
be burned along with the corpfe
of her deceased husband.

"The place fixed upon for this tragic fcene, was a fmall inlet on the bank of one of the branches of the river Cavery, about a mile to the northward of the fort of Tanjore.

"When I came to the fpot, I found the victim, who appeared to be not above fixteen, fitting on the ground, dreffed in the Gentoo manner, with a white cloth wrapped round her, fome white flowers like jeffamine hanging round her neck, and fome of them hanging from her hair. There were about twenty women fitting on their hams round her, holding a white handkerchief, extended horizontally over her head, to fhade her from, the fun, which was excef fively hot, it being then about

noon.

"At about twenty yards from where she was fitting, and facing her, there were twenty Bramins bufy in conftructing a pile with eight feet long, and four broad. They first began by driving fome upright stakes into the ground, and then built up the middle to about the height of three feet and a half with billets of wood.

"The dead husband, who, from his appearance, feemed to be about fixty years of age, was lying clofe by, stretched out on a bier, made of Bamboo canes. Four Bramins walked in proceffion three times round the dead body, first in, a G g

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direction contrary to the fun; and afterwards other three times in a direction with the fun, all the while muttering incantations, and at each round or circuit they made, they untwisted, and immediately again twisted up the small long · lock of hair which is left unfhaven at the back of their heads.

"Some other Bramins were in

the mean time employed in fprinkling water out of a green leaf, rolled up like a cup, upon a fmall heap of dry cow dung, with which the pile was afterwards to be fet on fire.

"An old Bramin fat at the north-eaft corner of the pile upon his hams, with a pair of fpectacles on, reading, I fuppofe, the fhafter, or their fcriptures, from a book compofed of Cajan leaves.

"Having been prefent now nearly an hour, I inquired when they meant to fet the pile on fire: they answered in about two hours. As this fpectacle was moft melancholy, and naturally ftruck me with horror, and as I had only gone there to affure myself of the truth of fuch facrifices being made, I went away towards the fort. After I was gone about five hundred yards, they fent fome one to tell me they would burn immediately; on which I returned, and found the woman had been moved from where fhe was fitting to the river, where the Bramins were bathing her. On taking her out of the water, they put fome money in her hand, which the dipped in the river, and divided among the Bramins;

Bramins; he had then a yellow
cloth folled partly round her."
They put fome red colour, about
the fize of a fixpence, on the cen-
tre of her forehead, and rubbed
fomething that appeared to me to
be clay.
She was then led to the
pite, round which the waiked three
times as the fun goes; the then
mounted it at the northeast cor-
ner, without any affiftance; and
fat herself down on the right fide
of her husband, who had been
previously laid upon the pile. She
then unfcrewed the pins which
faftened the jewels of filver rings
on her arms; after fhe had taken
them off, the flrut them and screw-
ed the pins again; and gave one
to each of the two women who
were ftanding by her; the un-
fcrewed the ear-rings and other
toys with great compofure, and
divided them among the women
who were with her.-There seem-
ed to be fome little fquabble about
the diftribution of her jewels,
which the fettled with great pre-
cifion; and then falling gently
backwards, pulling a fold of the
yellow cloth over her face, turned
her breaft towards her husband's
fide, and laid her right arm over
his breast, and in this pofture the
remained without moving.

"Juft before the laid down, the Bramins put fome rice in her lap, and alfo fome in the mouth and on the long grey beard of her husband; they then fprinkled fome water on the head, breast and feet of both, tied them gently together round the middle with a flender bit of rope; they then raised as it were, a little wall of wood, lengthways on two fides of the pile, fo as to raise it above the level of the bodies; and then put cross pieces, so as to prevent

billets of wood from preffing on them; they then poured on the pile above where the woman lay, a pot full of fomething that appeared to me to be oil; after this they heaped on more wood, tô the height, of four feet above where the bodies were built in, fo that all I now faw was a stack of fire wood.

One of the Bramins, I obferved, ftood at the end of the pile next the woman's head, was calling to her through the interftices of the wood, and laughed feveral times during the converfation. Laftly, they overfpread the pile with wet ftraw, and tied it on with ropes. A Bramin then took a handful of ftraw which he fet on fire at the little heap of burning cakes of cow, durig, and ftanding to the windward of the pile, he let the wind drive the flame from the straw till it catched the pile; fortunately at this inftant, the wind rofe much higher than it had been any part of the day; and in an inftant the flames pervaded the whole pile, and burnt with great fury. I liftened a few feconds, but could not diftinguish any fhrieks, which might perhaps be owing to my being then to the windward. In a very few moments, the pile became a heap of afhes.

66

During the whole time of this procefs, which lafted from first to last above two hours before we loft fight of the woman, by her being built up in the middle almoft of the pile, I kept my eyes conftantly on her; and I declare to God that I could not perceive either in her countenance or limbs the leaft trace of either horror, fear, or even hesitation; her countenance was perfectly compofed;

and

and fhe was not, I am pofitive, either intoxicated or ftupified. From feveral circumftances I thought the Bramins exulted in

this hellish facrifice, and did not feem at all difpleafed that Eu ropeans fhould be the witnesses of it,"

THE BLACK PRINCE :

Being an Account of the Life and Death of NAIMBANNA, an African King's Son, who arrived in England, in the Year 1791, and fet Sail on his Return, in June, 1793.

[From the Miffionary Magazine.]

IN Africa, the country where the negroes live, and from which flaves are taken, there was a king who was not a Christian, but who was a better man (to their shame be it fpoken) than many who call themfelves Chriftians. Though he could neither read nor write, he had good fenfe enough to grieve for the mifery and ignorance of his poor countrymen, and he was defirous of doing them good if he but knew how.

At length a number of English gentlemen, who had at heart the fame thing, formed themselves into a company for the purpofe of putting a top to the trade in flaves, and fpreading in Africa the bleffings of the gospel.

Their plan was to form a fet tlement in the river Sierra Leone, where the above-mentioned king lived; and they accordingly fent over an agent to talk with the king, and to procure his confent, The good old king was very glad when he heard of their intentions; he easily faw that fuch a fettlement would produce great benefit to his country; he therefore became the ftaunch friend of the company; and alfo of the fettlement, which was foon after formed, and he continued fo to the day of his death.

The king had thought, before

this time, that there were none but bad people in England; for, to ufe his own words, he had never before feen any Englishmen wha were not bad people but he now found, that though there were many wicked people in England," there were many good people alfo, Being informed that what made the people in England good was the Chriftian religion, he refolved to fend thither his fon, about 23 years of age, who was put under the care of the Sierra Leone Company's agent, and by him brought to England, the Company readily undertaking the charge of his education.

Naimbanna (for fo he was called) arrived in England, in a veffel called the Lapwing, in the year 1791, and proper perfons were chofen to inftruct him in reading, writing, and other parts of education; but before we proceed to give an account of the progrefs he made during his tay in this country, it may be proper to make the reader acquainted with his character at the time of his landing. His perfon was not handsome, but his manners were extremely pleafing, and his difpofition kind and affectionate; at the fame time, his feelings were quick and jealous, and he was very violent in his temper, as well as proud

proud and difdainful. Though he laboured under great difadvantages from the want of early education, yet he fhewed figns of a good understanding, and he appear ed to be very fharp-fighted in finding out people's real character.

He had not been long in England before a thirst of knowledge was found to be a leading feature in his character. His teachers have faid that he would often urge them to prolong the time employed in reading, and that he was always thankful to any one who would affift him in learning any thing that was useful. He was never led into company where the time was wafted in idle talk without being forry, and when left to himself, he would employ not lefs than eight or ten hours of the day in reading.

As it was the main object of the gentlemen to whofe care he had been entrusted, to give him fight views of Chriftianity, pains were taken to convince him, that the Bible was the word of God, and he received it as fuch with great reverence and fimplicity: "When I found," faid he, "all good men minding the Bible, and calling it the word of God, and all bad men difregarding it, I was then fure that the Bible must be what good men called it, the word of God." But not content with the report of others, he read the Bible for himself. He would fometimes complain of being fatigued with other ftudies; but even when he was moft fatigued, if afked to read a little in the feriptures, he always expreffcd his readiness by fome emotion of joy. He ufed to fay, that he was fure of meeting with fomething in the Bible which fuited every cafe, and shewed him what was right,

He

and what was wrong; and that
he likewise found in it good ex-
amples to encourage him to do
what was right, and bad examples
to deter him from doing what was
wrong. In short, he was not one
of those who read the Bible, and
think little or nothing about what
they read, but he confidered it as
the rule of his life; and if at any
time his behaviour was amifs, and
a text of fcripture was mentioned,
which proved it to be fo, he would
immediately fubmit to its author-
ity. Nor was his regard for the
Bible merely of an outward kind;
it plainly affected his heart.
had tried, when in Africa, (to
use his own words) to make him-
felf as proud as he could, and he
thought it great to revenge him-
felf on any one who had done
him an injury; but from the Bi-
ble he acquired fuch humble views
of himself, that he was led to fee
his need of Chrift as his Saviour,
and the neceffity of relying on
him as the ground of accept-
ance with God. Humility was
a quality which he found it
hard to attain; but before his de-
parture from England, not only
his pride, but alfo his revengeful
fpirit had become hateful to him.
The progrefs he had made in fub-
duing his paffions, during his fhort
ftay in this country, confidering
the natural violence of his temper,
was confiderable. He always ex-
preffed forrow when he had been
hafty or paffionate in his conduct;
as he became more acquainted
with Chriftian principles, he ac
quired more courtesy and delica-
cy of manners, fome degree of
which was indeed natural to him,
and the fuperftitious belief in
witchcraft, to which Africans are
fo prone, gradually left him.

He paid great refpect to the

teachers

teachers of Chriflianity, whom he wifhed much to invite over to his country; took great delight in the exercises of devotion, and would talk on religious fubjects with much opennefs and fimplicity, and without any mixture of enthufiafm. Love and gratitude to God, who had delivered him from the state of darkness in which, in common with millions of his countrymen, he had been till lately plunged, were ftrongly impreff ed on his mind, and had a ftrong and abiding effect on the whole of his conduct.

His tenderness of confcience was very striking, and it feemed to have become his defire, on all occafions, to know what line of conduct was moft agreeable to the word of God: when he could determine that point, he would not hesitate about refolving to purfue it.

The reader will have a better view of the character of this black Prince, from the following ftories of him, the truth of which is well eftablifhed.

His father had feen fo much drunkenness among the English flave traders on the coaft of Africa, that he concluded drunkenness was very common in England, and in order to prevent his fon's falling into that abominable practice, he laid a command on him, (ftating at the fame time the ground of his fears) that when he came to England, he should not be prevailed upon to drink fpirits of any kind, nor to drink more than a glafs or two of wine at a meal.

When young Naimbanna found how ftrongly obedience to parents is enjoined in the Bible, he regarded this command of his father

as facred, nor was he ever known to violate it.

Soon after he came to London, he was taken to fee St. Paul's, the grandeur of which it was thought would astonish him; but to the furprife of the gentleman who went with him, in getting to the upper part of the building, terror feemed to fwallow up every other feeling; he made the utmost hafte to defcend, nor did he ftop till he found himself fafely landed in the church-yard, when, in a very earnest manner, he thanked God for having fpared him. When asked the reafon of his ftrange conduct, he said, that on looking down from the top of St. Paul's, he was fo ftruck with the nearness of death and judgment, that he loft fight of every other object; that he never felt before how much he deferved punishment at the hands of God, and that he only thought of escaping, left such a fignal punishment as that of falling from the top of St. Paul's fhould overtake him.

He was prefent once in the Houfe of Commons, during a debate on the flave trade. He there heard a gentleman, who fpoke in favour of the trade, fay fome things very degrading to the character of his countrymen. Ho was fo enraged at this, that on coming out of the House, he cried out with great vehemence, "I will kill that fellow wherever "I meet him, for he has told lies of my country:" he was put in mind of the Chriftian duty of forgiving his enemies ; on which he anfwered nearly in the following words:"If a man fhould rob me of my money, I can forgive him; if a man fhould fhoot at me, I can forgive him; if a man fhould

fell

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