in the torrent a considerable space; so that I was literally borne into Juggernaut by the Hindoos themselves. A distressing scene followed. As the number and strength of the mob increased, the narrow way was choaked up by the mass of people; and I apprehended that many of them would have been suffocated, or bruised to death. My horse was yet among them. But suddenly one of the side posts of the gate, which was of wood, gave way and fell to the ground. And perhaps this circumstance alone prevented the loss of lives. Notice of the event was immediately communicated to Mr. Hunter, the superintendant of the temple, who repaired to the spot, and sent an additional guard to the inner gate, lest the people should force that also ; for there is an outer and an inner gate to the town of Juggernaut; but both of them are slightly constructed. Mr. Hunter told me that similar accidents sometimes occur, and that many have been crushed to death by the pressure of the mob. He added, that sometimes a body of pilgrims (consisting chiefly of women and children and old men) trusting to the physical weight of their mass, will make what he called, a charge on the armed guards, and overwhelm them; the guards not being willing in such circumstances, to oppose their bayonets."

"Juggernaut, 14th June.

-I have seen Juggernaut. The scene at Buddruck is but the vestibule to Juggernaut. No record of ancient or modern history can give, I think an adequate idea of the valley of death; it may be truly compared with the valley of Hinnom." The idol called Juggernaut, has been considered as the Moloch of the present age; and he is justly so named, for the sacrifices offered up to him by self-devotement, are not less criminal, perhaps not less numerous, than those recorded of the Moloch of Canaan. Two other idols accompany Juggernaut, namely, Boloram and Shubudra his brother and sister; for there are three Deities worshipped here. They receive equal adoration and sit on thrones of nearly equal height.

This morning I viewed the Temple; a stupendous fabric, and truly commensurate with the extensive sway of " the horrid king.” As other temples are

usually adorned with figures emblematical of their religion; so Juggernaut has representations (numerous and various) of that vice which constitutes the essence of his worship. The walls and gates are covered with indecent emblems in massive and durable sculpture. I have also visited the sand plains by the sea, in some places whitened with the bones of the pilgrims; and another place a little way out of the town, called by the English, the Golgotha, where the dead bodies are usually cast forth; and where dogs and vultures are ever seen.*

"The grand Hindoo festival of the Rutt Jattra, takes place on the 18th inst. when the idol is to be brought forth to the people. I reside during my stay here at the house of James Hunter, Esq. the Company's collector of the tax on pilgrims, and superintendant of the temple, formerly a student in the College of Fort-William; by whom I am hospitably entertained, and also by Capt. Patton and Lieut. Woodcock, commanding the military force. Mr. Hunter distinguished himself at the Colleg by his proficiency in the Oriental Language. He is a gentleman of polished manners, and of classical taste. The agreeable society of these gentlemen is very refreshing to my spirits in the midst of the present scene. I was surprised to see how little they seemed to be moved by the scenes of Juggernaut. They said they were now so accustomed to them, they thought little of them. They had almost forgot their first impressions. Their houses are on the sea shore,

The vultures generally find out the prey first: and begin with the intestines; for the flesh of the body is too firm for their beaks immediately after death. But the dogs soon receive notice of the circumstance, generally from seeing the Hurries or corpsecarriers returning from the place. On the approach of the dogs, the vultures retire a few yards, and wait till the body be suffici ently torn for easy deglutition. The vultures and dogs often feed together; and sometimes begin their attack before the pilgrim be quite dead. There are four animals which are sometimes seen about a carcase, the dog, the jackal, the vulture, and the Hur geela, or Adjutant, called by Pennant, the Gigantic Crane.

about a mile or more from the temple. They cannot live nearer, on account of the offensive effluvia of the town. For independently of the enormity of the superstitions, there are other circumstances which render Juggernaut noisome in an extreme degree. The senses are assailed by the squalid and ghastly appearance of the famished pilgrims; many of whom die in the streets of want or of disease; while the devotees, with clotted hair and painted flesh, are seen practising their various austerities, and modes of self torture. Persons of both sexes, with little regard to concealment, sit down on the sands close to the town, in public view; and the SACRED BULLS walk about among them and eat the ordure.*

"The vicinity of Juggernaut to the sea probably prevents the contagion, which otherwise would be produced by the putrefactions of the place. There is scarcely any verdure to refresh the sight near Juggernaut ; the temple and town being nearly encompassed by hills of sand, which has been cast up in the lapse of ages by the surge of the ocean. All is barren and desolate to the eye; and in the ear there is the never intermitting sound of the roaring sea."

"Juggernaut, 18th of June.

I have returned home from witnessing a scene which I shall never forget. At twelve o'clock of this day, being the great day of the feast, the Moloch of Hindoostan was brought out of his temple amidst the acclamations of hundreds of thousands of his worshippers. When the idol was placed on his throne, a shout was raised, by the multitude, such as I had never heard before. It continued equable for a few minutes and then gradually died away. After a short interval of silence, a murmur was heard at a distance; all eyes were turned towards the place, and behold, a grove advancing! A body of men, having green branches,

* This singular fact was pointed out to me by the gentlemen here. There is no vegetation for the sacred Bulls on the sand plains. They are fed generally with vegetables from the hands of the pilgrims.

or palms in their hands, approached with great celerity. The people opened a way for them; and when they had come up to the throne, they fell down before him that sat thereon, and worshipped. And the multitude again sent forth a voice "like the sound of a great thunder." But the voices I now heard, were not those of melody or of joyful acclamation; for there is no harmony in the praise of Moloch's worshippers. Their number indeed brought to my mind the countless multitude of the Revelations; but their voices gave no tuneful Hosannah or Hallelujah ; but rather a yell of approbation, united with a kind of hissing applause.* I was at a loss how to account for this latter noise, until I was directed to notice the women; who emitted a sound like that of whistling, with the lips circular, and the tongue vibrating: as if a serpent would speak by their organs, uttering human sounds.

"The throne of the idol was placed on a stupendous car or tower about sixty feet in height, resting on wheels which indented the ground deeply, as they turned slowly under the ponderous machine. Attached to it were six cables, of the size and length of a ship's cable, by which the people drew it along. Upon the tower were the priests and satellites of the idol, surrounding his throne. The idol is a block of wood, having a frightful vissage painted black, with a distended mouth of a bloody color. His arms are of gold, and he is dressed in gorgeous apparel. The other two idols are of a white and yellow color. Five elephants preceeded the three towers, bearing towering flags, dressed in crimson caparisons, and having bells hanging to their caparisons, which sounded musically as they moved.” "I went on in the procession, close by the tower of Moloch; which, as it was drawn with difficulty, grated on its many wheels harsh thunder. After a few min

* See Milton's Pandemonium. Book X.

Two of the military gentlemen had mounted my elephant that they might witness the spectacle, and had brought him elose to the tower; but the moment it began to move, the animal alarmed at the unusual noise, took fright and ran off through the crowd till he was stopped by a wall. The natural fear of the elephant best he should injure human life, was remarkably exemplified on

utes it stopped; and now the worship of the god began. A high priest mounted the car in front of the idol, and pronounced his obscene stanzas in the ears of the people; who responded at intervals in the same strain. "These songs," said he, "are the delight of the god. His car can only move when he is pleased with the song." The car moved on a little way and then stopped. A boy of about twelve years, was then brought forth to attempt something yet more lascivious, if peradventure the god would move. The "child perfected the praise" of his idol with such ardent expression and gesture, that the god was pleased, and the multitude emitting a sensual yell of delight, urged the car along. After few minutes it stopped again. An aged minister of the idol then stood up, and with a long rod in his hand, which he moved with indecent action, completed the variety of this disgusting exhibition. I felt a consciousness of doing wrong in witnessing it. I was also somewhat appalled at the magnitude and horror of the spectacle; I felt like a guilty person, on whom all eyes were fixed, and I was about to withdraw. But a scene of a different kind was now to be presented. The characteristics of Moloch's worship are obscenity and blood. We have seen the former. Now comes the blood."

a

"After the tower had proceeded some way, a pilgrim announced that he was ready to offer himself a sacrifice to the idol. He laid himself down in the road before the tower as it was moving along, lying on his face, with his arms stretched forwards. The multitude passed round him, leaving the space clear, and he was crushed to death by the wheels of the tower. A shout of joy was raised to the god. He is said to smile when the libation of the blood is made. The people threw cowries, or small money, on the body of the victim,

this occasion. Though the crowd was very closely set, he endeavored, in the midst of his own terror, to throw the people off on both sides with his feet, and it was found that he had only trod upon one person. It was with great concern I afterwards learnt that this was a poor woman, and that the fleshy part of her leg had been torn off. There being no medical person here, Lieut. Woodcock with great humanity endeavored to dress the wound and attended her daily; and Mr. Hunter ordered her to be supplied with every thing that might conduce to her recovery.