confirmed by the hints I received from all the people of family with whom I converfed, it is evident that a period of many thoufand years must have elapfed between the creation of the two Cafts. Indeed, to believe that the venerable and exalted caft of people of family, fhould have fprung from one common parent with the people of no family, is equally abfurd as to fuppofe, that in the revolution of the few years that are doomed to terminate a tranfient and uncertain exiftence, they should moulder into the fame fort of duft! Bafe flander on the inherent fuperiority of birth! The minds of the penple of family, are filled with too just an idea of their own diguity to admit fo injurious a fuppofition. Confcious of the bleffing of fuperior origin, the ancient Rajahs, and all who can boast a portion of their blood, never fail to exprefs a proper degree of contempt for the people of inferior Caft: nor can the poffeffion of talents, the attainments of fcience, or the exercife of the fublimeft virtue, ferve, in any degree, in their eyes, to leffen the invincible barrier that divides them.

Together with the cultivation of letters, the exercise of the Prieftly function is usually confined to the fecond Caft. These men are more diftinguished for the regularity of their lives, and fanctity of their deportment, than for their dexterity at the

Poojah of cards, which in the fouthern part of this kingdom is fo effential a requifite in the duty of a prieft. The ceremonies of their religion are fomewhat fimilar to thofe of the cottager; they are no firangers to the duties of hofpitality, and recommend the enlightened ftudy of literature both by their precept and example. In all other refpects, the characteristic virtues, and peculiar cuftoms of this nation, are fo evidently of Hindoo origin, that nothing, but the moft wilful blindness, could make any one affert the contrary.

As the illuftrious Rajahs of Hindoftan, when fitting in the midft of their wide-extended poffeffions, forget not to bend before the Bramin, who, to procure nourishment for his family, laboureth in his garden, in like nianner the people of whom I fpeak, retain the dignity of their Caft; even when compelled by poverty to exercife any trade in order to procure a livelihood: and, as in India, members of the tribe of Brahma are frequently found exerc'fing the employments of commerce and agriculture, fo, in this ancient nation, do people of family often condefcend to become weavers, fhoemakers, and barbers, withou forfeiting Caft, or in the least abating of the high idea of their own inherent fuperiority. It is not fo with the people of jtyle, who, by entering into any of thefe

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employments, lofe all the privileges of their Caft; a circumftance, which occafions numbers of the poorer branches of that tribe to live in a humiliating ftate of dependence upon the richer, rather fubmitting to any indignity, than run the risk of lofing Caft, by fubmitting to work for their own fubfiftence.

The mode of living among these people, in which animal food is fcarcely known, is another argument in favour of their Hindoo origin. Much might likewife be faid of the fimilarity of found between Laird and Rajah; a similarity, which, in the opinion of learned antiquarians, is more than fufficient to establish an etymology. Nor is this all; like us, they confider themfelves a diftinct and favoured people, fuperior to the reft of the inhabitants of the earth, and do not fail to maintain, that whatever inftances of courage, magnanimity, or heroic virtue, are difplayed by any inhabitant of the other nations of the world, would, in fimilar circumstances, have been far exceeded by one of their

own countrymen.

These highly favoured people, being too tenacious of their dignity to admit ftrangers (with whofe pedigree they are unacquainted) into the honour of their fociety; the perfon, to whom I was chiefly indebted for information, was the lady, at whofe house

I lodged. She was of the people of family Caft; fprung from an illuftrious race; her fifteenth grandfather had been a mountain Rajah; and, in the ramifications of his blood, fhe could boaft a degree of affinity to one-and-twenty Lairds! She was forced, by the dictates of neceffity, to make up articles of female attire for her maintenance, but never worked, as the herself affured me, for any but people of her own Caft; and I was induced to believe her, from the marked contempt with which I obferved her to treat all who had the misfortune to be born people of no family. This was particularly felt by a young woman of beautiful perfon, gentle manners, and good education, whom this high-born female, being equally ignorant of orthography, and arithmetic, was under the neceffity of employing as an affiftant in her business and whofe conversation, had it not been for the difference of the Cafts from which they fprung, I fhould have greatly preferred to that of her mistress; but the coufin of one-and-twenty mountain Rajahs had too juft a claim to my veneration, to be put in competition with the paltry advantages of youth, beauty, talents, and understanding!

It was in this houfe I obferved, with pleasure, the practice of that admirable degree of abftemioufnefs, the reverfe of which

had, in the southern part of the island, so frequently excited the feelings of horror, and difguft. The fervants of this illuftri ous Bibby did not fit down together to excite one another to acts of gluttony and intemperance; but after long, and rigorous abftinence, they fnatched the fcanty morfel of fimple viands which their prudent miftrefs had allotted for them; nor, even at her own table, did I ever see a meal difplayed, of which the most holy Fakeer might not have partaken without breaking his doubt of felf-denial !

Thus hath thy fervant clearly refuted, two of the propofitions of the misguided Rajah: and proved, in the most fatisfactory manner, and from the moft undoubted authority, that if fuch a Shafter as he speaks of, ever did exift, it is now become altogether obfolete, and entirely unknown: that the only devotion known to the majority of the community, is the Poojah of cards, and partridges; and that the people of Great Britain are, at this day, divided into feparate Cafts, as diftinct from each other as the Bramin from the Kettrie,

There are other errors, into which the noble Rajah has fuffered his mind to be led, which I could with equal ease refute, did I not know how eafily the mind of a great man is difgufted by prolixity.

What can I fay more!