and family, if he had any. His dress consisted of a clean white linen robe descending to his feet, a sash and turban. "The food of an Indian is very simple; the diet of one is the same with that of millions, namely, rice, with split pulse and salt to relieve its insipidity. Two and a halfounces of salt, two pounds of split pulse, and eight pounds of rice, form the usual daily consumption of a family of five persons in easy circumstances,"*--but to this fare, those who can afford the expense, add refined butter, named ghee, in the cookery, as well as other ingredients, to which Europeans give the general name of curry stuff. All but the several classes of Brahmins may eat certain animal food. It is superfluous to repeat that the use of the cow species is positively prohibited, it is even declared to be a high crime to ill treat or injure the animal. Throughout Hindustan, the wild hog, water-fowl, and various sorts of game are to be met with, and at a very moderate rate. The quality of mutton differs according to the nature of the pasture; in the northern Circars, and particularly near to Masulipatam, it is remarkably good, and the price of a sheep, chosen out of a numerous flock, was, when the author was in India, a rupee, or little more than two shillings English money.

1

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there dearer, and the separation of the man from his family renders larger earnings necessary to their support; but, even, in the neighbourhood of Calcutta, men may he hired for field-labour at the rate of two rupees and a half per mensem, which is equivalent to twopence halfpenny per diem."*

CHAPTE

HINDU ACCOUN

The reign of a prin Hearth was coverer y living creature pious prince him

CHAPTER III.

THE HINDU ACCOUNT OF THE DELUGE.

In the reign of a prince named Satyavrata, the earth was covered with the waters, and every living creature destroyed, excepting the pious prince himself, seven Rishis, or saints, who accompanied him with their vives, and a male and female of each species of living creatures; which, by the command of the preserving deity, were saved na ship that had been prepared for the urpose. After seven days spent on the niversal ocean, finding ground, the vessel as fastened to it. When the deluge had bsided, Vishnu appearing, instructed atyavrata in divine knowledge, naming m the Seventh Menu, and Vaivaswata, - "child of the sun." Such is in substance the history given by the Hindus of the deluge, after divesting that history of its numerous allegories and fables. us compare," says Sir William Jones, " the two Indian accounts of the Creation and the Deluge, with those delivered by Moses. It is not made a question in this tract, whether the first chapters of Genesis are to be understood in a literal, or merely in an allegorical sense; the only points before us are, whether the creation described by the first Menu, which the Brahmins called that of the Lotos, be not the same with that recorded in our Scripture; and whether the story of the seventh Menu be not one and the same with that of Noah. I propose the questions, but affirm nothing."*

CHAPTER IV.

ON THE MYTHOLOGY, &c. OF THE HINDŪS,

AND ITS AFFINITY WITH THAT OF THE
GREEKS AND ROMANS.

THE affinity discoverable between the mythology of the Hindūs, and that of the ancient Greeks and Romans, appears to us so very conspicuous, as almost to exclude doubt of their having one common origin. In the Ganesa of the Hindūs, we discover the Janus of the Romans. In Europe he was the god of wisdom; in India he is the same ; and in other respects equally resembles him. All sacrifices and eligious ceremonies, all addresses to supeior deities, and all worldly affairs of monent, are commenced by pious Hindūs, with an address to Ganesa. In many parts