the devil, who is called here the Deuma. Our author was ushered into the presence of this august personage, whom he found made of metal, seated on a throne, with a triple crown similar to that of the Pope. He exhibited four horns, and four teeth in a huge open mouth, eyes flaming with fury, his hands bent in the manner of a screw, and his feet in that of a cock, so that on the whole Barthema never beheld so frightful a figure. On looking round the room, too, he saw a Satan seated at every corner, each holding in his hand and busily devouring a soul about the size of the middle finger. The door was richly carved with devils in relievo. Every morning the Bramins wash the idol with odoriferous water; nor does the king eat any thing, till a tender of it has first been made to the devil.

In treating of the state of society on this coast, the author gives the usual account of the casts into which it is divided, the pride of the Nairs, and the degraded state of the Poliars (Pariars), who whenever they approach within fifty yards of a Bramin or Nair, may be killed, without the slightest penalty incurred. These unfortunate beings, therefore, are obliged to lurk in the marshes and concealed corners, or if they ever come into open day, cry continually with all their might, in order that their lordly superiors may have an opportunity to avoid the contamination of their

presence. None of the natives, rich or poor, male or female, wear even a shirt; they have merely a piece of cotton tied round the waist, and their hair hanging down. He mentions it as a custom prevalent among the merchants and gentlemen, that any two who entertain a particular affection for each other, cement it by exchanging wives. The proposition being made and agreed to, the husbands go home and announce it to their helpmates, who are said usually to concur with cheerfulness in the transaction. Among other classes, the lady has five, six, or seven husbands, to each of whom a certain portion of her time is allotted.

After leaving Calicut, our traveller rounded the peninsula of India, touched at Ceylon, and, on reaching Paliacate, took ship for Tarnassari, which appears to be some town near the mouth of the Kisna or Godavery. He found it the residence of a very powerful monarch, who maintained an army of a hundred thousand men, with a hundred armed elephants, the largest that he had ever seen. At this place an instance occurred of a widow burning herself on the dead body of her husband. From Tarnassari he sailed to Bengal, thence to Pegu, Malacca, Sumatra, Borneo, the

greatest and richest island in the world," and Java. Our limits will not permit us to follow him through these peregrinations. On his return

to Calicut, he found a deadly war raging between its king and the Portuguese, who were now established at Cananor. This involved him in considerable danger, and it was with difficulty that, under disguise of a holy man, he made his escape to Cananor. After being some time employed there in the service of government, he returned to Europe by the way of the Cape of Good Hope.

CHAPTER II.

DISCOVERY OF INDIA BY THE PORTUGUESE.

Vasco de Gama.-Pedro Alvarez Cabral.-Juan de Nueva. -Second Voyage of Gama.-Exploits of Albuquerque.— Extent of Portuguese Empire.-Its Decline.

THE discovery and conquest of India by the Portuguese, present a series of exploits, stained indeed with violence and blood, but marked by the most splendid enterprise and heroic valour. These events, however, belong more properly to general history, which has already recorded them; nor could they, without difficulty, be comprehended within the limits of the present work, which are scarcely adequate to its appropriate objects. It is proposed, therefore, at present to confine our notice to what may be strictly called Voyages of Discovery; which exhibit the Portuguese arriving as strangers upon these unknown shores, and the impressions made upon them by the first aspect of the Indian world.

In a former work, while tracing the progress of Portuguese navigation around Africa, occasion was taken to exhibit the steps by which they

explored and occupied the whole of its western coast. There, too, we followed VASCO DE GAMA in his grand achievement of doubling the Cape; and in his difficult and perilous progress along the eastern coast, till he found a favourable reception at Melinda. At that place he obtained a pilot, who undertook to conduct him across the Indian Ocean to Malabar. This navigation, through an immense ocean, without sight of land, and where for two thousand miles nothing was to be discovered but sea and sky, was new and formidable to European mariners. They enjoyed, however, during the whole period, a prosperous monsoon, having the wind continually at their stern. On the day after their departure, they had a view of the northern Polar Star, well known as their early guide through the deep; but to which their eyes had long been strangers. On the twenty-third day the pilot discovered land; but as it was not the part of the coast which he sought, he made soundings, put out again to sea, and steered south-east. Four days after he descried the lofty mountains which rose above Calicut. He immediately called out to inform the admiral, that the wished-for coast was at

length attained. Gama came up, and beheld those splendid and celebrated shores, which he had braved so many tempests, and traversed such vast oceans to visit. A salute was immediately