which I shall never forget. At twelve o'clock of this day, being the great day of the feast, the Moloch of Hindostan 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, 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 Hosanna 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 * See Milton's Account of Pandemonium. 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. Thousands of men, women, and children, pulled by each cable, crowding so closely, that some could only use one hand. Infants are made to exert their strength in this office, for it is accounted a merit of righteousness to move the God. Upon the tower were the priests and satellites of the idol, surrounding his throne. I was told that there were about a hundred and twenty persons upon the car altogether. The idol is a block of wood, having a frightful visage painted black, with a distended mouth of a bloody colour. His arms are of gold, and he is dressed in gorgeous apparel. The other two idols are of a white and yellow colour. Five elephants preceded 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 minutes * Two of the military gentlemen had mounted my elephant that they might witness the spectacle while I walked, and bad brought him close 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 stopt by a wall. The natural fear of the elephant, lest he should injure human life, was remarkably exemplified on this occasion. Though the crowd was very closely set, he endeavoured, 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 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 woman, and that the fleshy part of her leg had been torn off. There being no medical person here, Lieut. Woodcock, with great humanity, endeavoured 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. * "Obscene Stanzas."-These are the Cubbee, of which mention was made in a letter to the Honourable the Court of Directors, which was lately laid before the House of Commons. The question was, whether these verses were really indecent, or whether they were not rather innocent and holy, resembling our own inspired poetry. It may be satisfactory to give an account of their character from another authority. In a sermon preached by the late Rev. David Brown, at Calcutta, on Sunday, the 7th of October, 1810, admonishing the English not to countenance idolatry, by accepting invitations from the Hindoos to honour with their company the festival called the Doorgah Poojah (the printed cards issued by the Hindoos in the English language, requested the company of the English on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) on which occasion the Idol goddess Doorgah, (who is here compared to Astarte, or the Bona Dea) is exhibited, gorgeously arrayed, and worshipped with songs and dances; he thus describes the stanzas alluded to. "They have, lastly, at this festival, what "is called Kobee (verse.) This is properly the carnival of the "Hindoos-the carcase on which they feed. But I cannot de"scribe it from this place. The hoary Brahmin while he glories "in his shame, blushes, on these occasions, in the presence "of a European." The carcase on which they feed! What a meaning does this expression convey! And this testimony 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 a 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. 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, his arms stretched forwards. lying on his face, with The multitude passed round him, leaving the space clear, and he was crushed was delivered to the English settlement at Calcutta, in the middle of the Hindoos themselves! It was first given at the time above mentioned, and afterwards repeated with new circumstances, at the Presidency Church, on Sunday, September 15th, 1811, a few months before the faithful preacher died. 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, in approbation of the deed. He was left to view a considerable time, and was then carried by the Hurries to the Golgotha, where I have just been viewing his remains.' Juggernaut, 20th June, 1806. "Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood The horrid solemnities still continue. Yesterday a woman devoted herself to the idol. She laid herself down on the road in an oblique direction, so that the wheel did not kill her instantaneously, as is generally the case; but she died in a few hours. This morning, as I passed the place of skulls, nothing remained of her but her bones. 'And this, thought I, is the worship of the Brahmins of Hindostan, and their worship in its sublimest degree! What then shall we think of their private manners, and their moral principles? For it is equally true of India as of Europe; if you would know the state of the people, look at the state of the Temple. 'I was surprized to see the Brahmins with their heads uncovered, in the open plain, falling down in the midst of the Sooders before the horrid shape,' and mingling so complacently with that polluted cast.' But this proved |