made by the Government to put a stop to these barbarous rites, but hitherto with only partial snccess.

But, horrible as the rites of the Churuck Poojay are, they sink into insignificance, or may be considered positively humane by the side of the human sacrifices immolated before the rolling car of Juggernauth. This, in the Hindoo mythology, is said to be the reanimated form of Krishna. At the festival of the" Rath Jatra," the image or rather images, for there are three of them, take an airing of about a mile and a half to a place called the god's country house. The ponderous cars are dragged by coolies and by thousands of other people. As the unsightly images roll along, the scene becomes awful in the extreme; the frantically excited multitude swaying from side to side as the thousands strain upon the cables, shouting "victory, victory to Juggernauth." Formerly, the worshippers, when worked up to a pitch of frenzy, would frequently prostrate themselves before the wheels of the rolling car, flat upon their faces, and would be immediately crushed to death. It is, perhaps, unnecessary to say that this has long since been put a stop to by the Government.

The next Hindoo rite to which I will refer the reader is called Suttee, or the burning of Hindoo widows upon the funeral pile of the deceased husband. | The Hindoo Shastras recommend and contain regulations for the practice of the rice, stating that it is proper for a woman to burn herself with the corpse of her husband, in which case she will live with him in paradise during three orore and fifty lac's, or thirty-five millions of years. If she should not immolate herself as above, she must observe an inviolable chastity. Should she remain always chaste she will go to paradise, but if not, she must go to hell. Immediate bliss and almost immortal life in heavens of unspeakable delight, and other enjoyments of a nature calculated to possess irresistible charms for the Hindoo mind and lead the poor victim to become a Suttee, are held out to her. In fact, the priests teach that even the gods will reverence and obey the dictates of a woman who becomes one. She is also taught that whatever the crimes of her husband

may have been, she will thus save herself and him, with all his family, from purgatory and from future transmigration.

Drugged and excited, the poor victim would go to her death with an air of heroism, amid the deafening shouts of the multitude and the horrible din of the tom-toms. She would ascend the pile, seat herself in the centre, and take the head of the corpse in her lap, or, in other cases, lie down beside the dead body, while the priests would bind her to it.

Sometimes the Suttee would fire the pile herself, but more generally the attendant Brahmins would set fire to it, having previously made it of as inflammable a character as possible by pouring chaily after chalty of ghee upon it; and thus, amid the cracking of the faggots, the shouts of the multitude and the hellish din kept up by the tom-toms, the cries and shrieks of the wretched victim were effectually drowned, until the flames put an end to her sufferings. Should she, as sometimes happened, try to leap off the burning pile, the priests, armed with long poles, would throw her back into the flames.

On such occasions fees were paid and feasts given by the friends of the woman, and as she ascended the pile she would distribute her jewels and trinkets among the priests. This rite was once very common, but was put down by Lord William Eentick, in 1826; though occasional instances still occur, beyond the territory ruled by the Government of England.

Hindooism, like most superstitions, has a natural tendency to contract the views and narrow up the feelings. This may be seen strikingly illustrated in the habits and customs of the people professing it: for instance, in the unmixed selfishness manifested in the case of young people towards their aged parents, who have become helpless and a burden to them; while the children have become greedily anxious to get rid of the burden and possess themselves of the property which belongs to the parents. Under such circumstances should the parent fall sick, the sons and daughters would take him or her down to the edge of the Ganges, their sacred river, or any of its branches, when the tide is out; and laying them down at the brink of the water, and

placing a little boiled rice beside them, they danb the mouth and nostrils with the mud of the bed of the river and thus leave them. Should the aged person be willing to lie still, or too far gone to do otherwise, as the tide comes in they will, as a matter of course, be drowned, and thus the children get rid of the burden, and, at the same time, bury them. But should the aged and sick parent choose to cling to life, and crawl away from the impending death as the water rises, they would have the door of their own house closed in their face should they present themselves for admission; and from that time forth they become outcasts to their own family and caste, whilst their house and property is legally enjoyed by their family.

The Ganges and its tributaries and branches become with some classes of Hindoos the convenient receptacle of the dead. Thus, when a relative expires, the corpse is wrapt up in the clothes it died in and hoisted on a churpoy on the shoulders of the bearers, who carry it off to the Ganges and throw it in. The body, in that warm climate, soon floats, and, as it becomes swollen with the water, bursts the rags of clothing it was swathed in and floats, if a male, back upwards, and if a female face upwards, up the river as the tide comes in, and down as it goes out, and thus it continues until decomposition of the body takes place. In the meantime the vultures and crows, seated upon the body as it floats along, feast upon the flesh. The body from the action of the water becomes quite white in a few days. I have seen as many as from twelve to twenty bodies thus pass

133

in the distance of one mile, below Calcutta, on the river Hoogly, forming a most offensive and ghastly spectacle. Frequently they are left on the beach by the receding waters, and the pariah dogs have then a share with the birds of prey. The Government keeps up an establishment of low caste Hindoos, called pariahs, whose duty is, under the direction of the Calcutta police, to go about in boats and attach a stone, by means of a piece of rope, to each corpse found floating about the river opposite to Calcutta, and thus sink them.

The Ganges is looked upon with such an amount of reverence by the Hindoos generally, that the Fakirs make a protitable trade of carrying the water up the country and selling it to the people, who prize it as a most precious thing. Consequently, with those who live near enough to the river or any of its branches, to enjoy the great and holy privilege of bathing in it daily, constitutes, with them, one of the chief blessings of life. Nothing will deter them from performing their ablutions in it with the most scrupulous regularity every day. I have known instances near Calcutta, when the crowd of Hindoo heathens have been suddenly disturbed in their ablutions by the shriek and disappearance of one of their num ber, leaving the suriace of the water around them tinged with blood. A ground-shark, which are very numerous in the river Hoogly, had seized him in their very midst, carrying him off under water. The poor Hindoos would take no more notice of it, in general, than move a little higher up the stream in order to avoid the blood-tinged water.

Thursday, 25.-Elder Orson Spencer returned from Quincy.

Dr. Richards received the following from President B. Young:

"Salem, July 8, 1844.

Beloved Bro. Willard Richards.

I sit down a few minutes to write you, as brother Erastus Snow is going to start for Nauvoo to-morrow. He has been laboring in Vermont.

We cannot get one word from our families by letter of late. Sister Ruth Sayers has received a letter from her husband, that, I understand, gives some information which seems to be satisfactory.

According to what we hear in this country about the Mormons' in the west, I should suppose that there is an election about to take place, or the Prophet had offered himself for some office in the United States; for of all the howlings of devils and devil's whelps, this season cannot be beat.

Sometimes the Mormons' are all killed; sometimes they are half-killed; sometimes the blood is shoe-deep in Nauvoo; sometimes Old Joe,' as they call him, is taken by the mob and carried to Missouri; sometimes he is gone to Washington; sometimes he has run away; then again he is given up to the authorities, &c., &c. One might suppose him to be a sectarian God, without body, parts or passions, his centre everywhere and his circumference nowhere.

Since I left Nauvoo I have heard a great many expressions about the Prophet, but the prevailing opinion is, that he is the smartest man in the Union, and the people are afraid of his smartness. Some will vote for him for the novelty of the thing, and some to see what a Prophet will do at the head of Government. We had a fine passage on the rivers; preached and lectured all the way round.

SMITH.

were mobbed. great many times. I left brothers Snow and Brooks in The Twelve have been Ohio, doing well. faithful in all things. Brother William Smith is a great man in his calling in this country. Brother Lyman Wight has never been with us before; he is a great, good, noble-hearted man. I love my brethren more and more.

I looked at the house a

I want to see you and the rest of the brethren in Nauvoo. Give my best love to brothers Joseph and Hyrum. I cannot be there to see them, but I pray for them continually, and for you and all the brethren in our beloved city, and I pray my heavenly Father to preserve my brethren, my family and the whole city. I pray that we may finish the Temple and get our endowments.

We had a large congregation in Boston at our Convention, though in the evening there were some who came in that made some disturbance. This proves that the voice of the people rules; that is, the voice of the rabble. One of the watch got some hurt, but all this did us good in Boston. Brother Heywood, from Quincy, is here with us and is doing much good. He is a faithful witness for brother Joseph and the principles of righteousness.

We have baptized a good many since we left. The Gospel is going ahead. All the stories that are going the rounds make no difference, the people will believe the Gospel.

You might ask what we think about brother Joseph's getting the election this year? You know all about it. We shall do all we can and leave the event with God-the God of heaven will do just as he pleases about it.

Brother Daniel Spencer and many others are here; they are awake to the subject. We are now in the ConcertBrother Erastus Suow is

hall in Salem. now speaking.

you are to have a little trouble there, we wish to have a hand in it with you.

I wish you would see my family and Brother Tur, speak comfortably to them. I hope all will go on well with him. If you get a chance to dispose of our property at a good rate, do so. If my wife can get anything to help her I should be pleased. Give my love to sister Jennetta and all the household, and to all the Saints. Brothers Kimball and Wight will start The brethren for Baltimore to-morrow. in this country inquire after you and all the Elders that they have seen; they are warm-hearted. I suppose you have received a letter from the Boston Church, with P. P. Pratt's name to it.

May the Lord bless you all,

BRIGHAM YOUNG.

at Kirtland.

name

bled.

balls flew

And by all generations, of thee shall be said, With the best of the Prophets in prison he bled."

The brethren of the Twelve arrived at Detroit in the evening, and remained over night at the railroad hotel.

Sunday, 28.-Elders P. P. Pratt, W. W. Phelps and others addressed the Saints in Nauvoo.

On hearing of the death of the Prophet and Patriarch, Elders Charles C. Rich, David Fullmer, Graham Coltrin, Samuel Bent, Ira Miles and George A. Smith were together in Michigan. Elder George A. Smith counselled the Elders to return home. They accordThe roads ingly started for Nauvoo. were muddy, the waters high, and many of the bridges were gone. As they approached Nauvoo they found the people very hostile, however they preached at several places by the way.

Elder George A. Smith, and the brethren with him, arrived at Nauvoo near midnight.

The following is from Elder W. Woodruff's Journal:-

"The brethren of the Twelve took the propeller Hercules for Chicago at 10 a.m. Fare in the cabin $7. We had comfortable state-rooms. We spent the day in writing and in social conversation with each other concerning the death of Joseph and Hyrum and the welfare of the Church A variety of subjects and our families. were called up, each one expressing his feelings freely. President B. Young said he wished me to keep an account of things as they were passing, as he should look to me for his journal at a future day. Elder Wight said that Joseph told him, while in Liberty Jail, Mo., in 1839, he would not live to see forty years, but he was not to reveal it till he was dead."

Monday, 29.-Elder George A. Smith visited the Prophet's family.

Elders Willard Richards and George A. Smith visited Elder Samuel H. Smith and laid hands upon him. He expressed a strong desire to live: he was very low, being in the last stages of bilious fever.

Elders Richards and Smith met at Elder Richards', and ordained two Elders who were about leaving the city. Brother Richards signed their licences :

"TWELVE APOSTLES,
President.

Willard Richards, Clerk."