Abbe Dubois' State of Chris (ianiti/ iu India. 635 

 ablutions; whenever lliey shewed them- contempt and aversion, in proportion as 

 selves in pul)lio they applied to their the European manners became belter 

 forehead paste, made of sandal wood, known to the Hindoos. 

 as Hsed by the Kralimiiis. They scru- present opinions. 

 pulously abstained from every kind of The Christian religion, which was 

 animal food, as well as from intoxicating formerly an object of indifl'erence, or at 

 liquors, entirely faring like Brahmins on most of contempt, is at present become, 

 vegetables and milk ; in a word, after I will venture to say, almost an object 

 the example of St. Paul (1 Cor. ix. 20, of horror. It is certain that, during the 

 21.) "Unto the Jews, they became as last sixty years, no proselytes, or but a 

 Jews, that they might gain the Jews; to very few, have been made. Those 

 them that were without law, as without christians who are still to be met with 

 law. They were made all things to all in several parts of the country, and 

 men, that they might by all means save whose numbers (as I have just men- 

 some." It was by such a life of almost tioned,) diminishes every day, are the 

 incredible privations and restraints, that oflTspring of the converts made by the 

 they insinuated themselves among these Jesuits before that period. The very 

 people. small number of proselytes who arc still 

 The Jesuits began their work under gained over from time to time, are 

 these favourable auspices, and made a found among the lowest tribes; so are 

 great number of converts among all individuals who, driven out from their 



castes of Hindoos, in those countries 

 where they were allowed the free exer- 

 cise of their religious functions. It ap- 

 pears from authentic lists, made up 

 about seventy years ago, which I have 

 seen, that the number of native Chris- 

 tians in these countries was as follows, 

 viz. in the Marawa about 30,000, in the 

 ftladiira above 100,000, in the Carnatio 

 «0,000, in Mysore 35,000. At the pre- 



castes, on account of their vices or scan- 

 dalous transgressions of their usages, 

 are shunned afterwards by every body as 

 outlawed men, and have no other 

 resource left than that of turning chris- 

 tians, in order to form new connexions 

 in society ; and you will easily fancy 

 that such an assemblage of the offals and 

 dregs of society only (ends to increase 

 the contempt and aversion entertained 



sent time hardly n third of this number by the Hindoos against Christianity, 

 is to be found in these districts respec- In fact, how can our iioly religion 



lively. I have heard that the number of prosper amidst so many insurmountable 



converts was still much more considera- obstacles? A person who embraces it 



ble on the other coast, from Goa to Cape becomes a proscribed and outlawed 



Comorin ; but of theso I never saw au- man ; he loses at once all that can 



Ihentic lists. attach him to life. A husband, a father 



At that very time happened the Euro- is forthwith forsaken and deserted by his 



pean invasion, and the bloody contests own wife and children, who obstinately 



for dominion between the English and refuse to have any further intercourse 



French. 'i"he Europeans, till then with their degraded relative. A son is 



aloMist entirely unknown to the natives unmetcifully driven out of bis pati rnal 



in the interior, introduced themselves in mansion, and entirely deserted by those 



several ways and under various denomi- who gave him birth, 

 nations into every part of the euuntry. By embracing the christian religion. 



The Hindoos soon found tlmt those mis- therefore, a Hindoo loses his all. Kela • 



sioiiarics, whom their colour, their fions, kindred, friends, — all desert him 1 



talents, and other (jualilies, had induced Goods, possessions, inheritance, all dis- 



them to re;,ard as such extraordinary appear I 



beings, as men coming from another 

 world, were in fact nothing else but 

 disguised J<'ringy (iMirojjeans); and 

 that their country, their religion, and 

 original education, were the satiK; with 

 those of the vile, the contemptible 

 Fringy, who had of late invaded tlieir 

 country, 'i'his event jiroved the last 

 blow to the interests of the Christian 

 religion. No more conversions were 

 made; apostacy became: almost gent'ral 

 in several quarters; and ('hri.stianity 



Where is the man furnished with a 

 suflicient stock of cynical fortitude to bo 

 able to bear such severe trials? 



The very name of Christian cariies 

 along with it the stain of infamy; and 

 the proposal alone to become a convert 

 to Christianity is considered by every 

 well-bred Hindoo as a very seiious 

 insult, which is instantly resented, as I 

 have witnessed in repeated instances. 

 Such a proposal nnist always be made 

 with th*; greatest ])rud('iice ami tireum- 



brcame more and mor« an object of speclion, in order not to be exposed to 



severe 



