250 TRAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



given in a balcony, overhanging the river, of his city 

 palace, within the precincts of which there is a temple 

 with a large pagoda-like roof that is covered with thin 

 plates of pure gold. His Highness is reputed to be 

 somewhat serious and bigoted as regards his religion. 

 It was mentioned in the Indian papers a few years ago, 

 that the Brahmins having discovered that the soul of 

 his father, Golab Singh, had migrated into the body 

 of a fish, Eanbir Singh gave orders that no fish were 

 to be killed in Kashmir, though fish is there one of 

 the great staple articles of food among the poorer 

 classes. The edict, however, was calculated to cause 

 so much distress, that the Brahmins soon announced 

 that the paternal spirit had taken some other form. 

 I never heard this story contradicted ; and it affords 

 a curious instance of the reality of the belief in trans- 

 migration which exists in India. As the character 

 of these transmigrations, and the amount of sxiffering 

 and enjoyment which they involve, is considered to 

 depend on the good or evil conduct of preceding 

 lives, and especially of those which are passed in a 

 human form, such a belief would be calculated to 

 exercise an important influence for good, were it 

 not for the sacrificial theory which attaches so much 

 importance, as good works, to sacrifices to the gods, 

 and to gifts to their priestly ministers ; and its bene- 

 ficial effect is also lessened by the tendency of the 

 Indian mind to assign an undue value to indiscrimi- 

 nate acts of charity such as often do harm rather 



