GAB 
bones. The ancient inhabitants of India left the bo- 
~ diés of their deceased relatives to be devoured by vul- 
_ tures, which were possibly viewed as sacred birds. 
#lian s of aination or tribe, the Barcxi, which 
burnt those who died by the course of nature, but others 
who fell in battle were to be devoured by vul- 
tures, because these birds were held to be sacred. The 
modern’ Gabres, or Parsees, the worshippers of fire, 
expose their deceased relatives as a prey to vultures, 
whether in Persia or ee ceed a ert 
to expire, a prayer is whispered in his ear, and a dog 
betare tins 3 but it is important that the ani- 
mal should look in his face, which is obtained by placing 
some meat in that direction. Two dogs must be brought 
for a pregant woman ; or if no dogs can be procured, 
means should be used to attract the attention of the 
bird that is to prey on the body. It appears that this 
of the ceremony may be until carrying 
the body ‘to be deposited in the sepulchre, which 
is either done in silence attended by a numerous as- 
semblage, or while women chaunt a kind of requi- 
em. “Phe repository of the dead is a circular edi- 
fice, or low tower, open above, with a stone floor, ele- 
vated from the ground to receive the bodies, and in- 
clining towards the centre. By the letter of the law, 
this sepulchre, which is called Dakhme, should stand 
only on a hill, and be demolished every 50 years, to ex- 
- pose the earth to the light of the sun; but probably 
neither of these conditions are fulfilled, and we only 
know that are from towns. Several are seen 
at Bombay and Surat ; the largest about 55 feet in dia- 
meter, and’ 25 feet in height, built up to within five 
feet of the top, and having a well or sink of 15 feet dia- - 
- meter in the center. There are three concentric grooves 
or compartments around the sink for receiving the be- 
dies, which are loosely wrapped in cloth, the outer for 
the men, the next for women, and the interior com- 
partment for the bodies of children, all with connect- 
ing channels to drain off the fluids, into which they are 
partly resolving by the progress of decay. Nothing 
can be more horrible than the spectacle presented here, 
whether in the various stages of putrefaction, in its 
most unsightly form, in the disjointed and mangled 
fragments of the human frame, the overpowering foe- 
tor emanating from the corpses, the presence of the 
vultures greedily devouring their prey, or glutted with 
human flesh scarcely able to take wing, altogether 
forming such a combination, as the strength of living 
man can with difficulty resist, But the natives have no 
such feelings; on the contrary, they look for auspici- 
ous omens in the very eye which shall be first torn from 
its socket. Atter a certain interval, the bones are col- 
lected towards the sink with iron rakes, and the com- 
munication of subterraneous. channels prevent it from 
being choked up. The body first interred in a new- 
constructed Dakhme ought to be that of an infant, the 
child of a priest. 
The Gabres nourish a strong predilection for some ani- 
mals, and entertain a corresponding aversion for others. 
Cows and dogs are in great estimation. They have an 
antipathy to cats, insects, and reptiles, from believing 
them created by Ariman, the source of evil; and 
Tavernier says, that in Persia:the women destroy all 
the frogs on a certain day, because a prophet re Ro 
they principally venerate, was once disturbed by these 
animals, But the zeal of this author for the Catholic 
faith has led him, according to his own acknowledge- 
ment, to expose only what is most absurd in the reli- 
67 
GAB 
gion of the Gabres ; hence his accounts, which in some Gabres, 
things are manifestly erroneous, must be read with cau- 
tion. 
This sect seems to exist in much greater purity in 
India than in Persia. Their ceremonies, even some 
of the most important, are, extremely different; and 
those of the Persian Gabres are compounded ‘of the 
principles of the Christians and Mahometans along 
with tn own. The earlier doctrines of Christiami- 
ty, and many points of Jewish history, are ci« 
ally to be recognized in the baptism of their chile . 
the history of their prophets, the escape of the sa- 
cred fire in the semblance of a white dove, and the 
like. Probably these have been introduced by the de- 
cline of learning, and from the influence of their priests 
being unable to preserve their original faith in its 
purity. But the reverse has succeeded in India, where 
the Gabres practise their worship undisturbed, and have 
preserved some of their books of the law, written ina ~ 
‘peculiar character, until the present era. 
The moral character of these people is universally 
‘esteemed. They are quiet, inoffensive, and industrious. 
At Bombay and Surat, but especially the former, where 
they are best known, thef are highly respected, and- 
one of the most wealthy some years ago charitably 
maintained 2000 persons of all different tribes at his 
own expence, during a time of famine. They are 
among the richest inhabitants of the island, and are 
accustomed to give the most magnificent entertainments 
to Europeans, while no one of their own sect is left 
destitute, so much are they distinguished for munifi- 
cence and liberality. 
See Hyde Religio Veterum Persarum. Zend- Avesta, 
tom. ii. iil. ; Moore’s Narrative of Little's Detachment, 
p- 383 ; Ovington’s Voyage to Surat ; Hanway’s Tra- 
vels, vol. i. p. 263; Abu Taleb’s Travels, vol. ii. p. 
386; M‘Donald Kinneir’s Geographical: Memoir of Pe. 
sia; Justin, lib. xli.; lian, lib. x. cap. 22. _(¢ 
GABS, the name of a town of Africa, situated on the 
south-east part of Tunis, ina bay of the Mediterranean. 
It was the Epichus of Seylax, and the Tacape of Pto- 
lemy and Pliny. Dr Shaw informs us, that the rnins 
of this ancient city are still to be-seen upon a rising 
ground, at the distance of half a mile from Gabs, ha- 
ving been formerly washed by the sea, which here form- 
ed a bay nearly half a mile in diameter. The greater 
part; however, of this bay is now filled up and gained 
from the sea. Among these ruins are some beautiful 
granite pillars, about twelve feet long, and all of them 
square: a forn’ which Dr Shaw had never seen in any 
other part of Africa. There are several extensive plan- 
tations of palm trees at Gabs, but the dates are much in- 
ferior both in taste and size to those of Jireed. The prin- 
cipal trade of the place consists of the al-hennah, which 
is cultivated to a-great extent in all the gardens. “ This 
beautiful odoriferous plant,” says Dr Shaw, “ if it is 
not annually cut and‘ kept low, as it is usually in other 
places, grows ten or twelve feet high, putting out its 
flowers in clusters, which yield a most grateful smell, 
like camphor. The leaves of this plant, after they-are 
dried and powdered, are disposed of to good advantage 
in all the markets of this kingdom: For with this all 
the African ladies that can purchase it, tinge their lips, 
hair, hands, and feet, rendering them thereby : of’ 2 
tawny saffron colour, which, with them, is reckoned a 
great beauty. The al-hennah; no less than the palm, 
requires to be frequently watered ; for which purpose, 
the river that runs through these plantations is cantoned , 
Gabs. 
