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Vesta at Ptome. The Romans worshipped the goddess of nature, 

 under the symbols of earth and fire. The sects of Visnoo and 

 Siva do the same. The former offer an oblalion of fruit and flow- 

 ers, the latter sacrifice a sheep to their respective deities. 



In my letters from Dhuboy and Chandode I have so fully de- 

 scribed the Hindoo temples and customs of the brahmins, that it 

 would be superfluous to add any thing further upon those subjects. I 

 have not entered into many particular ceremonies of the Hindoo wor- 

 ship at their respective temples. Several of their rites are very little 

 known to Europeans, and according to our judgment appear ab- 

 surd and trifling. I will give only a single specimen from the 

 tedious ceremonials with which their ritual abounds, selected from 

 Mr. Colebrooke's religious ceremonies of the Hindoos, but without 

 attempting to detail the Avhole ceremony. Indeed most readers 

 will think this specimen amply sufficient. 



" A brahmana arising from sleep, is enjoined, under the penalty 

 of losing the benefit of all rites performed by him, to rub his teeth 

 with a proper withe, or a twig of the racemiferous fig-tree, pro- 

 nouncing to himself this prayer, " Attend, lord of the forest; Sama, 

 king of herbs and plants has approached thee: mayest thou and 

 he cleanse my mouth with glory and good auspices, that I may eat 

 abundant food!" Then follows a long account of bathing and ab- 

 lutions, which having finished he puts on his mantle, after washing- 

 it, and sits down to worship the rising sun. 



" This ceremony is begun by his tying the lock of hair on the 

 crown of his head, while he recites the Gaijatri, holding much ciisa 

 grass in his left, and three blades of the same grass in his right 

 hand ; or wearing a ring of grass on the third finger of the same 



