CARP-GOSSIP. 161 
it is said to be the form of this carp which Vishnu 
assumed in his second avatar, for the purpose of 
recovering the Vedas or sacred books, that had been 
carried away by a demon during the devastation 
caused by a deluge. The Mahometans respect the 
Rohita for a very different reason, as they allege. 
There is an Oriental legend recorded in the Koran, 
to the effect that Abraham, after sacrificing a goat 
instead of his son Isaac, threw the sacred knife away, 
which falling into water miraculously struck this fish, 
thereby intimating that it was suitable for human 
food; and, consequently, a fish is the only animal 
that can be eaten by a Mussulman without previously 
having its throat cut. The Rohita is one of the most 
valuable fishes found in the rivers of the Gangetic 
provinces, and its beauty both in form and colour 
fully equals its excellence for the table. It need 
scarcely surprise us, then, to find that a fish of such 
value, having so high and ancient a mythical history, 
should be selected as the appropriate emblem or badge 
of a peculiar honour, styled in Persian, the diplomatic 
and court language of the Hast, Mahi Maratib—the 
Order or dignity of the fish. Those admitted to the 
Order receive the high-sounding titles of “ Victorious 
in War, Saviour of the State, and Hero of the Land ;” 
and“are distinguished by a representation of this carp, 
formed of gilt metal and partly enveloped in a mantle 
of green embroidered cloth, the sacred colour of the 
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