262 



PHYSICAL HISTORY OF MAN. 



Parsees worship the water, that is not God ; neither is fire, nor the 

 earth." 



Within my own experience, I have met with no evidence of the 

 idea of a Supreme Being having spontaneously arisen in the human 

 mind. I would enumerate as possessing this idea, the Patriarchs, the 

 ancient Egyptian priests, the Jews, Christians, and Muslims, and the 

 Braminical Hindoos. I have never conversed on the subject, with 

 followers of the Budhist religion ; but the remaining portions of the 

 human family, are probably to be excluded ; although not in all 

 instances unenlightened, as appears from the writers of antiquity. 



On questioning the above-mentioned individual in regard to his 

 own religion, he said, that the Mahrattas " have priest-gods or Bra- 

 mins; that he was himself a Mahratta of the Hindoo Caste, though 

 he did not go to the temples; and that he was allowed to eat vegeta- 

 bles, milk, butter, and eggs; but not pork, beef, mutton, nor even 

 fish." His complexion was darker than usual, and in personal ap- 

 pearance he seemed to partake of the Telingan race. 



On the other hand, the complexion of the Bramins of this part of 

 India, is in general lighter than the average ; and coincides with 

 the hue of the Cutch Banians, in like manner hardly ever becoming 

 florid. The physical race too, in most instances, is obviously pure. 



A Mahratta Bramin, stated, in reply to some inquiries, "that 

 it is not considered proper, for a Bramin to take up occupations 

 belonorinor to other castes ; and that even the work in which he 

 was then engaged, (correcting a Mahratta Dictionary for the Eng- 

 lish Government,) was rather derogatory to his dignity." With re- 

 spect to the practicability of entering lower castes, if he could enter- 

 tain such an idea, he thought that " the Sudras would probably 

 receive him and give him a wife; but this was by no means a matter 

 of certainty ; and the Malirs, who are the lowest of all castes, would 

 refu.se." 



" Formerly, there was a severe punishment for the unauthorized 

 wearing of the Braminical cord; but the English government having 

 declined to interfere in the matter, it is not at present always easy 

 to disting-uish a Bramin. For himself, he thouorht lie could not be 

 deceived, but Bramins had been, frequently. This, he exclaimed, is 

 the Age of Iron." 



"Two or more princes in India, claim to be Kshatryas; together 

 with some bodies of people, in one or more districts, who keep them- 



