1847.] 



Neilghernj Hills, 4'c'= 



81 



Lis death, the remains of the deceased are collected, a great company 

 assembles, and a number of female buffaloes are slaughtered. I ought 

 to mention also that amongst the Scythians, gold, silver-arms, and 

 utensils ^vere buried with the human remains, which is the case also 

 amonorst the Thautawars, who with the remains of their dead inter 

 gold or silver coins, according to the circumstances of their families, 

 along with a bow and arrows, baraboo-cups, variously shaped goui'ds, 

 and the axe of the deceased. 



M. D'Ancarville in his Preface to Recherches sur L'origine des 

 Arts, &c. felt so satisfied of the identity of the Scythian religion and 

 that of the ancient Druids of Britain, that he bestowed upon both the 

 common appellation of Scythicism. 



Keysler in his Antiquitates Septentrionales, informs us that the ' 

 Scythians celebrated the ceremonies of their religion under Groves of 

 great extent and of the profoundest gloom. Harkness observes that 

 the Priest of the Thautawars, after throwing off all his worldly affec- 

 tions, proceeds to some forest, dives into its darkest parts, and seeks 

 out a spot untrodden by human feet, in the vicinity of a pure stream 

 unpolluted by human touch ; where divesting himself of all worldly 

 thoughts he dedicates the whole of his time to the contemplation of 

 the deity. 



There are five of these sacred groves in different parts on the XeiU 

 gherries. 



Whoever remembers the accounts of the customs of our ancient 

 Druids will at once be struck, on reading the following extract from 

 Mr. Hough, with the resemblance of those of the Thautawar Priests 

 to them. 



" From time immemorial, it has been customary for two of the men 

 to dedicate themselves to the priestly office. 



" They are called Terriara, and sometimes PoUon ; are exempt 

 " from labour, and live in a state of celibacy and solitude. 



" They hold very little intercourse with the rest of the people, 

 ^' except to give them advice when consulted by them upon their 

 *' temporal affairs ; on which occasions they cause them to stand at a 

 " respectful distance. 



" Occasionally also they pay them an eleemosynary visit. Their 

 " offices are few, and they do little more than preside at the annual 



ceremonies performed in honor of the dead, when a burnt offering of 



a fatted lamb^ milk, ghee, and fruit, is presented to the manes of the 



deceased. 



