64 
THE ORIENTAL ANNUAL. 
having applied to your devoted slave Baba Kulloo 
for the information you require. Though no better 
than an insect in the greatness of your honour’s 
presence, who is there that is able to speak of the 
heroism, the triumphant virtue, of the beautiful Lall 
Radha, with better assurance of truth, than her own 
nephew Babba Kulloo ? whose hand supported her 
during the long illness of Bhagut, her husband, whose 
hand kindled the sacred pile, and whose hand gathered 
the blackened bones. As long as it shall please 
the great Brahma to grant me life and sufficient 
strength, I will not fail daily to sprinkle this spot 
with the milk of the holy cow and the purifying 
water of the sacred Ganges, in honour of that great 
and glorious day. 
“ Great Sir, I am told that the Sahib log (gentle- 
men, applied as a term of distinction to the English) 
believe that we were wont to compel our widows 
to this sacrifice, before they extended the arm of 
power to prevent us. This is quite erroneous. The 
Shastra most urgently forbids force to be used ; the 
sacrifice must be perfectly voluntary in all its stages 
to be acceptable to the divine Brahma. Coercion could 
not be employed without dishonour to the Brahmins 
and the widow’s friends, while the virtue of the sacri- 
fice would be lost. Our sacred law does not exact 
or command a compliance with this rite, though it 
certainly approves of and encourages it. The most 
emphatic words upon the subject are these; ‘It is 
