96 
THE ORIENTAL ANNUAL. 
its mother’s bosom, and strangled in her sight. The 
circumstance was thus reported to the British authori- 
ties, who immediately arrested the Jahrja and brought 
him to trial. The retribution of the law was however 
averted by the devoted wife, who gave such evidence as 
tended to show that the child had died a natural death, 
hut in consequence of contradictory evidence from 
other witnesses, a trial by ordeal, according to ancient 
Hindoo usage, was permitted, and the good fortune of 
the Jahrja acquitted him. 
The common reasons assigned for the destruction 
of the female offspring is the fear of dishonour, and 
the extravagant outlay necessarily incurred in their 
marriage : there is no doubt that pride, avarice, and 
indolence were the true authors and supporters of infan- 
ticide ; in reality it has been shown, that it forms no 
part of the Hindoo religion, although it has been 
found convenient to induce such a belief, and the 
artful Brahmins themselves may have favoured it. 
The male offspring are never sacrificed ; although 
there exists in Hindoo history — perhaps I should 
rather say in Hindoo fable — a very curious account 
of a race of people exactly resembling, in all their 
peculiarities, the Amazons of the Greeks. They are 
said to have inhabited the district of Marawa, upon 
the coast immediately opposite to the island of Ceylon, 
and were named S tri-Raj a, or women-princes ; they 
destroyed all their male children directly after birth, 
and excluded all men from their society and their 
