160 
ON THE NUNNERIES AT RAMBREE. 
as the sale price of ivhat is not used for feeding the 
mill and ploughing cattle, (say 3 pairs of bullocks) 
or about Rs. 4-8 is a set off against the weai and 
tear of ploughs, mills, and cattle, as few if any cul- 
tivate sugarcane who are not possessed of means 
and spare bands, sugar speculation is not a bad 
one for an agriculturist. 
Art. III. — Journal of a Tour through 
the island of Rambree, with a Geologic 
cal Sketch of the Country, and Brief 
Account of the Customs, Sfc., of its 
Inhabitants. By Lieut. Wm. Foley. 
Journal of Asiatic Society, 1835. 
( Continued from page 1 1 8 
We left our author at the Kioums of the 
priests, and it will be seen from the extracts 
which we made that they have merited the 
notice which has been taken of them. As 
we are however, anxious to give to such of 
our readers as may not have access to the 
original, as full a conception as possible of 
the habits of the Hughs, we shall merely 
take occasion, in continuing our Review, 
to offer a few passing remarks, because with 
the object we have stated, we prefer to offer 
them as large a portion of the work itself 
as our limits will permit. In the large 
towns and villages it appears that education 
is almost wholly confined to the Phoongrees. 
The offspring of rich and poor are without 
distinction similarly treated in the course of 
their tuition ; nor is any remuneration exacted 
by the teachers for the trouble they undergo, 
beyond the daily provision of an eleemosy- 
nary subsistence from the native communi- 
ty. Children are not received into the 
Kioums under the age of nine. The out-of- 
door discipline, which consists of fetching 
wood and water, cleaning the rice, and 
attending the priest in his daily round for 
food, being considered too severe for a less 
tender age. Orphans and the children of 
distant residents are both fed and lodged at 
the seminaries. The other boys are per- 
mitted a specified leave to go home for 
meals, but must sleep in th&Kioum, because 
what they have read during the day “ is 
repeated in the evening or at day break 
the following morning.” Our author in- 
forms us that this is not the only method 
of education, observing that there is an- 
other “ equally peculiar to the Hughs.” 
” There is another source of education 
equally peculiar to the Hughs ; such as are : 
not engaged in any pursuit or employment 
requiring all their time, devote a portion of 
it to the education of children entirely gra- 
tis ; less labour being expected from the 
children than is imposed upon them in the 
Kioums. Children under nine years of age 
and of both sexes are admissable to such 
schools, the rules, as before observed, being | 
less strict than those enforced at themonas- ' 
teries ; it is therefore not uncommon to j 
meet with children of a very tender age at j 
such schools.” I 
There are nunneries as well as convents, 
and the Bhi Jcuni (nuns) are as common as | 
the priests. They reside either in the nunnery 
or at some separate house near a koo (temple) 
superintending offerings and leading a life 
of abstinence. The major part of these 
are vestals ; but there are others who have 
retired from the world at more advanced 
ages. Harried in some instances, but only in 
those wherein matrimony has been unpro- 
ductive. The habiliments of both monks 
and nuns are alike and the discipline is in 
every other respect similar. The respect 
shewn to the priesthood while living is 
strongly confirmed to our author’s under- 
standing by the honors which are done 
to their remains. The scale of this 
necessarily depends on the ability of the 
parties : but if it happens that the popula- 
tion in the vicinity of a Kioum is wealthy, 
the ” magnificence” and expense is not un- 
der that of their most costly shews — 
“ When emancipated from the world, the 
body is opened and embalmed; after which it 
lies for many weeks exposed to public view. 
The body is then confined in a coffin, richly 
embellished with gold and silver leaf, and 
this is placed upon a lofty car that had been 
constructed for the purpose. The inhabi- 
tants of the neighbouring villages flock to 
the spot, and ropes having been fixed to the 
fore and hinder parts of the car, a contention 
arises among the villagers for the remains of 
the Phoongree. One party pulls against the 
other, and those that are successful claim 
the honor of finishing the ceremonies. This 
is done by a grand display of fireworks, the 
greater part of which are skilfully directed 
at the car, which is at length set on fire and 
the body is consumed*. Should the deceased 
* See a full account of the same ceremony 
by the late Rev. Dr. Carey, As. Res. xii. 389. 
— Ed. 
