H I N D O O S T A N. 
far only as a wife honours her lord, fo far lhe is exalted 
in heaven.” 
In the Hindoo law, Of what concerns Women, the 
paflage relative to burning is as follow's : “ It is proper 
for a woman after her hulband’s death to burn herleif in 
the five with his corpfe. Every woman who thus burns. 
Ill all remain in Paradife with her hulband three crore and 
fifty lacks of years, by deftiny. If lhe cannot burn, fire 
mult in that cafe preferve an inviolable chaftity : if lhe 
remains always chalte, lhe goes to Paradife.” This then 
feems an original law', by which the matter of burning 
appears to be neither ablolutely compulfatory, nor yet 
entirely optional. It is proper; that is, it is a fit and 
becoming aCtion ; to the performance of which a great 
reward is annexed. But if female vreaknefs and timidity 
prevail over refolution, fo that a woman cannot burn, it 
is not a matter to be palled over in filence ; fince lhe mud 
then perform another condition in order to be entitled to 
future happinefs; lire mull preferve an inviolable chaf¬ 
tity. This feems the only condition which was to ac¬ 
company a refufal; and which, if performed, the woman 
was to fuffer no degradation or diminution of character. 
But in procefs of time a variety of circumftances have 
been ingrafted on the fimplicity of this ancient law. It has 
been determined, that a pregnant woman cannot burn, 
file having no right to involve her child’s death with her 
own ; that the firft choice belongs to the firlt wife, (for 
they take as many wives as they pleafe ;) upon whofe,re¬ 
fufal only it devolves to the fecond ; that the anfwer is 
to be given in twenty-four hours, but not fooner; that 
no advantage may be taken of the very firft impreffions 
of grief; and when once given, be it either way, it can¬ 
not be retraced. Sometimes the firft wife refufes and 
the fecond burns; at others they both refufe, and the 
worfe confequence attending the refufal now-a-days is, 
lying under an imputation and reproach of being want¬ 
ing to their own honour and purification, and of not pro¬ 
moting the profperity of their family. It often happens, 
that, if the firft wife be childlefs and the fecond have 
children, the latter puts in her claim of burning in pre¬ 
ference to the former, that lhe may have this opportunity 
of aggrandizing her children ; fince the truth is, that the 
children in this cafe are deemed more illuftrious, are 
fought in marriage by the more opulent and honourable 
of their call, and Hand a better chance of being received 
into one of a fuperior dignity. It is very certain that 
the Brahmins take the utmoll pains to inftil into the 
minds of females (for what caufes are belt known to 
themfelves) the higheft ideas of the glory and honour of 
this voluntary facrifice ; that they inftruCl them eagerly 
to embrace fuch an opportunity of dying, as a peculiar 
blefiing, which will place them immediately in the higheft 
bcboon , or fphere of purification, without palling through 
the intermediate ones. Thus worked up by their priefts 
from earlieft infancy to an enthufiaftic notion of a death 
fo advantageous and honourable to themfelves and fami¬ 
lies, it is no wonder, that fo many Indian women have 
in all ages (and continue fo to do at this day) eagerly 
coveted and heroically undergone this fiery trial. 
“ When the facerdotal houfekeeper, or father of a family, 
perceives his mufcles become flaccid, and his hair grey, 
and fees the child of his child, let him then feek refuge in 
a foreft. Departing from His houfe, taking with him 
pure implements, his water-pot and ftaff, keeping filence, 
■unallured by defire of the objeCls near him, let him enter 
into the fourth order. Alone let him conftantly dwell, 
for the fake of his own felicity, obferving the happinefs 
of a folitary man, who neither forfakes nor is forfaken ; 
let him live without a companion. Let him have no cu¬ 
linary fire, no domicil; let him, when hungry, go to the 
town for food ; let him patiently bear difeafe j let his mind 
be firm ; let him ftudy to know God, and fix his attention 
on God alone.” 
To this ufage we are in all probability to trace the ori¬ 
gin of the anchorite. That the dereliction of thofe focial 
MS 
duties, for the performance of which we were fent into 
this world, fhould ever have been confidered as acceptable 
to the Creator, is a fgnal, though not a fngular, inftancs 
of the perverfenefs of the human intellect ; yet, as this 
was interdicted to all except thofe who had leen a fecond 
generation of their defcendants, the Hindoo fyftem will 
perhaps appear lefs expofed to cenfure on this account 
than many others. 
The public law, relative to kings, ftates that “ Kings are 
compofed of eternal particles drawn from the fubftance 
of various deities ; their power is unfettered by any legal 
reftraint; but is to be guided and regulated by the advice 
of the Brahmins ; who are to give the monarch inftruc- 
tions in every poflible contingence of peace or war; with 
directions in the choice of a miniftry, of ambaffadors, of 
a metropolis, of a palace, of a queen, and of a chaplain.’ 
Strict attention to the conduCl of his agents, generofity 
to the learned, intrepidity in war, and abftinence from 
opprefllve exaCtion, are the virtues moft warmly recom¬ 
mended. 
The following are the taxes which compofed the re¬ 
venue of a Hindoo prince, in the ninth century before the 
Chriftian asra : Cuftoms were levied on the import and ex¬ 
port of faleable commodities: a fiftieth part of the increafe 
of cattle, gems, gold, and filver ; of grain, a fixth, an 
eighth, or a twelfth, of the increafe, in proportion to the 
degree of exigency ; and on other articles a fixth of the 
increafe, or profits. The facerdotal clafs was exempted 
from the payment of taxes. 
With refpeCl to the judicature of the community at large, 
the age of majority is fixed at fixteen, for the male lex ; 
women always remaining under tutelage. In civil cafes, 
three witnefles are required ; but in certain circumftances, 
where the deponent conceives that truth might lead to 
bad confequences, he is permitted to fubftitute fallehood. 
In this early age, it is curious to find the expedient 
adopted of limiting by law the rate of intereft ; which 
is fixed at two per cent, per month from a prieft, three 
from a loldier, four from a merchant, and five from a 
fervant; with a very curious exception in favour of mo¬ 
ney lent on fea-adventures; an exception which befpeaks 
a nation long inured to commercial habits, and accuftomed 
to foreign traffic. The criminal code is upon the whole 
diftinguilhed by the lenity of its enactments ; and, in 
contradiftinClion to other offences, we find the crime of 
theft punilhed more feverely in the higher clafles than in 
the lower. 
In the law of inheritance, the right of primogeniture 
is only acknowledged by a flender addition to the portion 
of the eidell fon. On failure of heirs, the property of 
the deceafed (unlefs a Brahmin) efcheats to the fovereign. 
Games of chance are profcribed, and punilhed by fine. 
The duties prefcribed for the performance of the com¬ 
mercial and fervile clafles, are as follow: 
“ Let the Vaifya, having been girt with his proper facri- 
ficial thread, and having married an equal wife, be always 
attentive to his bufinefs of agriculture and trade, and to 
that of keeping cattle. 
“ Since the lord of created beings, having formed herds, 
and flocks, intrufted them to the care of the Vaifya, while 
he intrufted the whole human fpecies to the Brahmin and 
Clhatya ; never mull a Vaifya be dilpofed to fay, I keep 
no cattle ; nor, he being willing to keep them, mull they 
by any means be kept by men of another clafs. 
“ Of gems, pearls, and coral, of iron, of woven cloth, 
of perfumes, and of liquids, let him well know the prices 
both high and low. 
“ Let him be Ikilled likewife in the time and manner 
of fowing feeds, and in the bad or good qualities of land ; 
let him alfo perfectly know the correCt modes of meafur- 
ing and weighing, the excellence or defefts of commo¬ 
dities, the advantages and difadvantages of different re¬ 
gions, the probable gain or lofs on vendible goods, and 
the means of breeding cattle with large augmentation. 
‘‘ Let him know the juft wages of fervants, the vari- 
% ous 
