YT 64s 
paralleled. The engines of torture 
whith they are said to carry with them, 
toorce confession of concealed treasure, 
are of a terrible description, . The iron 
chair in which, heated red hot, the of-. 
fender is placed, and the envelope of the 
same metal, also heated red hot, to encir- 
cle his head, are among a few of them. 
These are particularly mentioned by the 
Missionaries, who resided m the Carna- 
tic. at the time of their grand irruption 
there in 1740; and, in fact, for one of 
them, Pere Madeira, after having been 
_ first severely flogsed, and exposed seve- 
ral days naked to a vertical sun, to make 
him discover hidden treasure, the chair 
and that envelope were heated red hot: 
but by the interposition of one of the 
Renerals he was respited. Their more 
lenient punishments are slitting the nose, 
and cutting off the ears; but Bernier, 
who was an eye-witness of their cruelties, 
during the plunder of Surat, in 1664, 
says, that, to make the rich inhabitants 
discover their wealth, they were guilty 
of more horrid eruelties, cutting off the 
legs and atmis of those who were suspected 
Of secreting it. | 
“* Tfit were only against the Moors, 
the ferovious invaders of their country; 
the despoilers of the Hindoo temples, and 
the remorseless murderers of the priests 
of Brahma, that these cruelties were di- 
tected, it would be less a subject of 
wonder, since Sevajee publicly announced 
himself the avenger of the gods of Hindos- 
tan, against the sanguinary violators of 
their shrines, meaning Aurungzebe, and 
the Moguls; but their rage is indiscrimi- 
nating ; and Hindoos and Mahommedans 
are alike the victims of their unrelenting 
barbarities. How astonishing must this 
conduct appear to every reflecting mind! 
Scrupulous minutely to observe all the 
prescribed duties of their cast, with re- 
spect to diet and ablutions, even amidst 
the tumult of war, and often to the ob- 
struction of the business of a campaign, 
yet practising every species of brutal in- 
humanity: how strange the transition 
from the meekness of prayer to the rage 
of plunder; from ablutiun in the purify- 
ing wave, that washes away sip, to bathe 
in torrents of human blood. - From ‘all 
this pollution, however, the Brahmins, 
who share in the plunder, have the ef- 
frantery to tell them, they are purified 
by the sacrifice of a buffalo, accom- 
panied with many mysterious ceremo- 
nies, and with this wretched salvo their 
consciences are appeased. 
‘¢ This whole account will render less 
Retrospect of Domestic Literature— Archeology. . 
incredible what, on good authority, I 
had long ago intimated in the Indian 
Antiquities, when detailing the _an- 
cient sanguinary rites of Hindostan; that, 
even at this day, certain tribes of the fe- 
rocious race of Mahrattas, are more than 
suspected of secretly cherishing a nums - 
ber of haman victims, the most remark- 
able for personal beauty that can possi- 
bly be obtained, and generally in the 
full vigour and bloom of youth, for the 
rites of the altar; of fattening them, like 
the stall-fed oxen, for slaughter ; and on 
grand solemnities of festivity, or grief, of 
actually offering up those unhappy vic- 
tims to their gloomy goddess Cali, in alf 
the pomp of that tremendous sacrifice. 
“ Making war their sole profession, © 
‘and letting themselves out to the best 
bidder, they are to be found ial! quar- 
ters, and are alternately engaged by all 
parties.’ It 15 dangerous, however, to 
employ ‘them; for the offer of better 
terms generally induces them to change 
sides ; and plunder being their grand ob» 
ject, they often devastate the very coun- 
try which they were hired to defend. 
Their principal strength hes in their nu- 
merous cavalry, which they cherish with 
the greatest care; and their horses, like 
themselves, being mured to privations, 
and perpetually in exercise, are of a 
hardier nature, and more capable of 
bearing fatigue, than any brought into 
the field by the princes of India. Rapid 
in thelr movements, and unincumbered 
with baggage, they render themselves for- 
midable to the Mogul ‘armies, by harass- 
ing their rear, by ravaging the country, 
and by cutting off their supphes. ‘hey 
avoid, as much as possible, a general en- 
gagement, but when it takes place they 
combat with resolution; and in the use 
of the ‘sabre are dreadfully dexterous. 
If, however, their arms: are crowned 
with victory, ‘their principal attention is 
instantly directed to plundering the camp 
of the vanquished, instead of pursuing 
them to extermination. Were they 
firmly united under ‘one able commands 
ing chief, as under Sevajee, they would 
be formidable indeed, and must soon be. 
the sovereigns of Hindostan; but their 
government being feudal, divided among 
many chiefs, mostly at variance with each 
other, their power is weakened in pro~ 
portion, and itis only from their devasta= 
tions that Hindostan has ‘to fear.” 
APCH ZOLOGY. 
In this department, rather than among 
the fine arts; ‘we place the “ Costwmne of 
the Ancients,” by Mr, Tuomas Hopr,*a 
work 
