the author of the letter to the ladies of Liverpool, whom he has in his eye. The labours of this missionary are now closed; and they were neither few, nor unimportant, in throwing light on the customs and manners of the Hindoos: but his picture of the state of native females in this country, in his celebrated letter to the Liverpool ladies, undoubtedly overstepped the modesty of the subject, when he spoke of so many mothers still throwing their children to sharks and alligators at the mouth of the Hooghly: and from all the sources of information, to which we have had access, we are led to suspect, that what is happy and commendable in the female lot in India, was kept too much out of view, while what undoubtedly admits of amendment was brought prominently forward, in such a manner as to create an erroneous impression of their real condition, on the minds of those, whose philanthropy and benevolence might lead them to promote this amendment. At the same time, we cannot dismiss even this part of DUBOIS' Letters without saying, that the language employed in regard to the late Mr. Ward, is not so measured, nor indeed so decorous, as we expected from his pen.

But we must take our leave of Dubois and his work. We have spent so much time upon it, for no other reason, than that we are persuaded it is calculated to do a great deal of harm to the cause of moral and religious improvement in India. It has been triumphantly quoted by those in England, who regard this improvement with something more than indifference; and it cannot be doubted, that it will withhold many, who would have otherwise stepped forward to promote these objects. Notwithstanding the long residence of Dubois in India, and his boasted acquaintance with the natives, it appears to us evident, that he has been conversant with the native character, only in the very lowest states, in which it is to be found; and judging from what he has there observed, he has generalized his experience beyond all reasonable bounds, and done injustice to the Hindoos of a better rank. He has taken up prejudices, which appear to stick by him, even in the face of facts, recorded by himself; and although there is here and there an expression of his great veneration for Christianity, and his desire to see it

spread among the Hindoos, we must say, that we have risen from the perusal of his Letters, with very great doubts of the sincerity of these expressions. The impression, which it has left on our minds, is, that it is rather the work of one, desirous to appal by the acknowledged difficulties, than to cheer by the encouragements to the task. It may be said, that Dubois found no encouragements in his missionary career: but we should have been glad, at least, to have found him hoping for better things to his fellow-labourers in other parts of the Peninsula, and calling on them, as we do, not to be disheartened in so good a cause, as the moral and religious improvement of so many millions of their fellow subjects, by the result of the Abbe Dubois' experience, or the weight of his arguments.

A Second Conference between an Advocate and an Opponent of the Practice of burning Widows alive. Translated from ́ the original Bengalee.

SIR,

To the Editor of the ORIENTAL Magazine.

Albeit I am not much given to prophecy, I will almost venture to foretel, that the period is near at hand, when the cruel practice of burning the widow on the funeral pile of her husband, will disappear from the provinces subject to British sway and influence. If any thing, perhaps, can retard it, it will be the injudicious interference of the good folks in England; and I could sincerely wish, that the clergy of Bedfordshire, and Mr. Buxton, would leave the subject untouched by their legislative wisdom. The fruits of European influence and intercourse with the natives of Bengal are undoubtedly manifesting themselves in the sentiments, with which the better informed Hindoos are beginning to regard the practice; and it will not surprize one much, if the considerate and forbearing policy of the British Government should be soon rewarded, by the total disappearance, throughout the whole extent of its vast empire, of a practice, which the Hindoos have so long been erroneously taught to regard as of divine origin and author

ity, and which in itself is so revoltingly disgusting and cruel.

It is impossible to look forward to a consummation so devoutly to be wished, without the name of RAM MOHUN ROY, the author of the small tract before me, presenting itself to our minds: and it is impossible to name this enlightened and distinguished Hindoo, without spending a few words on his efforts to improve the religion and morality of his countrymen. There are many grounds, on which he has established a claim to attention; but his exertions to elevate the native females of India, to the rank, which he proves them to have once held, and to rescue them from the alternative of a cruel death, or a miserable widowhood, entitle him to our most unqualified approbation: and whatever may be the doctrinal errors, into which I think he has fallen, in his published views of Christianity, I have the greatest pleasure in accompanying him through his truly philanthropic labours, in behalf of his countrywomen; and could my humble tribute of applause incite him to still greater exertions in so good a cause, they should not be wanting. I meddle not with his controversial works, in opposition to those Christians, who maintain the doctrine of the Trinity and Atonement, farther than very honestly to tell him, that I regret to see them, both because I am quite sure they are interminable, and because I fear they must take him off from pursuits, the prosecution of which would present fruits, over which HUMANITY, REASON, and CHRISTIANITY would alike exult.

Many of your readers must be acquainted with the personal appearance of Ram Mohun Roy. Such as have not seen him may be told, that his figure inclines to the handsome and commanding-his countenance displays more modesty, I think, than acuteness; and his appearance is altogether that of a native of superior rank and wealth. He has now attained the 55th year of his age; and of these he has spent not a few in laying in the knowledge, which distinguishes him from his countrymen. In his conversation, he does not exhibit that easy command over the English language, which I have found in many other Hindoos; but his writings display a very thorough knowledge of it, in all its niceties of idiom

and grammar. His acquaintance with European literature is very extensive; and I have often had occasion to wonder at his accurate knowledge of the history, and civil and religious institutions of England. He devotes much of his time to the acquisition of European literature; and should he ever accomplish his intended visit to the western world, he will not find himself so utterly a stranger.

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Soon after Ram Mohun had become impressed with the conviction, that the morality of the gospel is transcendently superior to that of any other code of religion, he exerted himself to recommend the adoption of its precepts to his countrymen. He endeavoured to shew them, that the Christian Scriptures taught the same great and fundamental doctrines, in regard to the being and attributes of the Deity, as were inculcated in their own Shastras, before they had been cor rupted by the introduction of doctrines and practices, repugnant at once to right reason, and destructive of human happiness. Among these he more especially pointed their attention to the worshipping of images, the division of casts, and polygamy; and he succeeded in attaching to him a very considerable number of his countrymen, who, if they did not go so far as Ram Mohun himself, in sitting down at table with Europeans, where the flesh of the sacred cow was served up, admitted, that to those Hindoos who did, no crime was to be imputed, and who did not, therefore, on that account refuse associating with their new teacher. Their practice was to meet at the house of Ram Mohun, and to hear the new doctrines expounded; and I recollect having seen several of the hymns, which on these occasions, they were in the habit of singing, which breathed a spirit of truly rational praise to the Creator of the universe. Ram Mohun himself continued to cultivate the acquaintance of European scholars; and his table was frequently the resort of many of our Calcutta literati.

In the midst of these labours towards enlightening the minds, and ameliorating the condition of his countrymen, my friend allowed himself to be carried away into a theological discussion with several Christian missionaries, which, I have already hinted, has been the subject of no little regret to those, who looked to him, as the instrument of doing

much good to the natives of this county. In the very close, and I believe sincere attention, which he had given the Christian Scriptures, he was unable to discover several of the doctrines, which are now held as orthodox by the reformed churches of Christendom, and too conscientious to profess, where he did not entertain faith, I must be pleased with his honesty in rejecting them, however much, as myself orthodox in the faith, I must regret his unbelief. In his little tract, entitled "The Precepts of Jesus the Guide to Peace and Happiness," he confined himself to a compilation of these precepts, keeping out of view the doctrinal points of Christianity, on which Christians themselves have been so much divided. This subjected him to the charge of having injured the cause which he came forward to advocate; but I confess I cannot applaud the zeal of the writer in "The Friend of India," who ran with breathless haste to expose the heterodoxy of Ram Mohun, who naturally enough came forward in his own defence, and was thus involved in the mazes of theological controversy about the deep things of the Christian faith. It is not long ago, since the good sense of the Christian society at this Presidency, was insulted by what was 'called a series of "Lectures on the Trinity," by a warm and zealous advocate of the doctrine; and the edifying spectacle afforded us, of the most erudite, and most abstract questions, that ever agitated the Christian church, settled beyond dispute by the merchants' clerks and tradesmen of Calcutta, met in convocation in the Cossitollah!! The newspapers teemed with absurdities, harmless enough in themselves, and only to be regretted, as at once a libel on the taste and judgment of those, who could vent them through the press, and on those, who could listen to them in sober seriousness. It is due to Ram Mohun Roy to state, that in this discreditable scene he did not appear, although his writings associated his name with the learned disputations, more closely than could have been agreeable either to himself, or his friends. I could have wished, on many accounts, that he had stood as much aloof, on the subject of the Trinity and the Atonement, from the missionaries at Serampore, as he did from the theologians of the Cossitollah: not that I have any objections to a learned man, and a scholar, and a theolo