gian, engaging in such researches, which, when conducted with knowledge and gravity, are surely to be commended; but because I think Ram Mohun Roy may be much better employed, in inculcating a knowledge of the precepts of Jesus upon his countrymen, where they are unknown, than in defending them against the missionaries of Serampore, by whom certainly they are neither theoretically nor practically denied or impugned. Knowing the good nature of my friend, I would venture to ask him, whether his disputations with Christians on points of faith, must not throw obstacles in the way of prevailing on his countrymen to give that attention to precepts, which he is so anxious to exact from them; and from which, who can doubt, that manifold would be the advantages, whether he made them Unitarians or Trinitarians and with this question, which I leave to Ram Mohun's serious consideration, I proceed to look at that part of his works, which in my estimation are infinitely more worthy of attention, than any thing, that can now-a-days be written for, or against doctrines, which have agitated the Christian world too long, to admit of any thing new being elicited.

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The burning of the Hindoo widow, at the death of her husband, has long attracted the attention of other countries. Its revolting and unnatural cruelty is at variance with all we have been accustomed to read of the mild and humane votary of Brahma, who recoils from horror at the idea of injuring a gnat; aud its permanence, amidst all the revolutions of India, has been regarded by the civilized world as one of the proudest triumphs of superstition. It was, there fore, to be expected, that from such a man as RAM MOHUN Roy it would meet with early, and close attention, in his endeavours to enlighten his countrymen: and more deeply read than many of his brethren in the Veds and Shastras of Brahminism, he has ventured to attack this practice in its strong-holds-the Hindoo scriptures themselves—and to prove that they are far from enjoining it.

It is well known to all your readers, that the practice of Concremation is not permitted within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court. To its banishment from Calcutta, humanity is, I believe, indebted to a former Chief Justice, Sir

John Anstruther. It is also subjected by Government, beyond the Mahratta ditch, to regulations, which did not formerly exist; and which, it was hoped, would have tended to lessen its frequency. It is however melancholy to reflect, how many still fall victims to this cruel immolation, notwithstanding the arguments of such men as Ram Mohun Roy, and the humane attempts of authority, to discourage it. It would appear, indeed, from some late statements, that the numbers of widows annually sacrificed in Bengal, has rather increased than diminished within these few years; and it does not surprize me, that the advocates of the practice should trace this alleged fact to the natural effect of opposition to religious feeling and opinions. I am very much disposed, however, to doubt its accuracy, and to imagine, that although within these few years more immolations have come to the knowledge of the public, the real increase has not been in proportion to our better acquaintance with them. It is consolatory to know, that a practice so repugnant to humanity is confined to the lower classes of the Hindoos; and to find, as I have often done, that the higher and better informed among the casts, in which the law permits it, very generally reprobate it. Instances have occurred of late, where the widow has been prevailed upon to consent to burn by the Gooroos, when the family of the deceased have interfered, and forcibly prevented her.

The text of Vishnu in regard to cremation is as follows:zâ Håfc graù' agaiêigu ar.

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Meaning, after the death of her husband, a woman shall become an ascetic, or ascend the funeral pile." It may, I think, be argued with some shew of reason, that when Vishnu issued that text, his only object was to teach, as strongly as possible, the duty of a widow living a retired, and ascetic life; and his pointing to an alternative so thoroughly revolting to human nature, may be regarded as only a highly figurative mode of enforcing this duty, pointing to that as its only substitute, which it would seem beyond the power of human courage to adopt. By the advocates of immolation, this text is, however, most grossly perverted; for they explain it: "If a widow cannot ascend the

funeral pile, she must live the life of an ascetic," thereby making the ascending the pile the duty of primary obligation. That this interpretation is not warranted by the text must be very obvious; and that it is not to be received as orthodox, is also clear from the decision of the Mitakshara, an authority much revered by the Brahmans, "that the widow, who is not desirous of final beatitude, but who wishes only for a limited term of a small degree of future fruition, is authorized to accompany her husband."

There is a remarkable ingredient in all Hindoo works of merit, which it is necessary to keep in view, in appreciating the weight of argument drawn from the Veds, for and against concremation: the value of religious rites and acts is measured by the absence of desire,―i.e. they are meritorious, in proportion as they are performed, without regard to their fruits; and men are divided into those, who are able to perform them with no other wish, but to acquire that knowledge of God which leads to final absorption, and those who are unable to attain this abstraction of mind. In pity to the weakness of the latter, the Veds allow them to perform works, with the view of pleasing God, and set apart for them a portion of inferior future happiness. They allow them a term of years in heaven, but they send them back to all the evils of birth, life, and death, in this world. If this view of the doctrine of the Veds is correct, it follows, that they cannot teach the preference of concremation to asceticism; for it is admitted, on all hands, that asceticism is uniformly represented, as leading to the knowledge of God, which terminates in absorption; whereas concremation is done for the sake of future rewards. The Bhagavat Geeta, "the essence of all Shastras," distinguishes constantly between knowledge, and rites, and always gives the preference to the former. Now the widow who adopts asceticism, chooses "faith," or "knowledge;" the widow who burns, unable to attain this exaltation, chooses "rites," or "fruition." The Ved says generally, "He is wise who prefers wisdom-he is a fool, who accepts the offer of rites;" and the Hindoo advocate for concremation, when he rests its superiority on these sacred books, treats them with obvious contempt. The Geeta, indeed, goes so far as to as

sert, that "they who, like the widow that burns, perform works for the sake of fruition, are most debased."

The advocate of concremation is not, however, without the colour of authority from the sacred books of the Hindoos, in support of the practice. The texts supplying this supposed authority have been brought under the ordeal of Ram Mohun's reasoning and acuteness; and they appear to me to have been by him most clearly demonstrated, as teaching the general doctrine, which I have now endeavoured to explain. Of these texts the following will at first sight appear somewhat formidable, when we rest the practice, not on its own intrinsic merits, but on the authority of the Veds.

अनुयाति न भत्तारं यदिदेवात् कथञ्चन,

तथापि शीलं संरक्ष्यं शीलभङ्गात् पतत्यधः.

"On the death of her husband, if by chance a widow is unable to perform concremation, virtue is to be observed; for from its breach she falls into hell." This text the words of Ungira are quoted as confirming.

नान्येोहि धर्म्म।विज्ञेयेाम्टते भर्त्तरि कर्हिचित्

"There is no other pious course for a widow, except burning." Ram Mohun meets the argument, drawn from these texts, first, by stating, that in the estimation of the Smartu commentators on the Shastras, the words of Ungira convey merely an exaggerated praise of concremation-and, secondly, by throwing out a doubt, as to the existence ofthe passage in the Skundu Pooran. But admitting its authenticity, all the rules of reasoning require, that the weaker should give way to the weightier authority. To get rid of this argument, the advocate of concremation is obliged to deny the authority of Munoo, although the Ved, to which he appeals, expressly says, "Whatever Munoo lays down, that is commendable." Our readers will form some notion of the nicety of metaphysical argument, in which Ram Mohun and his opponents indulge, when I mention, that in order to keep his ground, the advocate of immolation is obliged to lay much stress on the singular number being employed in the text of Brihusputi, when he says, "Whatever law is contrary to the law of Munoo, is not commendable;" and it is argued, that where two

commentators differ from Munoo, the direction of Brishusputi does not apply. Ram Mohun meets, and overturns this argument, by demonstrating that it proves too much, and is in fact an ad absurdum. Its universal application would prove, that although there is a text, declaring that he who strikes a Brahman, shall go to the lowest hell, yet two or more, conspiring to strike two or more Brahmans, would not come under the penalties of this text! He contends also, that there can be no discrepancy betwixt Munoo and the Veds; for the latter have declared, that what he says is to be accepted, and they cannot contradict themselves. It is, however, admitted, that in the Rik Ved, there is found a passage, teaching that absorption may accrue by the performance of the daily and occasional ceremonies; but we are told, that the spiritual parts of the Ved are of more authority than the ceremonial, and that Munoo gave of course the preference to the latter*. I confess I should have been pleased, if in an argument rested by both parties on the text of the Veds, to have found Ram Mohun escaping in some other way, from the text quoted from the Rik; but the inconsistency will certainly be found as much against the argument of the advocate, as against that of the opponent of concremation; and it is clearly shewn by Ram Mohun, that when there is a doubt, respecting the meaning of any text of the Ved, the interpretation by Munoo is followed by both ancient and modern authors; and that, therefore, his opponents are under the necessity of setting up the texts of such commentators of little note as Hareet and Ungira, to set aside the words of Munoo—a presumption, which not even the great Mahadeo himself ever ventured on. The argument for setting aside Munoo, which is founded on the number of testimonies opposed to his, is soon disposed of, as unless they are

* Our 'correspondent appears to have in some degree mistaken the meaning of the passage of the Ved, quoted by Ram Mohun Roy in his Second Conference. This passage is brought forward by Ram Mohun to shew, that although, in the ceremonial part of the Rik-Ved, there is a passage, which his opponent had quoted, authorizing concremation, yet in the spiritual part of the same Ved, the force of this passage is neutralized by another, inculcating the preservation of life, in order to perform the daily and occasional rites, without the desire of fruition, and thus prepare for absorption. And the argument of Ram Mohun is, that as the spiritual authorities supersede the ceremonial ones, the act of concremation, which cannot be perpetrated without the destruction of life, and the desire of fruition, is necessarily forbidden by the authority of the same Ved.-ED.