"With respect to the monstrous origin of Balesa, and the thirty-one Phalla; my pundit, who is an astronomer, suspects it to be an attempt to reconcile the course of the moon to that of the sun, by dividing the synodical revolution into thirty-one parts, which may represent also three hundred and ten years. As this correction is now disused, he could give me no further information concerning it. To the event related is ascribed the origin of the Linga or Phallus, and of its worship it is said to have happened on the banks of the Cumudvati, or Euphrates; and the first Phallus, under the name of Baleswara Linga, was erected on its banks. This is confirmed by Diodorus Siculus, who says that Semi-Ramis brought an obelisk from the mountains of Armenia, and erected it in the most conspicuous part of Babylon; it was 150 feet high, and is reckoned, by the same author, as one of the seven wonders of the world. The Jews in their Talmud allude to something of this kind; speaking of the different sorts of earths, of which the body of Adam was formed, they say that the earth which composed his generative parts was brought from Babylonia.

"The next place of worship is the st'han of Anayasa-devi; this is obviously the Ispov TAs Avalas (hieron tes Anaias) of Strabo, or the temple of the goddess Anaia, or Anaias, with its burning spring of Naphtha. They are upon a bil. lock, called Corcura by the an cients, and now known by the name of Corcoor: it is near Kerkook, and to the eastward of the Tigris. To this day it is visited by pilgrims from India; and I have been fortunate enough to meet with four or five who had

paid their devotions at this holy place. I consulted them separately and their accounts were as satisfac tory as could be expected. They call it Juala-muc'hi, or the flaming mouth.

"This conflagration is minutely described by Diodorus Siculus, who says, that in former times a monster called Alcida, who vo mited flames, appeared in Phrygia; hence spreading along mount Taurus, the conflagration burnt down all the woods, as far as India; then, with a retrograde course, swept the forests of mount Liban, and extended as far as Egypt and Africa: at last a stop was put to it by Minerva.

"The Phrygians remembered well this conflagration, and the flood which followed it; but as they could not conceive that it could originate from a benevolent goddess, they transformed her into a monster, called Alcida. Alcida however is an old Greek word, implying strength and power, and is therefore synonymous with Saca or Sacta-devi, the principal form of Sami-Rama, and other manifestations of the female power of nature.

"Indeed the names and titles of most of the Babylonian deities are pure Sanscrit; and many of them are worshipped to this day in India, or at least their legends are to be found in the Puranas.

"Thus Semiramis is derived from Sami-Ramesi, or Sami-Rama, and Sami-Rama-devi.

"Militta from Militia-devi, be cause she brings people together (Connuba).

"Shacka or Saca, is from the Sanscrit Sacta-devi, pronounced Saca in the vulgar dialects: it in plies strength and power.

Slamba, or Salambo, is from Sar

Sarwamba, often pronounced Salwamba: it signifies the mother of all: and she is the magna mater of the western nythologists.

"Devi is called also Antargati, or Autargata, because she resides within the body, or in the heart, and thereby gives strength and courage. This is the goddess of victory in India, and they have no other: it is declared in the Puranas, that she was called Antrast'hi (a title of the same import with the former) in the forests of Vishala-van, on the banks of the river Tamasa, in Chandra-duip: from Antrast'hi the old Britons, or rather the Romans, made Andraste.

The Babylonian goddess was called also the Queen of Heaven; and to this day a form of devi, with the title of Svergar-radni-devi, or Devi, Queen of Heaven, is worshipped in India.

"Rhea is from Hriya-devi, or the bashful or modest goddess.

"Rakh is from Raceswara: a name of Lunus, from one of his favourite wives called Raca: it signifies also the full orb of the

because Rudra, or Maba-deva, gave him half of his own strength.

"Vahni-st'han, called also Agui❤ st'han, is said in some Puranas to be in Cusha-duip; and in others, to be on the borders of it. It includes all the mountainous country from Phrygia to Herat. Vahuist'han and Agnist'han are denominations of the same import,and signify the country or seat of fire, from the numerous volcanos and burning springs which are to be found all along this extensive range of mountains, The present Azar-Baijan is part o. it, and may be called Vahni-st'han proper. Azar, in the old Persian, signifies fire; and Bajan, a mine or spring. This information was given to me by Mr. Duncan, resident of Benares, who was so kind as to consult on this subject with Mehdi-Al-Khan, one of the Aumils of the Zemindary of Benares. He is a native of Khorassan, and well acquainted with the antiquities of his own country, aud of Iran in general. According to him, the principal Baijan, or spring of fire, is at a place called BautChubeh, in Azar-Baijan. Vahnist'han is called also Vahni-vyapta, from the immense quantity of fire collected in that country. There are many places of worship remaining throughout Iran, stil: esorted to by devout pilgrims. The principal are Balk and the Pyræum, near Herat; Hinglaz, or Anclooje, near the sea, and about eighty miles from the mouth of the Indus; it is now deserted; but there remain twenty-four temples of Bha

vani.

This place, however, is seldom visited, on account of the difficulties attending the journey to it.

tains.

"The st'han of Calyana-Raya and Govinda-Raya, two incarnations of Vishnu, is in the centre of Bussora, on the banks of the Euphrates; and there are two statues carefully concealed from the sight of the Mussulmans.

"Anayasa-devi-st'han has been already mentioned; and the great Juala-muc'hi is the designation of the springs of Naphtha, near Baku. "There is also another Hindu place of worship at Baharein (El Katif) and another at Astrachan, where the few Hindus who live there worship the Volga, under the name of Surya-muc'hi-Ganga: the legends relating to this famous river are to be found in the Purawas, and confirm the information of the pilgrims who have visited these holy places. There are still many Hindus dispersed through that immense country; they are unknown to the Mussulmans; and they pass for Guebris, as they call them here, or Parsis. There is now at Benares a Brahmen of the name of Devi-das, who is a native of Mesched; he was introduced lately to my acquaintance by Mr. Duncan; and he informed me that it was supposed there were about 2000 families of Hindus in Khorassan; that they called themselves Hindi; and are known to the Mussulmans of the country under that appellation.

"This, in my opinion, accounts for the whole country to the south of the Caspian sea, from Khorassan and Arrokhage, as far as the Black Sea, being called India by the ancients; and its inhabitants in various places Sindi; it is implicit ly confirmed by the Puranas, in which it is said that the Surya-muc'

of Scind. The Hindus near Baku and at Astrachan, call it the New Sea, because they say it did not exist formerly. They have legends about it, which, however, my learned friend Vidhya-nath could not find in the Puranas.

"According to the pilgrims I have consulted, there are about twenty or thirty families of Hindus at Balk; and Eusebius informs us that there were Hindus in Bactriana in his time. There are as many families at Gangawaz, or Congo; about one hundred at Bussora; and a few at Babarein: these informed Purana-puri, a Yoyi and famous traveller, called also Urd'hwabahu, because he always keeps his hands elevated above his head, that formerly they corresponded and traded with other Hindus on the banks of the river Nila, in the country of Misr; and that they had once a house or factory at Cairo; but that, on account of the oppression of the Turks and the roving Arabs, there had been no intercourse between them for several generations. There are no Hindus at Anayasadevi, or Corcoor; but they compute a large number in the vicinity of Baku and Derbend. The Shroffs at Samakhi are Banyans or Hindus, according to the Dictionary of Commerce, and of Trevoux, as cited in the French Encyclopedia.

"The Cubanis who live near Derbend, are Hindus, as my friend Purana-puri was told at Baku and Astrachan, in his way to Moscow; and their Brahmens are said to be very learned; but, as he very properly observed, this ought to be understood relatively on a comparison with the other Hindus in Persia, who are extremely ignorant.

"His relation is in a great mea

sure

sure confirmed by Strahlenberg, who calls them Cuba and Cubatzin; and says that they live near Derbend, and are a distinct people, supposed to be Jews, and to speak still the Hebrew fanguage.

"The Sanscrit characters might easily be mistaken for the black Hebrew letters by superficial observers, or persons little conversant in subjets of this nature.

"The Arani, figuratively called the daughter of the Sami-tree, and the mother of fire, is a cubic piece of wood about five inches in diameter, with a small hole in the upper part. A stick of the same sort of wood is placed in this cavity, and put in motion by a string held by two men, or fixed to a bow. The friction soon produces fire, which is used for all religious purposes, and also for dressing food. Every Brahmen ought to have an Arani; and when they cannot procure one from the Sami-tree, which is rather scarce in this part of India, they make it with the wood of the Asvatt'ha, or Pippala tree. This is also a sacred tree, and they distinguish two species of it; the Pippala, called

in the vulgar dialects Pipal, and the Chalat-palasha. The leaves of this last are larger, but the fruit is smaller, and not so numerous as in the former species. It is c lled Chalat-palasha, from the tremulous motion of its leaves. It is very common in the hills, and the vulgar name for it is Popala; from which I suppose is derived the Latin word populus; for it is certainly the trembling poplar or Aspen tree.

"The festival of Semiramis falls always on the tenth day of the lunar month of Aswina, which this year coincided with the fourth of October. On this day lamps are lighted in the evening under the Sami-tree; offerings are made of rice and flowers; and sometimes strong liquors; the votaries sing the praise of Sami-Rama-devi and the Sami-tree; and having worshipped them, carry away some of the leaves of the tree, and earth from the roots, which they keep carefully in their houses till the return of the festival of Semiramis in the ensuing year.”

"I

" SIR,

F ever the cultivation of rhubarb in this kingdom becomes so extensive as to supersede the necessity of its importation; to the Society for the Promotion of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, will the community be indebted for an advantage, the magnitude and importance of which cannot be too highly appreciated. From whatever cause, which it is unnecessary here to investigate, certain it is, the consumption of this valuable drug is increased, and continues to do so to a very great degree. All calculation, from a variety of circumstances, must be vague; but I do not think sir William Fordyce, in speaking of the value of the importation, is much mistaken, when he estimates the annual amount at 200,0001. sterling. Whether this statement is true to the extent or not, how forcibly it must strike to the conviction of every one, and how much to be lamented, that a country like England, whose commercial consequence is solely dependent on the industry of its inhabitants, and the productions of

its soil, should be indebted to other climates, and other soils, for that which, I am more than ever persuaded, is congenial to its own!

"The Society, feeling all the force of this observation, have endeavoured, for a considerable period, to promote a remedy; and every attentive observer cannot fail being impressed with the wisdom and prudence that have governed their conduct,

"Till the fact was rendered so indisputable as to defy all controversy, instead of stimulating the speculative to undertakings, most certainly very expensive, and after all of doubtful benefit, they first confined themselves within such a limit, as that the requisition appeared more like an experiment than any thing else. In time, certain claimants, preferring their different pretensions, established by actual experiment the practicability of the measure; and hence, with a perseverance and liberality that will ever redound to their honour, they now stipulate for more extensive perfor mances, and, besides their honorary gold medal, offer this year a

hand