having long wandered through the fields, at last arrived at a pagod, situated in the midst of a little, but very agreeable grove. Here they offered up very long prayers, but to no effect, which made them conclude that the beauty of the place was the sole cause of their prayers being rejected. Hereupon they resolved to see if they could not succeed better in the plains, and continued, for that purpose, always exposed to the burning rays of the sun, and the inclemencies of the weather. But still this rigorous penance availed them nothing. At last they made a resolution to suffer the extremes of hunger, till such time as it should please the power they worshipped either to hear their prayers, or put an end to their lives. For nine days they underwent this rigorous trial; after which Vishnu appeared to them under the shape of a beautiful child, and asked them the occasion of these repeated austerities. They satisfied his demands; upon which Vishnu revealing himself, promised them three children, and vanished away in an instant. Two of these three children were produced by transmigration; the souls of the Bramin and his wife, whom a too severe abstinence and an over-violent affliction had brought to their graves, transmigrated into the bodies of two new-born children; these afterwards grew up, were married, and gave birth to a child, the last fruit of Vishnu's promise. The father, according to the legend, was called Sandichemi, the mother Rameka, and the child Prasserum : Rameka had a sister that was married to a giant who had a thousand arms.

Seventh Incarnation.

One Rawana, born a Bramin, had formerly an extraordinary devotion for Ixora, to whom he daily offered a hundred flowers. The god Ixora being one day desirous of making a trial of his faith, stole one of them away, and afterwards complained that the oblation was less than usual. Rawana counted the flowers, and, finding but ninety-nine, was immediately disposed to pluck out one of his eyes, to make up the deficiency. Ixora, satisfied with this pledge of his fidelity, would not suffer him to do it, and as an acknowledgment, offered to grant him whatever he should request. The Bramin desired that the government of the world might be committed to him; which was granted. In the mean time, Rawana continued his devout exercises; and his prayers, though they were frequent, were yet very selfish; upon which Ixora spoke to him as follows:- "As I have indulged thee in all thou demandedst of me, why dost thou still continue to address me in prayer? What is it thou now wantest of me?” “I have one thing more to request of thee," says the importunate Rawana, “and that is, to give me ten heads, to govern this universe which thou hast given me, and survey all things in it with my own eyes, and twenty arms, to exercise my power therein." Ixora granted him also this request; after which, Rawana fixed upon Lanca for the place of his residence, and fortified himself very strongly in it; when, after a long and prudent reign, he forgot all his obligations to Ixora, and would have obliged his subjects to acknowledge him only for God. Upon this Vishnu assumed a human shape, and came upon the earth under the name of Ram, the wife of a Rajah bringing him into the world, to chastise Rawana's insolence. Ram performed several wonderful exploits: he first killed Rawana, who had metamorphosed himself into a stag; but the soul of the cunning

Rawana immediately quitted the stag, and went and shot itself into the body of a Faquir. In this new disguise he played Ram a true Faquir's trick, by carrying off his wife Sitha; but Hanuman, the ape-god, revenged this affront which Rawana, transformed into this mock devotee, had put upon Ram. The ape made a dreadful havoc in Lanca; nor were Rawana, or the giants his subjects, able to put a stop to it; and when they, by the virtue of certain magical words, had at last found out the secret of taking Hanuman prisoner, they nevertheless could not put him to death, because of the help that Ram continually afforded him. Rawana asked the ape by what means his strength might be subdued; but the ape imposed upon him, by telling him he must dip his tail in oil, surround it with flax or hemp, and afterwards set fire to it; assuring him that by this means he would lose his strength. Hanuman being thus equipped, set fire to Rawana's palace, and destroyed part of Lanca. We have taken a particular notice of this incident, because of its great resemblance to the story of Samson, and shall add, that Rawana's obstinate refusal to give up the woman he had carried off, the punishment which Ram and his brother Lekeman inflicted upon him on that account, and Ram's passage through the waters, have a great affinity with the history of Moses. At last Ram and Lekeman killed the ravisher Rawana with arrows; and the ape Hanuman fought as bravely for them at this juncture as he had done on former occasions.

Eighth Incarnation.

The history of this incarnation includes several particulars which bear some relation to the life of Moses and that of our Blessed Saviour. Vishnu became man under the form of a child, called in the Indian legend, Kristna, is rescued from the fury of a Raja, who was destined to die by the hand of a child.

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Ninth Incarnation.

Vishnu went by the name of Boudhe, in order to reveal himself to men. This Boudhe, according to the doctrine of the Banians, had neither father nor mother he is invisible, and all spirit; but whenever he reveals himself to his faithful servants, under heaven, he assumes the figure under which Vishnu is worshipped by the East Indians. They affirm that Boudhe, who is the mediator of mankind, prays to Mahedu day and night for them.

Tenth Incarnation.

The time for this incarnation is not yet come; Vishnu will one day reveal himself, with Kellenki, or Kelki, which is the name the Bramins give to a white, winged horse, adorned with rich trappings, whom they suppose to be in the heavens: the horse is led by a king, who has a lifted sabre in his hand; and this monarch is undoubtedly Vishnu. The horse has always his right foot lifted up; but whenever he shall think fit to set it down upon the earth, in order to punish the impious and the wicked, it will then sink under the weight of it; the serpent Signag shall then no longer be able to support the earth; the tortoise, oppressed with the weight, shall plunge to the bottom of the sea, and mankind in general shall be destroyed. Such will be the end of the last age of the world; after which the first age is to return again; for the Indians and other idolaters of the East suppose a revolution in the universe, like to that of the Platonists.

SEC. XII.-RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND CUSTOMS OF THE

LAPLANDERS.

FROM the time that so large a portion of Lapland fell under the dominion of Sweden, repeated attempts were made to convert the natives to the Christian faith; and the same object was diligently prosecuted by the Danish government. The Laplanders, however, continued to retain a strong attachment to their ancient mythology; and, even so late as the middle of the eighteenth century, a great part of the nation secretly worshipped idols, while publicly professing the Christian religion.

To these idols were presented various offerings and sacrifices. Upon any change of habitation, libations were made of whey or milk, to conciliate the guardian divinity of the place; and of brandy to Sacrifices. the Lares or household gods, who were supposed to reside under the fire-place. To conciliate the favour of the deities to their children, sacrifices of sheep or deer were offered, before the child was born: a dog was buried alive at the moment of the birth; and some other animal killed when the infant was at the breast. Offerings and sacrifices were usually made for the removal of epidemic disorders, for success in hunting, &c. In these cases, sometimes the whole of the victim was presented, sometimes only a part, sometimes merely the bones, while the blood was sprinkled upon staves, which were left on the spot, or mingled with the waters of an adjacent river or lake. The liver of a bear, the horns and other parts of a deer, taken in the chase, were very frequently consecrated to the deity of the place.

The Laplanders, according to Picart, worship their gods under the form of a tree, or block of wood, the top of which they form into a rude resemblance of a man's head. In the head they were wont to drive Idols. a large nail, to which was fastened a flint stone, that he might

make himself a fire whenever he found one needful. Sometimes their god was raised upon a kind of table, which served in capacity of an altar. Their domestic deity, or household god, they represented under the form of a large stone, carved in a rude manner, and bearing some resemblance to a human face. The sacrifices which were offered to these idols were presented by a privileged class of men, named Noaaids, who divided the victims with great expertness, and wore at the time of sacrificing a peculiar habit.

The Laplanders still retain much of their ancient superstitious spirit, even in the Christian rites which they have adopted. They particularly, regard the sacrament as a powerful charm to preserve them Present state. from the attempts of evil spirits. It is not long since they used to take a cloth with them to church, into which they were accustomed to spit out the sacramental bread, which they wrapped up with great care, and afterwards divided into as great a number as possible of small crumbs. One of these crumbs was given to every one of their cattle, in the full persuasion that the herd would thus be secure from all injury. Their very deficient acquaintance with Christianity may, in some measure, be ascribed to the very inefficient manner in which they are instructed. It has generally been the practice of the Missionaries

and pastors to address the natives by means of an interpreter, and the attempts of the Danish government to remedy this defect have hitherto proved unsuccessful.

The Laplanders rarely intermarry with the Norwegian, or other neighbouring nations. Their matrimonial negotiations are conducted with extraordinary formality and decorum. When a young man has Marriage. selected his object, he communicates his wishes to his own family, who repair in a body to the dwelling of the young woman's parents, carrying a slight present, such as a ring or ornamented girdle, to the fair one, and a quantity of brandy to entertain the friends. When arrived at the hut, the suitor is left without, till he shall be invited to enter; and as soon as the rest of the party have entered, their spokesman fills out a bumper of brandy, which he offers to the girl's father, and the acceptance of which indicates his approbation of the match to be proposed. After the liquor has gone round the company, leave is obtained for the young man to present himself, while his advocate in a set speech opens the treaty. The lover, upon being introduced, takes his seat near the door, at some distance from the rest; and it is only when the parents of the girl have signified their full consent, that he offers her the present which he has brought, and promises wedding clothes to her father and mother. Sometimes a sum of money is given, both to the bride and to her parents; and not unfrequently considerable bargaining is employed to raise the amount. All that the bride receives on this occasion becomes her own private property; and, among the better class, a wife, counting all expenses, commonly costs the husband above a hundred copper dollars. Should the parents depart from their promised consent, it is an established law, that they must repay all the expenses and presents, even to the brandy which has been drunk at the first visit. After the parties have been in this manner betrothed, the young man is allowed to visit the bride, whose favour he generally endeavours to conciliate by presenting tobacco, brandy, or whatever he thinks will be most acceptable. On the marriage day the bride appears in her best dress, but her head, commonly closely covered, is, on this occasion, only adorned with a bandeau or fillet, while her hair flows loose upon her shoulders: The bans are usually published only once. The marriage ceremony, which is very short, is sometimes performed before, and sometimes after the entertainment. The wedding feast is celebrated in a frugal and sober manner, without music, dancing, or any other festivity. Such of the guests as are able, make a present to the bride of money, rein-deer, or other useful articles, to begin the stock, or furnish the dwelling of the young couple. In some parts of Lapland it is the custom that the friends and relations of the parties meet together, a few days after the marriage, and partake of a homely entertainment, consisting usually of a mess of broth, a little roast mutton, and metheglin. The bridegroom usually remains with the parents of the bride for the space of one year; and, at his departure, receives what portion they are able to give with their daughter, to establish the young people in the world. It is usual, at the birth of a child, to assign a female rein-deer, with all her future offspring, as a provision for the boy or girl, who is thus, when grown up, not unfrequently the owner of a considerable herd.

The funerals of the Laplanders are conducted with little ceremony.

Funerals.

The body, slightly wrapped in a coarse cloth, is carried to the grave by the friends and relatives, who are entertained with a slight repast, and a small portion of metheglin. In former times, it was the custom to raise a heap of stones over the grave; but an old sledge, turned with its bottom upwards, is now the only monument placed over the spot of interment. Before the conversion of the Laplanders to Christianity, they placed an axe and tinder-box beside the corpse of a man; and beside that of a woman, her needle and scissors, supposing them to require these implements in the other world. They likewise interred a quantity of provisions along with the dead body; and, during the first three years after the decease of a relative, were accustomed, from time to time, to deposit, in holes dug beside the grave, small quantities of tobacco, or of whatever was most agreeable to their departed friend during his lifetime.

SEC. XIII.-RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES AND CUSTOMS OF INDIAN TRIBES.

THE aborigines of New England not only believed in a plurality of gods who made and govern the several nations of the world, but they made deities of every thing they imagined to be great, powIndians of erful, beneficial, or hurtful to mankind; yet they conceived New England. an almighty Being, who dwells in the south-west regions of the heavens, to be superior to all the rest. This almighty Being they called Kichtan, who at first, according to their tradition, made a man and a woman out of a stone; but, upon some dislike, destroyed them again, and then made another couple out of a tree, from whom descended all the nations of the earth: but how they come to be scattered and dispersed into countries so remote from one another, they cannot tell. They believed their supreme God to be a good being, and paid a sort of acknowledgment to him for plenty, victory, and other benefits. But there is another power, which they call Hobamocko, (i. e. the devil,) of whom they stood in greater awe, and worshipped merely from a principle of fear. The immortality of the soul was in some sort universally believed among them. When good men die, they said, their spirits go to Kichtan, where they meet their friends, and enjoy all manner of pleasures. When wicked men die, they go to Kichtan also; but are commanded to walk away, and to wander about in restless discontent and darkness for ever.

Canadians.

The original inhabitants of Canada, like other heathen, had an idea of a supreme Being, whom they considered as the creator and governor of the world. It is said, that most of the nations which speak the Algonquin language give this being the appellation of the Great Hare, but some call him Michabou, and others Atahocan. They believe that he was born upon the waters, together with his whole court, who were composed of four-footed animals, like himself; that he formed the earth of a grain of sand taken from the bottom of the ocean; and that he created men of the bodies of dead animals. Some mention a god of the waters, who opposed the designs of the Great Hare, who is called the great Tiger. They have a third called Matcomek, whom they invoke in the winter season.