into an image made like unto corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. It depraves the reason and judgment of those who are its votaries; fills their imagination with impure thoughts; and permits them, in many cases, to practise sin with impunity. It shuts their eyes to the view of their moral misery, and deceives them with false and unworthy hopes of salvation."

As a controversialist we must do Mr. W. the justice to observe, that he has treated his opponent with all due respect; has written in a serious, candid, and rational manner; has substantiated his objections to Hindooism by quotations from the Shastras; and has shown that Christianity has infinitely the advantage, both as it regards the life that now is, as well as that which is to come. We can therefore confidently recommend the work to all who are interested in the subversion of Hindooism.

There are many daring and profane statements, made by his opponent, of which Mr. W. has taken little or no notice; we suppose, from the conviction that the bare perusal of them will sink them into deeper degradation than the most elaborate answer. That we may not however be accused of misrepresenting the defenders of idolatry, we shall here quote one or two of these declarations:

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"Krishna's committing theft with the cowherds, and playing the adulterer with their wives,-Shiva's spreading death and destruction by his curses, and behaving indecently with Parwatí,-Bramha's looking on his own daughter with the eye of a paramour, and making a most filthy disclosure of his lust,--Ráma's crying out, Sítá, Sítá,' and embracing the trees in a fit of frenzy,-Pareshara's cohabiting with a fisherman's daughter;-such abominable transactions as these, too bad to be even mentioned -Are these, you will say, what you adduce and place on a level with the good acts of Christ ?""These deeds, when narrowly considered, are even far better than those virtuous actions of Christ's that you mention." "They are incomparably better and far more replete with merit than the actions of Jesus Christ."

Such assertions may lead to the conclusion, that idolatry not only pollutes the heart, but sadly impairs the intellect. Little do the defenders of idolatry think that, by thus confounding all distinctions between right and wrong, and making vice superior to virtue, they are striking a fatal blow at the very root of that system which they advocate. For every one must surely see, that that system is fit only for infernal spirits, which maintains that it is better to violate than to obey the commands of God. Yet such are the awfully profane declarations of the individual at Bombay, who has come forward to defend idolatry against the attacks of the Scottish Missionaries.

OBITUARY NOTICE OF MISS MARIA DOUGLASS.

To the Editors of the Calcutta Christian Observer.

Should you conceive the following Obituary Notice of Miss Maria Douglass, who died on the 11th of June last, aged 16 years, to be of sufficient interest to warrant its publication, it is quite at your service. It is extracted from an account drawn up by a relative, and read by the Rev. Mr. Yates, on whose ministry she attended, after a sermon lately preached by him, on the occasion of her death, at the Circular Road Chapel. Your's obediently,

Poetry.

For the Calcutta Christian Observer.

THE PROPHET JONAH.

Missionary and Keligious Entelligence,

CALCUTTA PRESIDENCY.

RUTH JATRA, POOREE.

[From a Correspondent.]

THE Ruth Jatra, which is celebrated at Pooree every year, commenced on the 19th of June, with all the uproar and bustle attendant on a Hindoo festival. The Jatra, which usually takes place at the end of June, and sometimes even so late as the middle of July, was this year celebrated unusually early; on account of which, and the probability there was of the rainy season not commencing so soon, it was likely there would be a much larger assembly of people than what took place during the former year. The roads leading to Juggurnath, for some days previous to the Jatra, were thickly strewed with pilgrims, anxious to get a sight of Maha Probhoo (Juggurnath). Some were seen moving gently on, riding in native carriages of all descriptions, and others on tattoos of all dimensions; but by far the greater part of these worshippers of the far-famed idol of Pooree were humble pedestrians, of all ages and descriptions, who after many a long coss through sand and sun were bending their footsteps to what they were taught to consider the presence of Deity, the place of salvation.

At about three o'clock, on the 19th, Juggurnath, Subuddra, and Bulbuddra, the three idols, who were drawn in the cars prepared for their reception, were taken from their habitations. This is a part of the ceremony not much calculated to impress the European beholder with much veneration for this imagined divinity: the noise, the confusion, swearing, shuffling, and sometimes fighting, which usually attend his godship's first appearance for the year, assume the most ludicrous, and at the same time, disgusting appearance that can well be conceived of by the mind of man-any thing but what appears to us to be proper for a religious ceremony. The idols, after being placed upon the ruths, remain for a time till towards evening, when an immense multitude of men commence dragging the ruths, amidst a horrid dissonance of native music and shouting from the vast concourse of people present. The cars are immense masses of wood, clumsily put together, united to immense ropes for the purpose of drawing. On the sides were carved various figures, supposed to represent different Hindoo deities and different parts of Hindoo Mythology. These were of the most unfinished description, painted over with paint of different colours. The cars are lofty, and in every part crowded by people, apparently of the respectable classes, who consider it no small honour to ride with Juggurnath. Not less than hundreds of these people were thus riding upon each of the ruths. The plainness of the lower part of these machines is amply made up by the magnificence of the canopies, which were composed of English broad cloth. Juggurnath's canopy was yellow, and tinselled with gold and silver; that of Bulbuddra was purple and scarlet, each tinselled with gold and silver, but not so splendid as the first. Round the body of the canopies were Indian silks, with various figures.

The ropes by which the whole are drawn are as big as the cables of our ships of war; they are perhaps from a hundred to a hundred and fifty yards in length. The writer only gives a rough guess; for an exact admeasurement in the midst of such an uproar, is seldom thought of by any person. Some thousands of men, of the farmer caste, are retained for the purpose of drawing these famed divinities in their stately cars, if not to the edification yet much to the amusement of the vast assembled multitudes. These people are rewarded for their pious exertions with pieces of land, rent and taxes free, or at very reduced rates. This was contradicted rather smartly by a Calcutta Journal last year, but for public information it may be now said, that on the spot every one says it is so, and nobody says it is not so. It may therefore be presumed, that the statement stands on some tolerable foundation, nowithstanding the gratuitous denial referred to. How far the close connection of a Christian Government, with the filthy and vile pollutions of Pooree idolatry, is just, or even moral, I shall leave others to judge; the object of these lines is simply to narrate a few of the precious scenes at the Jatra.

Whilst one of the ruths was moving slowly along, a stream of people, resembling a current going in an opposite direction, were seen running, each person car

rying a green bough to meet the other car, which soon began to follow in the same way. All the idols are taken to a small temple, about a coss distant, where they are taken down, and after remaining nine days, they return again to the greater temple, and are again lodged in the former habitation. Amongst the people, we saw several elephants, surmounted by European ladies and gentlemen. The Hindoos seem much flattered by these attentions of the saheb-lok coming to give their salam to Juggurnath; and when they are told that this is all curiosity, they say; Why should they often come, if it be not to Puja kurree, and Durshon kurree, (to worship and obtain a sight of the image?)

Amongst the multitudes, two European Missionaries and some native assistants were seen at different periods of the Jatra, distributing tracts and the Scriptures, and denouncing idolatry. They as being opposed to the reigning superstition were looked upon with less favourable eyes, and received in many places but a moderate reception. The people usually received the books with much eagerness, but many were remarked making but a sorry use of them. Several were torn up in the presence of the Missionaries with manifest scorn and contempt. It is however to be hoped, that many of these silent messengers of salvation will be read; and that they may be blessed to the readers, is the ardent wish and prayer of him who writes these lines that instead of Juggurnath, they may worship Him who is the sinner's friend, the hope of salvation. There were but few cases of Cholera, perhaps not more than from fifty to a hundred. The vultures and dogs found but little prey during the first days of the Jatra. It is horribly disgusting to see these filthy creatures gnawing mangled bodies scattered over the sand; it operates powerfully upon the nerves. At the best of times Pooree at the Jatra is a stinking and filthy place, but it is so more or less in proportion to the mortality and number of people present. The writer heard from the Missionaries who were there at the Jatra of 1825, so famous for the destruction of life, that one of the tanks at the entrance of the town was completely stuffed with bodies dead of Cholera; and such was the horrid stench from the putrid carcases, that it was almost insufferable. The weather during the first four days of this Jatra was dry, which enabled most of the people to leave the town. This is the reason for the diminished number of deaths amongst the pilgrims. Very many of these deluded people will, however, be overtaken by the disease, before they reach home; and many, very many will fall to rise no more, till the solemn hour of judgment shall awake the sleeping nations. The addresses delivered from the cars to an assembly of about 100,000 were represented as the most filthy and polluted, such as none can write or read, whose mind is not earthly, sensual, and devilish. This language is delivered in the presence of the Deity! How debased must a people be, where such language could be delivered with impunity; to say nothing of the religious ceremony: and how liberal or rather how indifferent alike to decency and morality must they be, who can deliberately plead for supporting such an enormous mass of abomination. The pilgrim tax is said to amount this year to about forty or fifty thousand rupees; this, if correctly stated, is a small sum. About the second day of the Jatra, an opulent Hindoo gave 700 rupees for the benefit of those who were waiting at the gate, unable to pay the tax. The number thus waiting and thus admitted was about 10,000, who were in the environs of the town. This munificent gift, well applied, might have been of the greatest use; it will give the man indeed a name amongst his people, and this perhaps was the motive; for of what use could be a sight of these blocks of wood or this visit to a filthy place like Pooree !!!

Rather an interesting looking young Bengalee, speaking good English, who had been four years in the Hindoo College, appeared amongst the people; he seemed anxious to say a word for Juggurnath; he commenced disputing with an Oryah Missionary, and seemed determined to plead for Hindooism, as it was. The manner of the young man was rather suspicious; for upon being pressed to answer the question, whether that idol was the creator of the world, he laughed heartily and ran off. He abused Ram Mohun Roy, and praised Mr. DeRozio: he said that he had read the Bible and other English books; he appeared to be far gone in infidelity: but what he was it is not easy to say; this is certain, he was not much the better, for what he had learnt at College. May this idolatry soon have an end, and here in this place of pollution may His name and worship be acknowledged, gave himself for us, to redeem from all iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works."

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