Heathen are beguiled. Historical or natural facts may have been originally disguised under these fables, but the literal meaning of them forms now a part of the Hindoo Creed. The elephant's head of the Idol is sometimes represented with but one tusk: this circumstance is accounted for in the following legends; and the reasons assigned, also, for his having an elephant's head and riding on a rat, as well as being a deity of primary invocation. M. Sonnerat relates the first Legend, which we shall quote His rat was a giant, to whom the Gods had granted immortality and great power: but he abused his power, and inflicted much evil on mankind. Pollear, entreated by the Sages and Holy Men to deliver them, plucked out one of his own tusks, and threw it at the giant. The tusk entered his stomach, and threw him down. He instantly metamorphosed himself into a rat as large as a mountain; and was on the point of attacking Poilear, when the God leaped upon his back, exclaiming, "From henceforth thou shalt be my beast of burden!" Another Fable states On one occasion, Vishnoo and Ganesa fought; when Ganesa would have conquered, but for the interposition of Siva, who cut off his head. Parvati, his mother, was greatly displeased and distressed at this event; and proceeded, in revenge, to austerities that threatened to derange the destinies of the Universe, from which nothing could divert her but the restoration of her son; which, on the earnest application of the congregated deities, Siva consented to. But the severed head could not be found; and it was determined to fix on his trunk the head of the first ani. mal that should make its appearance, which happened to be an animal with but one tusk. All the deities, to appease and console Parvati, consented that he should, on all occasions, be first invoked. A third Legend represents the matter with some variation : When it was known that Doorga (by which name Parvati was sometimes called) had given birth to a son, Sani (supposed to have been the Saturn of the Western Heathens) and the rest of the Gods went to see the child. Sani knew, that, if he looked on the infant, it would be reduced to ashes (this property being ascribed to him, probably, in allusion to the supposed baneful influence of the planet Saturn); but Doorga took it as an insult, that he should hang down his head, and refuse to look at her child. For some time he did not regard her reproofs; but, at length, irritated, he looked on Ganesa, and its head was instantly consumed. The goddess, seeing her child headless, was overwhelmed with grief, and would have destroyed Sani; but Bramha prevented her, telling Sani to bring the head of the first animal which he should find lying with its head toward the north-one cause of the misfortune having been, that Doorga had laid her child to sleep with its head to the north, which is forbidden by the Shaster. Sani found an elephant in this situation, cut off its head, and fixed it on Ganesa, who then assumed the shape which he at present wears. Doorga was but little soothed when she saw her son with an elephant's head: to pacify her, Bramha assured her, that the worship of Ganesa should for ever take precedence among the worship of all the Gods. The figure which we have given of Ganesa is copied from one in Moor's " Hindoo Pantheon." It was taken from a brass cast. He is riding on his rat, and holds different emblems in his four hands. These vary in the figures of him; nor is it easy always to ascertain what is intended: sometimes there is the spike by which the elephant is driven; at others, a key, a sweetmeat, a club, &c. The Sanscrit Characters encircled by a serpent over the head of the Idol, form the sacred monosyllable, AUM or OM, of awful import to a Hindoo, as a mystic emblem of the creating, preserving, and destroying power of the Deity.-(See Moor, pp. 409414.) Images of Ganesa are very common, and so are pictures of him, both alone and in groupes. Mr. Moor has given several. The Church Missionary Society has received from India some of the metal figures of him, which have been actual objects of worship; but none so perfect as that from which the Plate was taken. Thus have our degraded fellow-subjects in India changed the glory of the uncorruptible God, into an image made like to corruptible man, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things, having become vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart darkened. We cannot but hope and pray, that our Readers may become, by beholding these things, more deeply sensible than ever of the duty of unwearied exertion and fervent prayer, that God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, may shine in their hearts, to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CHURCH-MISSIONARY SOCIETY, By Miss Charlotte Kennion, from a School in the Country, 1 2 By Miss Murray, Chelsea 1 By Mrs. Parker, Woolwich 11 0113 10 16 ... 0 0 6 .. ... 5 11 15 2 42 19 000000000500000 141 15 4 ... ... 29 0 0 11 8 0 615 529657 Rev. Mr. Markby, Cambridge. Joseph Stephens, Esq. Lark-Hall Grove, Clapham By G. White, Esq. 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