.

prehenfions commonly occafion'd by the proximity of fuch neighbours, no longer disquiet the minds of the natives. Hapy effect of those mild and innocent manners, whence have arisen peace and protection to all the inferior animals.*

"The people of Cambaia," fays Pietro della Valle, "are moft part gentiles, and here, more than elsewhere, their vain fuperftitions are obferve'd with rigour wherefor we caufe'd ourselves to be conducted to see a famous hofpital of birds of all forts, which, for being fick, lame, deprive'd of their mates, or otherwise needing food and cure, are kept and tended there with diligence; the men allfo who take care of them are maintain'd by the publick alms; the Indian gentiles conceiveing it no less a work of charity to do good to beasts than to men. The most curious thing i faw were certain little mice, which, being found orphans without fire or dam to tend them, were put into this hofpital; and a venerable old man with a white beard, keeping them in a box amongst cotton, very diligently tended them with his fpectacles on his nofe, giveing them milk to eat with a birds feather, because they were fo little as yet they could eat nothing else; and, as he told us, he intended, when they were

*bi, 22.

grown up, to let them go free whither they pleafe'd.*

"The next morning," continues this intelligent traveler, going about the city, we saw another hofpital of goats, kids, fheep, and wethers, either fick or lame, and there were allfo fome cocks, peacocks, and other animals, needing the fame help, and kept together quietly enough in a great court; nor wanted there men and women lodge'd in little rooms of the fame hospital, who had the care of them. In another place, we faw another hospital of cows and calves. Among the beasts there was allfo a Mahometan thief, who had both his hands cut off. Moreover, without one of the gates of the city, we faw another great troop of cows, calves, and goats, properly maintain'd at the publick charge.t"

* P. 35.

† P. 36, 37. See a further account of this hospital in Stavorinuses Voyageës to the E. Indies, II, 488; and of others, for the fame purpose, in Ovingtons Voyage to Surat, p. 300; and Niebuhrs Travels, II, 405. "Once a year," ads the former, "the charitable banian prepares a fet banquet for all the flys that are in his house, and fets down before them, upon the floor or table, large shallow dishes of sweet milk and fugar mixt together, the most delicious fare of that liquorish little creature. At other times he extends his liberality to` the pismires, and walks, with a bag of rice under his arm, two

In the city of Amedabad, in the province of Guzerat, according to M. Thevenot, was a hospital for birds, wherein the gentiles lodge'd all the fick birds they found, and fed them as long as they live'd, if they were indispofe'd. Fourfooted beafts had theirs allfo. "I faw in it," fays he, "feveral oxen, camels, horfeës, and other wounded beasts, who were look'd after, and wel fed."*

"The bramins and banians, who religiously obferve the law, not to kil any thing which has life and fenfation, wil make the moft moveing petitions, even in favour of loathsome vermin."†

The Gentoos never taste the flesh of any thing that has breathe'd the common air, nor pollute themselves with feeding on any thing endue'd with life; and are ftruck with aftonishment at

or three miles foreward into the country, and ftops, as he proceeds, at each ant-hill that he meets with, to leave behind him his benevolence, a handful or two of rice ftraw'd upon the ground, which is the belove'd dainty on which the hungrey pismires feed, and their best referve and ftore in time of need."

* Travels in the Indies, p. 11. See allfo in The voyage and travaile of fir John Maundevile, c. 19, "of the monkes that zeven here releef to babewynes, apes, and marmesettes, and to other beftes,"

Toreens Voyage to Surat.

the voracious appetites of the christians, who heap whole bifks of fifh upon their tables, and facrifice whole hecatombs of animals to their gluttony. They cannot be tempted, either by the delicacy of the food, or for prevention of either fickness or death, to fo enormous an offence as the tafteing of flesh. Vegetable products, and the milk of cattle, rice, and other forts of grain, which nature affords in plenty, and they with innocence can enjoy, is the lawful nourishment they delight in."*

"I afk'd the bramin," fays a Danish misfionary, "if he thought it unlawful to eat fish or flesh. He reply'd that, Nature has plenty fully provideëd us with other food, fo that we have no need of eating our fellow-creatures; and 'tis writen in our law, that thefe very creatures, if devour'd by men in this, wil be their tormentors in the next world, biteing and tearing them with their teeth or trampleing them under foot: and because you Europeans drink ftrong liquors, and kil and eat your fellow-creatures, endue'd with five fenfees as wel as your felves, i confefs, we have an inbred averfion for you and all that belongs to you."

* Ovingtons Voyage to Surat.

Thirty-four conf.rences, &c. p. 276: fee, allfo p. 195.

The fins ftrictly forbiden in the Malabarish law are murder and kiling any liveing creature. *

"We," fays a Malabarian, "neither kil nor eat of any liveing creature, becaufe we believe the transmigration of fouls, loaded with fins, into beasts. This opinion is strictly maintain'd among us, except onely by one fect who and the poorer fort of them feed on the flesh of cows and rats [for which reasons they are confider'd by the rest of the nation as unclean, and therefor oblige'd to keep at a distance from other men]."+

eat fish and fowl;

"Some among us," it is a Malabarian who fpeaks, "eat nothing but marakari (or all forts of garden-herbs and roots)... The other forts of meat, are kirei (a garden root very much in ufe here), wareikai (or green figs... made into soup), kadarikai (a sort of round fruit of a very agreeable odour), pawakai, (a fruit prickle'd without, ful of kernels like beans), mankai (a green fruit, which, when boil'd, is good for eating), with se.veral other fruits, which are eaten with milk, and fometimes with butter, or in broth prepare'd with feveral forts of herbs. We keep to these fimple eatables because they have been the food of many ageës pafs'd; and we have a constant

Account of the Malabarians, p. 17. + Ibi, p. 19.