and addresses, till we were quite exhausted. We then distributed some books among them, and said that we would hold another talk with any who would come there a little before sunset. At the time mentioned we had the satisfaction of seeing nearly or quite as many assemble as before, though many of them were different persons. They continued about as long as the first meeting, and listened with a good degree of attention.

This

Punderpoor-Its Idols and Temples. 27. Arrived at Punderpoor. village, or rather city, as it is more frequently and not improperly called, is pleasantly situated on the north side of the river Bhema, the banks of which are seven or eight hundred yards wide. The city is compactly built, and the streets are paved with large flat stones. Many of the houses are very solid structures, three or four stories high, the lower story of stone and the others of brick.

March 1. We have now been here three days. Our meeting-place has frequently been thronged with a crowd attracted by novelty and a desire to obtain books. Sometimes they would listen attentively for considerable time to what was addressed to them. At other times they soon became uneasy and clamorous, when we found it best to stop addressing them collectively, and engage in conversation with some one or two, who were apparently among the most intelligent and respectable persons in the crowd. We went into the city several times, our resting place being just outside, and generally found opportunities of speaking to people and engaging in religious conversation. At such times, however, we always found people more unwilling to listen to the truth of the gospel, and more irritable when any thing was said against the rites and practice of idolatry, than when they assembled at our meeting place. We have here distributed a great quantity of tracts and parts of the Scriptures. We have seen no instance of their being abused or destroyed, and we have been gratified in knowing that many are engaged in reading them.

This is truly one of the strong holds of the prince of darkness. The temple containing the celebrated idol is surrounded with a high wall of hewn stone, inclosing two or three acres of ground. We were not allowed to enter the several inclosures, but an officer of the government politely conducted us up to the terrace of one of the buildings, from which we had a view of this high place

of iniquity. There are several buildings besides the principal temple, which are appropriated to idolatrous purposes. In one place was a crowd of brahmins busily engaged in performing their idolatrous ceremonies, while near them was a circle of devotees, who, from their conduct and appearance, one would have believed in a former age to be possessed with evil spirits. In another part of the inclosure was a large crowd of persons celebrating in songs the praises of the gods, while others near them were prostrating themselves on the ground before the idol. In no place have we seen the rites of idolatry performed and exhibited in a manner so much fitted to arrest the attention and impress the feelings of

those who follow such delusions.

The wonderful things reported to have been done by the god here worshipped, during his incarnation, and the miracles wrought at various times since to preserve his temple and idol from being desiderable size. Miracles are reported to stroyed or polluted, make a book of conbe wrought here still, though we saw no person who had witnessed any. These things, however, are confidently asserted by the interested brahmins, and as implicitly believed by the credulous, deluded multitude. There is here a semi-annual festival which is attended by multitudes of people from all places on this side of India. The festival continues for fifteen days; and during this time, it is said, the place is visited by more than 100,000 persons, who come on pilgrimhundred miles. The offerings made at age, many from a distance of several such times are very numerous and often valuable.

2. Yellapoor. Sabbath. Passed the day in a small temple dedicated to Hunnomun, a fabled monkey, who acted a conspicuous part in the early history of this country. Few of the Hindoo gods are more worshipped by the lower classes of people on this side of India. His worship, however, is not confined to the lower classes. Soon after we arrived at the temple, which was on Saturday, a brahmin, whom we afterwards found to be a shrewd and intelligent man, came in and went through the usual rites of idolatrous worship before the hideous and disgusting image of a monkey! The general appearance of this village is desolate and melancholy. The people say it formerly contained more than two thousand houses, which appears not improbable. At present there may be two hundred occupied houses.

It

In all their religious notions the Hindoos have respect to merit and demerit; and every person is believed to be deserving of good or evil, just in proportion as his meritorious actions exceed those of the opposite kind, or the reverse. is also believed that the merit, which any person acquires by a course of virtuous actions, is at his own disposal, and that he can make it the ground of asking, and even of demanding, of the gods any desirable thing which does not exceed this merit in value. Brahmins, religious mendicants, and all who profess to be much employed in the rites and forms of religion, are supposed in this way to have acquired a stock or quantity of merit which enables them to procure favor for whom they please. With this view many resort to them for relief in time of distress,

and for assistance of various kinds.

They first encourage the hopes of the deluded creatures, exact a sum of money in pay for the merit they pretend to expend on their account, and direct them to perform some rite, or to repeat some formulary of words, containing the names of the gods, a certain number of times, with the promise that they shall then obtain the object they desire. The deluded persons obey the instructions they have thus paid for, but soon find their hopes terminate in disappointment and vexation. Meantime the artful impostor passes on to practice the same deception

on the credulous inhabitants of some other village.

ago.

Condition and Character of the Inhabitants of Molokai.

long, from east to west, and about seven Molokai is from forty to fifty miles

wide from north to south. It is little else than an entire mountain rising on the north side almost perpendicularly from the sea to its summit, a height of between five and six thousand feet. The ascent on the south side is more gradual, though very steep. Much of the distance on this side there is a narrow plain skirting the ocean, from one hundred to three hundred yards wide. On this plain reside the principal part of the inhabitants of this side of the island-few or none residing on the mountains. On both sides there are numerous vallies and deep ravines, the soil of which is timber on the island, and that little is rich and very productive. There is little difficult of access, as it is found only on the summit of the mountain, or far back in the deep and rugged valleys. On the north side nothing is to be seen on shrubbery; and on the south, nothing but the main body of the mountain but small a hard wild grass, with here and there a stinted shrub.

The soil is of an excellent quality, and four fold its present number of inhabiwith proper cultivation would support tants; but owing to the indolence of the people, only a small portion is rendered

The

serviceable either to man or beast. productions are the sweet potato in abundance and of the first quality, kalo, yams, bread-fruit, bananas, plantains, citrons, melons, onions, squashes, beans, cocoa-nuts, ohias or native apples, sugarcane, and cotton. The two last mentioned articles may be raised to any extent. Most of the tropical fruits and vegetables would probably flourish here.

The climate is cooler than at most of the stations. We are almost constantly fanned by the trade winds, which so mitigate the heat of the sun that we are rarely oppressed by it; and most of the in our woolen clothes. Were we to time during the year we are comfortable choose a station simply for health, we should choose no other than this.

The population is six hundred. The census has been recently taken, and

The people are poor and wretched. There is no high chief on the island, but on no place do the oppressive exactions of the chiefs fall with more weight than on this. It is truly distressing to witness the burdens that are laid upon them. It is absolutely impossible for a man on Molokai to amass property, it being out of the question for him to gain more by all the efforts he may make, than barely to pay the frequent and exorbitant taxes which the merciless chiefs continue to demand. Hence the indolence and idleness of almost every man on the island. If a man earn a dollar by hard labor, he has not the least security that it will not be rapaciously demanded of him by his superiors in rank. If he sells a hog or other productions to the value of two or more dollars, one of these dollars goes to his chief. If he is almost naked and purchase by hard labor a kapa or pau, he is liable to be called upon to give it up for taxes. In addition to all the other taxes, the lands of the chief must be cultivated by the people. For this purpose they are obliged to labor one or more days every week, or they forfeit the little spot of ground they cultivate for the maintenance of their families.

Living under a system so oppressive as this, it is not surprising that the mass of them are heathen still in all but the name. And such in fact they are, heathen in knowledge, heathen in feeling, and, in all but the worship of idols, heathen in practice. You would ask for no other confirmation of the truth of this remark than a sight of the manner in which they live. Their houses, many of them, are no more than five or six feet long by four wide and five feet from the ridge-pole to the ground; and these are not unfrequently the habitations of two, three, and sometimes more individuals of both sexes. And when the houses are more spacious, as most of them are, the state of things is no less distressing. But one apartment, no floor, no window, no chimney, except the humble door at which you enter. In this one apartment you may usually see at one and the same time, men with no clothing but the wretched malo, which covers less of the

With this state of things perfectly agrees the conversation of the people. All those restrictions which decency has imposed upon civilized communities are wholly unknown here. We know of no word or phrase in the language which is proscribed by their views of delicacy, to either sex, in any company or circumstances whatever.

Such being the circumstances of this people, and such the habits and manners of life, you will not need to be informed of the state of morals among them, but will perceive at once that it must be very low. And so indeed it is. The laws indeed prevent many of the outbreaking crimes which in former times were perpetrated with impunity; but with regard to moral principle, it is scarcely to be found, and the consequence is indulgence in all those sins which fall not immediately under the cognizance of the laws of the land.

The people are credulous to the last degree. We are never asked the why or the wherefore of what we tell them. It is all assented to. This credulity, as it is the result of mental indolence, is by no means a benefit to the cause. They are of a pacific disposition. But this, arising from fear, rather than from principle, adds little interest to their character. So far as our observation extends, the people are almost universally addicted to lying, fraud, and deception. So prevalent are these vices among them, that there are few indeed on whose word we can place the least reliance, when interest prompts to falsehood; and as to our dealings with them, we expect to be defrauded.

The religious character of the people is precisely what might be expected from what is true of the state of their morals. Whatever influence the gospel had upon the mass of them at its first introduction, at present they live almost entirely regardless of its claims. They have learned that the christian religion, unlike the old pagan system, inflicts not immediate death on the man who complies not with its holy requisitions. Fear has, therefore, ceased, and the constrained obe