nual, or commercial line is moreover considered as a provision for a whole family, since a native who may have obtained one always pushes his own relatives into every employment within his reach. A flock of hungry, needy connexions attends on his movements, to seize upon these posts as they fall vacant; and however the right of presentation to them may belong to the European functionary at the head of the office, the patronage does, some how or other, invariably fall to the disposal of some native on his establishment, who has contrived to make himself useful or necessary. To the attainment of this great object, that of subjecting their European master to their own influence, the uninterrupted attention of the most ambitious natives in the office is constantly directed; and, sooner or later, their efforts are crowned with success. They lead, by appearing always to follow. It is quite amusing to see, as is often the case, a European functionary, of firmness and integrity, boasting of his own complete independence of all the natives around him, while at the same time every thing is eventually done exactly as his influential native servant desires. A native, who has thus succeeded in obtaining the ear and the confidence of his master, enjoys, therefore, in addition to the dignity and emoluments of his own station, the patronage of almost all the inferior situations in the department. It is also a fact worthy of note, that the public situations of Government, which

are filled by natives, carry with them a very large share of influence, more especially in the country. In England, a country gentleman of large property and of an ancient family, enjoys far more consideration than a simple justice of the peace, or an ordinary functionary of Government. In this land of sycophancy, it is generally the reverse; a subordinate native officer of the court, or of the collectorate, enjoys greater distinction in many parts of the country than a wealthy zemindar. His opinions carry more weight; his example extends to a wider range, and he exercises a more decided influence upon the opinions and practice of the people. It is, therefore, not surprising that posts in the public service, even where the stipulated salary does not exceed twenty or thirty rupees monthly, should be considered as valuable prizes, and eagerly sought after by natives of every rank and denomination.-Friend of India, Nov. 19, 1835.

Mrs. Farrar thus relates one of her visits to a principal family at Nassuck :—

"A Brahmin promised he would one day introduce me to his wife. He invited me to meet her and a number of Brahmin ladies, who assembled at his house to perform some ceremony in honour of Parvati, the wife of Siva. I did not approve of the occasion of the meeting: but idolatrous ceremonies are thus interwoven

in all their intercourse. I told my Brahmin host, in presence of his friends, that, though I was come by his invitation to visit his wife, I hoped it was understood that I paid no respect to the idolatrous ceremony; because I did not believe in their gods. He said that was fully understood.

"But I was disappointed in the object of my visit: the women all kept aloof from me, as from a being of another species. I claimed the Brahmin's promise, to introduce me to his wife, and beckoned to her, but she disliked to approach me. I rose to meet her; when the Brahmin exclaimed, 'Oh, mind you do not touch her!' She drew her garment over her face; and, perceiving they were all afraid of pollution, I expressed a hope that another day we might have an opportunity of becoming better acquainted, and withdrew.

"We had again an invitation from our friend the Brahmin. Mrs. Mitchell and I went. The Brahmin assured us, that the only reason why the ladies would not converse with us was, that they were not accustomed to do so with strangers in presence of the master of the house. I therefore, as politely as I could, requested him either to withdraw, or to allow us to go with the ladies into another apartment. He kindly consented to leave us alone with them; and I was much gratified to find them ready to converse freely. They asked me many questions; one of the first was, Why we wore no ornaments? I said it was not our

custom; and that our Shaster taught us that a woman should be adorned with good works, rather than with gold or silver. A great deal of the conversation turned upon ornaments, a favourite subject among Mahratta ladies. They asked also, if, among us, widows were permitted to marry again. The Brahminees seem more intelligent than other women; and it is far easier to converse with them than with the other castes, as they use the same kind of expressions which we learn from the pundit and from books.

"The Hindoo females are immoderately fond of outward adorning, of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold; and this taste seems to be instilled into them from their earliest years. I asked a little girl, who was reading to me about the hare, Why it had long ears? She unhesitatingly replied,' To wear plenty of earrings.' The pundit remarked, that, were the nethermillstone a gem, the females of his nation would hang it about their necks. But personal cleanliness seldom seems to enter into their idea of beauty; plenty of gold and silver bangles, with pearls and gems, is the height of their ambition and admiration!

"A painful circumstance has occurred in the school. We had a very interesting girl about sixteen years old: she is clever, and had learned to read before any of the others. I was in hopes that she might soon be useful in the school, and thus have an opportunity of gaining a comfortable and honest maintenance. I had

held out this prospect to her; but a few days ago, I found that the wretched girl had been married to an idol; that is, dedicated to the service of the temple, and devoted to prostitution. I sent for the mother and daughter, and implored them not to throw away their own souls. I offered to take the girl into our service, and to maintain her: the poor child seemed willing to comply, but the mother was inexorable. It had cost her, she said, five thousand rupees to devote this victim to the gods: she is now their property, and the wages of her iniquity support the family. I said, 'How can you, her mother, bear to give up your own child to shame and everlasting contempt?' She answered, She has been married to the gods: among us, there is no shame attached to the practice.""-Miss. Reg., March, 1836.

6

The Hindu Theatre.-The Hindu Pioneer, a native periodical work, commenced at Calcutta in 1835, gives the following account of " a Native Theatre."

"This private theatre, got up about two years ago, is still supported by Bábu Nobinchandar Bose. It is situated in the residence of the proprietor, at Shám Bázár, where four or five plays are acted during the year. These are native performances, by people entirely Hindus, after the English fashion, in the vernacular language of their country; and what elates us with joy, as it should do all the friends of Indian improvement, is, that the fair sex of Bengal are always seen