The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1808-08-18 00:00:00

INQUISTTION AT GaA.

(arravy Courier, tads Fammary. less.)
On the tith inst. arrived the Rev. 1)r. Buchanan,
io a paratuar from Goa. where lw had been maki g
some inquiry into the present state uf the
town at that place. Dr. nuchamin has relinquished
hia. intention of going home by n route over land.
and proceeds. to England by the present feet in
the lion. Ciaspouy s sh:p Choritssa.
It appeorii that the Inquisition at Goo, formerly
o well kiinwis for its sanguinary proceedings, is
still iu operation, aNd that it exercises its autho-
rity, under circumstance-4 which demand the im-
mediate inter:ercnee or the British Government.
It hail been supposed that the power of the Ls
quisition at ()on hail declined pith tlint of the
parent Inquisition in Portftal. Ent thi is noi the
case. Circumstances, iii India an ; Europe, during
the last two centuries, have ..0t ern the same. A
progressive itiviliaatioo liar enlightened Etironr,
and nearly alsolishol its spiritual liiquatitio:;.s. itct
India remains in the darkness aid bondage of ig-
norahcc. The Inquisition sat Goa oste:nls its cot.-
truul iii a wear, •r Irrr degree to the extreme
boundorl of liinclostan, and materially affects the
honour and character of the British Government,
and of the Christian Faith, with h that Orivern•
""nt Proftlot". Goa is prw,crly n city of Chiareln
c.intaiiiing in its nrovince 11 liepauiic of Priests,
who have deputed far fregaothe priithiry diispnice
of even their gun (.'hurrh. Ur. Doeitinsete,
-
has, it seerue, excited some ithirru annum then ;
for they are folly sensinie thst their conduct 4.
many parsieulaic, in doctrihe sod practice, would
lw condemned by n (;riieral Council cii!1:11 by
the Pope himself. Titer! are in the Arclaiernicei-al

rince of
nod Chi.
Is iii
%%lic.e
quit t.
reglect
to dOUOI
ri OCT of
oily which..
if Floositirtr.
:;hurcb."

op of Goa, Metropolitan of the East, will be
ladled. if it be deemed expedient. In that let-
written on the spot, in the Convent of the
postillions at 1:;13.1, he adverts' to the facts he
witnessed, and to the information he had re-
ed from the Inquisitors themselves ; and lie
es the Archbishop to recommend to the Court
'orttigal. to refrain front usurping any longer a
itual power in the British States ; and to en-
four to repair the injury done to Christianity
iugh the crimes and long duration of the Itiqui-
in, by the invni.xliate otZlition of that tribunal.
Archbishop is requested to exert his own
hority in reforming the abuses iii the Colleges
icia. for the education of the Priesthood, and
rousing his Priests to begin the study of the
Iv Scriptures, awl to cease from mixing the pure
with !whim superstitions, and from welt:ll4l7
irrout Christianity to the subjects of the British
remittent.

tare el' the M tegaret brig, tram Caleatta; by a French
r.sateer to the wuthw.trd of Illascoote, on the sth of Te-
rtiary, iv,. The particulars of this capture will •p-
-air from the for...w.na extract frogs the lo=-book, intik
hicb we bare bait &yawed.

rRV'T PROM Tin MUG MAR.:ARCT's LOG-BOOK,
FittlPM CALCUTTA, SOUND TO BUiSOILAK.
ilonday, February 8, 1808, at 1 p. m. the small
lei that was seen in the forenoon to nin.lward
.ding to the S.E. wore and stood down towards
1,,0n our weather quarter. 'lariat; a suspicious
ie:arance, we tired a shot.at her, either to tack
dose no nearer ; when she shewed English co-
w, and sled nearing us ; we fired a second
, t .vnien site hoked a French ensign and
idiot, and tired a shot at us, when we name-
tely opened our tire of round and grape, sod
untied a mooing action fur upwards of three
trs ; finding she neared us, taste up imfoie the
A to get our stern-chasers to bear upon her ;
m her well-direeted fire she hulled us to tee, and
a nurnlier of shut thron-411 our sails &c. In
evening the breeze fre:hening, we kept the
otkour Rtt trter, with all sails drawiii4, eudea-
iring to initk.l oar escape in the night, altering
course as the leirid shifted, flowerer it being
tr moonlight, he olaserved all our Lions, aittl
day-light she bore N.W. distance about one
eau l a ltdf. At 10-20 a. es. falling light airs,
swept un (dose to us, whets we 4/Nerved her
'its foil of Europeans, and finding it impossible
mike further resistance for the safety of the ship
I cargo, was ruder the necessity of hauling down
colours to the French imperial felucca Em-
)seawa,. Mons. L. Bouvet, Couitaateler, front
Isle of France.

When we first saw the etoetriy—Tioruhay
e N. N. E. alt 63 miles distance from the
Lrest shore te or 14 league's.
(Sigucd) 11. Wt Ls 01, Commander.
)11 taking possession of the Margaret, the French-
▪ in4tantly chsligeil •rssels, and proceeded to
Isle of France on borrd of the Margaret, giv-
up the felucca to Capt. Wilson.

n addition to the above particulars, we learn,
t the privateer had previously taken a vessel
▪ Cinch, the crew of which had been secured
board the felucca, by ibeing placed in irons he.
. But this circumstance nut having brew made
own to Captain Wilson, when he and the !Jar-
et, crew were put on board, no provision was
flu by him aoinst an attack which the Catch
,ple made it!tion him 11114 his crew, and in which
y succeeded. 11:.fire they had bcea un board
tc, the Catch people rushed up the fore hatch-
;,armed with pikes and creeies, and overpniser-
Captain Wilson and the crew, •and driving them
he forecastle, kept them there for six days nn
allowance ofabout a pint of water, and a small
'bon of biscuit, for the twenty-1...0r hoary.
-2.autisin Wilson and the rest afterwards got on
ire at Danou.

CAYES Of ELEPHANTA AT BOMBAY.

(Fr.. The Crs&u Cani:l.)

PF OF • LETTER FROM THE REV. DR. BU-
CHANAN, TO W. T. 'WWI', LSO. BOMBAY.

)E•R SIR—In the hope that you will prosecute
r purpose of directing the attention of govern-
it and of the public to the preseut state of the
nple of the Elephanta, and to the means of its
ie:Tation, I beg leave to offer my contribution
id of the laudehie design.
Then I visited the Eleplianta, last week, and
'pared it with the accounts of former travel-
, I perceiv...l that thee:mem awl figures were in
ate of progressive aid raid dilapidation: and
ems to me reliable, that when a few more pil-
shall line fallen i!s, the whole temple will he
•whelined in the ruin of the bisperinciimbelit
tntain.

r I may °Ter an opinion on the means of pre-
atiou which are praetienlile, 1 would soggy-4,
'hat the dilapidated pillars be rebuilt entire of
stone, its three block., of grAnite of the u►oun-
, after the original made! ; the decayed bow.'
he columns still *Lauding to he stmogly eased
the saute stone; and the broken limbs and
ire. of the figures to 10P restored after the au-
ity of the drawings and descriptions of the ear-
travelkm

he year of the repair, nod the motive of the•
ertakid*, to he insershLl in deep characters on
wall of tile curers.

he solid stone floor to he desred of rubbish (in
e places it is tun feet deep), that the continuity
he reek, with the buss= ui the columns, may
ear.

he oralero wnll, toetnsint.: the front, to he
dour,, to throw more lo_Cot on the holy of
plir-e, and a r4lilig subdituted at a greater

IIaCP.

nr ti :ores to hr frellently e!eaned and dried
u cloth. who:lt will hare the efteLt of giv:itz

them a kind of enamel. and preserving their sur-
face from the corroding effect of the moisture.
Means to be devibed for preserving the cave
from inundation during the *mina! rains.
'Steps to 1* cut in the rooky for easy descent to
the cavern of cold water.

The jungle in front of the cave, and about its
edges. to tx.: cleared, and the aperture of the menu-
tam, on each side, eularged, to give more air and
light.
l'he road up the hill to be widened, and cut in
steps in the rock ; as is usual in the asceut to other
religious plates in I-Ludo:dam At present, the
access to the Elephatita is very difficult, being
through lowly a mile of steep and painful road.
The old Elephant himself, 011 the side of the
hill, .to be renewed, and • a young elephant placed
on his back, agreeahly to the first drawings. These
drawings I can *Ollll you from Europe, if you can-
not procure them iu India. •
And, lastly, an appropriate building to he erect-
ed on the beach, tit the entrance of the valley, for
the accommodation of visitors. Here may lie de-
posited, for the immediate reference of travellers,
those volumes which contain the notices and opi-.
Moos' of the learned concerning Elephants. This
building night he occupied by the military guard
which the llomluy Government has recently %La-
belled on-the island, to preserve the cavern from
further injury.
Other improvements will suggest themselves to
you ou thespot.
To presert.e to futumages this grand monument
of ancient sculptUre, perhaps the most ancient in
the world, and to exhibit it to mankind in some-
what of its pristine beauty, is u nMle undertaking,
and worthy the countenance of every man who
loves to embellish science unil lamas life ; for the
temple of Eleoliauta is perhaps a grander effort of
the ingenuity of man than the pyramids of Egypt.
If the expense of the work is to be defrayed by
the subscription of individuals (though 1 consider
the preservation and repair of the Elaphanta to be
truly and properly a public and riationul coneern),
I beg you will do sue the honour to apply to it the
inclosed sum.

Every ehristian traveller can assign a reason for
wishing that the prinneval emblem of the Trinity
in Unity, at Eh:Aare:4 may remain entire during
the ages •sif the world.-1 temaiu, dear Sir, with
much esteem, yont faithful and obedient ..rvistit,*
Hon. Compan', s%.p tbarltua, •C. BUCHANAN.
off GA. Feb. Mi. t sos.•
SP4Nti: I PAP Li?S.

if Goa, nearly three tlioa Priests, t
upwards of two huadnsd an& fifty Chu- f
;hushes. This is'the hierarchy whirl
Alinus the Christiaii Church iu the4Bart; f
t power lb silently increasing wider the •
ieverittnent of the English, where *faith;
suffers the &lowish superstition to Co.'' •
minion with udeuriug activity in every t
f Riadostsin. • Tres is the. !Wien- cbte= t
inch looks out wiih,enNiety for the arri-
eitarte, 4, the great restorer of the athos
i." Dr. 811C11311A11.1 Letter to the Arch-