The Sun.
London, England, 1823-09-04 00:00:00

lIINDOO WIDOWS.

The following interesting information relative
to the practice of burning females on the funeral
piles of their husbands, is extracted from the
Papers lately laid before the House of Com-
mons :-

From the abstract of the reports teceived from the judicial
authorities in the several zillahs, it appears that the practice of
widows immolating themselves on the funeral piles of their
husbands, prevails generally throughout the northern division,
particularly in the zillahs of Masulipatam and Ganjam ; that
it exists in a less degree throughout the districts allotted to the
centre division, with the exception of the zillah of Denary, in
which it may be said to be unknown ; that in the southern.
division it is almost entirely confined to Tanjore; and that in
the western division it is only to be met with in a single talook
in Canara.

The following is the draft of instructions proposed to be
issued to the several Magistrates, with a view to prevent the
practice of widows burning themselves in cases not permitted
by the Hindoo Law :
It being a fundamental principle of the British Government
to allow the most complete toleration in matters of religion to
all classes of its native subjects, whilst, at the same time, justice
and humanity forbid that a practice attended with the destruc-
tion of human life, and often productive of calamitous conse-
quences to the children of the deceased, should be permitted
beyond the extent of the rules prescribed for it in the 11 indoo
law. You are hereby desired to furnish each of the Tehsildars
or other officers vested with the powers of District Police offi-
cer, under your authority, with copies under your official seal
and signature, of the several undermentioned provisions of the
Ilindoo law, as well as of the annexed instructions, and to en-
force a strict observance of the same.

As the practice of widows burning themselves with the ho-
dies of their creceased husbands, is, generally speaking, re-
cognized by the doctrines of the Hindoo religion, it is the ob-
ject of the Government, according to the principle of religious
toleration already noticed, to allow the practice in those cases
in which it is countenanced by their religion, and to prevent it
in others, in which it is by the same authority prohibited. It
will therefore he proper that you should explain carefully, on
all suitable occasions, to persons of the Hindoo persuasion, that
nothing is farther from the intention of Government than to in-
fringe any established tenet of their religion, and that its only
object is to restrain the use of acts and practices not less repug-
nant to the doctrines of their own persuasion than revolting to
the dictates of humanity.

The following are the provisions of the Hindoo Law regard-
ing the practice of widows burning themselves :

Every woman of the four casts is permitted to burn herself
with the body of her husband, provided she has not a child
under three years of age, nor is pregnant, nor in a state of
uncleanness, nor under the age of puberty : in any of which
cases, with the exception hereunder specified, she is not allow-
ed to burn herself with her husband's body.
But a woman who has infant children, and can procure ano-
ther person to undertake the charge of bringing them up, is
permitted to burn.
It is contrary to law to cause any woman to burn herself
against her wish, by administering drugs to stupify or intoxi-
cate her, or by any other means.
A woman may not ascend the pile of her deceased husband
for 20 nights after bearing a son, and for a mouth after bearing
a daughter.
When women burn themselves they pronounce the sun-
kulpt and peform other prescribed ceremonies previously to

burning
If any woman declare her intention of burning, and after-
wards recede from her intention, without baying pronounced

the sunkulp and performed the other ceremonies,shi: is not en-
joined by the chaster to undergo any (prayaschit) or penance,
neither is there any thing contained in the law prohibiting her
relations front' associating with her.
But if u woman after pronouncing the sunkulp and perform-
ihg other ceremonies should not have courage to proceed to the
funeral pile, she may 'recover her purity by undergoing a severe
penance, and her relations may then associate with her.
The wife of a Brahmin is positively prohibited by the shas-
ter from burning on any funeral pile excepting that of her
husband.
The rite of annomarana, or burning without the body of the
deceased, may be performed by all such women of the other
casts as are devoted to their lords, and absent from them at the
time of their death, or such as are in the first and second days
of menstruation ; the disqualifying cause being here removed
in a short interval. Women under other circumstances are not
permitted to perform the rite of anootnarana.
A woman who, being absent from her husband at the time
of his death, dues not. perform the rite of anooniarana imme-
diately on becoming acquainted with that event, cannot be con-
sidered a " partibrata" or devoted to her lord, and is not at
liberty to burn herself at any subsequent period.
A woman who, being present at the time of her husband's
death, and unrestrained by legal impediment, omits the act of
suhanuirana (burning with the body of the deceased), cannot be
considered a partibrata, or devoted to her Lord, and is nut at
liberty to burn herself at any subsequent period.
The proposed Directions to be issued by the Magistrates to
the District Police Officers, contain the following passa',e :
" You are hereby enjoined to use the otmott care, and make
every effort to prevent the ceremony of burning from taking
place in any case in which it is not permitted by the Ilindoo
law ; and for that 'purpose will ascertain from the woman who is
to be burnt, whether she has given her assent, and the other par-
ticulara above-mentioned relative to her age, &c. In the event
of the female who is going to be burnt being less than 16 years
of age, or there being signs of her pregnancy, or on her declaring
herself to be in that situation, or should the people be preparing
to bum her after having intoxicated her, without her assent or
against her will, it will be your duty to prevent the ceremony
from taking place, and to explain to the people, that in thu
event of their persisting, they will involve themselves in a
crime, anti become subject to punishment. As a woman hav-
ing a child under three years of age is not permitted to burn
herself with the body of the deceased husband, unless some
persons will undertake to provide a suitable maintenance for
the child ; you will be careful whenever a person undertakes to
do thia, to see that a written engagement, in duplicate, on
stamp paper, and according to the following form, is entered
into and duly attested, and, leaving one copy in the possession of
the child's nearest of kin, or other proper person on the spot,
will transmit the other copy, with your report on the case, to
the magistrate."

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if it has been thought proper to answer them at
all, for the purpose of marking the contemp-

tuous indignation with Which they have been
'viewed, the answer has been given by the KING

as an individual, and without those forms, pre-

scribed by the Constitution,necessary for making
it an act of the Spanish Government, or d legal
and acknowledged proceeding of the Executive
Power.
The following summary is extracted from the
Postscript of the Elate of Monday :
" Accounts from the environs of Seu, of the
24th August, state that they expected Baron
d'Eroles, who was personally to treat with the
Governor of that 'fort. A Colonel, with an
Aide-de-Camp, left the Seu on the 15th for the
nead-quarters. lie had not yet returned. The
artillery of the fort was continually firing bombs
and balls, and the advance posts were also keep-
ing up a heavy fire. They state from Perpignan,
of the 25th August, that a report prevailed that
evening that the fort of Figueras had surrendered.
There was a great firing heard in the morning ;
but it. requires confirmation. They state from
Salamanca, of the 16th August, that the Captain-
General of the Province has published a Procla-
mation, in which he announces the complete
blockade of Cuidad Rodrigo.
46 They write from Gerona, of the 26th August,
that on the '22d, at four o'clock in the evening,
an Officer, who was very ill, came out of the fort
of Figueras, for whom the Governor solicited
permission to go into the town. With this Offi-
,
car came a Chief of Battalion, as a flag of truce,
who was received by Colonel CORMIER, Com-
mandant of the place, who conducted him blind-
fold to the Marshal de Camp, with whom he
waited from five to seven o'clock."

CITY, Twelve o'Clock.—Consols opened this
Morning at 821, with little doing. The answer
of the King of Spain to the Duke of Angouleme
not being authenticated, various opinions are en-
tertained on the subject. A report prevails of an
Express being arrived from Paris; but no parti-
cular news has as yet transpired.
One o'Clock.-1 am informed) on most respect-
able authority, that on the arrival at Paris of the
intelligence that the Cortes had refused the pro-
positions of the Duke of Angouleme, an Express
was dispatched to him at Port St. Mary's, to
bombard Cadiz without delay, and to make an
attempt to take that City at all hazards.

DOCTORS' COMMONS.—Sittings appointed to be
.held in the Ecclesiastical Courts, at Doctors' Com-
mons, in the ensuing Michaelmas Term, 1823:--
First Session.—Arches, Monday, November 3 ,• Admiralty,
Tuesday, November 4; Prerogative, \Vednesday, November 5
'Delegates, Thursday, November II; and Consistory,
Friday,
November 7.
Second Session.—Arches, Saturday, November 6; Admi-
ralty, Tuesday, November 11 ; Prerogative, NVednesday, No-
vember 12 ; Delegates, Thursday, November 13; and Consis.
4ory, Friday, November 14.
Third Session.—Arches, Saturday, November 15 ; Admi-
'ralty, Tuesday, November 10; Prerogative, Wednesday, No-
vember 19 ; Delegates, Thursday, November 20 ; and Consis-
tory, Friday, November 21.
Fourth Session.—Arches, Saturday, November 22 ; Admi-
ralty, Tuesday, November ; Prerogative, Wednesday,
November 26; Delegates, Thursday, November 27 ; and Con.
siitory, Friday, November 20.
—The Courts sit at ten o'clock in the morning, e%cept the
Admiralty, which sits at eleven precisely. Sir John Nicholl
•presides in the Arches and Prerogative Courts, Lord Stowell
In the Admiralty, Sir Christopher Robinson in the Consistory,
and the usual Surrogates in the High Court of Delegates.

The Duke of WELLINGTON and suite landed at
Dover from Calais, on Tuesday last. Ilis Grace,
after taking dinner at Wright's Ilotel, left this
place at six o'clock for London, under a salute
from the guns at the Heights.
Mr. CONWAY, who for the last two seasons has
occupied the humble situation of Prompter at the
Haymarket Theatre, has resigned that office, and
is going on a theatrical excursion to America. It
is strange that, while in the prime of life, and
with very respectable talents, he is not able to
procure an engagement worthy of those talents
in this country. He possesses a more command-
ing person than has appeared on the London
Stage since the days of BARRY. He performed
several characters at Covent-Garden Theatre
with great success, and we know that his Jaffier,
in particular, was highly approved by Mrs.
Sinnosrs.
Miss LACY is engaged to perform at Liverpool
till she resumes her station at Covent-Garden.
She ►is an actress of the true, natural, unaffected
school, and, considering her youth, possesses an
extraordinary share of merit.
If LirroN's theatrical merits were at all
doubtful, his performances in Sweethearts and
Wives, and in Fish out of Water, the characters
being essentially difficult, would stamp him as
the most original comic actor that has been ever
seen on the London Stage. The pieces them-
selves are highly entertaining, and they cer-
tainly receive all due support from the Per-
formers in general.
Miss Love was sufficiently recovered last
night to reumc' her part in Sweethearts and
Wives at; the Haymarket. Miss PATON, who
took the part during the illness of the former, is
so much indisposed herself as to be obliged to
suspend her professional exertions.
The Protestant Episcopal Church at East Shef-
ford, Upper Canada, was destroyed by fire on the
evening of the 15th of July. I t was discovered
about 11 o'clock, and so rapid was the progress
of the flames, that in about a quarter of an hour
front being first observed, the tower fell out-
wards, followed in a short time afterwards by
the roof and walls of the. building. The origin
of the fire was not known.(Montreal paper.)

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