The Sun.
London, England, 1827-08-28 00:00:00

HINDOO WIDOWS.

A fresh Parliamentary Repprt has just been
issued on this interesting subject, from which we
extract the following most distressing and horrible

case :

" A girl of about 14 years of age, whose hus,
band, a Brahmin, died when absent, from his
family, and a fortnight after the event, her father
being absent and unacquainted with what Aiai•
passing, she proceeded. to burn herself on, a fu-
neral pile prepared .by other near relations, .and
which was fired by her.uncle. She soon leaped
.from the flame, and was seized, taken up by the
hands and feet; and. again thrown upon it much
burnt ; she again sprung from• the pile, and run-
ning to a well hard by, laid herself down in the
water-course weeping bitterly. A sheet was then
offered, and she was desired.- by her uncle to-
place. herself upon -it ; . she ' refused, saying; be
would again carry her to the fire, and'sbe would
rather quit the family and hire by beggary or any
thing, if they would have mercy upon her; At
length, on her uncle swearing by the Ganges,
that, if she would seat herself on the cloth, he
would carry her home; slie did so, was bound up
in it, carried to the pile, now fiercely 'burning,
`and again thrown into the flames. The wretch-
ed victim once more made an effort to save her-
self, when, at the instigation of the rest,, a Mus,
sulman approached near enough to reach 'her
with his sword, and cutting. her 'through . the
head, she fell back, and was rescued from further
suffering by death."
In the minutes of the Court of Nizamut
Adawlut on this case, it appears that six persons,
who had assisted at the tragedy, had been tried
at. the Benares Court of Circuit, charged with
murder, and it is stated, " The Court of Niza-
mut Adawlut having duly considered the pro-
ceedings held on the-trial, and the futwa of the
Law Officers," which declared " all the prisoners
liable to punishment for their respective shares
in the crime, at the discretion of the Court, add-
ing, that the punishment of the two principal
actors may extend to death."
" The l'iizainut Adawlut concurs in the con-
victions, and obServes that, under the promulgated
orders on the subject of_ the'suttee, the right in
this instance was illegal, the widow having been
a Brahmin woman proceeding to burn without
the body of her husband, who was absent from
her when he died, and that every species of com-
pulsion against the widow having been prohibited
by those orders, the forcing her Nick .to the pile
against her will and her entreaty'were punishable
crimes. Making allowance, however, for the
'superstitious prejudices of the Hindoos con-
cerned, and the ignorance of the Mahomedans,
the Court do not discover in any of them the
guilt of murder, and viewing the case as one of
culpable homicide, sentences the prisoner (Bhur-
rachee) to be imprisoned with labour for five
years, Itoosa for three years, and Sheolal and the
three other prisoners to be
,imprisoned without
labour for two years:"
On this most cruel and atrocious case, we ob-
serve that the Nizamut Adawlut was not unani-
mous ; the Chief Judge, Mr. W. Leycester,
thought that two of the prisoners, Bhurrachee
and Sheolal, should suffer death, and the others
be confined for life ; and he added, " I do not
see how we could be justified in passing any
other sentence ; as the case, however, is quite
new, it is desirable that the case should go before
another Judge."
The second Judge,. Mr. Courtney Smith, dif-
fered " entirely from the first Judge, being de-
cidedly of opinion that none of the prisoners
should be sentenced capitally, or even to per-
petual imprisonment ;" in support of which
opinion he argues forcibly and at considerable
length, and the most remarkable part of his minute.
we shall here state, as it is very nearly conneeted,
and for the most part concurrent with that view
of the subject in which this dispatch has origi-
nated. The part of the minute of the second
Judge to which we allude is.the
" The suttee was irregular, inasmuch as the
police officer was not there, and as the widow (a
Braminee) burnt without the corpse of her hus-
band ; but frequent irregularities occur in this
detestable practice, yet no one has ever yet been
hanged for it, or even punished, that I can re=
collect, by temporary imprisonment for a misde-
meanour.

" Our Government, by modifying the thing,
and issuing orders about it—orderS which even
the Government and the Sudder Judges them-
selves do not appear clearly to comprehend--
have thrown the ideas of the Hindoos upon the
subject into a complete state of confusion. They
'know not what is allowed, and what interdicted,
but, upon the whole, they have a persuasion that
our Government, whom they most erroneously
suppose to be indifferent about the lives of the
natives, are rather favourable to suttees than
otherwise. They will then believe that we ab-
hor the usage, when we prohibit it in toto, by
an absolute and peremptory law. They have no
idea that we might not do so with the most per-
fect safety ; they conceive our power and our will
to be commensurate."
" That a suttee; in the outset voluntary, shall
be deemed murder in those conducting it, if they
force the widow upon the pile from which she
escaped, I do not find positively declared in any
of the instructions promulgated through this
Court, nor do I know whether by the Shaster it
is legal or illegal ; for in all the rules that have
been issued, the Shaster is quoted as the autho-
rity ; the essence of the rule is, that if the suttee
be according to the Shaster it is lawful, if not it
is criminal ; with this declaration from the su-
preme court of authority, I do not see how a
Hintloo can in common sense, or common equity,
be made amenable to the Mahomedan law for
the offence."

LATE ACCIDENT ON HOUNSLOW HEATH.
—On Saturday, an inquest was held on view of
the remains of the two men who lost their lives
on Thursday by the explosion of the powder
mills belonging to Messrs. Curtis and. Harvey.
The Jury returned a verdict of « Accidental
Death."

G, AUGUST 28, 1827.

PUBLIC DINNER. TO DANIEL O'CON-

NELL, ESQ. IN GALWAY.

This splendid dinner tool. place on Sunday evening, iu
Kilroy's new ball-room. Nearly two hundred gentlemen
sat down to a sumptuous dinner, which furnished every
luxury which the season could afford. Amongst the toasts,
which were all admirably prefaced, were the following.:-
1 The King, God bless him.—(Great cheering.)
1 The Dulte.uf Sussex.—(Cheers.)
i The Lord High Admiral of the Fleet.—(lmmense cheers.)
i The Army and Navy.—(Cheers.)
Old Ireland as she ought to be.—(Tremendous cheers.)
I Daniel O'Connell, Esq.-

It Would be quite impossible to convey an idea of the
iloud peals Of, approbation which followed this toast. When
,the cheering had ceased, the Learned Gentleman returned
;thanks in a most eloquent and affecting speech.
i Civil and Religious Freedom all over the world. —( Great
4
applause.)
' The Right Rev. Dr. Ffrench and the Catholic Hierarchy.
(Great applause.)
' The Very Rev. James Daly, Protestant Warden of Gal-
way.—(Great applause.) . .
The Liberal Protestants of lreland.—(Great applause.)
i The Company separated at an early hour on Monday
=morning—all well pleased with one of the most delightful
is'evenings ever witnessed in Galway.—.Dublin Morning
!Register.'