Star.
London, England, 1824-05-21 00:00:00

happened they could not settle about their respective
sovereignties. They were ordered, by a vision, to settle
the dispute by playing a certain game of hazard, and
Pandoo, the-uncle of Couroo, lost it. To hide his mis-
fortune, and to obliterate from his mind all ideas of his
former power and greatness, be vowed to retreat from
the face of mankind, accompanied by his wife Contee.
After travelling a great distance they came to this part
of India; the retirement of the place was congenial to
their heavy sorrows, and here they fixed themselves.
In the course of a few years they begat five sons; these
were Yudishteer, Bheem or Bhima, Urjoon or Urzuna,
Nacool, and Seyhuder. From a pious motive, and to
please the god Crishna, they commenced excavating
caverns for religious purposes; and, that the under-
taking might appear miraculous and wonderful to man-
kind, they entreated the god for a night that might last
one year, which request was granted. . Bheem, the se-
cond son, was the principal assistant, he being amazingly
strong, and eating the enormous quantity of one candy
and a half of meat during the day (9001b5.) When the
five brothers had finished their excavations, day broke
forth ; the brothers were then dispatched to propa-
•Lcate the wonder; and millions of people flocked from
the bribe* parts to behold the mighty and favoured
family of the Pandoos. Their father, Pandoo, was
removed from this world to a better, for his piety ; the
sanctity of the brothers, and their supposed influence
with the Deity, brought over boundless countries and
dominion to their sway : in a short period of time they
had seven millions of warriors and fighting men, while
others were daily flocking to their standard. They
then determined to wage war against their relation
Couroo, who, from the length, mildness, and virtues of
his reign, was universally beloved by his subjects.—
Even those that had dese: ted, and had goile over to the
five brothers, from a mistaken notion of their being dei-
fied heroes, by the great wonders of the cavern being
produced in one night, seceded, and joined Couroo, who
called together his faithful followers, and found that his
fighting men exceeded eleven millions, eager to repel
aggression; but the event of the conflict was disastrous
to Couroo, for the brothers had found favour with
Crishna (Vishnu), as they had performed great and holy
works. So much were they 'favoured, that Cri!Aina
stood before Ur zoon while be mounted his charger, and
bade him not fear the hosts of Couroo. Thus were the
caves of Elora excavated: Visvacarma being the archi-
tect employed by the Pandoos,
" I do not recollect ever having read any prose ver-
sion of the foregoing fable : had I, it would not have
been inserted here. My only reason in so doing is, that
the foregoing fable concerning the divine origin of the
caves is implicitly believed by the Brahmans.
We wish that our limits could permit a larger ex-
tract, but as this cannot be, we must refer those who
wish to know more about these wonderful excavations
to the original work.
THE DESTRUCT:TON or JERUSALEM.

This is a large historical picture in oil colours, 22
feet by 14, painted by Mr, Whichelc, an artist who has
occasionally contributed to the Water Colour Exhibi•
tion, but is almost unknown as an oil colour painter.
From the evident merits of the picture on the first view,
we naturally regarded it as a performance challenging
minute criticism, and exhibited in the expectation of its
proving a lucrative speculation : but we we:e deceived ;
tor we found on inquiry that it has been painted by the
order of Mr. Dobbs, as an embellishment for his elegant
rooms, where it is now fixed. It is tndeed a sti iking pi riot'
of our advance in the Fine Arts, to find a painting wo:-
thy of high commendation, executed with no higher an
ambition than that of ornamenting a spew-room. The
good taste and liberality which dictated the order are
also highly pleasing, and must be rightly construed. It
this is Mr. Whichelo's first attempt ou a grand scale, he
has every reason to congratulate himself on the result,
and will act wisely in again essaying to delineate some
important period of hi:tory.

DINNER TO DON MANUEL JOSE HURTADO.—An ele-
gant entertainment was given. on Wednesday, at the
City of London Tavern, by Messrs. 1-Icants:6, GRA-
HAM, and POWLES, the Contractors of the first Colom-
bian Loan, to Don M. J. EIURTADO, the Colombian
Minister, and a select party. Among the company
present were—
Sir James Mackintosh, M.P. Sir Robert Wilson, M.P. Dr.
Lushington, M.P. Alderman Bridges, M.P. Alderman Thomp-
son, M.P. Mr. Attwood, M.P. Mr. B. Shaw, Mr. Buckle, Mr.
Goldschmidt, Mr. S. Gurney, Mr. Ricardo, Mr. Down, Mr. S.
Cock, Mr. itundell, Mr. Hardcastle, Mr. G. Lyall, Mr. S. M.
Samuel, &c. &c. &c.
NEW SYSTEM OF STREET ROBBERY.—Wednesday
evening last, as a Gentleman was returning home
through Judd-street, Brunswick-square, he was followed
by four or five young men respectably dressed, who
amused themselves by making remarks upon his per-
son, and conducting themselves so offensively, that he
was under the necessity of turning round to remonstrate
with them on the impropriety of their behaviour. This,
however, only drew on him fresh insults ; and as one of
the party approached him in a menacing attitude, the
Gentleman was preparing for self-defence, when a man
of respectable appeatance and gentlemanlike address
I stepped up, and t emat king that he had witnessed the
gross insults offered, said he felt himself called upon to
offer his services, observing that he would see fair play;
at the sarne time producing his card, and very politely
took under his care the Gentleman's coat, of which he
had divested himself in order to be free from incum-
brance. No sooner, however, was this object attained,
than, instead of proceeding to fight, the whole party
burst out into a loud and taunting laugh, and dispersing
in different directions, carried off their booty, leaving
the Gentleman so petrified wirh astonishment that he
bad not presence of mind to pursue any of them until
they were at too great a distance to be overtaken.
Wednesday morning, betweenthree and five o'clock, a
most audacious burglary was committed upon the fac-
tory of A. Solomon and Sons, No. 3, Sun-street,
shopsgate-street, when the factory was broken open,
and property, consisting of Leghorn hats, crowns, &c.
to the amount of neatly 6001. was carried away.
Monday, during the time the Tally-Ho coach was
changing horses at Rochester, a man who was passing,
having the care of a waggon, struck the horse with his
whip, in order to make a clear passage for his vehicle ;
the animal immediately plunged forward, and forced
his head through the shop window of a linen-draper ;
the jugular vein was severed, and in a short time the
horse bled to death.

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Thursday seinnight, a robbery was committed on the
Dalkeith road, upon a person who was returning to
Edinburgh from the market held at that place. A man
suddenly seized hold of him, and demanded his money ;
and after a stout resistance, the robber forcibly took
from him 201. in bank notes; and a bank bill for 1001.