Star.
London, England, 1824-12-17 00:00:00

INDIA.

HORRIBLE SPECTACLE.
PROM THY SUMOCHAR DOROUN OF MAT 29.
The 28th of April, a person named Bolakee Nazir
departed from this world on the Muny Kurnika Ghaut
of Benares. His widow lost no time in burning herself
with the deceased on the spot. •
Saturday morning, about ten o'clock, when my
sircar came, he told me that there was to be a Suttee
close to my house. I immediately went and saw the
corpse of a man lying on the ground, and a boat-load
of wood at the ghaut. The deceased was a milk-sellers.
about forty years of age, having a wife of about_ thirty,
and four children, the eldest about sixteen, the youngest
ten. On inquiry, I found that they had not got the
order from the Magistrate, therefore could not com-
mence operations. Irrthe evening, I went with a Gen-
tleman, an. old inhabitant of the place. The youngest
children, two boys, were by the corpse, the eldest son
was gone to get the order, and the daughter was with
her mother in a house not far off; we asked thou to
thew ns the house where the woman was. To this
they objected, but a sircar coming b)' at the time,
we asked'him to go with us. They objected to both of
us going, therefore my friend went, %%bast I stood at
the entrance of a narrow lane which led to the house,
to prevent the crowd of natives that surrounded us from
rushing after him. Whilst he was gone, the two little
boys came and clung round me, begging I would not
let their mother burn:—" What shall we do?" said they
—but some of their relations came up and threatened
them, and they went and sat down by the corpse again.
When my friend returned, he said the woman was
determined to burn, and would hear no argumeats
against it, and in the same way answered me afterwards.
About one o'clock the man came running to tell me
they were gone to fetclthe woman, and that the Suttee
would take place directly. I went and found the woman
already there: she was sitting by the side of the corpse,
and I understood, from two or three Gentlemen who had
witnessed her arrival, that she danced as she came, and
stood up over the corpse, with her arms lifted up over
her head, and then sat down beside the body, covering
the feet with part of her own clothes, so that she was
naked from the waist upward. In this position I found
her. A woman was painting her feet, nails, &c. with
red paint they use, and she had plenty of it on her fore.'
head. The Chaprassies, &c. that were stationed wound,
her behaved in the most civil and obliging manner.
Chairs were brought for my friends and self, and
sat within three feet of the Suttee, in front of her. Nat-
withstanding her assumed joy, there was a great ex-
pression of tearful anxiety—especially as the order for
her to burn did not arrive. An old man, her uncle,
was walking round her, and encouraging her, as also'
was an old woman who sat by her side ; every now
and then she would pray for a few moments, and then
cry out Hurreebok, which a few of the bystanders
repeated. The crowd now had become very turbo.,
lent and large, so that it was with great difficulty
the police could keep them from rushing upon the
woman and her relations. Her daughter, a fine girl,
kept fanning her, and she chewed some beetle-nut ; she*
had in her hand a few mango leaves; with these sire
drove away the flies, and I observed from first to last,
the never relinquished her grasp of them. She was a
handsome woman, of small stature, but of a most its-
teresting appearance. I asked her if she was aware of
the unnatural part she was acting, in thus wilfully for-
saking the children she had borne? and in.taking away
that 'life which GOD had given? and whether s •
really believed that Gun would be pleased with so
inhuman a sacrifice? and whether she could believe
that her death would atone for her husband's sins'
and those of her family, with various other questions of
a similar nature, to all of which she replied in a calm
and interesting manner—declaring that she should by
this act immediately be with her husband in Heaven,
and said, n 6 argument could ever move her, and
begged I would use my endeavours to gain the order.
The Gentleman who talked with her the night befoie,
had offered to allow her a handsome sum per month,
if she would not burn ; this she rejected, saying, what
was money to her now she had done with the world?
I now offered to double that sum, and free her from
the reproaches of her kindred ; but no offers or entrea-
ties availea.

It was now four o'clock, and no order had arrived;
she seemed very . faint and teary ; she asked if she
might not lay down? one of her relations said no, but
she said, I cannot do without lying down ; she was then
permitted, and stretched herself at length by the side of
the corpse, embracing it with her right hand. It was
'now Sunday evening, and as the man died on Fr iday,
the smell was very offensive, yet she embraced it, and
picked off the smallest particle of dust that fell upon it.'
It was now found out that the son, in his hurry to
conclude the business, had brought away the order
ithout the signature at the Magistrate. The corpse
and woman were therefore to repose together all
night. I looked at them about half-past nine, she was
in the same position, lying beside the corpse, which
by this time, bent forth such an effluvia that I was obliged
to hold my handkerchief to my nose. This morning
(Monday) I went and found the woman and the family
in expectation of receiving the order. I left a man
there to inform me when the order arrived. A. few
hours after this, two Ladies went to speak with the wo-
man ; but she would not hear what they had to say,
and her kindred did all in their power to prevent any
remonstrance being made. At two o'clock this day
the order arrived. I and some friends, who had been
waiting with me from Saturday last, hurried to the
scene, and although the di;tance from my house was
not half a quarter of .a mile, yet such was the anxiety
of her friends to complete the business, that we arrived
but just in time to witness the corpse brought down to
the ghaut. The woman was immediately surrounded
by the officiating Brahmins, and is a few minutes was
taken to bathe. A few pitchers of water were poured
over the corpse, and it was laid on the ready-prepared
pile, which had been constructed in the most dexterous
manner. On each side were three strong piles, or
thick stakes driven into the ground, and layers of flax,
staves of tar barrels, and thick gran sticks were placed
between to the height of four, feet. In a short time the
woman came from the water, and a terrible shout of
Hurreebole was set up by the two principal and offi-
ciating Brahmins, in which the spectators seemed me-
thanically to join. Now commenced the most horrid
scene I ever witnessed ; the mob seemed to become
infuriated, and all order was abolished. The wcs•
iman was led, or rather dragged by a stout fellow (as
'the
had nothing round his neck I should suppose he was
*no Brahmin) round the pile three time's, casting from a
basket, carried by a relation, parched grain amongst
the crowd; which seemed to be as anxiously sought for

as gold abhors could possibly have been. I observed
her spirits began to fail, that her face assumed quite a
different hue, and I do verily believe, if the wretches
who surrounded her had not used their utmost efforts,
she never would have mounted the pile. Oh 1 what a
scene was this ! The corpse having been kept four days
was become completely putrid. The mouth and nose
was one horrid mass of corruption ; all over the body
were blisters, each as large as a swan's egg, whilst the
colour was varied in all the tints of the rainbow, green,
black, white, red, and yellow. The mob were obliged
to retire against their will. The stench was abomina•
ble, yet between the arms of this corpse was the poor
woman tied—yes, actually tied ! Two ropes of flat had
been left hanging down the sides of the pile, and no
sooner had the poor creature mounted the pile, than,
they were thrown across the two bodies and tied. In a
moment large pieces of wood, staves of tar barrels,
flax, and rosin, were placed upon them, and, to make
sure of their victim, her own relations placed two large
green bamboos across the pile, one end of the upper
one (that nearest the head) was tied to a stake, and the
other held by men ; the other bamboo was held by
men at both ends. The eldest son then went round the,
pile three times and set fire to it. I observed that ano•
eller man, who was squatting at the font of the pile, set
that part on fire also. In a few minutes the fire caught
the combustible materials, and the whole was in a
blaze. I heard a shriek of agony from the funeral pile,
which was smothered by the shouts of the Brahmins and
the multitude.