Star.
London, England, 1824-10-09 00:00:00

It rose upon me, clear and nigh,
A rich and perfect harmony !
Three female voices silver soft
From souls of heavenly music streaming,
Like hymns of Seraphs heard aloft
By youthful Poet dreaming.
And yet 'twcs clear that it must he
A strain of earthly melody ;
For in the words of that wild song
I•)id human hopes and wishes throng;
And they who sung it, ye might know
By looks and ones the heart revealing,
Were dwellers on this world below,
Souls fraught with human feeling !
It rose, and sank, and rose again,—
The streams of music sever;
One gentle voice t ekes up the strain
Uke the voice of a lonely river !
I bear its crystal waters Row
In mellow murmurs, lone and low;
The wild dove.,rs on its banks that grow
Beneath my ice: are springing,
And o'er my head al azure sky
Extends its boundless canny ;
Flocks graze, and milk-maids carol nigh,
And trees seem waving gracefully,
And village bells are ringing!
And hark I another stream has risen,
With a sudden burst from its silent prison ;
A ',older stream, which sweeps along
With solemn music clear and strong,
•Through tke forest's green abysses
Down the rocky precipices,
lolling with a golden sound—
Now the sister stream is found;
Anil the kindred waves unite
. With a murmur of delight !
(Inward—onward, widening ever,
Winds the visionary river,
Toward some ocean—hark !—a third !
Never sure bath mortal heard
Such wild music as these three
Make in their sweet unity !

Memoirs of India, gic. designed for the use of Young
Men going out to India. By It. G. Wallace, Esq.

Bvo. pp. 5-94.

Besides a geographical account of the East Indies,
and a history of Hindostan, condensed from previous
authors, this work presents the useful practical advice
of experience, to young men going to that quarter of
the world in either a civil or military capacity. In this
respect it is highly valuable.
It contains also much curious miscellaneous matter,
among which the notice of Dwarka Pagoda, not
hitherto communicated to the public, may be taken as
a specimen of the author's style.
" Dwarka means the gate; it is a town, and cele-
brated temple in the province of Guzerat, situated at
the south-west extremity of the Peninsula, called Kat-
tywar, the point of which is named Okamundel, or the
wild district. This place is at present possessed by
Mooloo Manick, who has twenty-one villages, contain-
ing a population of 12,000 persons under him.
Ckrislina, the favourite Hindoo deity, long resided here,
both before and after his expulsion by Jaiasaudba from
Mathura. It is, therefore, a celebrated place of.. pil-
grimage. About 20,000 pilgrims arrive there annu-
ally, and the revenue derived to the temple, &c. amounts
to 18,0001. on an average every year.
" In performing this pilgrimage the following cere-
monies take place:—The pilgrim bathes, for which he
pays a certain sum; he then visits the great idol, and
makes offerings in proportion to his circumstances; then
be goes with a certificate, to a pagoda at Aramra, only a
few mile; distant, where he is stamped with a hot iron
instrument, on which are engraved the shell, the ring,
and the lotus flower, the insignia of the gods. The im-
pression is generally made on the arms. At Aramra
the pilgrim embarks for the island of Bate, which is in
sight, where he makes other offerings at a sacred tem-
ple there, and receives the final benediction. The Brah-
mans of India use the chalk of Dwarka for marking
their futeheads. It is therefore a principal article of
exportation, being supposed to have been deposited
there by Chrishna. Merchants carry it all over India ;
and the Brahmans have a secret by which they can dis-
tinguish it from all other chalk, though similar in ap-
pearance. 'They can, in like manner, at all the temples
in India, distinguish water brought from the sources of
the Ganges, from any other.
" The Okamundel is separated from Kattywar by a
run, or swamp, formed by the sea making a breach
from the north-west shore, near Pindletaruk, and ex-
tending in a south-east direction, again almost con-
nects itself with the sea at Muddee, which is about 14
miles distant from Pindletaruk. The breadth of this
channel gradually decreases; at Muddee it is not more
than a mile, and is separated from the ocean by a low
bank, about fifty yards wide. The highest spring-tides
flood the run to the depth of 18 inches; at other times
it is dry, incrusted with salt, and may be crossed with
ease. From the earliest period of history, commerce
and agriculture have been d'sregarded here by the in-
habitants, who addicted then selves to piracy, and still
persevere in the habits of their forefathers. They ate
of Wagur origin, having come, it is said, originally
from Cinch. Their appearance is wild and barbarous.
It may be said they live by plunder. In courage and
enterprise they are not surpassed by any people of
India. The reliance they place on their deities at
Dwarka and Bate, inspires them with confidence to
undertake anything. Runchor, the god of Dl.rellita,
supposed to protect them while at sea. His priests are
Cie chief instigators of piracy. Nlany vessels are fitted
Out in his name, as sole owner, and actually belong to
the temple, which receives the plunder they bring
back, as well as a part from all pi ivate adventurers.
Recently; these predatoi y expeditions have been greatly'
restrained by the naval power; but the inhabi-
tants retain all their ancient propensity to the practice.
In 1809, we compelled the chiefs of Divarka, Bate, &c.
to enter into treaties to restrain their subjects from acts
of piracy ; but since that period. expeditions have
several tin es been sent against the pirates el Okamundel.
" Bate signifies an island of any kind, but the proper
name of this small one is Shonkudss al. It derives this
name from a Hindoo demon, who lived here in a
large 'hunk, or conch shell. An incarnation of Vishnu,
called fihunknarrayan, destroyed him, and established
his oan woi :hip on the island, where it continued until
the flight of Runchor from Dwarka, to escape a Mo-
hammedan army. He is now supreme. Bate has one
good harbour, and a fort so strong, that it resisted our
nay rl attack in 1803, when the llriti,li lost a number
of men ;-,einTe it. About 1.50 ve4sels of tilltnent sizes
Leine to the port of Date. The town contains about
`,GOO houses, with a population of 10,000 persons; but

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