The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-05-25 00:00:00

tliE .STATESMAN.

THE INQUISITION OF GO4.

r. '..,

tile Mowing narritite `concerning the inquisition of dahi'in:
• en by M. Dellah, *ha hail been roar! in a &nem,
Mfee stivart. upwards of two rats, wnhant teeing any
. person except the gaoler, who brought him his yictitult I du-,
nag which tunebe endured a painful suspence, equal to death,
etpecting daily to he !venlig to Me stake. l liv alltged crime
was, that of ciarg;ng the Inquisition with cruelty, in a con-
yer anon he had u ith a price, at Daman, &Portuguese town,
in anutlirr rail of India.
" During the months of November and December,
I heard (said M. Dolton) every morning, the shrieks
of the unfortunate victims undergoing the Question
in the Chamber of Torture. The Ago de Fe is ge-
nerally celebrated on the first Sunday in Advent, be.
cause on that day is read in the churches, that part
of the Gospel relating to the last judgment, of which
the Inquisitors pretend, that thiti ceremony exhibits *
lively emblem. I was convinced that there %vomit
Feat number of prisoners besides myself, within the
Walls of prison; and the profound silence that
reigned, enabled me to count the number of doors
which were opened at the heir of meals. However,
the first mod Second sundays in Advent, in the second
year of micaptivity, -passed by without my hearing
any thing ; aid I prepared to undergo another me-
lancholy year; when, en the I lth of January, I was
aroused from despair by the noise of the guards re-
moving the bars from the door of my prison. The
Alcaide presented me with a habit, which he ordered.
me to put on, and to make myself ready to attend him
when he should return. Thus saying, he left a light-
ed lamp in my dungeon. The guards returned about
two o'clock in the morning, and led me out into a
long gallery, where I found a number of unfortunate
companions of my fate drawn up in a rank against a
wall ; I placed myself among the rest,and several more
soon joined the melancholy baud, which resembled
statues, more titan animated human beings. The
women were clothed in a similar manner, and placed
in a neighbouring gallery; I remarked a number of
per. nns standing by themselves at some distance, at-
• tended by others who wore long black dresses and
.who walked forward and backward occasionally. Is,
.was informed, the former were victims condemned to
be burned, and the others, their confessors. After
being arranged against .the wall in the gallery, we
each received a large Wax taper; they then brought
:us a number of dresses made of yellow cloth, with
A cross painted on them, called the San Benito.. The
:relapsed heretics wear another sort of robe, Called
the Samarra, the ground of which is grey; the per-
„trait of the sufferer is painted upon it, surrounded. by.
,demons, with burning torches and flames.! Caps
were produced called Carrochas, made 4f pasts.
.boardl pointed like sugar loaves, with devils and
Ames of fire represented on them !
The great bell of the cathedral began to ring a
.tittle before-sun-rise, as a signal to warn the people
of Goa to come and behold the august ceremony of
the Auto de Fe. Welvere now marshalled one by
one, from the gallery to the great hall ; at the door
of which sat the Inquisitor, with his secretary by
him, who delivered every prisoner into the hands of
a particular person, to be his guard to the place of
burning. These persons are called Parrains or God-
fathers; mine was the commander of a ship. From
the great hall, we went forth into the street, where
the procession was commenced by the Dominican
Friars, because St. Dominick founded the Inquisi-
tion. These are followed by the prisoners, one by
one, each having his godfather by his side, and a
lighted taper :it his hand. The least guilty go fore-
most; and the women are mixed promiscuously with
the men. We all walked barefoot; the sharp stones
in the streets wounded my feet and caused them to
bleed : as we marched through the principal streets
of Goa, we were regarded every where, by an in-
numerable crowd of people collected from all parts
of India to behold this spectacle. We at length ar-
rived at the church of St. Flancis, at which this
' Act of Faith,' falsely so called, was destitted.to be
celebrated. On one side of the altar, were the
Grand Inquisitor, and his counsellors; on the other,,
the Viceroy of Goa, and his. Court.
" The prisoners were seated in front to hear the
sermon ; I observed those who wore the horrible car-
recites came in last in the procession. The sermon,
which was given by an Augustine monk, bt,ing eon-
eluded, two officers of the Inquisition ascended the
pulpit, one after another, and read the sentences, of
the prisoners. My joy was indeed extreme when I
beer(' that my sentence was not to be burnt, buttal
be a galley-slave for five years. As soon as the sea.
fences were pronounced, the miserable victims were
brought forth, who were destined to be immolated
by the Holy Inquisition. The images of the heretics
who had died in prison, were brought up at the same ,
time ;. their bones. being contained in chests, ou which
were represented demons and flames. An,olficer now
seized these unhappy people, on each of whom was l
bestowed a slight blo upon the breast by the Alt.
caide, to signify thatihey were abandoned. They
were then led to the place ofkurning, near the river, '
-where the Viceroy and Ids court were assembled:.
the faggots having been prepared the preceding day.
When they arrive at this horrid place, the condemnedi
persons are asked, in what religion they chuse to-
die ; the moment they have answerikl, the executioner
seizes them nod binds them to a-stake in midst of the
faggots. The day after the execution, the portraits•
of the victims are carried to the church of the Dora-
' !draws. The heads'only are taken, whichare repre-
sented as surrounded by flames and demons; and tea-'
derneath is written the name and crime or We person-
who has been .burned." Stich is a recital -ollhe
treatment of this detestable tribunal, width one
dividual lived to give : not hut others have. liko*lse
survived
their fate, and returned to the' world, yeti
so great has been the terror indelibly impressed orat
those who have undergone the discipline of this irk
Initial, that after their release, they say little of wbat
they have endured, bet carry in their countenatiatese
, the marks of the Inquisition (terror and despair) as
loud as they exist."

CURIOUS OCCURRENCE.

Pommes, litL%v 19.—0n0 dark and mysterious
circumstance, connected with the assassination of the
Prime Minister, we cannot omit to mention, as, how-
ever strange and unaccountable it may appear, we
can safely pkdge our own credit, and we are autho.
rised likewise to pledge the credit of a much respect-
ed and highly judicious clerical friend in vouching
for its truth. On the night of Sunday, the 10th inst.
twenty-four hours BEFORE TILE FATAL DEED WAS PER-
PETRATED, a report was brought, it is not yet known
from what quarter, to Bridekirk, a village about tso
miles from Annan, that Mr. PERCEVAL was shot in
his may to the House of Commons, at the. door or in
the lobby of that (louse.
This most remarkable fact, the whole inhabitants
of that village are ready to attest, as the report quick-
ly spread, and became on Monday the universal topic
of conversation. The Clergyman to whom we have
alluded, and who allows us to make use of his name,
is Mr. Yorstoun, Minister of Hoddo►n. This Gentle-
man, with a laudable zeal,weut to the spot, and care-
fully investigated the rumour, with a view of tracing
it to its source, but has not hitherto been successful,
although he has obtained the most satisfactory proof
of its having elated at the time we havernentioned.—
( Dumfries and Galloway Courier.)

PO LICE.

MANSIOMIOUSE•

Saturday a genteel young man, who had undergone
a private examination a few days since, charged with
stealing above twelve hundred pounds in Rank-notes
from a banking-house, where he acted as a clerk,
' wits again put to the bar. It appeared, upon the
Prisoner being suspected and taken into custody, he
confessed the robbery, and told where most of the
money was deposited, which was in the chest of a
young woman whom he associated with, and where
Chamberlain, the officer, Muud above eleven him-
tired pounds, which he produced The young woman
was likewise detained in custody, but no'proof tip-
-1 peering of her knowledge of the money being stolen,
i she was discharged. The male Prisoner was roma&
ed for further examination.
UNION-HALL.
i Isaac Wood, the waterman, of pugilistic note-
eiety, who fought Richmond the Black, was on ,
friday night apprehended by Goff and Clark, on a
Iluage's warrant, charged with assaulting Mr. Bea-
let a_ custom-house officer, whilst in the discharge of
• atity. The officers took him into custody a little
Lis
, fore twelve at night, and on the way to the watch-
iouse
( near Blackfriar's Bridge, on the Surrey side,'
'he escaped from them, ran down the steps, plunged '
!into the water, and swam to a boat moored at some,
distance from the shore; finding her, however, too
' well secured for him to unmoor, and perceiving the
1 officers had followed him close behind, he again took
to the water, and made for some tioatiul timbers,
still further from the- shore; in attempting to get
upon them they gave way, and he sunk, but regained
them at one end as the officers mounted them at tlm
other. Finding it impossible to escape further, he
. put himself in an attitude of defence, and a despe-
rate battle ensued, but superior skill and science
were obliged to give way to superior numbers ; he
was secured, taken on shore, and-next morning corn-
I mated to Newgate, to be taken from thence to Maid-
; stone for trial at the next Assizes.

Vauxhall Gardens will open, we believe, on Mon- '
iday next/ the' Ist of June. Many very splendid
improvements have been added during the recess,
i the most prominent of which is a magnificent Ilindos- ,
tan Temple, erected on the scite of the Old Ito-
, tunda, with correct costume and panoramic views of
' some of the chief places in the East Indies.
1 It is a positive fact, which some of our Readers
may turn to advantage, that salted bacon, and Un- i
' salted beef or mutton, and possibly other kinds ofl
animal food, when too long kept, or improperly !
cured, so as to be tainted with putridity, may bel
I perfectly recovered, or rendered quite sweet by bury-
ing it in fresh earth, say a foot deep for a few days.
Saturday-morning Captain Manby repeated his ex- i
periments for saving the lives of shipwrecked magi-1
ners in Hyde Park. Admirals Duckworth, Harvey„l
and a number of distinguished characters were pre-1
isent.
1 Eaton, who was recently I
e' found guilty of publish- ,
i •n. the Third Part of Paine's Age of Raison, will
be put into the pillory to-morrow. This unfortu-
nate old man is thus to be punished for doing that inl
1 England which whole bodies of Englishmen are con-
staidly attempting in India and elsewhere. Mis- 1
sionaries are now, and have long been, at work, to
overthrow the national faith of the liindoos by their 1
preachings and writings. ' If an Allitift Mice Wore I
Ito seize and puuish one of those perionij what anl
outcry Would be made by the ' fanatics here, Ihoughl
they are practising themselves the very thing they
1 would so•loudly condemn.
1 The Committee of the Stock Exchange have within
1 these few days, as a terror to those who act wrong
within their house, fixed Mack boards at each of the
entrances from Capel-court and Threadneedle-street, ,
on which they have placed the names of five of the
greatest defaulters, that they may be seen by every i
person who enter the lobbies.
• The Madras ,burnals mention, that one of the
largest tigers ever seen in that part of the world was,
I killed at Saakerry Droop, by Captain Moore and
(Lieutenants Birch and Nelthropp. In. the course of
a few months, it had destroyed a hundred head, of,
bittiO, 4. c. besides four children. Sixteen balls were,
lodged in its body before it fell; 'it measured from
head to tail 14 feet, end was 43 inches in heighth.

• r rim E commgclAt... lIALL., WINE. colt
- .
.. . ..
1 PAN Y. Skinorr-greet. tott4On. -.hex' leave 10 biliirit the -attention of sue Nolllity; Gentry, runt Mlle ill general, to
their very low Prirei 6.r the choicest Wilit-f,- tienuiue spirit,.
utis Liquors, Pritnegt B..ttled Pager, Ale:aid Doublekrown
:tout, t.r Really Money uuly. watch will'he delivered to Or
der, free of entente, to any Part uf London.
F ine Nit Wine, tort Pipe -
Half Pipe - - -
Quarter Pipe - -
•Curiaus OM Port, of the Vintage of 1806, of the molt
exquidit• Mayfair - - .
lialf Pipe -... • . .
Quarter Pipe . .
Good Sherry, per Butt
ll.ilf Butt -
QuArter Butt

,fete
cla
~:sl

At.s3
. X 32
i
.€ll6
f:46
42, k)
4•111
Pi
Finest Port Wine, warranted to have been six years to Do .
the wood, new in Bottles, 13 to the 1)0e..n - Sts,
•Choice Old Port, It to the I)ozen, not mated 5./.„

'Very Itne;,iti dills, 6 years in the Wood, itvr BIM
Ilulf Run -
Quarter Butt
*Fin.. old West India Madeira, iwr Pipe
Ilnif l'ipe -
Quarter ripe

. . - --- - - -
*Liajfitil 014 Hurl. svnrranled In have been live ye.trs
in nnitte. 12 to tile Dozen - - -
Gooott Slocrr ,11 to the Dozen . .. . . . .
.... .

'Very fine Old ditto, warranted to have been right year lA'
in the Dim, 13 to the Dozen .. -' 511.
Fine Tenet tile, Li to the Dozen - MX
*Fine ud Brosti Madeira, 13 to the Dozen - ifis.
•Vioest old West lodia ditto, 13 to the Dozen - tx.i).
*Curious)) hoe East India Madeira, warranted to be 12
t earF old, 12 to rite Doze's - lilt.
•Dittet Sherry, 12 to the Dozen - - 7,)t.
veti.r,g of (lie IjAck quality slid f!stvuura 12 to the Doz. v.),,
•Very rtne rich and dry Lisbon, Li to the Wien - 46..
Mile Mita Mifiligilill, iS 49. - -46 i.
•Fitteist White Nu)ents, II do. - - ro.
• Dino Pink Ditto 12 ditto - - • SIF.
Ditto old Rum Shrub, 12 ditto - - -46 F.
Per Cal-
Fine flavoured Geneva - - - itl, 6d.
• Ditto AI strong Ditto - - - 144. 6d.
Ditto ditto,laotatea Rum - - s 163. 64
Ditto ditto Online Iltandy - - - Vs. ed.
Ditto ditto Hollandis - - - 33% ui.
Per Doe.
Mkt Bottled Porter, 12 to the Miens - tiF. tid.
*Do. Double known ntityl, 12 to the Dozen - 7.. &I.
Fine Cock:toe Cider - • - - 104. 61,
Ditto Squash l'erry - - - 21-. NI.
• Finest old Me, warranted 22 Illontbs old before bottled 9s. 6".
•Fmest Burgin Ale, ditto . - - 103. 64,
. .

. . .
• Very cations C talkie Brandy, warranted to be ten gran
old, per ltallan - - - 4k. pd.
•Ditto ration" tinellavoured old Ruin 116. lid,
Fine 014 14. liritody - - - 168. tld.
...

'll4te Articles Marked • are tv hat the company rerommetot
us tieing of a more !tuperior quality thall what Ls graerully told,
and of the davutir.

Wine Merchants, Innkeepers, and Publicans, served at the
Trade Prices us 'usuaL Jan. 1, 1819.
For the conveniency of those familiec who prefer their Wines
in pioth, mid for connuimeurs in superior articles, the Cempaily
have selected the most carious wines, &c. and offer the follow-
ing as the most choice tom can be produced: Fine Wei.* India
Marleini, 12 pints to the dozen, s:h.—Oki-East India ditto of the
most esqu take flavour sod quality, Itiditto,4ss. Old East India
Sherry of the :nod curious and scarce quiplity, 12 ditto, 31..
Fine old dry Lisbon. 12 ditto, 2..—Port Wine, newly bottled,
horn thr•frocat selected pipes of the favourite vintage uf 150 ti, IS
• ditto, 26‘,-1.11110 of the most rare sort, bottled from the moat
cutinui old wine in the kingdom, that h:ts loin in is body nearly
years. This ankle has nil the softne,h and flavour of the
nur•t rare wine, and is worthy the attention of the first (NI,
noisvers, 12 ditto, 33s.—Lascions Shrub, made from the tint
di: mired old' ruin, 12 ditto, 21s.—Ripe full ddintircd Double
Brown Stunt, 12 ditto, 4s. 6d.—Curious Mellow Ale, warranted
• two years old before bottled, but of tile softest flavour, 12 :Into,
ss. 6d.