Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1837-02-10

are afterwards sent to the house of the oil,
priest, to which place they are commonly Al
tended by their friends and relations. Her
lhey generally remain some DAYS in exppcta
'on OF favorable breeze. During ,ho
tune the eccesiastic prepares them for thei
,nture late by prayers and admonitons
When the hour of their depnrture arrives
The priests put on them leather cap. viii
Two glasses before their eyes, which come.
down as far as their breast; and also pro
vides them with a pair of leather gloves
ihey are then conducted by the priest and
Their friends and relations, about two OF
three miles on their journey Here The
priest repeats his instructions and tells them
where they are 10 look for the tree He
shows them ahilI which they are told to MS.
cend and that on the other side they will
and afiynlet which they arctic follow. and
which will conduct them directly 10 the
Cpas they now take leave Of each other;
and amidst prayers for their success, the de-
iinquenis hasten away The worthy old
ecclesiastic has assured me. that during his
residence there for upwards of thirty years,
he has dismissed above hundred criminals
IN the manner which have described and
that scarcely two out of twenty have return
ed He Showed the a catalogue Of all the
unhappy sufferers. with the date OF their de-
parture from his house annexed and lis,
OF the offences for which they had been con
denmed TO which was added. list ofthose
who had returned in safety was present
at some OF these melancholy ceremonies
and desired different deinqurnis 10 bring
with them some pieces of the wood or d
small branch. or some leaves Of this won
derfu tree, have also given them silk
cords desiring them 10 measure its thickness.
never could procure more than two dry
leaves that were picked up By one Of them
on his return; and all could learn from
him concerning the tree itself, was, tina. il
stood on the border OF rivulel. as described
BY the old priest that il was Of d middling
size; that Ave or six young trees Of the
same kind stood close by ii; but that no
other shrub or plant could be seen near il y
and that the ground was ola brownish sand,
full Of stones. aimos, impracticabIe for
travelling. and covered with dead bodies. -
This however, is certain. though il may ap-
pear incredible. that from fifteen TO eighteen
miles round this tree, not only no human
creature can exist, but that in that space oil
ground, no living animal Of any kind has
sver been discovered have also been as.
'ured by several persons OF yeracty. that
here are no fish in the waters and when
my birds fly SO near this tree, that the efilu-
'ia reaches them. they fall sacrifice 10 the |
fleets of the poison. This circumstance
las been ascerianed by different delinquents,
who in their return have seen the birds |
lrop down, and have picked them up dead,
md brought them TO the old ecclesiasiic |
will here mention an instance which proves /
he fact beyond all doubt, aud which hap
'ened during my stay at Java In the year
us, a rebellion broke out among the sub
pcis of the Massey sovereign prince.
whose dignity is nearly that of the Empe-
or. They refused to pay duty imposes, up
m them by their sovereign. whom they open
y opposed The Massey sent body Of
troops 10 dispersc those rebels.
nd TO drive them with their families out of
lis dominions Thus four hundred families,
onsisting OF about sixteen hundred souls,
sere obliged 10 leave their native country.
Neither the Emperor nor the Sultan. would
i've them protection, not only because they
'ere rebels. but also through fear of DIS
leasing their neighbor the Massey In
his distressful situation, they had no other
rsource than 10 repair to the uncultvatrd
arts round the Upas, and request permis-
ion to settle there Their request was
ranled on condition Of their fixing their
bode not more than twelve or fourteen
lilies from the tree. in order not to deprive
lie inhabitants already settled there, at a
reater distance. OF their cultivated lands -
With this they were obliged 10 comply
ut the consequence was, that in less than .
yo months their number was reduced TO
bout three hundred II
Experiments made iciM The Gum of the i
pas Tree. In the year l776, in the month ,
February, | was present at the execution :
thirteen Of the Emperor's concubincs, AT |
oura Chayfa, who were convicted of inf 4
slity to the Emperor's bed II was IN the S
about ] | o'clock. when the fair /
'iminals were led into an open space. with
the walls olthe Emperors palnce There 4
u Judge passed sentence upon them. by {
hich they were doomed to death by lancet 1
,isoned with Upas. Thirteen posts. each a
,ove five feet high, were then erected. To Il
ese the deinquents were fastened. and b
cir breasts stripped naked. In this situa- b
IN they remained a shorI time in continu- f
prayers, attended by several priests. until '
signal was given by the judge to the exc a
tioner; on which the latter produced an in Il
rument, much like the spring lancet used n
farriers for bleeding horses. With this a
strument, il being poisoned with the gum Il
the Upas, the unhappy wretches were v
need 10 the middle OF their breasts, and the G