New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-27

grsrd dish seems 10 be Q roo tarAey, which
10 usually served lsst--huts sweetmests, VIVA &c.
Afler dinner, music, &c. Nine o'cloeh 10 The ussaI
hour for retiring
The Indians have brought with them many siugu-
lar RELIGIOUS customs, one Of which. 40 related BY
l en- ye.witpess. will endesvor to describe. This
/ ceremony took place the Sunday after our ARRIVAL
in Msuritius snd is called in Ssnoul, Nsroaphyson
| Siround:
| Ia FETE DU FEU.
On Sunday last while on onr way to the beauss.
| ful plantation Of Eau Blsncbe, one Of the hness
estates in the rich and beautiful quarter 81 INC
| Riylere du Rempart, our attention was attracted
| b, a numerous crowd of indiana singaarIy attred
| and or,amented who seemed to direc: their steps
10 the same point as ourselves Desiring % Know
| vby such an immense number had collected We
STONED our carriage and learned from Nh oblisng
pedestrian that there was to BE-, IN lew Dinutee,
| AZ ST Antoine very curi' Us ceremony. EDchancsd
ut Ibis happy creum stance, which would s"d neg
Measure 10 thoee which awaited rs at the priDcely
dwelling Of our friend, We urged our horse' 70 al.
vance Of the procession. that We might be able 10
SEX ct a good place Ia enjoy, at Ouresse asp-'tics
entirely new Ia Us.
We had done wen, for on our arrival the piacs
WAS crowded, and but for the beuevokns courtesy
of some spectators who had, without douoS wai'oe
sipce the morning ut the dcor OF the estabshmenr
the little details of the performance had forever
escaped lis.
In an in merse court situated at the bottom Of \
valley, between a beautiful sugar plantation and
hill crowned by the magnificent house OF me master,
ornamt uted BY elegant pavihCns and delicious gar
dsns more than thousand Indians were alresdy
c,cc,d; some on foot, suine Ia carts. some on the
tres aid TIE roofs Of the surrounding huts; al
waning ~ imp. tenty rs ourselves for the RISING oi
/ the cuItsm, which moved to sowly tor such an
apAious crWd. LEI 9Th, great noise was heard,
moL"iou.us, discordsbt add disasreesbh ~ WAS
ever made 10 u concert IL auateurs these were the
first ru,es of the oyerture executed BY the orchee-
| TIA But What an orchestra" Three clarionets OF
| t,umpe,s or serpeDts, two kongs, two cymoals or
| tan t;Ds. a halt dozen drums and a canon. Each
of these instruments sounded but one note, which
was lei Gated necessarily. This disagrseable
aud different hon true music as any Christian ever
made when practicing On the hute or piano.
The orchestra, preceded by an individual painted
yellow, who bore on his head high pyramid o.
flow ers, and followed by men, women and children
sneared with saffron, directed their steps toward
tw o paper monuments in the form Of goasd lsup-
ported by two human caratides, motOnless a.
s,obe) and halted before braser twenty tees hong
by six broad followed in the earth and filed with
burIir Goals; the heat from this was 20 intense
that the spectators at tew steps distant were at
times frightened by the scorchDg sir they inhaled.
Near the brasier had been carefully placed htte
basin Of cold water, the object Of which t was easy
Ia divine.
Some Indians, the wives doubtless Of those about
Ia sacrifice themselves, sprnkled saffron powcer all
around and then Frustrated themselves several tmes
their faces on the ground. The ceremony con-
mel ced A silence rs Of death reigncd among thae
curious crowd who seemed to have every sense aud
en- ctiop parslyzed except the one desire of seeing
Tie procession which bad just stopped moved
again (always with the music at the head( then
stepped again ut the other extremity OF the bras'cr
1t 10 well here to remark, that during the halt tho
GOALS had been carefully stirred to increase their
heat. Nothing, then, bad beea neglected 10 render
the tete as beautiful and as imposing as possible.
Attention the signal is given. fearful sremof
SEXES all the hearts to beat, the drums alone
continue to eaten US. The untortunates enter res
olu,ely into the Gehenua and begin 10 cross the
burning Goals, more or l.ss slowly, according 10 Tho
degree of devotion BY which they are acsuated;
mep, women and CHILDREN, with their feet bare and
joyiul faces deyOtng themselves to the horrible
punishment Of the hre-aDd tor what Some oil
ihs dancing, waved sabers, ances or banners;
others carried garlnDds syuboical vases, or .
bind Of cage ornamented with flowers, or ltI, hsgs
upon their heads. Their last step 10 tbs water;
then tbey recommended untl the third iourh
fifth time, their voluntary msstyrdom.
But Ills il not all. The vrtms are as'sntivsy
watched by men armsJ ~Ih enormous whips, with
which iL.y strike without elicitipg the slightest
&. mplan, tbOse who, 10 their march on ;aas bed oil
rosts, have allowed TIE slightest cry Ia sscapo
them, shown any sgu Ui sufering.f
The ceremony fui.ber, the people pr@'pItato
,bemseycs On the hrnsier shich has just "eeo OK
unsuisned, gather litIe of the ashes, and beg of
the martyrs s,mr of the flowers Of their garl i0ds To
be- kept 40 precious relics. We have beeo - for
tupate as to obtain details Of the origin Of this
singular ceremony. The Fete du Fen was estab-
h,bed in remembrance Of the ordeal 10 which ORA
opada wife Of the soDs Of the PaDdOu, one OF tho
kings Of DELHI submitted. She married tho five
broihers called PaDdsras in the heroic poems Of
India. On leaving one Of her husbands % follow
another, she purified herself in the burning Goals.
This fiery ordeal is u favor not granted TO all.
Many c, nGitions are attached " il, OF which fasting
is the principal. Thus tradition wh0s origin 10
nearly cst in the lapse Of time, and which perhaps
is ouly fable without morality, has c,used TO DO
introduced into the religion Of many sects OF Indians
a custom az cruel as stupid, continued by the fanat-
icism Of an ignorant and borbarcus people, or en-.
coursged by some concealed interest Of the priests,
is perpetuaied even to day, aud 10 still honored
10 The year OF grace 1854 in India and even 10 Msu'
rtius, and projected, or at least tolerated, BY tho
emlDepily phlLnthropic and paternal government Of
her Britannia Majesty.
GouHd-a little temple made ofhsh wood and Covered WIN
coloed paper and flowers
in bra,e owing to the Of iol' n 10
v.dss bo follo Duea