Smyrna times., 1873-07-09
The Fire WorShippers.

In an interesting letter from India to the
| Syracuse Courier, correspondent, signing the
initials IN. +. IT,, says You have all heard
of the ParSees. They are the Jews of Bombay.
They are race that was excluded from Persia,
as the Jews have been from many countries.
Here they located. Theyare very industrious,
and are a peculiar people. They are the
traders They buy and sell the cotton. They
are the brokers, the money-lenders and shavers
They never mingle with others. They have
their own schools, and in their way are highly
educated. They take care of their own poor
They have great wealth, and have elegant
villas on MaO5Gr Hill, the most fashionable
part of the city. They drive splendid horses
and ride in elegant carriages. If the ladies
and children appear on the street they are
dressed in silk. | never saw children SO
elegantly dressed anywhere else. Many of the
young ladies' are very beautiful, but are never
allowed to receive visits from any but those OF
their own race. They are fond of amusements,
and have theatre of their own. They are fire
worShippers. When the labors of the day are
over they are seen along the shores of the sea,
facing the setting sun, with their hands clasped,
repeating their prayers. They have very
peculiar notions of life, but their cemetery is
more peculiar still. 1t is different from all
others. We made visit to their cemetery,
not knowing at the time that no one was
admitted. 1t is large tract ON the best part
of MalOber Hill. 1t is very valuable now, but
it was purchased many years ago. We made
application at the gate for admission, and were
refused. We appealed to young Parsee, who
happened to be passing. lie was dressed in
silk and very gentlemanly in his appearance
He said that no Europeans were admitted
We told hun that we were not Europeans, but
Americans. He said he would be very happy
to oblige Americans, but could not, but did
| consent that we should go up the road outside
the inner wall, and have view of the city and
bay. The sentinel took us along the winding
road, and rupee given to him acted like a
charm. 1t opened all the gates and passed
the police. There were no parsees in sight e
| stand in our way, andlwe entered the prohibited
enclosures. These grounds are surrounded by
a wall twenty feet high, and have been used
| Tor great number OF years by this strange
people. There are no monuments in the Gem
etery. There are three round towers about
hty feet in diameter and fifty to sixty feet
| high. On the top of these towers there is an
iron CRATE. The dead are brought to the gate
and delivered to the priests, and the friend,
depart. The priests prepare the corpse and
lay it on the crate, and it is devoured by the
vultures, and the bones drop through the CRATE
into the charnel-hOuse below. These towers ol
vaults are called the flowers OF Silena" We
saw hundreds of vultureS sitting on these tow
ers, and the sentinel told US that they would
take all the flesh from the bones Of corpse il
an hour. We asked why these towers? The
sentinel pointing to one, said, "Parsee witt
plenty of money put there )" to another
,Parsee with but little money put there; anC
the other, "Parsee with no money put there
The sentinel said when corpse is placed OF
the CRATE the strife and noise of the vultures il
frightful, and could be heard for a lon.
distance. We saw those flowers of Silena
and do not care ever to be any nearer.