communicate with each other by intermediate apartments, of which the hofband alone has he keys. Ac. cefs to the harem is ftrictly forbid. den by men; the male fervants and flaves never enter it; and the male relations themselves are never admitted, except it be on the two grand feftivals of the year, and on the occafion of weddings, lyings-in, or circumcifion. Commonly the harem has no win. dows towards the ftreet, or if there be any, they are lofty, and grated in fuch a manner that one cannot fee from without what is paffing within. We frequently experienced diffi. culties in the courfe of our travels, when we wished to afcend to elevated places in order to have a view of a town and judge of its extent, becaufe the inhabitants were afraid that our object was to obferve the women who were walking in their gardens, or taking the air on the terrace of their houfes. It has frequently happened, on thefe occafions, that Turks have fired mufquet-fhots at Europeans whofe in tentions appeared to them fufpicious. The wife of a certain rank, when young, goes very little from home, because it is not fashionable for her to appear in the streets, although veiled, becaufe the law exempts her from going to the mofque, becaufe he has in her own houfe baths, which the ufes at pleafure, and becaufe fhe is furrounded by female flaves who watch over her, and female relatives who counteract her inclinations. To pleafe her hufband, to detain him in the harem as long as his affairs permit, to take care of her children, to occupy herfelf with her drefs, and very little with her family, to pray at the hours preferibed by religion, and to VOL. 8. pafs a part of the day without do ing any thing, another in fmoking, drinking coffee, receiving female friends, relations, or women under her protection, fuch are the duties and pleasures of a Muffulman woman. She feldom can read, and fcarcely ever write; fhe has learnt to few and embroider, prepare comfits and dainties, and make sherbet; but the finds it more pleasant to do nothing, to remain quiet in her fofa, and roll between her fingers a chap. let of coral or agate. She confiders it as a delightful enjoyment to hold for a time a difh of coffee in one hand, a pipe in the other, and to carry them alternately to her mouth, at the fame time inhaling the vapour of the one, and retaining as long as poffible that of the other; what afterwards gratifies her the most, is to have it in her power to difplay to the eyes of the women whom the receives, fome rich trinkets and a robe of great value. A Muffulman is very poor if he have not feveral flaves to wait on his wife, and the latter is very un fkilful if he does not foon convert into dreffes and trinkets the greateft part of her husband's fortune. This extraordinary and prepofterous conduct, efpecially in the mother of a family, appears to me to arife naturally from the laws and customs eftablished in Turkey. It is well known that the fovereign has the right to confifcate, to the benefit of the imperial treafury, the inheritance of the agents that he has employed, and that, in this cafe, the property of the wife is always refpected. Befides, when a divorce takes place between a married couple, the wife keeps her jewels and her wardrobe, independently of the other effects ftipulated in the con tract of marriage. The The wife takes her meals alone, or with the mother and the female relations of the hufband, who are with her in the harem. He eats with his father and the male relations who live with him; and when he is alone and caufes himself to be ferved in the harem, which frequently happens, even the wife does not eat with him; the waits on him, or fees that the flaves are attentive in waiting on him. The meal being finished, the hands and mouth wafhed and wiped, fhe herfelf prefents him the pipe and coffee. When there are feveral wives, each has her household, her table, her apartments, and her flaves in the fame pile of building. It is very uncommon for a fecond woman, or flave, to be lodged in another houfe; this fcarcely happens except among the chiefs of caravans, who, obliged to live half the year in one town, and the other half in another, wish to have a wife in each of thofe two towns. No religious precept is more ferupulously followed, no law is more rigorously executed, in any religion and among any people, than ablu. lutions and wathings in Turkey. Before the five prayers of the day, before and after meals, at every ftool, whenever he has been touched by any impure body, the Mufful man must purify himself by partial ablutions. But when he has cohabited with a woman, or has experienced a fimple pollution, he is fubmitted to a general washing; and the woman befides is obliged to obey this custom after her lying-in, and at the end of the indifpofitions natural to her fex. Thence thofe ablutions alinoft continual, and thofe frequent vapour baths with which no one difpenfes, of which all have made themselves a want,and in which both fexes find a delicious charm. What inclines the women to with for baths with the moft lively ea gernefs is, that they there make themselves amends for the constraint to which the laws and cuftoms have fubjected them. It is at the baths that they meet and make appointments with each other; there it is that they fe each other with familiarity, that they converse without constraint, and give themfeves up to the fweeteft voluptuoufnefs. There it is that the rich women can dif play, with the greatest minuteness, their moft fplendid attire, and their most coftly garments. There they are ferved with pure mocha, exqui fite reftoratives, and fumptuous col. lations. There they lavish effences and perfumes; and the entertainment is frequently terminated by mufic, dances, and the ombrefs Chinoifes: but, on these occafions, the bath is fhut to the public for the whole day. The poor women, almost without any expence, there find plea. fures, lefs noify indeed, but perhaps as warmly felt. Common coffee, common fherbet, no other perfume than tobacco, dainties which they theinfelves bring, and fome fruits of the feafon: this is to restore the body and gratify the fenfes. Their vanity is flattered in difplaying a fine fhift, clean drawers, decent clothes, necklaces, chains, and other ornaments in fequins. In short, they no longer have any thing to with for when they have undergone complete depilation, when their locks are arranged, their braids plaited, their eyelids and eyebrows painted black, and the nails of their hands and feet of an orange colour yellow. An An ACCOUNT of the Life of TERUVERCADU MUTIAH, a learned Hindú, a native of the Carnatic. In the Chriftian year 1766, in the 5th year of my age, I was put under tuition of a Brahmana tutor, by name Latchmana Eyer, who taught me to read and write the Sanferit, Malabar, and Hindû and Hindû writings, efpecially the two first. In the year 1772 I was initiated in the Perfian language, under a Muf fulman named Abdul-hakemfahib. In 1774, I was educated by a Mahratta Brahmana, of the name of Sankara Râur, in the rudiments of the Mahratta language. In the 13th year of my age I finished all my fcholaftic readings in the foregoing five languages. In 1775 I received my education in Cauvya Nataka, Alankara, &c. of the Sanferit language, from two a most In 1776 I was inftructed by one Pura num Tâlcapiam is the most ancient and most excellent, copious and abftrufe grammar of the Tamil language, and is faid to be the production of a renowned faint, named Trunadhumagre, who was brother to Parafurama, an incarnation of Vefhnu, and a difciple of Agallya Mahamune, a Thamaturgus. Tûlcapiam is a compound of Tul a Cappia; the foregoing word fignifies old, and the following implies the name of his family, which name, with the epithet Tul, he, by way of eminence, gave to his production. This voluminous grammar is divided into three grand parts, each part being fubdivided into nine divifions, treating at large of orthography, etymology, fyntax, profody, &c. &c. There are three different commentaries upon this grainmar, the third of which is preferable. Hence it is clear that it was from mifinformation, that Mr. Crawford, in his fketches refpecting the Indian religion, afferts that ** Tûlcapiam was a Rajah." Cariky is a book fpeaking of rules for verfification. Nannul is a book speaking of the fpeculative and practical parts of grammar, in a concife manner. Elackanavelackam is another book of the modern compofition, fpeaking of rules relative to letters, words, fignifications, poetry, and rhetorick, Teruvalluvar, or Terúballûvar Cural, is a book of hemifphico poems, remarkable for morals. This book is fo called from its author Teruvalluvar. There is a learned commentary upon it, entitled Paremalalakarûri. **Chintamaney is a book confifting of about three thousand ftanzas full of tropical and figurative beauties. This book relates the hiftory of Jeevakafamy, one of the former kings of Jinyas or Buddhas, who are heretics to the religions prefcribed by Vedas and Siddantagamas. Here it is remarkable, that fome confound Buddha with Budha, and in confequence fancy that the Budhas were more ancient than the Brahmanas; but they are grofsly miftaken, for Buddha differs from Budha both in word and fignification, whereas the former fignifies the incarnation of Vefhnu, which became the god of heretics, and the latter denotes Mercury, one of the heavenly planets. num *, &c. Necandû, Tevakar. Old and New Teftaments, Ward's am t, &c. In 1777 I acquired skill in copying profe and verfes on the high and poetical Tamil. Same year I began to learn Veyakarana and Tarkafaftra under two learned Brahmanas, named Rama Saftre and Cuppurama Saftre. In 1779 I received my education in Siddantaceagamas, from one Vataranya Saftre, a diftinguished Brahmana theologift. In 1780 I was fent to the English school of one Surya Pelly, a native of repute, who inftructed me in the fcholaftic readings of that language. In 1781 I was recommended to the Veffery miffionary, the reverend Mr. Philip Febrecius, with whom I read an English book entitled the Preceptor, treating of morals, geography, chronology, &c. I began then to learn the elements of the Latin language under Mr. Walter, but in a fhort time after he depart ed this life. N. B. So my worthy father Terûvercadû Ramalinga Mudelliar has, at the expence of a vaft deal of money caufed me to be educated in the aforeftated manner; and also furnished me with an abundance of Sanfcrit and Malabar manufcripts, and alfo with a number of English authors, of which I have a library. From 1782 to 1793 I continued to amufe myself with perufing the Sanferit and Malabar authors, fuch as the Etehafa, Purana, &c. and alfo the English authors, fuch as the Grammar, Chambers' and Johnson's Dictionaries, &c. N. B. In the interim a proud monk of my tribe wrote a treatife, in the moft fublime ftyle of the poetical Tamil, against the myfterious commentary upon a facred author of that religion, to which I and other natives of my clafs, and alfo all the worshipping Brahmas of Sevas temple through out this peninfula do belong, which treatise he having fent to me on October 28, 1784, I was obliged to write my answer in refutation of the fame treatise, in the fame poeti cal ftyle of the Tamil, in which it was written. Yet the faid monk having, out of malice, drawn out fomething in reply to my answer, it was brought to me on September 18, 1791, which I again refuted, by ftating my reafons in fuch an extenfive manner, that it filled about one hundred Palmeira leaves, be. caufe I thereby fhewed abfurdities in every fentence written by the monk. In 1793, in order to gain the good opinion of Dr. James Ander. fon, (a gentleman poffeffed of phi lanthropy and public fpirit,) I made an accurate and literal translation into the Malabar language of three pamphlets which were published by him, confifting of letters on the progrefs and establishment of the culture of filk, &c. tending to the public welfare. In 1794 I translated the modern hiftory of Madura (written in the vulgar ftyle of the Malabar lan. guage, *Peria Puranam is a facred book, faid to have been written by an inspired man of my tribe, refpecting the miraculous hiftories of fixty-three faints, of whom three fung hymns in praise of Seva and his holy places, of which hymns, called Tevaram, fome part is now extant. The book Peria Puranam confifts of four thoufand flanzas. Necandu and Tevacaram are the well known lexicons and nomenclatures of Tamil. Veyakerana and Tarka are the sciences of grammar and logic. guage,) into the English, in order to to declare his approbation of the N. B. I am now aged thirty- T. M. A MEMOIR of the BOUNSLA FAMILY of Mahrattas, fince their fettling at Nagpoor, under RUGGOJEE. RUGGOJEE BOUNSLA, or Buncello, was one of thofe numerous jagyrdars who, in the Mahratta dominions, hold their lands on military tenures: he was born in a country called Gung Terree, near the river Gunga Gudawrife Guddavery, and was nearly related to Rajah Sahow, and to Terah Bye, his wife. During a courfe of fervice, he had acquired both reputation and riches, and, from the command of a thousand horse, was raised to that of ten thousand by the rajah, who prefented him with an honorary ftandard like his own, with the exclufive privilege of wearing it, and gave him a funnud to conquer the Deogurs and Chandae countries for the maintenance of his troops. At this time Buckht Beillund was Rajah of Deogar and Nagpoor; he was of the caft of Gound, or Gouar; was a very powerful prince, and had always worn the enfigns of royalty. Aalumgeer had formerly fent Nabob Deliel Khan against him, who reduced him, and brought him to Delhy, when the king, on his turning Muffulman, gave him back his country, returned the enfigns of royalty, and gave him the title of Shah, as an addition to his name. Ruggojee, not being able to make a conqueft of the country by open force, had made feveral predatory incurfions, carrying off their cattle and effects, for the payment of his troops; fo that the country was almoft ruined, and the inhabitants would not fettle in their villages, for fear of being annually plundered. Once he appeared with more than ordinary force, intending to carry every thing before him, and with 50,000 horfe over-run the countries of Deogue, Chandah, and Nagpoor. While he was encamped at Kalowl, Buckht Boillund, in defpair for the fuffering lofs of his country, forced a march to furprise him, with 12,000 refolute men, who were animated with the fame feelings; he fet out, cautioning every man who would not die with him, to return; came on them to a great advantage, and, after a fierce attack, entirely defeated them; they were purfued fix cofs to Kundalee, where Ruggojee P3 narrowly |