Newspapers / The Carolina Federal Republican … / March 21, 1818, edition 1 / Page 2
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been dead 4 boure, tc no persua-Jgle. siott could prevail on the wife to save ; herself She -had: three . children whom sh committed to the care of her mother A , wo rn called to undertake was pre v paring the pile'. - It was composed 4 of i bamboo, firewood. oils, 1 rosin, nnd. a kind of flax, altogether ye ry combustible. It was elevated above the ground, i should say, 20 inches and supported by strong stakes. The dead body was ly ing on a rude couch, . very near, covered with a white cloth. The oldest child, a boy of seven years, (who was to light the pile,) was standing near the ' corpse, lhe woman sat perfectly unmoved, I during ail i the preparation ; ap parently 'at prayer, and counting a string of beads which she held in her hand.c She was just 30 years old j her husband 27 years older. ' . . ; 1 - -, , The government threw every obstacle in' the way of this proce- , dure. .. '- 's These obstacles 1 delayed : the ceremony until 5 o1clock, when the permit from one 6f the chief judges arrived Policed officers were stationed, to prevent any tiling like compulsion, and to se cure the woman at the last mo- . xneot, if she should "desire it. c The corpse was now placed Jon the ground in an upright posture, and clean linen crossed round the head and ; about the waist. Holy water was inrovvu uvw u uy the'child, and afterwards oil by ' the Bram'ms. It was then placed upon the pile upon the left side. The woman now left the palan quin,' walk ed into the river sup ported by her brothers, who were agitated and required support more than herself. She was di vested of all her ornaments, her hair hanging dishevelled about her, lace, which expressed perfect resignation. Her forehead and ICCl WCIC 9ims.u nun w vj .v. Sne'bathed in the river, and drank a little water, which was the on ly nourishment she received after rrAft idmini&tered bv the attend ing Bramins, which is done by putting the hand in holy water and repeating from the shaster a few lines, this .oath was given seven times. (I forgot to say the child received an oath before the corpse was reroovca. 1 nc brothers also prayed oyer the bo dv and sprinkled themselves with m. - - m. a m . tir n mm w I mm m adjusted her own dress, which consisted of long cloths wrapped around her form and partly oyer the head, but not so as to con ceal the face. She had in her hand a little box, containing par ting gifts, which she presented to her brothers, and to the Bramins, with the greatest composure. Red strings were then tasteoed rounfl her wrists her child now put a little rice in her mouth, which was the last thing she re ceived. She raised her eves: to Heaven Several .times during the river ceremonies, which occupied 10 or 20 minutei. She took no notice ofhei cmld ; haviug taken leave of her female friends and children early in the . morning. A little cup oi consecrated rice was placed by the child at the head of the corpse. ' She now walked to the pile and bent with lowly reverence over the feet of her- husband : 1 theoi unaiced, sne passed three times around the pile. She now seemed excited ; byyenthusiasm' some said of, a religious nature, others byv affec tion for the dead. I do not pre; tend tb say what motive actuated t. f '. .'.. 1 . ' - .i ; tier ; Dut sne sieppea upon i;ic pile, with apparent delight, unas- . sisted by any one, and threw her self brthe side of the body clas ping his neck with her arm--Tie corpse was in the most horrid pu trid state. She put her lace close over both ; light faggots & straw, withsome combustible rasin,?were then put on the pile, and a strong bamsioopole confined the whole : . aU this was done by her brothers. The child then applied the fire to the head of the pile which was to . consume both parents, v The whole was instantly on fire. The . ; multitude v shouted, but not ra groan was heard from the pile. I hope arul trust this poor victim expired immediately. She un doubtedly did, without one strug- Her feet and arms were not1 confined, and after the straw and ; faggots were burnt; we saw them in the same position she had pla ced them. -v i : ' : This-was a voluntary act She was resigned, self-collected, and perfectly herself v Such fortitude, such magn animity, such resold' tion, devoted affection, religious zeal and mud delusion, combined, I ; had not conceived ;of, and I hope iiever ' V to witness fagainl Hundreds witnessed this scene. Some admired' the heroism of the womao-rsomp were ready to tear the Bramihs'tb: piecesfbr my self,; I; was "f; absolutely stupi&ed with pity and horror :. at " this dreadful immolation I am i grie ved to say, this is not an uncom mon instance. , v . . ' . I believe I have given you. all the particular ( put them in a better fbrm;;and tell f this almost incredible story to ' some of my friends; bout 40 Americans, and . a few English. 'I do not know- the number of natives, but may safe ly say miry hundreds, t M Yesterday was also one of the feasts of Juggernaut. In return ingfhome,we passed through a street, 2 miles in length, entirely fitted 1 with temples, consecrated to that god, drawn ; by worship ping thousands and myriads, stri ving for that houor 5 they were offering gold j fruits, .and the most bcautitui flowers, to the different idols placed within these templet The air was perfumed with the most precious odours. The house tops were covered with people, dressed in the most expensive and fantastic manner, and children co vered with jewels. Bands of na tive music preceded and followed each temple making ! the most discordant sounds. People who had nothing to give, screamed apd prostrated themselves before ; the innumerable idols that were stah ding in the streets, The horses were stopped twenty' times at least by the crowd, gathering1 to offer sacrifices to these images Guards were placed in all directions to keep order. ' " A " : " I can give you no idea of this country I am awe struck, .but feel no' inclination to worship. I thank God, we are not Hindoos and lor all his mercies' praise him. r ' : : Farewell, once more, my dear y beloved friends." MISCELLANY. From the' Alex Gaz- of March It. MR. SNOUJDEN ' . , In a recent number of the Re ligious Rem,embrancer,,i a paper edited in Philadelphia by a gen tleman otvery superior acquire msnts, and dedicated to the . cul tivation of rational piety, the fo I- owmg oeautirully turned observa tions on the pernicious tendency of novel reading have been thought worthy of transcription v from Harris's Encyclopedia. - j . p I oter them to yen in the per suasion that should their, perusal incite a parent to ; superintend more circumspectly the course of reading of his child ; or influence youth to restyain in any i degree the indulgence of a vitiated taste or the delusions of romance, you will feel a sensible gratification in common with , "Yours, &c ' -r:: ., RVS. ' ' - NQTELS. . ' i - :S We feel it our duty to - guard our youthful readers; particular ly those of the female sex, against the perusal of Novels, consider- ing tnera as seuueuve auu uan- ,1- ;- 1 V-' 11 J :. J . gerous publications ; assured that thy generally tend - to ' 'produce mnama passions, a uiateuipereu sensibility, and at prurient ima gination ; and that they frequent ly pervert the judgment, debase the morals, and corrupt the heart. We hesitate not to : declare that those who have been ; fascinated in early life bMhe perusal of No vels and . Romances, have delu ded themselves with the - hope of enjovments never to be ' realized, qualifications neither to be attain ed nor even desired, and : charac ters which are no where to be found Of all the various cvi which' corrupt the minds of youth in the present dayf there are many less specious, but none more mju rious then this. The tnoTality to which these books often pretend only serves to disguiss the poison they infuse, and escite a fatal de gree of pride and seu-complacen cy while the pathetic tales and elegant distresses with which they abound, instead lof J inspiring sen timents of enlai'ged and disinter-, ested bene volencei ; rather tend to steel the" heart against the daily scenes of misery which x t is our duty to compassionate 5c relieve. The creation of refined andsubt: le feelings : reared by the author of novels, has an illejSect, not on lya ourjideaVof virtue, but also onour estimate 'i'ofg happiness, Such'a sickly, sort of refinement creates' imaginary Jevilst and j; tresses, and imaginary blessings and enjoyments ihichleiabitter the common disappointments iand depreciate theJ common aUaih menis of J HfeJ; This: effects IjJthe temper doubly, both with regard to ourselves and others . with re gard to ourselves, from what we think ought to be ourllot i wii regard j to others V 'from what we think ought to be their sentiments, It inspires a certain childish spirit of our own superior delicacy, and an unfortunate contempt of the plain worth and the ordinary but useful occupations of those around us. ; No sooner does a voun? fe- male imbibe this fatal poison, than she immediately discovers herself to oe : unnappy. Her daily em ployments herJ accustomed pur suits and aWodaWs'areno'Uonger capable of interesting. The pres ci ce and converse o f heir relatives and1 friends become irksotne and ins iped Introduced as . it were into a higher region, and aspiring after j more refined) enjoyments, she sighs to meet some kindred opirit who can share in all the e xquisite feelings of her heart. The sentimental and exalted .en dearments of love and frieddship are in her eyes the only source ol all genuine felicity and as . it is always easy to believe what r we wish,' if an object eodo wed with powers to please present himself, fancy; will "readily supply every deficiency, and pourtray : a perlect character ; while the most exquis- uc ucugnts 01 wnicn tne human mind is capable, will be expected to result from his societv. Han. py indeed will it be if inexperien ced unsuspecting youth eld not fall a sacrifice to base and desin-n4 ing seduction ! But supposing things to take the most favorable turn imaginable, and two conge ntal hearts, possessed of the most exquisite sensibility r after various extraordinary andmost interest ing adventures, at length 'happily united ; can we suppose that the same biissfulcene . which winds up the novel or the play, will con- tinue through many years in a se ries of i uninterrupted'; delight ? Alas no lhe sky that seem ed so bright and serene on the en trance into this enchanted" path, will soon be obscured , by chilling imps ana gloomy cloud3. It no calamitous event Intervene, ennui inu insipiaity wm certainly sue- ceed. --Many, mortify ton . disco v. eries of imperfection 00 each side will be made, and a variety of vulgar common cares intrude to engross the attentioo, sour the temper, and mtrrrupt the enjoy ment tnat naa oeea so eagerly an ticipated : and after all it will be well if that which be gan ; in the most extravagant attachment an attachment built on too frail a basis to be permanent-dq. not terminate in indiference or disgust. buch being the tendency v and such the effects of novel readiocr. we would recommend to our youoc: friends to prefer truth to fiction. j j : t r auu iu ucsirc icssons ot instruc tion from the equally entertaining anu yasuy more interesting pages 01 nisiory ana oiograpny. ,..V. FItOBI THE ENQUIHEIU : Richmond, 'March 10. . llAVf INTELLIGENCE." t;: The following case is deemed interest ing to those who are in the habit of send ing bank notes by mail. f Fishback :and Ward exhibited their Bill in the Chancery Dis trict Court of Richmond, w. The Pres dent, Directors h Co. of the Bank of Virginiaf charging thqt oeing wjercnants in tiulpepper county, sua a&vinj occasion to ciako a remlttancv to their cor respondents in FikUitdclphia, they as is customary with merchants not: convenient to banks, " cut in two, four notea.of the Bank of Virginia three payable at Fred ericksburg, end the; other one in Richmond, the amount and num -bers of which they. specify, and enclosed a half of each note in ' a letter addressed to their iaid cor., respondents,, which; they put into the Post Office at Jefferson, : in Culpepper county to -be vonvcyed by mail, but that the said letter and half notes never reached their correspondents and are lost or de stoyed. : That:; after - waiting a reasonable time, they applied to the president and directors of the branch bank at: Fredericksburgh, for payment of the notes, and of fered to give bond and security . to indemnify them against any claim that might thereafter be exhibited against themon' account of the said notes, and ; produced the halves of the notes in their pos session, all of which, except 1 of which they make an exhibit, the bank retained, and paid them ball the amount V of the, three notes payable .at their office ip Freder icksburghj but subsequently and after consulting the mother bank refused J to pay any thing v more. The prayer of the ; bill, is that up on the complainants; giving bond and securityt 6tc. the defendants shall be decreed to pay them the residue of the money due on all the notes and for general relief. ; The answer of th6 president & directors does not adtni; that the complainants were, proprietors, of the; notes; or sent the halves ' by mail as they state, and call for proof of the fact ; and if proved, they coutend that as the com plainants cut the bills in twain, themselves, theyihaye ooluntart ly destroyed their own security and cannot now look to the bank for pay ment, but that if the court should think differently, then they contend that the bank is not iia ble to' p ay the money upon the complainants producing the halves of the said notes only 1. Be cause the innocent holders of the other halves might thereby be in jured. 2. Because the bank cannot guard against surprize, as it will be impossible to identify the cor 1 pond en t h lives ; for the , num ? bers, dates, and letters of the halves produced yr ill fit the same denominations onMany other; bills or halves of ? similar description as well .as those ailed ged to be lost. They also aver that the; pay ment at the branch bank aforesaid was without their knowledge and therefore ought not tor bind them to further payment, but that'the complainants ought to refund. The complainants, by the deoo sition of one. witness prove, that they enclosed in a letter directed as they charge, and deposited in the post office, four half dotted corresponding in - amount with the hall . notes : mentioned in the bill, but thereis no proof that these half notes, were the halves of the notes set forth by thei com plainants, or that they agreed Lin any: other, particulars save; in a- mount. " . - They also prove that "the . half notes retained by tne Dank, cor respond in amount With thosd de scribed in the bill. V- s ; The bank proved by the affida vit of: Mr Nekervis, agreed to be received as testimony, that - ii the bank notes of the kind in ques tion be cut exactly alike, the haU of one note will fit the halves oi 399 other notes, besides its real corresponding half, and that the bank cannot discriminate. ; The Chancellor decreed in conformity with the prayer of the bill, from which decree the bank - appeal ed., I ;--v -. , - s 1 : . : Judge Roane delivered the O pinion of the court as follows r - ; The court is of my opinion. that the bona tide owner of a bank note having transmitted one hal thereof - by ; the mail, which ha3 been -stolen therefrom, or is lost cannot demand payment : from the bank of any part,; of its a mount, .in consequence of hold ing tne retained half, merely ;.bu that be is entitled to demand the whole amount of ; the said note. on satisfying the bank of theveri ling theta by the judgacnt of a court of equity-and giving, in either case, a satisfactory indem nity, to secure the banks against, future Io3 from the appearance; and setting' up the other half, of such ''note." But the requisite" proof does not exist in the case before us rthef notes on which the. bill is founded; notbeing spe? ciHcally ahd satisfactotilv ifieiiti- .1 -.U . : r .i . ucu, ds me cuunierparts or tne, halves ' transmitted for want of which proof the decree is to be' reversed and the hiU-dismied."-';": W H U IX , - JV WBERW ACJl iJEMll The semi-annual examination of tlie ' Student of tbe-Newbern AcAdehiy, j'toolc place on the 16th inst a"nd was contimiwt through that and the. ttfo sucteciiinr? .tic vuvie uumocroi otuatnts belonging to the Acadt hiy is one huudred and ninety, viz : fifty bis males, fifty four females, and eighty in the Lancasttriaa ; Dfnartmn Rut preralence of Hooping Cough anU Measlei--and the inclemency of the weather during ' the two last days of the examination many students were" necessarily absent All who were present were publicly examih- ed on the several studies which had oc eupied their attention during the last six mutns.iii& trustees have much reason. ! on the whole to be pleased with lhe res ult. It proves that the Teachers have '-faith-' fully performed the duties of their, sta tions, and that with a lew exceptions the pupils also have been industrious and dili- v gent. They du-ect the following - Report o be made public. - "v The examiaatioQ commenced With the pupils io the Female De partment who are placed under the immediate charge of ; Tlr. freeman. . , s Hannah Gaston was csimiucd vv n the elements of reading and ' Spelling, and performed very welU ' A class composed of Sarah fane Thompson, Justina Smith,; and f Margaret Watson Was examined - in redoing ' ana tne eittmentft nr English Grammar It is an ex- ; ceilcnt little, class. No : distinc tion can be made in it. f ' A class consistincf of Susan Tane Gaston, . Maria Dixon, Betsey M'Lin, passeci an approved : ex ¬ amination on English -Gramm.ar v. which they are named shews their relative merits. The next class was composed of Frances. Carney J Drusilla Bell, Anne Hymen, .Maria Hatch,. Emeline : Stewart " and Frances Vail. :i hey were examined' on parsing in the prose part of the Se quel to the English , Reader, ac-; quitted themselves .well, and -are named in the order ; of 4 their i res A class more advanced was ex amined on narsintr in the Spnm-f gcuciauy, as wen in roetry as Prose. This consisted of Nancv Bell, Fanny Wallace, Julia Buf gwin, Caroline JLamotte. Sarah Vipon Mary Cheney, Mehetabel Masters, Caroline Crawford, and nrsr. namea are prooaoiv best and next to them are Penelope Shepard k KjAz x v ipon. x ne 1 rustees tee! it due however to.Mary Cheney t and Menetabel Masters who have t f M. 1 . " ' .... V oeen uu a snoxx time engaged thia atndv ' niifl nr rncnA r,tfW J 1 w .. . W WW itl. ffirls that have possessed sunerior vantages, 10 nouce witn com mendation their ' visible ! progress ana improvement. - ,.: -- A class composed Of Mary Ana Mitchell, George Sears ; Hehriet- m u.iiim, uicauyr runcrv oianey Hall, Ma y Ann Trotter, Sally Ai' Crawford, Mary VVilkins, Jeonett Wilkins, Frances Dcvereux and Ann Stewart, were examined in parsingThompsons Seasons. They generally did well. The five first named are distinguished in the order In which they are placed ; "Phoi3e Hawks, Mary Ann Bry an, Betse Webber, Alice Black ledge, Caroline Chapman, Jacia Graham,' and - Louisa ftlackledge composed a class which made a good examination on parsingCow- pers Task v; It is dificult to dis . '" ' . ' . . . tinrrmon oifiii'tti.ln Ui.' l . Thp fmir first nnmfri n r. Am A w w . . the best and equal to each other Evelina Hawks, Hannah Shep ard, Nancey Webber and Eliza Graham, passed a very approved' c&diuiuauuu iu uarsio? ailltonst Ww . . .1 : T . . , ... T . 1 xrarauise- rtosr. ine 1 rustees cannot discriminate betweenthera. J rw"WVMUMW"w "uuuuar V
The Carolina Federal Republican (New Bern, N.C.)
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March 21, 1818, edition 1
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