kept in confinement, and no nourish ment supplied, is now seized with delirium, and in a few hours more will no doubt end her existence also, actually starved to death. Who are they who can read this. statement without being filled with horror and disgust! And who are they who can with ease avert and prevent similar occurrences, who ought to hesitate a moment! A FRIEND TO HUMANITY. Calcutta, Oct. 16, 1822. Religion of the Battas in Sumatra. and set up the practice of tenets directly opposite to theirs. Hence he is described as " The source of discord. and contention-the instigator of malice and revenge-the inciter of anger the source of fraud, deceit, lying, hypocrisy, and murder.” Of these three brothers, you will not wonder that the last is most powerful, or that he has most adherents. The Battas acknowledge, that they apply to and beseech him, when they have followed any of those vices; and they also acknowledge that petitions are very rarely offered to the other deities. They name a fifth, "Naggahpadonah" the Atlas who is said to support the world; which they describe to consist of seven folds beneath, and as many above. skilled in every sort of superstition, is A person named "Dattoo," who is the only resemblance of a priest among them: every village has one. MR. Prince, the British resident at Natal, in this island, drew up, for the information, and at the request of the Hon. Sir T. S. Raffles, the following Account of the Religion of the Battas. The present religion of the Battas is a compound of the most ridiculous and barbarous superstitions, founded on human depravity. They do not, how ever, worship images; but believe in the existence of certain deities, whose attributes bespeak the existence of a better race of people than the present. Their names and descriptions are as A wooden mask is made, intended follow: to represent the features of the deceas"Dee Battah assee assee," the Creed: this is worn by a clever fellow, who ator and Father of all; who appointed three brothers-Bataragourou, Seeree Padah, and Mahalabhoolan-his vakeels, or agents, to instruct mankind. 66 Bataragourou" is the God of Justice, and is described literally under the following character" Fish in the wears, he will restore to their element: property forgotten, he will return: a measure filled to the brim, a just balance, and upright judgment, are his." These are the principles which Bataragourou was appointed to instil into the minds of mankind; but the Battas acknowledge themselves strangers to their adoption. "Seeree Padah" is the God of Mercy. "He will repair the clothes that are torn-give meat to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty-heal the sickrelieve the oppressed-give advice to the weak, and shelter to the friendless." "Mahalabhoolan" soon quarrelled with his brothers, separated from them, The only ceremony practised of a religious nature, so far as I can hear, is the custom of invoking the shades of their ancestors. This is done, at pleasure; in prosperity or in adversity. The process of the ceremony is as follows; is dressed in all the regalia of a Rajah; and he is worshipped as the living representative of the departed object of their regard. A feast is made in honour of the dead, which lasts for three days. The performer exercises all the authority that his skill suggests; and mixes his sayings with prophecies, suited to the wishes of the audience. The influence of the Dattoo over the deluded Battas is such, that they will engage in no undertaking, however trifling, without first consulting him. He expounds all their religious books; and, according to his interpretation, a day is chosen as propitious to their object, whether that be a suit, a journey, or war. Of the moral conduct of these people, it grieves me to say, that it appears to be influenced by all the vile passions of an irregular and irritable constitution. Truth is seldom regarded, when in the way of their interests or feelings; and honesty is never found- From the Missionary Register. Islands. THE remoddling of a state, hitherto heathen, on Christian principles, under all the freshness and vigour of impression from those principles being just received, is an object perfectly new in this latter age of the world. What has however taken place in this respect, in some of the smaller islands of the Pacific, is but the prelude, we trust, of what will ere long follow on a far larger scale in other heathen lands, The new code of Otaheitean laws was enacted by the late king and the chiefs, in concurrence with the people, and were immediately printed, and posted up in every district; so that the people, having in general learnt to read, have become well acquainted with their civil and social duties. Nineteen heads of the code. 1. Of murder. 2. Of robbery. 3. Of depredations committed by swine. 4. Of stolen property. 5. Of lost property. 6. Of buying and selling. 7. Of Sabbath-breaking. 8. Of stirring up war. 9. Of a man with two wives. 10. Of wives that were cast off before the reception of the Gospel. 11. Of adultery. 12. Of forsaking a wife or husband. 13. Of not providing food for the wife. 14. Of marriage. 15. Of raising false reports. 16. Of the judges. 17. Of trying cases. 18. Of the courts of justice. 19. Of the laws in general. Article 16 contains the names of the judges, 400 in number. Articles 18 and 19 prescribe that courts of justice shall be erected all around Otaheite and Eimeo-that they shall be used solely for the administration of justice-that a printed copy of the laws shall be posted on every such house of judgment-and that the chiefs in the several districts shall support the execution thereof.— Murder is made punishable by death. Modifications in these laws will, of course, continually be found necessary, in order to adapt them to the new and untried state of society for which they are designed. The intelligence of the missionaries will, doubtless, be applied to this object, as it has been already beneficially employed in framing the code, Specimens of three laws. We subjoin these three specimens, that our readers may the more fully enter into the condition of this new and interesting community. Law on buying and selling. When a person buys any property, Introduction to the code. let him consider well before he gives Pomare, by the grace of God, king his property in exchange for the proof Tahiti, Moorea, and all surrounding perty of another. If he exchanges prolands, &c. &c. to all his faithful sub-perty with another, and has taken the jects, greeting, in the name of the true exchanged property away, and shortly God-God, in his great mercy, has after wishes to have his own returned, sent his word among us. We have em- his wish shall not be granted, unless the braced this word, that we may be saved. other party is agreeable. If any damage We desire to regard the command- be found on the property, which had not ments which he has given us. In order been discovered at the time of exchangtherefore that our conduct may become ing, it may be returned; but if the dalike the conduct of those who love God, mage was known at the time of exwe make known unto you the follow- changing, it shall not be returned. If ing laws of Tahiti. a person exchanges property for a per son who is sick, the sick person shall be allowed to see the property received in exchange; and if he does not like it, it shall be returned. Persons must not undervalue nor cry down the property of others: it is very bad. The persons who are buying or selling, let they themselves buy and sell without the interference of those who have nothing at all to do with the matter. Law against Sabbath-breaking. It is a great sin in the eye of God to work on the Sabbath day. Let that which agrees with the word of God be done; and that which does not, let that be left alone. No houses or canoes must be built, no land must be cultivated, nor any work done, nor must persons go any long distance, on a Sabbath day. If they desire to hear a missionary preach, they may go, although it be a long distance; but let not the excuse of going to hear the word of God be the cover for some other business: let not this be done it is evil. Those who desire to hear missionaries preach on a Sabbath, let them come near at hand on the Saturday: that is good. Persons on the first offence shall be warned; but if they be obstinate and persist, they shall be compelled to do work for the king. The judges shall appoint the work. Law against raising false reports. If a person raises a false report of another, as of murder or blasphemy, stealing, or of any thing bad, that person commits a great sin: the punishment of those who do so is this-he must make a path four miles long and four yards wide-he must clear all the grass, &c. away, and make it a good path. If a person raises a false report of another, but which may be less injurious than that of blasphemy, &c. he shall make a path of one or two miles in length, and four yards wide. If a false report be raised about some very trifling affair, no punishment shall be awarded. When the paths are made, the person who is the owner of the land where the ways are made, shall keep them in repair: let them be high in the middle, that the water, in wet weather, may run down on each side. Should the relations of the person who is re quired to make a path wish to assist him, they are at liberty to do so. The chiefs of the land where the man is at work must provide him food: he must not be ill-treated: he must not be compelled to work, without ceasing, from morning till night; but when he is tired, let him cease, and begin again next day; and when he has finished what he was appointed to do, he has fulfilled his punishment. The judges shall make known to persons raising false reports the punishment which they shall undergo. The missionaries remark that the good effect of this law in particular, has been very apparent. Ancient custom in Newnton, Wiltshire. (From the Christian Remembrancer.) THE following description of a custom observed on Trinity Sunday is taken from a small and very scarce volume of miscellanies, printed at London, for Curll, 1714. Mr. Aubrey, who was collecting materials for a history of North-Wiltshire, received the account from a correspondent, in a letter dated on the Feast of Ascension, 1682. NEWNTON. This village affords a lovely prospect to the South, S. W. and S. E. On the South it is terminated by the blue hills of Hackpen, Cherhill, &c. Of that range between, with Malmesbury Town, and the ruins of the Abbey, with Charlton-house, (the seat of the Earl of Berkshire,) and, till the late unhappy wars, with the woods of Charlton-park, and the Park of Hyams. At the upper end of this village was Sir Giles Estcourt's house, Knight and Baronet, Lord of this Manor, flanked with a delicate grove of oaks, which he cut down and sold for £700. This village, long time ago, stood a little higher in the field, where they still plough up foundations of houses: the tradition is, that it was burnt, and then built here, and hence it was called Newnton, quasi New Town. At the upper end of this town, at the old Manor-house, where the old pigeon-house In the late wars this house was burnt down by the soldiers, and the following custom of is, is a fine fountain of free-stone, from whence the water was brought in pipes of lead to Malmesbury Abbey: they oftentimes digged for the pipes, but now I think few are left. Some of these pipes have been digged up within these twenty years. This town was given to Malmesbury Abbey. The church here was anciently a chapel of ease to that Abbey, from whence it is distant above two miles. The Custom here on Trinity Sunday. King Athelstan having obtained a victory over the Danes by the assist ance of the inhabitants of this place, riding to recreate himself, found a woman baiting of her cow upon the way called the Fosse, which runs through this parish, and is a famous Roman way that goes from Cornwall to Scotland. This woman sate on a stool, with the cow fastened by a rope to the leg of the stool; the manner of it occasioned the king to ask why she did so? She answered the king, that they had no common belonging to the town. The queen being then in his company, by their consent it was granted, that the town should have so much ground in the common next adjoining, as the woman would ride round upon a bare ridged horse. She undertakes it; and for ascertaining the ground, the king appointed Sir Walter, a knight that waited on him, to follow the woman or go with her; which being done, and made known to the monks of Malmesbury, they (to show their liberality upon the extent of the king's charity) gave a piece of ground, parcel of their inheritance, and adjoining to the church yard, to build a house for the hayward to live in, to look after the beasts that fed upon this common. And for to perpetuate the memory of it, appointed the following prayers to be said upon every Trinity Sunday in that house, with the ceremonies ensuing. And because a monk of that time, out of his devotion supping is yet discontinued, together with brewing that quantity of drink. The rest of the ceremonies are yet continued on the Tot, and on the old door of the house which yet remains, which they carry then thither: and a small quantity of drink, of six or eight galtous, is yet drank after the ghirland is given gave a bell to be rung here at this house before prayers began, his name was inserted in the petitions for that gift. The ceremonies. The parishioners being come to the door of the hayward's house, the door was struck thrice in honour of the holy Trinity; then they entered. The bell was rung; after which, silence being ordered, they read the prayers aforesaid. Then was a ghirland of flowers,* made upon a hoop, brought forth by a maid of the town upon her neck, and a young man, a bachelor, of another parish, first saluted her three times in honour of the Trinity, in respect of God the Father. Then she puts the ghirland upon his neck, and kisses him three times, in honour of the Trinity, particularly God the Son. Then he puts the ghirland on her neck again, and kisses her three times, in respect of the holy Trinity,and particularly theHoly Ghost. Then he takes the ghirland from her neck, and by the custom must give her a penny at least, which, as fancy leads, is now exceeded, as 2s. 6d. or &c. is from house to house annually, till it The method of giving this ghirland comes round. his supper up to this house, which is In the evening every commoner sends called the eale-house; and having before laid in there equally a stock of malt, which was brewed in the house, they sup together, and what was left was there is an account in Somner's Glossagiven to the poor. Of which house at the end of the English Historians, printed at London, 1652. The form of prayer. "Peace, good men, peace, this is the house of charity, and the house of peace. Christ Jesus be with us this day Amen. and evermore. "You shall pray for the good pros perity of our sovereign lord king Henry VIII. and the royal issue, (of late days king Charles II. queen Catherine, duke of York, and the rest of the royal progeny,) with all the nobility of this land, that Almighty God would give them such grace, wisdom, and discretion, that they may do all things to the glory of About the year 1660, one was killed striv-. ing to take away the ghirland. God, the king's honour, and the good of the kingdom." This form was made by Mr. Richard Estcourt, in favour of the present go vernment. "You shall praise God that moved the hearts of king Athelstane and dame Maud, his good queen, to give this ground to our forefathers, and to us, and for all them that shall come after us, in fee for ever. "You shall pray to God for the soul of sir Walter the good black knight, that moved his heart to give to our forefathers and us this ground, both to tread and till, and to them that shall come after us, in fee for ever. "You shall pray to God for the soul of abbot Loringe, that moved his heart to give this ground to build this house upon to our forefathers, and to us, and to them that shall come after us, in fee for ever. "You shall pray to God for the soul of don Almed the black monk, that moved his heart to give the bell to this house. "For the souls of these benefactors, whom the Lord hath moved their hearts to bestow these benefits upon us, let us now and ever pray." "Pater noster," &c. From the Churchman's Magazine, July, 1823. Address delivered by the Right Rev. Bishop Brownell, to the Convention of the Diocess of Connecticut, in St. Andrew's Church, Meriden, on the 4th of June, 1823. My brethren of the clergy and of the laity, THE good providence of God having brought us together for the purpose of consulting on such measures as may be calculated to promote the welfare of the church, it becomes my duty, pursuant to the provisions of the 45th canon of the General Convention, to lay before you a statement of the affairs of the diocess, and of my official proceedings, since our last annual meeting. We have much reason to be thankful that the great Head of the church still continues to smile upon this portion of his vineyard. From such a survey of the diocess as I have been able to take, I am well assured that our communion continues to increase in numbers; and in many places I see convincing evidences of increasing piety and zeal. Some of the weak parishes appear to be reviving, some new societies are forming, and an VOL. VII. increasing zeal is manifested in greater exertions for the maintenance of the clergy, the erection of new churches, and the sup port of missionaries. I shall not take up your time with a detailed journal of my proceedings during the last year, but shall condense my official acts in as brief a summary as practicable. I have administered the holy rite of confirmation in 25 parishes, as follows, viz. June 18, in Danbury, to 6 persons; 19, in Brookfield, to 22; 20, in New-Milford, to 5; 21, in New-Preston, to 6; 22, in Kent, to 8; 23, in Sharon, to 7; 26, in Litchfield, to 43: Aug. 7, in Norwalk, to 35; 18, in New-Haven, to 12; 20, in Simsbury, to 22; 21, in Granby, to 15; 22, in East-Windsor, to 9; 23, in Glastenbury, to 5; 24, in Hebron, to 10; 26, in Essex, (Saybrook,) to 15; 29, in Derby, to 29: Oct. 4, in Norwich, to 15; 15, in Branford, 4; 30, in Woodbury, to 13; 30, in Roxto 15; 29, in Oxford, (Quaker's Farms,) to bury, to 12; 31, in Washington, to 3; 31, in Watertown, to 8: Nov. 1, in Waterbury, to 9; Dec. 8, in Hamden, to 12; May 11, in Hartford, to 15.-Total 356. The following persons have during the of deacons; viz. Lemuel B. Hull, at Triyear past, been admitted to the holy order nity church, New-Haven, August 4thWilliam Jarvis, at St. Paul's church, Norwalk, August 7-John M. Garfield, at Grace church, Hamden, August 11thAnd Ransom Warner, at Christ church, Middletown, Dec. 29th. The two former were, for two years, students in the General Theological Seminary of our church. Besides these ordinations, the Rev. Seth B. Paddock, rector of the church in Norwich, has been admitted to priest's orders. He was a student in the Theological Seminary during its continuance at New-Haven, The Rev. Lemuel B. Hull, and Rev. John M. Garfield have also this day, in your presence, been admitted to the holy order of priests. The following persons are at present candidates for holy orders in this diocess, viz. William Shelton, George Shelton, Todd, Edward P. Ives, Enoch Huntington, and Hector Humphreys. On the 16th of October last, the church in Northford was consecrated, with the prescribed rites and offices, by the name of St. Andrew's church; and on the 30th of the same month, the church in Woodbury was in like manner set apart from all unhallowed, profane, and common uses, and dedicated to the worship and service of Almighty God, by the name of St. Paul's church. The new brick church in the parish of New Preston is now nearly finished and ready for consecration. The people of this parish have set a noble example of liberality and zeal, which seems to pervade the neighbouring parishes. In the contiguous 32 |