t of
society; consequently the poor women generally give their free
consent. Upon the occasion, they are handsomely dressed and
ornamented, and frequently stupefied with opium almost to madness;
are led with music and singing to the place where the corpse of the
husband, wrapped in white muslin, lies upon the funeral pile. At
the moment that the victim throws herself upon the corpse, the wood
is lighted on all sides. At the same time, a deafening noise is
commenced with musical instruments, and every one begins to shout
and sing, in order to smother the howling of the poor woman. After
the burning, the bones are collected, placed in an urn, and interred
upon some eminence under a small monument. Only the wives (and of
these only the principal or favourite ones) of the wealthy or noble
have the happiness to be burnt! Since the conquest of Hindostan by
the English, these horrible scenes are not permitted to take place.

The mountain scenery alternated with open plains, and towards
evening we came to still more beautiful mountains. A small
fortress, which was situated upon the slope of a mountain, quite
exposed, presented a very interesting appearance; the mosques,
barracks, little gardens, etc., could be entirely overlooked. At
the foot of this fortress lay our night-quarters.

10th February. Notara. We travelled a long distance through narrow
valleys, upon roads which were so stony that it was scarcely
possible to ride, and I thought every moment that the waggon must be
broken to pieces. So long as the sun was not scorching on my head,
I walked by the side, but I was soon compelled to seek the shade of
the linen covering of the wagon. I bound up my forehead tightly,
grasped both sides of the car, and submitted to my fate. The jungle
which surrounded us resembled in beauty and luxuriance that near
Baratpoor but it afforded me more amusement, as it was inhabited by
wild apes. They were tolerably large, with yellowish, brown hair,
black faces, and very long tails.

It was very pretty to see how anxious the mothers were about their
young. When I startled them, she took one upon her back, the other
clung to her breast, and with this double weight she not only sprung
from branch to branch, but even from tree to tree.

If I had only possessed somewhat more imaginative power, I should
have taken the forest for a fairy wood, for besides the merry
monkeys, I saw many remarkable things. The rock sides and debri