else of falling in with some ship. During the day a flying fish dropped into the boat, when all hands jumped at it. Fortune favouring my exertions, I gained the prize and soon devoured it.

Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th we had fine fresh breezes, chiefly from the eastward, with clear weather. On the 12th we found ourselves so very thirsty that water was much in request by all. Every morning and evening, we bathed ourselves, and during the day kept throwing water over our heads; this allayed our thirst very much, which had now become our greatest enemy. This day we had very light airs from the N.W. with a heavy swell; we expected a gale of wind from that quarter, which if it had come, in all probability would have overwhelmed us, and put us out of our misery. Just before sunset we had the high consolation of observing a vessel bearing N.W.; there being little wind we pulled right for her, and by her movements I believe she saw us, for soon after she came down towards us, with studding sails set, low and aloft. This sight rejoiced us, and infused into us such a degree of temporary strength, as made us pull with double vigour. We thought our troubles at an end, but, alas! Providence ordained that greater misfortunes were still to be endured by us. Captain Harman thinking we did not near the vessel fast enough, ordered our sail to be taken in, supposing that it impeded our going through the water as we were pulling in the wind's eye. No sooner was that done, than the vessel took in her studding

sails and hauled her wind to the eastward. We hoisted our sail again, but to no purpose, she still kept to the eastward, which was a heart-breaking sight to us all. The temporary strength which the sight of her had excited, now forsook us: our spirits sunk, and we could no longer pull. As night approached we stood as nearly as we could judge to the W.N.W. When the vessel hauled her wind to the eastward, we could plainly make out that she was a brig; we saw her top-sails, and part of her courses, main-sail, &c.

Sunday the 13th. This day our thirst was great indeed; we had undergone such fatigue, and were so much weakened, that we expected every hour to be our last, The water thrown over our bodies did not allay our thirst as at first, and being reduced to the last extremity, we were forced to drink our urine, which I must say revived and consoled us exceedingly. Monday and Tuesday nothing happened to break in upon our state of painful suspense. We had the wind light from the northward with a very heavy swell from the N.W.; we still kept bathing every morning and evening, and drinking as before-mentioned.

Wednesday the people began to be very dull. Some of them found their thirst so intolerable that they drank a great quantity of salt water, although the Captain and I advised them not to do so. About ten o'clock at night, we were all roused by hearing the cry of fresh water along-side. One of the people being excessively dry, in drinking the water alongside really thought it had been fresh; we all

began

began to drink immediately, and it was some time before we found out our mistake, so much was our taste injured. On the 17th at sunset we thought we saw very high land right ahead, but having been often disappointed by mistaking clouds for high land, we paid but little attention to it. During the night the heavy swell from the N.W. went down, when a cross sea took its place, and a fine breeze sprung up from the eastward.

On Friday at day-light the water was much discoloured, a general sign of being near land, but still none could be seen. One of the men was now so senseless, and so weak, that he could not sit upright. As the sun arose, and cleared away the clouds, we had the heartfelt satisfaction of seeing high land. What a joyful sight was this to poor creatures nearly sinking under fatigue and want of food. As we neared the land, we saw a number of huts and the natives walking on shore. About noon we ran the boat on the beach, but were in a condition too weak to walk. The natives assisted us, and as soon as they knew our situation, fetched us hot congy (the water in which rice is boiled) and gave it us to drink, of which we took a great quantity. Each man was led between two people to the hut appointed to us, and we were furnished with every thing we wished for, except cold water. We had no desire to eat, but craved cold water, which the natives would

the poor man who had been so bad in the morning.

The name of the place at which we arrived, is Poondy. It is situated about sixty miles to the southward of Ganjam, and thirty to the northward of Calingapatam. On the 25th Captain Harman went to Calingapatam to procure a supply of money and clothes from the Beach master at that place. He returned on the 28th, and on the 29th, after furnishing the men with money enough to carry them to Bengal, the Captain and myself started in Doolis carried by four men. We followed the coast and travelled almost without intermission night and day. On the 15th of December we reached Tombuke, when we took a boat for Calcutta, and on going up the river, to our very great astonishment saw our brig at anchor waiting for the flood tide to carry her up. We went alongside, and every soul on board was thunderstruck to see us, having given us up as dead. They waited four days at Diamond Island, expecting our return. In running across the bay they had bad weather, and on seeing any drifts went down to them, expecting they might be the boat. We weighed on the flood and arrived at Kuddupore on the 16th of December, and on the 23d our poor fellow sufferers arrived, looking very well after so long a march.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE FUNERAL CEREMONIES OF A BURMAN PRIEST.

(From the same.)

The manner in which different nations dispose of their dead, is

one

one of those circumstances, which have been thought worthy of peculiar notice, by all who have studied the history of man, as it is in most instances connected with the idea which they entertain respecting a future state.

Those nations who believe in the doctrine of the resurrection, practise inhumation. The Hindus and other nations, who believe the doctrine of the metempsychosis, and consider fire as the element which purifies all things, usually burn their dead, with a variety of ceremonies suited to those religious notions which are peculiar to the different sects. The inhabitants of Thibet, differing from most other nations, either totally neglect the bodies of their dead, or treat them in a manner which to us appears highly barbarous.

The Burmans burn their dead like the Hindus, though with a great difference in the method and the attendant ceremonies. With them, the wood of the coffin (which is made larger and stronger than with us) is nearly all the fuel used to consume the bodies of the common people. The Priests, or Poongees, are like them burnt by the wood of their own coffins, but the fire is communicated by means of rockets. As this is a very singular practice, and has not been noticed by any writer whom I have met with, I take the liberty to communicate to the Asiatic Society the following account of the funeral ceremonies of a Poongee or Burman priest, as communicated by my son, Mr. Felix Carey, who resides at Rangoon, and was an eye-witness thereto.

"The man whose funeral ceremonies I am going to describe;

died about two years ago. After the death of a Poongee, the body is embalmed in the following manner. First, the intestines are taken out, after which the body is filled with spices of different kinds, and the opening sewed up. A layer of wax is then laid all over the body, so as to prevent the admission of air; upon that is put a layer composed of lac and some other ingredients, and the whole covered over with leaf-gold. The body of this person was stretched out at full length, with the arms laid over the breast. When one of these people dies, the body is thus prepared at the house where he died. After about 12 months, the corpse is removed to a house built for that purpose, where it is kept a year or two longer, till the Poongees order it to be burnt. At one of these places I saw the body of this man, about a month before it was taken out for the purpose of being destroyed, It was then placed upon a stage, which was in a house made like one of their Kuins, rising in a conical form, and about thirty feet in height. The stage was made of bamboos and wood, and the house which contained it was covered with paper, and overlaid with leaf-gold. By the side of this stage lay the coffin in which the body was to be carried out; this, also, was overlaid with gold, and ornamented with several figures, designed to represent death in a variety of forms. In the court yard two large four-wheeled carriages were preparing, one to carry the coffin, and the other the stage with its apparatus. The carriage in which the corpse was to be drawn had another stage

built upon it, similar to the one in the house, only it was larger, and fixed upon an elephant, made in a kneeling posture.

When the time for the ceremony approached, the principal people of every street were commanded each to prepare a rocket, and an image (the shape of some animal,) to which the rocket was to be fixed. Besides these large rockets, a great number of smaller ones was also prepared, as well as other fire-works. The Burman new year began either on the 13th or 14th of April, I do not exactly remember which, when the festival celebrated by sprinkling of water commenced, which would have continued six or seven days, had not the viceroy put a stop to it to admit of the burning of this Telapoy. On the 17th, the figures to which the rockets were to be fastened were drawn in procession round the town; and from this day to the end of the ceremony, all the people of the town and its vicinity, both male and female, were compelled to assist. The figures were drawn in procession, one after another, in the following order; first, six or eight flags were carried, these were followed by a number of dancing boys and girls, then the carriages with the figures, some drawn by boys, and others by bullocks, followed; and after them went a number of young women, dancing and singing, with an older woman between each row, to keep them in order. Women were never known to attend such processions before, but this was done in consequence of a particular order from the viceroy. On this occasion even the wives and daughters of the principal officers of

government were obliged to dance, some with umbrellas held over them, and others under an awning large enough to shade forty or fifty persons, and supported by six or eight men; last of all followed the men in like manner, singing, clapping their hands, and dancing, with two men between each row to keep them in order.

The people of each street attended their own carriages, and in this manner proceeded round the town, one company after another. The figures were very large, much larger than the animals they were intended to represent. Some of them were representations of buffaloes, others of bulls, lions, bears, elephants, horses, or men. There were not less than thirty, of a very large size, about thirty feet in height, and a great number of smaller ones.

The next day was spent in drawing the body of the Poongee in his carriage, backwards and forwards, or rather in pulling against each other. All the people, being divided into two parties, drew the corpse, from the place where it formerly was, to an extensive valley, near the hill where it was to be burnt. In the front of the valley the viceroy had a temporary house erected, from which he could view the whole show. Four cables were fastened to the axle-tree of the carriage, two each way; these were held by the people, who every now and then uttered a loud shout and pulled both ways at the same time. That day neither party gained any advantage over the other, till near evening, when one of the cables broke and the opposite party gained the victory.

The