eir　sons。　　She　is　betrothed　without　her　consent；　a　legal　agreement；　which　binds　her　for　life；　being　made　by　the　parents　on　both　sides　while　she　is　yet　a　child。　　At　a　time　most　convenient　to　the　parents；　this　boy　and　girl　are　brought　together　for　the　first　time；　and　the　marriage　ceremony　is　performed；　after　which　she　returns　to　the　house　of　her　father。
  〃Before　the　marriage　is　consummated；　in　many　instances；　the　boy　dies；　and　this　girl　becomes　a　widow；　and　as　the　law　prohibits　the　marriage　of　widows；　she　is　doomed　to　remain　in　this　state　as　long　as　she　lives。　　The　greater　number　of　these　unfortunate　beings　become　a　prey　to　the　seducer；　and　a　disgrace　to　their　families。　　Not　long　since　a　bride；　on　the　day　the　marriage　ceremony　was　to　have　been　performed；　was　burnt　on　the　funeral　pile　with　the　dead　body　of　the　bridegroom；　at　Chandernagore；　a　few　miles　north　of　Calcutta。　Concubinage；　to　a　most　awful　extent；　is　the　fruit　of　these　marriages　without　choice。　　What　a　sum　of　misery　is　attached　to　the　lot　of　woman　in　India　before　she　has　attained　even　her　fifteenth　year！
  〃In　some　cases　as　many　as　fifty　females；　the　daughters　of　so　many　Hindoos；　are　given　in　marriage　to　one　bramhun　｛u　with　inverted　^　like　殻弧n　order　to　make　these　families　something　more　respectable；　and　that　the　parents　may　be　able　to　say；　we　are　allied　by　marriage　to　the　kooleens。。。
  〃But　the　awful　state　of　female　society　in　this　miserable　country　appears　in　nothing　so　much　as　in　dooming　the　female；　the　widow；　to　be　burnt　alive　with　the　putrid　carcase　of　her　husband。　　The　Hindoo　legislators　have　sanctioned　this　immolation；　showing　herein　a　studied　determination　to　insult　and　degrade　woman。　　She　is；　therefore；　in　the　first　instance；　deluded　into　this　act　by　the　writings　of　these　bramhuns　｛u　with　inverted　^　like　殻弧n　which　also　she　is　promised；　that　if　she　will　offer　herself；　for　the　benefit　of　her　husband；　on　the　funeral　pile；　she　shall；　by　the　extraordinary　merit　of　this　action；　rescue　her　husband　from　misery；　and　take　him　and　fourteen　generations　of　his　and　her　family　with　her　to　heaven；　where　she　shall　enjoy　with　them　celestial　happiness　until　fourteen　kings　of　the　gods　shall　have　succeeded　to　the　throne　of　heaven　（that　is；　millions　of　years！）　Thus　ensnared；　she　embraces　this　dreadful　death。　　I　have　seen　three　widows；　at　different　times；　burnt　alive；　and　had　repeated　opportunities　of　being　present　at　similar　immolations；　but　my　courage　failed　me。。。
  〃The　burying　alive　of　widows　manifests；　if　that　were　possible；　a　still　more　abominable　state　of　feeling　towards　women　than　the　burning　them　alive。　　The　weavers　bury　their　dead。　　When；　therefore；　a　widow　of　this　tribe　is　deluded　into　the　determination　not　to　survive　her　husband；　she　is　buried　alive　with　the　dead　body。　　In　this　kind　of　immolation　the　children　and　relations　dig　the　grave。　After　certain　ceremonies　have　been　attended　to；　the　poor　widow　arrives；　and　is　let　down　into　the　pit。　　She　sits　in　the　centre；　taking　the　dead　body　on　her　lap　and　encircling　it　with　her　arms。　These　relations　now　begin　to　throw　in　the　soil；　and　after　a　short　space；　two　of　them　descend　into　the　grave；　and　tread　the　earth　firmly　round　the　body　of　the　widow。　　She　sits　a　calm　and　unremonstrating　spectator　of　the　horrid　process。　　She　sees　the　earth　rising　higher　and　higher　around　her；　without　upbraiding　her　murderers；　or　making　the　least　effort　to　arise　and　make　her　escape。　At　length　the　earth　reaches　her　lipscovers　her　head。　　The　rest　of　the　earth　is　then　hastily　thrown　in；　and　these　children　and　relations　mount　the　grave；　and　tread　down　the　earth　upon　the　head　of　the　suffocating　widowthe　mother！〃
  Before　Carey；　what　had　been　done　to　turn　the　millions　of　North　India　from　such　darkness　as　that？　　Nothing；　beyond　the　brief　and　impulsive　efforts　of　Thomas。　　There　does　not　seem　to　have　been　there　one　genuine　convert　from　any　of　the　Asiatic　faiths；　there　had　never　been　even　the　nucleus　of　a　native　church。
  In　South　India；　for　the　greater　part　of　the　century；　the　Coast　Mission；　as　it　was　called；　had　been　carried　on　from　Tranquebar　as　a　centre　by　the　Lutherans　whom；　from　Ziegenbalg　to　Schwartz；　Francke　had　trained　at　Halle　and　Friedrich　IV。　of　Denmark　had　sent　forth　to　its　East　India　Company's　settlement。　　From　the　baptism　of　the　first　convert　in　1707　and　translation　of　the　New　Testament　into　Tamil；　to　the　death　in　1798　of　Schwartz；　with　whom　Carey　sought　to　begin　a　correspondence　then　taken　up　by　Guericke；　the　foundations　were　laid　around　Madras；　in　Tanjore；　and　in　Tinnevelli　of　a　native　church　which　now　includes　nearly　a　million。　　But；　when　Carey　landed；　rationalism　in　Germany　and　Denmark；　and　the　Carnatic　wars　between　the　English　and　French；　had　reduced　the　Coast　Mission　to　a　state　of　inanition。　　Nor　was　Southern　India　the　true　or　ultimate　battlefield　against　Brahmanism；　the　triumphs　of　Christianity　there　were　rather　among　the　demon…worshipping　tribes　of　Dravidian　origin　than　among　the　Aryan　races　till　Dr。　W。　Miller　developed　the　Christian　College。　But　the　way　for　the　harvest　now　being　reaped　by　the　Evangelicals　and　Anglicans　of　the　Church　of　England；　by　the　Independents　of　the　London　Missionary　Society；　the　Wesleyans；　and　the　Presbyterians　of　Scotland　and　America；　was　prepared　by　the　German　Ziegenbalg　and　Schwartz　under　Danish　protection。　　The　English　Propagation　and　Christian　Knowledge　Societies　sent　them　occasional　aid；　the　first　two　Georges　under　the　influence　of　their　German　chaplains　wrote　to　them　encouraging　letters；　and　the　East　India　Company　even　gave　them　a　free　passage　in　its　ships；　and　employed　the　sculptor　Bacon　to　prepare　the　noble　group　of　marble　which；　in　St。　Mary's　Church；　Madras；　expresses　its　gratitude　to　Schwartz　for　his　political　services。
  It　was　Clive　himself　who　brought　to　Calcutta　the　first　missionary；　Kiernander　the　Swede；　but　he　was　rather　a　chaplain；　or　a　missionary　to　the　Portuguese；　who　were　nominal　Christians　of　the　lowest　Romanist　type。　　The　French　had　closed　the　Danish　mission　at　Cuddalore；　and　in　1758　Calcutta　was　without　a　Protestant　clergyman　to　bury　the　dead　or　baptise　or　marry　the　living。　　Two　years　before　one　of　the　two　chaplains　had　perished　in　the　tragedy　of　the　Black　Hole；　where　he　was　found　lying　hand　in　hand　with　his　son；　a　young　lieutenant。　　The　other　had　escaped　down　the　river　only　to　die　of　fever　along　with　many　more。　　The　victory　of　Plassey　and　the　large　compensation　paid　for　the　destruction　of　Old　Calcutta　and　its　church　induced　thousands　of　natives　to　flock　to　the　new　capital；　while　the　number　of　the　European　troops　and　officials　was　about　2000。　　When　chaplains　were　sent　out；　the　Governor…General　officially　wrote　of　them　to　the　Court　of　Directors　so　late　as　1795：〃Our　clergy　in　Bengal；　with　some　exceptions；　are　not　respectable　characters。〃　　From　the　general　relaxation　of　morals；　he　added；　〃a　black　coat　is　no　security。〃　　They　were　so　badly　paidfrom　？0　to　？30　a　year；　increased　by　？20　to　meet　the　cost　of　living　in　Calcutta　after　1764that　they　traded。　　Preaching　was　the　least　of　the　chaplains'　duties；　burying　was　the　most　onerous。　　Anglo…Indian　society；　cut　off　from　London；　itself　not　much　better；　by　a　six　months'　voyage；　was　corrupt。　　Warren　Hastings　and　Philip　Francis；　his　hostile　colleague　in　Council；　lived　in　open　adultery。　　The　majority　of　the　officials　had　native　women；　and　the　increase　of　their　children；　who　lived　in　a　state　worse　than　that　of　the　heathen；　became　so　alarming　that　the　compensation　paid　by　the　Mohammedan　Government　of　Moorshedabad　for　the　destruction　of　the　church　was　applied　to　the　foundation　of　the　useful　charity　still　known　as　the　Free　School。　　The　fathers　not　infrequently　adopted　the　Hindoo　pantheon　along　with　the　zanana。　　The　pollution；　springing　from　England　originally；　was　rolled　back　into　it　in　an　increasing　volume；　when　the　survivors　retired　as　nabobs　with　fortunes；　to　corrupt　social　and　political　life；　till　Pitt　cried　out；　and　it　became　possible　for　Burke　almost　to　succeed　in　his　eighteen　years'　impeachment　of　Hastings。　　The　literature　of　the　close　of　the　eighteenth　century　is　full　of　alarm　lest　the　English　character　should　be　corrupted；　and　lest　the　balance　of　the　constitution　should　be　upset。
  Kiernander　is　said　to　have　been　the　means　of　converting　209　heathens　and　380　Romanists；　of　whom　three　were　priests；　during　the　twenty…eight　years　of　his　Calcutta　career。　　Claudius　Buchanan　declares　that　Christian　tracts　had　been　translated　into　Bengalione　written　by　the　Bishop　of　Sodor　and　Manand　that　in　the　time　of　Warren　Hastings　Hindoo　Christians　had　preached　to　their　countrymen　in　the　city。　　The　〃heathen〃　were　probably　Portuguese　descendants；　in　whose　language　Kiernander　preached　as　the　lingua　franca　of　the　time。　He　could　not　even　converse　in　Bengali　or　Hindostani；　and　when　Charles　Grant　went　to　him　for　information　as　to　the　way　of　a　sinner's　salvation　this　happened〃My　anxious　inquiries　as　to　what　I　should　do　to　be　saved　appeared　to　embarrass　and　confuse　him　exceedingly。　　He　could　not　answer　my　questions；　but　he　gave　me　some　good　instructive　books。〃　　On　Kiernander's　bankruptcy；　caused　by　his　son　when　the　father　was　blind；　the　〃Mission　Church〃　was　bought　by　Grant；　who　wrote　that　its　labours　〃have　been　confined　to　the　descendants　of　Europeans；　and　have　hardly　ever　embraced　a