houses an hole about a foot and an half deep, wherein they put their earthen pipkins or pots, with the meat in them, closed up, so that they are in the half above the middle. Three-fourth parts thereof they lay about with stones, and the fourth part is left open, through which they fling in their dried dung, which burns immediately, and gives so great an heat that the pot groweth so hot as if it had stood in the middle of a lighted coal heap, so that they boil their meat with a little fire, quicker than -we do ours with a great one on our hearths." As the Israelites must have had as much occasion to be sparing of their fuel as any people, and especially when journey, ing in the wilderness, Mr. Harmer (vol. į.p. 268.) considers this quotation as a more satisfactory commentary on this passage than any which has been given.

No. 53-xvi. 22. And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited, and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness.] The ASWAMEDHA JUG is an ancient Indian custom, in which a horse was brought and sacrificed, with some rites similar to those prescribed in the Mosaic law. "The horse so sacrificed is in place of the sacrificer, bears his sins with him into the wilderness, into which he is turned adrift, (for, from this particular instance it seems that the sacrificing knife was not always employed) and becomes the expiatory victim of those sins." Mr. Halhed observes, (Preface to the Code of Gentoo Laws, p. 9.) that this ceremo⚫ ny reminds us of the scape goat of the Israelites; and indeed it is not the only one in which a particular coincidence between the Hindoo and Mosaic systems of theology may be traced. To this account may be subjoined a narrative in some measure similar from Mr. Bruce. We found, that upon some dissension, the garrison and townsmen had been fighting for several days, in which disorders the greatest part of the ammu

nition in the town had been expended, but it had since been agreed on by the old men of both parties, that nobody had been to blame on either side, but the whole wrong was the work of a camel. A camel, therefore, was seized, and brought without the town, and there a number on both sides having met, they upbraided the camel with every thing that had been either said or done. The camel had killed men; he had threatened to set the town on fire; the camel had threatened to burn the aga's house and the castle; he had cursed the grand signior and the sheriffe of Mecca, the sovreigns of the two parties, and, the only thing the poor animal was interested in, he had threatened to destroy the wheat that was going to Mecca. After having spent great part of the afternoon in upbraiding the camel, whose measure of iniquity, it seems was near. full, each man thrust him through with a lance, devoting him, diis manibus et diris, by a kind of prayer, and with a thousand curses upon his head, after which every man retired, fully satisfied as to the wrongs he had received from the camel!"

No. 54. xviii. 21. Thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Moloch.] Horrid as is the prac tice prohibited in these words, we have irresistible evi. dence of its prevalence. The manner in which it was performed has been variously described, especially by the rabbins. SONNERAT (Trav. vol. p. 154.) gives the following account of this custom: "A still more astonishing instance of the superstition of the ancient Indians, in respect to this venerated fire, remains at this day, in the grand annual festival holden in honour of Darma Rajah, and called the FEAST OF FIRE, in which, as in the ancient rights of Moloch, the devotees walk barefoot over a glowing fire, extending forty feet. It is called the feast of fire, because they then walk on that

element. It lasts eighteen days, during which time, those who make a vow to keep it, must fast, abstain from women, lie on the bare ground, and walk on a brisk fire. The eighteenth day they assembled, on the sound of instruments, their heads crowned with flowers, the body bedaubed with saffron, and follow in cadence the figure of Darma Rajah, and of Drobede, his wife, who are carried there in procession.. When they come to the fire they stir it, to animate its activity, and take a little of the ashes, with which they rub their foreheads, and when the gods have been three times round it, they walk either fast or slow, according to their zeal, over a very hot fire, extending to about forty feet in length. Some carry their children in their arms; and others lances, sabres, and standards. The most fervent devotees walk several times over the fire. After the ceremony the people press to collect some of the ashes to rub their foreheads with, and obtain from the devotees some of the flowers with which they were adorned, and which they carefully preserve."

No. 55.-xxvi. 26. Ten women shall bake your bread in one oven.] An oven was designed only to serve a single family, and to bake for them no more than the bread of one day. This usage sill continues in some places, and gives peculiar force to these words. There were anciently, as there are now, some public bakehouses. Hence we read of the baker's street. Jer. 37. xxi. See SHAW's Travels, p. 252.

HARMER (Vol. 1. p. 269.)

No. 56.-NUMBERS v. 17.

The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel.

IN the Asiatic Researches, (vol. i. p. 389.) is a curious account of the trials by ordeal, practised amongst the Hindoos. They have no less than nine different methods of conducting this test, one of which is strikingly conformable to the trial by the water of jealousy. "Trial by the cosha is as follows: the accused is made to drink three draughts of the water in which the images of the Sun, of Devi, and other deities, have been washed for that purpose; and if, within fourteen days, he has any sickness, or indisposition, his crime is considered as proved."

No. 57.-x. 31. Thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.] The importance of a guide in traversing the deserts must be evident, when we peruse the following extract from BRUCE's Travels, (vol. iv. p. 586.) “A hybeer is a guide, from the Arabic word hubbar, to inform, instruct, or direct, because they are used to do this office to the caravan travelling through the desert in all its directions, whether to Egypt and back again, the coast of the Red Sea, or the countries of Sudan, and the western extremities of Africa. They are men of great consideration, knowing perfectly the situation and properties of all kinds of water to be met with on the route, the distance of wells, whether occupied by enemies or not, and if so, the way to avoid them with the least inconvenience. It is also necessary to them to know the places occupied by the simoom, and the seasons of their blowing in these parts of the desert; likewise those occupied by moving sands. He generally belongs to some powerful tribe of Arabs inhabiting

these deserts, whose protection he makes use of to assist his caravans, or protect them in time of danger, and handsome rewards are always in his power to distribute on such occasions: but now that the Arabs in these deserts are every where without government, the trade between Abyssinia and Cairo given over, that between Sudan and the metropolis much diminished, the importance of the office of hybeer, and its consideration, is fallen in proportion, and with these the safe conduct."

No. 58. xi. 1. The fire of the Lord burnt among them.] Commentators have understood this to mean lightning, or the breaking forth of fire from the cloud, which marked the presence of God; but it may be as natural to explain it of the deadly fiery wind which sometimes appears in those eastern deserts. Maillet mentions its being felt in the desert between Egypt and Mecca, in part of which Israel wandered forty years, "If the north wind happens to fail, and that from the south comes in its place, then the whole caravan is so sickly and exhausted that three or four hundred persons are wont, in common, to lose their lives; even greater numbers, as far as fifteen hundred, of whom the greatest part are stifled on the spot, by the fire and dust of which this fatal wind seems to be composed." (p. 228.)

No. 59. xi. 5. Onions.] "Whoever has tasted onions in Egypt must allow that none can be had better in any part of the universe. Here they are sweet, in other countries they are nauseous and strong; here they are soft, whereas in the north, and other parts, they are hard of digestion. Hence they cannot in any place be eaten with less prejudice and more satisfaction than in Egypt. They eat them roasted, cut into four pieces, with some bits of roasted meat, which the Turks in