the life of william carey-第65章

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vernor…General　a　year　longer　Carey　would　have　succeeded　in　1808；　instead　of　having　to　wait　till　1829；　and　to　know　as　he　waited　and　prayed　that　literally　every　day　saw　the　devilish　smoke　ascending　along　the　banks　of　the　Ganges；　and　the　rivers　and　pools　considered　sacred　by　the　Hindoos。　　Need　we　wonder　that　when　on　a　Sunday　morning　the　regulation　of　Lord　William　Bentinck　prohibiting　the　crime　reached　him　as　he　was　meditating　his　sermon；　he　sent　for　another　to　do　the　preaching；　and　taking　his　pen　in　his　hand；　at　once　wrote　the　official　translation；　and　had　it　issued　in　the　Bengali　Gazette　that　not　another　day　might　be　added　to　the　long　black　catalogue　of　many　centuries？

On　the　return　of　the　Marquis　Wellesley　to　Calcutta　from　the　Tipoo　war；　and　his　own　appointment　to　the　College　of　Fort　William；　Carey　felt　that　his　time　had　come　to　prevent　the　murder　of　the　innocents　all　over　India　in　the　three　forms　of　female　infanticide；　voluntary　drowning；　and　widow…burning　or　burying　alive。　　His　old　friend；　Udny；　having　become　a　member　of　Council　or　colleague　of　the　Governor…General；　he　prepared　three　memorials　to　Government　on　each　of　these　crimes。　　When　afterwards　he　had　enlisted　Claudius　Buchanan　in　the　good　work；　and　had　employed　trustworthy　natives　to　collect　statistics　proving　that　in　the　small　district　around　Calcutta　275　widow　murders　thus　took　place　in　six　months　of　1803；　and　when　he　was　asked　by　Dr。　Ryland　to　state　the　facts　which；　with　his　usual　absence　of　self…regarding；　he　had　not　reported　publicly；　or　even　in　letters　home；　he　thus　replied：

〃27th　April　1808。The　report　of　the　burning　of　women；　and　some　others；　however；　were　made　by　me。　　I；　at　his　expense；　however；　made　the　inquiries　and　furnished　the　reports；　and　believe　they　are　rather　below　the　truth　than　above　it。　　I　have；　since　I　have　been　here；　through　a　different　medium；　presented　three　petitions　or　representations　to　Government　for　the　purpose　of　having　the　burning　of　women　and　other　modes　of　murder　abolished；　and　have　succeeded　in　the　case　of　infanticide　and　voluntary　drowning　in　the　river。　　Laws　were　made　to　prevent　these；　which　have　been　successful。〃

But　there　was　a　crime　nearer　home；　committed　in　the　river　flowing　past　his　own　door；　and　especially　at　Sagar　Island；　where　the　Ganges　loses　itself　in　the　ocean。　　At　that　tiger…haunted　spot；　shivering　in　the　cold　of　the　winter　solstice；　every　year　multitudes　of　Hindoos；　chiefly　wives　with　children　and　widows　with　heavy　hearts；　assembled　to　wash　away　their　sinsto　sacrifice　the　fruit　of　their　body　for　the　sin　of　their　soul。　　Since　1794；　when　Thomas　and　he　had　found　in　a　basket　hanging　on　a　tree　the　bones　of　an　infant　exposed；　to　be　devoured　by　the　white　ants；　by　some　mother　too　poor　to　go　on　pilgrimage　to　a　sacred　river…spot；　Carey　had　known　this　unnatural　horror。　　He　and　his　brethren　had　planned　a　preaching　tour　to　Sagar；　where　not　only　mothers　drowned　their　first　born　in　payment　of　a　vow；　with　the　encouragement　of　the　Brahmans；　but　widows　and　even　men　walked　into　the　deep　sea　and　drowned　themselves　at　the　spot　where　Ganga　and　Sagar　kiss　each　other；　〃as　the　highest　degree　of　holiness；　and　as　securing　immediate　heaven。〃　　The　result　of　Carey's　memorial　was　the　publication　of　the　Regulation　for　preventing　the　sacrifice　of　children　at　Sagar　and　other　places　on　the　Ganges：〃It　has　been　represented　to　the　Governor…General　in　Council　that　a　criminal　and　inhuman　practice　of　sacrificing　children；　by　exposing　them　to　be　drowned　or　devoured　by　sharks；　prevails。。。Children　thrown　into　the　sea　at　Sagar　have　not　been　generally　rescued。。。but　the　sacrifice　has　been　effected　with　circumstances　of　peculiar　atrocity　in　some　instances。　　This　practice　is　not　sanctioned　by　the　Hindoo　law；　nor　countenanced　by　the　religious　orders。〃　　It　was　accordingly　declared　to　be　murder；　punishable　with　death。　　At　each　pilgrim　gathering　sepoys　were　stationed　to　check　the　priests　and　the　police；　greedy　of　bribes；　and　to　prevent　fanatical　suicides　as　well　as　superstitious　murders。

The　practice　of　infanticide　was　really　based　on　the　recommendation　of　Sati；　literally　the　〃method　of　purity〃　which　the　Hindoo　shastras　require　when　they　recommend　the　bereaved　wife　to　burn　with　her　husband。　　Surely；　reasoned　the　Rajpoots；　we　may　destroy　a　daughter　by　abortion；　starvation；　suffocation；　strangulation；　or　neglect；　of　whose　marriage　in　the　line　of　caste　and　dignity　of　family　there　is　little　prospect；　if　a　widow　may　be　burned　to　preserve　her　chastity！

In　answer　to　Carey's　third　memorial　Lord　Wellesley　took　the　first　step；　on　5th　February　1805；　in　the　history　of　British　India；　two　centuries　after　Queen　Elizabeth　had　given　the　Company　its　mercantile　charter；　and　half　a　century　after　Plassey　had　given　it　political　power；　to　protect　from　murder　the　widows　who　had　been　burned　alive；　at　least　since　the　time　of　Alexander　the　Great。　　This　was　the　first　step　in　the　history　of　British　but　not　of　Mohammedan　India；　for　our　predecessors　had　by　decree　forbidden　and　in　practice　discouraged　the　crime。　　Lord　Wellesley's　colleagues　were　still　the　good　Udny；　the　great　soldier　Lord　Lake　and　Sir　George　Barlow。　　The　magistrate　of　Bihar　had　on　his　own　authority　prevented　a　child…widow　of　twelve；　when　drugged　by　the　Brahmans；　from　being　burned　alive；　after　which；　he　wrote；　〃the　girl　and　her　friends　were　extremely　grateful　for　my　interposition。〃　　Taking　advantage　of　this　case；　the　Government　asked　the　appellate　judges；　all　Company's　servants；　to　〃ascertain　how　far　the　practice　is　founded　on　the　religious　opinions　of　the　Hindoos。　If　not　founded　on　any　precept　of　their　law；　the　Governor…General　in　Council　hopes　that　the　custom　may　gradually；　if　not　immediately；　be　altogether　abolished。　　If；　however；　the　entire　abolition　should　appear　to　the　Court　to　be　impracticable　in　itself；　or　inexpedient；　as　offending　any　established　religious　opinion　of　the　Hindoos；〃　the　Court　were　desired　to　consider　the　best　means　of　preventing　the　abuses；　such　as　the　use　of　drugs　and　the　sacrifice　of　those　of　immature　age。　　But　the　preamble　of　this　reference　to　the　judges　declared　it　to　be　one　of　the　fundamental　principles　of　the　British　Government　to　consult　the　religious　opinions　of　the　natives；　〃consistently　with　the　principles　of　morality；　reason；　and　humanity。〃　　There　spoke　Carey　and　Udny；　and　Wellesley　himself。　　But　for　another　quarter　of　a　century　the　funeral　pyres　were　to　blaze　with　the　living　also；　because　that　caveat　was　set　aside；　that　fundamental　maxim　of　the　constitution　of　much　more　than　the　British　Governmentof　the　conscience　of　humanity；　was　carefully　buried　up。　The　judges　asked　the　pundits　whether　the　woman　is　〃enjoined〃　by　the　shaster　voluntarily　to　burn　herself　with　the　body　of　her　husband。　They　replied　〃every　woman　of　the　four　castes　is　permitted　to　burn　herself；〃　except　in　certain　cases　enumerated；　and　they　quoted　Manoo；　who　is　against　the　custom　in　so　far　as　he　says　that　a　virtuous　wife　ascends　to　heaven　if　she　devotes　herself　to　pious　austerities　after　the　decease　of　her　lord。

This　opinion　would　have　been　sufficient　to　give　the　requisite　native　excuse　to　Government　for　the　abolition；　but　the　Nizamat　Adawlat　judges　urged　the　〃principle〃　of　〃manifesting　every　possible　indulgence　to　the　religious　opinions　and　prejudices　of　the　natives；〃　ignoring　morality；　reason；　and　humanity　alike。　　Lord　Wellesley's　long　and　brilliant　administration　of　eight　years　was　virtually　at　an　end：　in　seven　days　he　was　to　embark　for　home。　　The　man　who　had　preserved　the　infants　from　the　sharks　of　Sagar　had　to　leave　the　widows　and　their　children　to　be　saved　by　the　civilians　Carey　and　he　had　personally　trained；　Metcalfe　and　Bayley；　who　by　1829　had　risen　to　Council　and　become　colleagues　of　Lord　W。　Bentinck。　　But　Lord　Wellesley　did　this　much；　he　declined　to　notice　the　so…called　〃prohibitory　regulations〃　recommended　by　the　civilian　judges。　These；　when　adopted　in　the　year　1812；　made　the　British　Government　responsible　by　legislation　for　every　murder　thereafter；　and　greatly　increased　the　number　of　murders。　　From　that　date　the　Government　of　India　decided　〃to　allow　the　practice；〃　as　recognised　and　encouraged　by　the　Hindoo　religion；　except　in　cases　of　compulsion；　drugging；　widows　under　sixteen；　and　proved　pregnancy。　　The　policenativeswere