THE DUSSERAH AT LAHORE.

New Zealander, Volume 3, Issue 202, 6 May 1848, Page 3

THE DUSSERAH AT LAHORE.

The following description of the Dussrrak, or great Hindoo festival, by an officer present, is tiken from the Gentleman's Gazette Overland, a liombay paper :— "Uhorc, Oct. 20, 18-17. " Yesterday was the Dusserau, the gala day at Lahore- With his usual kindness the Resident invited •ill officers who wi-hed to conic, and I thought the scene well worth the visit. " I was present a short time before Sir John Littler and Colonel Lawrence ai rived, .and dismounting from my hot-be, 1 leaned against the high irates, which, now flung open, showed the Palace square, gay with bands of cWis and their retainers, and lined on either side with gu.uds of hoise and foot ; the led horses caracolling in their rich trappings, the thin lances tipshooring from those yellow clumps into the clcai air, and the huge elephants standing m their quiet magnificence. "In my front was a rampart wall, ciumbling and dinted with many shots. Every gateway, every house, had its story of muider, its legend of civil strife, and now, in the heart of a great capital which had two yeais ago so throbbed with sto'my anger and hatred of the Fcringhee, 1 saw mingled together the tall Sikh, with his >c low chess and dark beard, the swart Afl'ghau with his large tut ban and broad shield, the un«. aimed hnglish soldier, and the self-possessed sepoy. ' " And hopefully and proudly I thought of the power and generous toibe.ir.ince of a wise Government. " A carnage drives rapidly up. The Resident and the Gcncr.il with their stalt. The feikh band plays ' God suve the Queen,' the soldiers present arms, and the lion cuns roai out their wc'come. # ' A loi ward rush, the rearing and neighing of startled steeds, and the wiid clamour ot trumpets, and we came to the front of the raised terrace in front of the Dcwaus-l-Am, shaded by rich canopies of led shawls, on poles of silver. Rajah Tej Singh and the Sirdars of the Durbar were there to ieceive the vj'sit Halfway came the little handsome Maharajah, dressed in yellow satin and gHtteiing with royal jev\clh. W e seated ourselves, Colonel Lawrence and General Littler on the right and left ot the Maharnjah. Bags of rupees were presented by the ofticeis or the Residency, and then came throng- »» his chiefs with their offerings, the wheat-blade in lieirt graceful turbans speaking the hope of a successful year. So ihe little King sat calmly on his throne, now pleabed wiih a picture, arid now bending down his long diiU eyelashes and his bright pleased face to caress the \-\ ge paroquet on his wrist, while they told out the gold at his leet; and behind and all about amongst the waving fans was a crowd bright as a tulip bed. " When the mmur* weieail made, there came forth a spangled train of dancing girls ; without waiting for their performance, but ie-gaining my horse, I hastened to where I could obsct ye the elephants, issuing forth in all the barbaric po. i, p of gold and silvei turrets and painted heads. The young Maharajah in front sat in. his golden howdah, and sinilin * and talking merrily with"the Resident (Irs Regent) by his side ; sirdars and British ollicers, friends, sharing the same seat, joking and complimenting. And belore all, the rollicking and lusty troop of mummers. On, like a sea, rolls |tlie great procession to the battle-field of Ram and the giant Rawun. "The giant is slain, the jolly mimes are again frolicking with their clubs — again thunder* on the cannon. Hurrah for the boy king ! '« Sec that compact little paity of Holmes's Cavalty, with their casques and green vests, how tuehoises m» c voluntarily twitch their heads at the sound. " And now the plain and that great crowd is obscured with dust and smoke We move back through, the tall rustling sugar cane, over the green meadow, under the high arch, by the new tomb ot' RunjeeG Singh, by the tall minars, dirk against the yellow sky and tin ough the narrow bazaar; the blind beggar, his mat spread on the wall, cries as the biave show goes by, * How costly a thing is sight.', On the house-tons sit the young and the old ; the palsied crone, and the little child piankedout in his holiday suit, all with joined hands and moving lips. " The Bunnecah peers forth from among his piled up goods, and the naked Fakeer screams fottli his Messing ; see how the little King smiles as the Sahcb talks with him. *' And as the sun sinks dowu over the wide down, we arc again at the Palace, "The peaceful festival is over; who will not join with us in our louse for DhuWep Singh ? "May his reign prosper, and bung to the latuly vexed Pun ab a new era, the rich harvest of content."

The late Colonfl Stoddart and Capt. CoNolly. — The Friend of India, o the 29th July, sayi, on the subject of these two unfortunate gentlemen— " For some lime past there has been a rumour that the King of Bokhara had put to death the infamous Abdool Sumud Khan, who lus been rendemd so notorious by Di. Wolff's navrative It has now been confirmed in a letter of a merchant at Bokhara to his correspondent at Cabul. The king stiuck him on the head himself, with a Bmall axe, upbraiding him with having msiigated him (the king) to slay Stoddart and ConollyThis information gives additional confirmation to that which was indeed too evident pieviously — that those unfortunate officers were pj*Hively put to death by the Commander of the Faithful. Their relatives aru, we fear, stiU buoyed up with hopes of then existence, which it is natural for them to clieush, but the present intelligence placeb the report of their death bejotul all doubt." I cannot bear to hear old people say, " I am too old to improve." I mynclf would rather pardon )oung people sayin»\ '* lam too young for tbat." It is precisely when we are not joung that our most special eu« dcavours should be to perfect ourselves, and to seek by good qualities to compensate for what we lose ii\ poiut of ugreeabieneiis —Madame da Stvigne,

W hat is A Decmration or V/\n ?— lt is si sentence of death a^m^t thousands of innorcnr beings who have undergone no trial. It is by one blow to c ommit a thousand numlcis. " How can any one pretend thai he loves his neighbour as himself, when for reward he will shoot or stab him ?" Tins question was askfd by Voltaiie, «ho infidel. Who can answer it? "Wherever Ihe Christians r,o they whiten the toil with human bones in.) » will not havp ChiiMijnity in my empire." This was the expression of (he Emperor of China, flnistmnr,, < m you sanction nai after this ? " Thr sen Ms ot Il*c Lord must not stnvo, but be gentle unto all nvn, apt to \v.\ch, an/l;';iatient." (2 Tim ii. 24) Fiu'ful tortuu's the do<-h action of ruics, the slaughter of man. the sonow of the widow and fdtheiless, poveity, famine, and pestilence are the clVecls of Wtii\ Wh,.t Cluistmn can sancnon it ■' Arbittalion is wiEC ci^y, 'ln n ridly, and cheap; war is foolish, difficult, cruel, .-isd ('en. The annual co^t of war to Christian Dnum is n>oie than funr-nftlih of all taxci. Coiihidfied in v.hatnvr lii^bt ;t is an evil. " Blessed me the peace roak-r«?, ' 01< t!l( 7 tliall 1)n railed the chiid.cn oi (.! k! " (IM.iM'. 0 ) "Ucthal lulelh bis spirit h Ult-r 11-an he that fak'Ui ;i city. The more war is t^nuin'd, til" m»ic ho rid and unjustifiable it appeals. Mead M.'cnnnara's Rs«ay on the subject, publish* d l.y tin- I'" 1'"1 '" '0.-^'y. Tne liiitis.li expenditniQ foi ninety do/- |>ir\ior<-> to the Battle of Wutcloo averaged one million pounds rfcrling per day. What would biirh a Mini accomplish in promoting the welfaie of oui ucu ! Thne is equal scope for coinage in hi SMiifi as in destroying mankind. The greatness of the warrior is poor and low compared with the magnanimity ot vi'tvie. Christians, patnois, phiUnthiopists 1 think on these things.— Leeds Mo cury. The Chinese Junk —The Chines junk, the Raj. Viny, which ai nved ot New Voil- on tlu' ti.h^ot Julj, excited there the <j,e<ite-l <unosity. Her light and giaceful build, her bails of matting suspended to hdi bamboo yards, her smooth and rapid movement— thanks to which, if we may believe tho Chinese crew, they have never suffered from bad weather— m short, the singularity of the furniture, which includes faome dogs with tongues as black as mk, brought by the ciplain, all combined to attract a crowd ot spectator. The pretiiest women of New York loved the boast of having visited the Chinese junk. Unfortunately the enterprise docs not appear to have had the same success m a pi-cumary respect. The Chinese bailors, to the number of twenty-six, not Laving been paid their wag^, have ai rested the vessel, and Mr. Lo.d, their advocate, has pleaded lot them before the civil court o! the district. The crew claims, in the first p.acj, their anears of wages from the month of September 184G ; and in the second, to be sent back to Canton at the expense of the captain. According to the sailors' accounts, they were only engaged for eight months, audweienot to go bejnnd Batavia and Singapoie. Toe advocate of So-Yn-San°;-Hi, the Chinese ciplain, icphed that the s-ailois who had woiked the ship could not pretend that they had been made to cro»s the Indian Seas and the Atlantic without their knowledge. "With ri'gaid to the question ol wages, the cuptam hud piomised to pay them on tlnii le urn to Canton with the produce of the American goods which he was to take on hU return. Ho added that he did not think tb« sai'ors had any right to complain ; the large lerompens,es they hud received fully compentated for what was owing them. The couit decided in favour of the ctew, maintained the seizure, ordeied the sale of the vessel, and condemned the captain to pay each man fiom one to two hundred dollars according to rank. Captain Hall, late op tub Ship Buiton. — We leain that Captain Alexander Hall, of the fine ship Benlomond, just arrived in the Mersey from Bombay, has received a letter from the Admiralty, complimenting him for his gallant exertions at the double wreck of the Bniov and Runnymede, on the Andamans, in the winter of 1845, and enclosing a cheque tor 100 guineas. The letter from the Admiralty, which we have seen, is exceedingly complimentary to Captain Hall, and was forwarded to him at the recommendation of — Blaclvvvood. then stationed in that poition of India to which the ships were destined. Captain Hall has been absent from this country tor upwardb ot a year, and this acknowledgment of his valuable services must prove as gratifying to him as it lus to his numerous friends.-— North British Mail. Odufi LiiOWsiiiP.— An American paper, on the subject ot oddtellowship, says—-" What is oddteilowfclup ? The astonishing progrcsh which the Independent Order of Oddfellows are making, both in this country and in Europe, renders the above question one ot no ordinary importance. If there is an institution in our veij midst which has made the most gigantic onward strides, and which already numbers among its members many of the mobt influential and powciiul citizens of tliia great republic, and is etill increasing — the inquuy is both accessary and pioper. What is oddlellowship ? We answer in a single word : it h practical Christianity. It combines all that is excellent in religion, pure in morals, and benevolent in practice, "beneath its tweet and genial influences the rugged nature of man becomes sottened by sympathy ; the liner feelings of the heart are developed and cultivated the social principle is strengthened; the haternal lelalions cherished and imigoiated. Before its onward 111-031 ess, woe and crime ilee ay.ay ; the haipy fiends of unholy passion bhrink into their deus 111 shame. Would you witness its virtues, its blessed effects? Visit the jsinouUU'ring ashes ot the conllagration — the cheeikbs health and desolate homes ot the childicn of penury and misioitune — the abode of the sorrowing 1 widow and the unprotected oiphan — the couch of disease and the bed of death : you will there meet a while robed spirit, a ministering; angel m a human form, who shields the unprotected ones in a mantle cf benevo-lcnr-e, who raises the drooping head of the suffering invalid, moistens his parched lips with healing medicme, pours bilm and comfort inlo the bleeding and desolate Leait, clothes the naked, feeds the hungry, and counsels the errin <r . It speaks to the sonow itiickcn the magic words of comiort in the midst of their cheerless desolation ; the peiseeuted find protection beneath Us sheltering arms, and the wietclud peace. Whevever falls the widows tear, wherever is uttered the orpbau'i wail, wherever lours the dark sloim of mifafortune, there gleams its heavenly light to blehs and to save. "Wherever there is seen a protector of the friendless, a provider for the destitute, wherever is opened a way ot light, through the tempest of life ; where an orphan finds •belter, and tbe unhappy consolation— there you will find the spirit of oddfellowsln'p. The duties it enjoins are all pure and holy ; the obligations it imposes are inseparably connected with tile happiness of man."— -The Talisman. Marriage Noticls. — A Western (American) paper gives the following notice:— "All notices of marriages, where no bridecane is eeut, will be set up in small type, and poked into some outlandish corner of the papei. Where a handsome piece ot' cake is se.it, it will be put conspicuously in large letters; whtn o loves or other bride favouis are added, a piece of illustrative poetry will be given in addition. When, however, tbe editor attends tbe ceremony in projnia jmsonee, and kisses the bride, it will have special notice — very large type, and the most appropriate poetry than can be beeped, borrowed, stylefl, or rwsed f.om the brain editorial."