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refused to answer my questions; and told me, by her looks and motions, that it would be dangerous to make any further offer.

For the next seven months hardly a day passed in which I did not visit some one member of government, in order to interest their feelings on our behalf. The king's mother, sister, and brother, each in turn, exerted their influence in our favour; but so great was their fear of the queen, that neither of them ventured to make a direct application to his majesty ; and, although my various efforts were useless as to their grand object, yet the hopes which they excited kept our minds from sinking, and enabled us to endure our long imprisonment better than we otherwise could have done.

The last person to whom I applied was the celebrated Bundoolah, just previous to his departure for Rangoon. He had gained some advantage over the native soldiers at Arracan, two hundred of whom he had sent as prisoners to Ava. This, together with the circumstance of his having obtained two or three thousand English muskets, gained him a most favourable reception at court; and every honour, in the power of the king to bestow, was heaped upon him. He had the entire management of affairs, and in fact was the real king of the country. With fear and trembling I presented to him a written petition for the liberation of Dr. Price and Mr. Judson; he listened to the petition attentively, made some inquiries relative to our coming to Ava, and then saying that he would reflect on the subject, added "Come again to-morrow." My hopes were now more sanguine than ever, but the morrow dashed them all, when the proud Bundoolah uttered" I shall soon return from Rangoon, when I will release the teachers, with all the other prisoners."

to

The war was now prosecuted with all the energy of which the Burmans were capable. Their expectations of complete victory were high; for their general was invincible, and the glory of their king would accompany their armies. The government talked loudly of taking Bengal, when they had driven the presump tuous creatures from their own territories; and of destroying from the earth every white-faced stranger. So great was their hatred to the very appearance of a foreigner, that I frequently trembled when walking the streets; and that I might not immediately be recognized as a stranger, and sometimes to gain admission to Mr.

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Judson's prison, I adopted the Burman dress altogether. 11.

Extortions and oppression had now become so familiar to us, that we daily expected their appearance in some new garb or other. Sometimes, for ten days together, I was not allowed to see Mr. Judson; and even then could gain admittance only after dark, when I was obliged to return to our home, two miles, without an attendant.

The means which we invented for communication, were such as necessity alone could have suggested. At first, I wrote to him on a flat cake, baked for the purpose, and buried it in a bowl of rice; and in return, he communicated his situation on a piece of tile, on which, when wet with water, the writing became invisible, but when dried, perfectly legible." But after some months' experience, we found that the most convenient, and the safest mode of writing, was to roll up a chit, and put it in the long spout of a coffee-pot in which I sent his tea. These circumstances may appear trivial; but they serve to show to what straits and shifts we were driven. It would have been a crime of the highest nature to be found making communications to a prisoner, however nearly related.

Bundoolah departed from Ava in all the pomp and splendour imaginable, commanding an army of between forty thousand and fifty thousand men; he was to to join the prince Thar-yar-wades, who had marched some months before at the head of an equal number. The first two or three reports of the invincible general were of the most flattering nature, and were most joyfully announced by the firing of cannon. Now, Rangoon os was sur rounded by the Burman troops. Then, the fort on the Pagoda was taken; and guns and ammunition sufficient for the Burman army, should the war continue ever so long; and next, his majesty might expect to hear, that hot a white face remained in Rangoon ! But no such report ever came; the cannon ceased to fire on the arrival of a boat; and soon it was whispered about that the Burmans were defeated, and thousands of them killed, among whom were many officers ; and that Bundoolah and the few that remained had fled to Donaboo. With what anxiety did we listen for the report "The English are advancing!" for, in the arrival of foreign troops, consisted our only hope of deliverance.

The war now dragged on heavily on the part of the Burmans; and, though the

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king and government continued to supply Bundoolah with what he required, yet their confidence in him was shaken, and their hopes were far from sanguine.

The news at length came, that the English army was advancing, and that it was within twenty miles of Donaboo. The town was all confusion, and the queen began to send away, to a more secure place, her immense treasure. It was now the 1st of March, the commencement of the hot season, which, in Ava, is peculiarly severe. The white prisoners were all put inside of the common prison, in five pair of irons each; and where they were so crowded with Burman thieves and robbers, that they had not sufficient room to lie down. There were at the time near a hundred prisoners, all in one room, without a window or hole for the admittance of air, and the door was half closed. I again applied to the governor of the city to allow the missionaries to be removed to their former place, or at least to let them remain outside of the door during the day. I offered him money, and promised to reward him handsomely when in my power; but all in vain, The old man shed tears at my distress; but said that it was not in his power to comply with my request, for his orders were from a high quarter: he had even been commanded to execute all the white prisoners in private; and, to keep them in close confinement, was as little as he could do. He ordered, however, that they should be allowed to go outside of the door to eat their rice; and, when inside, to be placed as near the door as possible. I was afterwards informed, from good authority, that the queen's brother, Menthogyee, had ordered the governor to destroy the white prisoners; but that the governor, fearing they might be required by the king, dared not obey the command.

The situation of the white prisoners was now wretched in the extreme. The heat during the day was dreadful; indeed, the confined air deprived them of inclination for food, and their whole appearance was more that of the dead than of the living. I daily visited the governor, and continued to entreat him to pity the foreigners; sometimes he appeared to feel for us, and seemed half inclined to listen to my request; but the fear of Menthogyee, doubtless prevented.

It was now reported that the foreign troops had reached Donaboo; and it was whispered about that Bundoolah dead.

was

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this openly; but the report was now conveyed officially to his majesty, who was mute with disappointment, while the queen smote her breast and exclaimed, Ama, Ama?" What was to be done now? Where could another general be found, and from what quarter could troops be raised? The prince and Woongyees at the Burmese camp, had intimated the necessity of making peace; but this was too humiliating to be thought of for a moment. "What!" said one of the Woongyees at court, "shall we allow it to be recorded in a future history of the country, that our glorious king made a peace with strangers, and gave them part of his territory? No, we will die first!"

1

The Pagan Woongyee, who had been in disgrace for some time, now thought it a good opportunity to retrieve his cha racter and regain his influence. He pe titioned his majesty to allow him to go at the head of a new army; and positively assured the king, that he would conquer the English, and drive them from Burmah, He was immediately raised to the highest rank, and all power was committed to him. His first object was to manifest his inveterate hatred to every foreigner; and those, who had for eleven months escaped con finement, now fell into his merciless hands, and were thrown into prison. Among the number was Mr. Loonoga, a Spanish gentleman, who had for twenty years been high in the king's favour, and had done all in his power to alleviate the sufferings of the foreign prisoners; but he was now among them.

Mr. Judson had now been in close confinement, and in five pair of fetters, for a month; and, with anguish indescribable, I saw him sinking under the weight of his sufferings. He was taken with a high fever. My distress and entreaties now prevailed with the governor of the city to give a written order to remove Mr. Judson from the common prison into a little bamboo room, six feet long and four wide. I also obtained an order to give him medicine, and visit him whenever I wished. I had removed into the governor's compound, and was living in a bamboo house where the thermometer daily rose to 106; but thought myself happily situated to be near the prison, and allowed to visit Mr. Judson, who began now to hope that he should recover from the fever, as his situation was so much better than before.

But new and dreadful trials were now before us. I had gone in, one morning, give Mr. Judson his breakfast, and

his house, where he was kept a prisoner at large nearly two months longer.

The British troops were now so rapidly advancing, that the king and government felt the necessity of taking some measures to prevent their arrival at the capital. They had several times refused to listen to the terms which Sir Archibald Campbell had offered; but they now saw that there was no other hope for the preservation of the "golden city." Mr. Judson was daily called to the palace, and his opinion requested in all their proceedings; and the government finally entreated him to go as their ambassador to the English camp. This he entirely declined; but advised their sending Dr. Price, who had no objection to going. Dr. Price being unsuccessful in his mission, on his return Mr. Judson was taken by force, and sent with him again. Sir Archibald had before this demanded us, together with the other foreign prisoners; but the king had refused, saying, "They are my people; let them remain." We then did not venture to express a wish to leave the country, fearing that we should be immediately sent to prison. Mr. Judson communicated our real situation to the general, who, with all the feelings of a British officer, now demanded us in a way that his majesty dared not refuse; and on the 21st of February, after an imprisonment of nearly two years, we took our leave of the "golden city," and all its magnificence, and turned our faces toward the British camp, then within forty miles of Ava.

No one can conceive our joy, when we had safely passed the Burman camp; for then we felt, indeed, that we were once more free, and out of the power of those, whose "tender mercies are cruel." The British general received us with all that kindness and hospitality for which your countrymen are so far famed, provided us with every comfort during a fortnight's residence at the camp, and kindly sent us on to Rangoon in his gun-boat. We deeply feel the kindness of Sir Archibald Campbell, for, under the direction of Providence, he has been the means of delivering us from the iron grasp of the Burmese. May God reward him a hundred times, and prepare him for the future enjoyment of heaven!

RANGOON, MARCH 22, 1826.-We have, my dear Mr. Butterworth, safely arrived in Rangoon, and once more find ourselves in the old mission-house. What shall we render to the Lord for all his mercies!

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An article respecting the Witch of Endor, which appeared in our number for April last, having given to many of our readers considerable satisfaction, we now present them with a dissertation on witchcraft in general, which we doubt not will prove equally acceptable.

Witchcraft has sometimes been identified with the crime of sorcery, and more especially attributed to women.

Many think there may be some foundation for what we call fascination and witchcraft. We have innumerable instances and histories to this purpose; which it would not be fair to set aside, merely because they are not reconcileable to our philosophy: but, as it happens, there seems to be something in philosophy to countenance some of them.

Indeed, the ridiculous stories which are generally told, and the many impostures and delusions that have been discovered, in all ages, are sufficient to demolish all faith in such a dubious crime; if the contrary evidence were not also extremely strong. "Wherefore, (says judge Blackstone,) it seems to be the most eligible way to conclude, with an ingenious writer of our own, (Spect. No. 117,) that in general there has been such a thing as witchcraft, though one cannot give credit to any particular modern instance of it." Some readers will, however, probably dissent from this inference of Mr. Addison, and the opinion of the learned judge, and incline to consider witchcraft in general as a species of imposture.-What the writers in favour of the opinion advanced, as their reasons, is as follows:

All living things, they say, emit effluvia, both by the breath and the pores of the

From letters received in this country, dated Rangoon, 2nd of July last, it appears that Dr.

Price had returned to Ava.

skin. All bodies, therefore, within the sphere of their perspiratory or expiratory effluvia, will be affected by them; and that, in this or another manner, according to the quality of the effluvia; and in this | or that degree, according to the disposition of the emittent and recipient parts.

This indeed is incontestable; nor need we produce instances of animals exhaling sweet or stinking smells; or of infectious diseases conveyed by effluvia, &c., in confirmation of it.

Now, of all parts of an animal body, the eye, we know, is the quickest. It moves with the greatest celerity, and in all the variety of directions. Again, its coat and humours are permeable as any other parts of the body, (witness the rays of light it so copiously receives.) The eye, therefore, no doubt, emits its effluvia like the other parts. The fine humours of the eye must be continually exhaling. The heat of the pervading rays will rarefy and attenuate them; and that, with the subtile juice or spirit of the neighbouring optic nerve, supplied in great abundance by the vicinity of the brain, must make a fund of volatile matter to be dispensed, and, as it were, determined by the eye.

Here, then, we have both the dart and the hand to fling it. The one furnished with all the force and vehemence, and the other with all the sharpness and activity, one would require. No wonder if their joint effects be great!

Do but conceive the eye as a sling, capable of the swiftest and intensest motions and vibrations: and again, as communicating with a source of such matter, as the nervous juice elaborated in the brain; a matter so subtile and penetrating, that it is supposed to fly instantaneously through the solid capillaments of the nerves; and so active and forcible, that it distends and convulses the muscles, and distorts the limbs, and alters the whole habitude of the body, giving motion and action to a mass of inert, inactive matter. A projectile of such a nature, slung by such an engine as the eye, must have an effect wherever it strikes: and the effect will be limited and modified by the circumstances of the distance, the impetus of the eye, the quality, subtility, acrimony, &c. of the juices, and the delicacy, coarseness, &c. of the object it falls on.

This theory, it is supposed by many, may account for some of the phenomena of witchcraft, particularly of that branch called fascination. It is certain the eye has always been esteemed the chief seat,

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or rather organ, of witchcraft; though, by most, without knowing why or wherefore: the effect was apparently owing to the eye; but how, was not dreamed of. Thus, the phrase, to have an evil eye, imports as much as to be a witch. And hence Virgil,

"Nescio quis teneros oculus mihi fascinat agnos," Again, old bilious persons are those most frequently supposed to have the faculty; the nervous juice in them being depraved and irritated by a vicious habitude of body, and so rendered more penetrating and malignant. And young persons, chiefly children and girls, are most affected by it; because their pores are patent, their juices incoherent, and their fibres delicate and susceptible. Accordingly the witchcraft mentioned by Virgil only reaches to the tender lambs.

Lastly, the faculty is only exercised when the person is displeased, provoked, irritated, &c., it requiring some extraordinary stress and emotion of mind to dart a proper quantity of effluvia, with a sufficient impetus to produce the effect at a distance. That the eye has some very considerable powers, is past dispute.

The ancient naturalists assure us, that the basilisk and opoblepa kill other animals merely by staring at them. If this fail of credit, a late author assures us, that he once saw a mouse running round a large snake, which stood looking earnestly at it, with its mouth open; still the mouse made less and less circles about it; crying all the while, as if compelled to it; and, at last, with much seeming reluctance, ran into the gaping mouth, and was immediately swallowed.

Who has not observed a setting-dog; and the effects of its eye on the partridge? The poor bird, when once its eyes meet those of the dog, stands as if confounded, regardless of itself, and easily lets the net be drawn over it. We remember to have read of squirrels also stupified and overcome by a dog's staring at them, and thus made to drop out of the trees into

his mouth.

That man is not secure from the like affections, is matter of easy observation. Few people but have, again and again, felt the effects of an angry, a fierce, a commanding, a disdainful, a lascivious, an entreating eye, &c. These effects of the eye, at least, make a kind of witchcraft.

Witchcraft prevailed to such a degree, both in England and Scotland, in the sixteenth century, that it attracted the attention of government, under the reign