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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[SEPTEMBER, 1879.
recurs when one is studying itineraries in those with the priest. The temple is called věre regions, an occupation in which I have formerly | yaris, or spirit-house." spent a good deal of time. And I believe it means | There is evidently in this statement an allusion simply place of toll,' and marks where bdj or to Buddhism, although the author seems not to duty' has been at one time or other exacted." have been aware of it, and although the facts
themselves are greatly corrupted. DÅRD CLANS.
Pita-kåt, instead of being the name of a The following is the list of castes among the missionary, is the name of the sacred books of the Dards of the districts of Gilgit, Astor, and Bal- Buddhists, which are called Tri-pittaka or Bedagat tistân :-Ron, Shin, Yaskun, Kremin, [in Burma]. The věre yaris are the viháras or Dam. Setting aside the Rond, which seems to cloisters of the Buddhist monks." be local only, it is necessary to account for tho This vestige of Buddhism in Micronesia is the other four, The Dams are the same as the more important, as this portion of the Pacific Doms and other non-Aryan tribes of India, and, Ocean is now visited by missionaries and intellidoubtless, these non-Aryans or pre-Aryans exist- gent navigators.-J. W. G. in Jour. Amer. Orient. ed right in the heart of the Himalayas at the Soc. vol. V. p. 194.. . time of the invasion of the Aryan race. In support of this view, I may mention the lowest THE PLUNDER OF SURAT BY SIVAJI IN 1684. castes in the various neighbouring nations, be- Part of a Letter from M. Escaliot to Dr. Browne. ginning with the Dogrås, who are next to Thuss farr deare Browne, I had wrote on Tuesday the Panjab, and going through the intermediate the fifth of January about ten in the morning, mountain region to Kashmir, to Ladakh, and ulti- when on a sudden a strong alarme was brought mately to the Dard country. Thus the lowest to our house from the towne with news that class in each have similar occupations, and may Seua-Gee Raya, or principall governor, (for such be presumably of one origin. The Kremin caste assume not the name of kings to them selues, among the Dårds is a mixed one, and analogous to but yet endeuor to bee as absolute each in his the sadras of India. The Yashkun and prouince as his sword can make him,) was coming Shin evidently constituted the Dård nation at downe with an army of an vncertaine number upon the time of its coming to those parts. The only Surat, to pillage the citty, which newes strook no distinction between these two to be observed, is small consternation into the mindes of a weake and a certain very peculiar custom of the Shin, con- effeminate people, in soe much that on all hands sisting in their treatment of the cow. Lastly, there was nothing to be seene but people flying while most of the Dards in these parts are Mubam- for their lives and lamenting the loss of their madans, some few villages of them have adopted estates, the richer sort whose stocke of money was the Buddhist faith from the Tibetans whom they large enough to purchase that favor at the hands came in contact with. These seem to have been of the gouernor of the castle, made that their Shin, of an early Dárd migration.-F. Drew. sanctuary and abandoned their dwellings to a
merciless foe, wich they might well enough haue VESTIGES OF BUDDHISM IN MICRONESTA. defended with the rest of the towne had thay had
In Horatio Hale's Ethnography and Philology the heartes of men. The same day a post coms (Philad. 1846) p. 78, is the following notice of Tobi in and tells them that the army was come within or Lord North's Island, which forms the south- tenne course or English miles, and made all hast western extremity of the Micronesian range:- forward, wich put the cowardly and vnfaithful
"According to the native traditions, a person. govenor of the towne to send a seruant to Sevagee to age, by name Pita ka t, of copper colour likę treat of some conditions of ransome. But Sevagee themselves, came many years ago from the island retaines the messenger and marches forwards with of Ternate (one of the Molaccas), and gave them all speed, and that night lodged his camp about their religion, and such simple arts as they pos- 5 miles English from the city, and the governor sessed. It is probably to him that we are to perceueing well that this messenger returned not attribute some peculiarities in their mode of againe, and that Sevagee did not intend to treat worship, such as their temple with rude images at that distance, he cranes admission into the castle to represent the divinity. In the centre, sus- and obtaineth it, and soe deserted his towne. pended from the roof, is a sort of altar, into which The city of Surat is the only port on this side they suppose their deity comes to hold converse India, wich belongs to the Mogol, and stands upon
From a paper read at the Oriental Congress in 1874; 1 This interesting extract forms the greater part of Trübner's Report, p. 53..
a letter in Sir Thomas Browne's Works, edited by 8. Conf. Lassen, Ind. Alterth, IV. 535-6.
Wilkin, F.L.S. (London, Pickering : 1836), vol. I. p. 426437. M. L'Escaillot was a clergyman.
