the Balinese, and with a little practice will be able to speak it himself. In the alphabet, there is some difference in the arrangement, and the Balinese invariably omit one of the letters called do besar, or the great D. In the way of marking the end of a word, the Balinese differ from the Javanese, and they pronounce letters which would in Javanese be half mute, which they call the aksari panji. The terms of the Balinese contain a mixture of Madurese and some Malay with the Javanese; and that spoken about the king generally resembles the bahsa dalam "court language," or the kawi, "ancient languages," of the Javanese. Their books are written on the palmyra leaf, as in India, but the letters, instead of being engraved with an iron stile, are cut in with the point of a knife. Their writing is clumsy and indistinct, owing to the awkwardness of the instrument, and the various slips and omissions which they make, render it difficult for a stranger to decypher their meaning. The persons acquainted with letters are few, owing to the want of places of public instruction, and those who venture to write are still fewer because they are afraid of incurring the displeasure of their superiors if they form their letters so as to offend against their superstitious prejudices. The books generally treat of mythological stories, and they have some collections of 'undang undang,' or laws, to which they refer, and by which they profess to govern their states. Their music is similar to the Javanese, but much inferior: of paintings they have a few specimens, representing war-boats, sailing upon nothing, and men fighting and dancing in the air." From these details we are prepared to expect that the religious condition of the Balinese must be very bad. The frequent burning of widows is a proof of this. Islamism prevails to some extent, but the most prevalent faith is the Hindoo, and is thus described in the journal of Mr. Medhurst. "The religion professed by the Balinese is generally Hindooism, for though they differ in some respects from the Hindoos, yet there are traces enough discoverable to prove that their faith must have been derived from that people. They acknowledge Brahma as the supreme, whom they speak of with high respect, and whom they suppose to be the god of fire: next to him they rank Vishnu, who is said to preside over the rivers of waters; and thirdly comes Segara, the god of the sea; 'segara' meaning the sea, in the Javanese and Balinese languages. They also speak of Ram, who sprung from an island at the confluence of the Jumna and Gunga; and I distinctly recognized in one of their temples an image of Ganesa, with an elephant's head, and one of Doorga, standing on a bull. They have a great veneration for the cow, not eating its flesh, nor wearing its skin, nor doing any thing to the injury of that animal; I observed also an image of a cow in one of their sacred enclosures, which seemed to have been put there as an object of worship. "Their temples are numerous; near Baliling and Sangsit I noticed upwards of a dozen sacred enclosures, in each of which there were as many little shrines or temples. These enclosures were generally from 100 to 50 feet square, surrounded with a mud wall, and mostly divided into two squares which may be called inner and outer courts. In the outer court, we generally observed a pair of large waringin trees, something like the banyan, and casting a pleasant and agreeable shade all around. The second court was appropriated to the shrines of the gods which were small huts, differing in size from 6 or 8, to 9 or 12 feet square. Some were built of brick and covered with straw, and others were of wood covered with gamooty, a kind of black hairy substance obtained from the areca palm. Some were open, having only a slight wicker work entwined between the posts; and others were closed with little doors in front, which on opening we found to contain nothing but a few offerings of fruits and flowers, and in one instance a row of images made of mud, representing the various gods of the Hindoo system. Outside the shrines, we sometimes met with a couple of rude images, formed of hardened clay, which seemed to have been placed there as guardians of the shrines. But all were in a state of dilapidation and decay; some of the images had lost their heads, others their arms and most of the shrines were tottering to decay, with foundations giving way, and roofs falling in, indicative both of the indolent character of the worshipers and the very perishing materials of which their gods were made. "The attendance on these temples seems very frequent; we observed processions on the sea side, during our stay, aud arrived at one while the worshipers were inside performing their vows. An old man met us at the gate, and seemed displeased at our approach, saying the women would be alarmed if we attempted to enter; and after trying in vain to pacify him and to assure him of our harmless intention, we were obliged to pass on without seeing how they celebrated their worship. Idolatrous processions are common, and may be witnessed daily. They consist generally of a train of women and children, preceded and followed by a few men and boys. The females all carry fruits and flowers on their heads as offerings; and the men are employed, some in carrying the sacrificial implements, and others in bearing the chair of the god himself, while a few walk by the side of the divinity, chaunting hymns to his honor as they go along. When arrived at the temples they offer part of what they have brought, and feast on the rest; after a few hours they return, and generally in the evening, when they may be heard chaunting along the road to a great distance. Beside these daily offerings of fruits and flowers, national sacrifices are sometimes made, when buffaloes, goats, and pigs are slain, and offered up to the gods in order to procure fruitful seasons and national prosperity. They have a set. of priests who are called Brahmans, or more generally Idas; these all belong to one family; they intermarry with no other tribe and neither eat nor drink with those of another caste; thus is the priesthood hereditary and exclusive; all who belong to the profession are called Idas, but it is not till they have arrived at the height of their order, that they are called Brahmans. These priests are generally known by wearing their hair long; and when they perform any religious ceremonies, are arrayed in a particular dress and adorned with the cord of the Brahmans as in Hindoostan, which the Balinese call ganitree: they do not appear to work or trade, but are supported by the fees given at funerals, or burnings, when they officiate in performing the ceremonies, and consecrating the water in which the dead bodies are washed." ART. III. Ophthalmic Hospital at Canton: first quarterly report, from the 4th of November 1835 to the 4th of February 1836. Conducted by the Rev. Peter Parker, M. D. [We have been asked repeatedly, how the hospital is supported? In reply we state; its pecuniary responsibilities have been assumed by Dr. Parker, in behalf of the A.B.C.F.M., the benevolent society, under whose auspices he came to the East. Dr. P. receives no salary, or any aid except so much as is necessary to defray his own expenses and those of the hospital: the latter, for the quarter, were $454,84. Several generous donations for the support of the institution have been received from benevolent persons in Canton. It is known that many others are also desirous of aiding in the same way. We are requested, therefore, to state that such donations will be thankfully received by Dr. Parker and the Editor of the Chinese Repository in Canton, and by Dr. Colledge in Macao; and that all the sums received shall be duly acknowledged, and carefully appropriated to the support of the hospital. It is designed to make the institution permanent, and hoped that it may increase in usefulness as it advances in age. The number of blind among the Chinese is very great. Not long ago we ascertained from official records that there were in and about this city 4750 blind persons. This number could not, we suppose, have included one half of those who have diseased eyes. By a letter which has just reached Canton, we are informed that a Dispensary for the benefit of the sick and afflicted has recently been It is stated in the letter opened at Bankok in Siam by D. B. Bradley, M. D. that the number of patients often exceeded one hundred a day. However, this tum boon " doing good" every day, being "contrary to the laws of the Siamese empire, "has been interdicted; but was likely soon to be resumed.] ENCOURAGED by the success of a dispensary at Singapore for the benefit of the Chinese, where, from the 1st of January 1835 to the following August, more than one thousand were received, it was resolved, on my return to Canton, to open a similar institution here. The successful experiments made by doctors Pearson, Colledge, and others, both at Canton and Macao, left no doubt of the feelings with which the Chinese would welcome such an attempt. After some delay, the factory No. 7 in Fungtae hong was rented of Howqua, the senior member of the cohong, at $500 per annum. Its retired situation, and direct communication with a street, so that patients could come and go without annoying foreigners by passing through their hongs, or excite the observation of natives by being seen to resort to a foreigner's house, rendered it a most suitable place for the purpose. Besides a large room in the second story, where two hundred may be comfortably seated and prescribed for, the house can afford temporary lodgings for at least forty patients. The dense population of Canton rendered it probable that a single class of diseases would furnish as many applicants as could be treated and accommodated; however it was designed to admit exceptions in cases of peculiar interest, and promise. Diseases of the eye were selected as those the most common in China; and being a class in which the native practitioners are most impotent, the cures, it was supposed, would be as much appreciated as any other. The anticipation that a single class of diseases would furnish full employment for one physician was soon realized, and patients in great numbers have been sent away because no more could be received at that time. As will appear from the report, a case of peculiar interest directed my attention to the ear, and this fact was construed by many into a tacit consent to treat them for maladies of that organ. The dumb also have applied for aid. A The regulations of the hospital are few, and simple. The porter is furnished with slips of bamboo, which are numbered both in English and Chinese. One of these is a passport to the room above, where the patients are treated in the order of their arrival. The name of each new patient, the disease, number (reckoning from the opening of the hospital), time of admission, &c., are recorded. card containing these particulars is given to the patient, who retains it until discharged from the hospital,-it always entitling the bearer to one of the slips of bamboo from the porter. The prescription is written on a slip of paper, and this, being filed in the order of its number, as soon as the patient again presents his card, is referred to, the previous treatment seen, and new directions are added. In this way about two hundred have sometimes been prescribed for in a day. Thursdays are set apart for operations for cataracts, entropia, pterygia, and other surgical cases. Difficulty was anticipated in receiving females as house patients, it being regarded illegal for a female to enter the foreign factories; but the difficulty has proved more imaginary than real. Those whose cases required them to remain, have been attended by some responsible relatives,-wives by their husbands, mothers by their sons, daughters by their brothers; and it has been truly gratifying to see the vigilance with which these relative duties have been performed. The more wealthy have been attended by two, three, or four servants, and have provided for themselves. Those who were unable to meet the expense have had their board gratuitously. At first, new patients were received daily, until they came in such numbers that they could not all be treated, and it became necessary to fix on certain days for admission. The total number of patients form the 4th of November to the 4th of February was nine hundred and twenty-five, exclusive of several who, requir ing but a single prescription, were not enrolled. The aggregate number of males is six hundred and fifty-five, of females two hundred and seventy. The following are the diseases presented at the hospital; 1st, are those of the eyes, 2d, other diseases. 1st: Amaurosis Acute ophthalmia Ophthalmia variola Conjunctivitis Hordeolum Cataract 56 Obstruction of nasal duct |