Death of the eleventh Buddhist patriarch of The twelfth patriarch of Buddhism in Hindustan, Ma ming ta sze (Ma ming tai si), dies. NOTE.-Ma ming ta sze is not the name of this celebrated patriarch, but only his title, signifying "the great master of the horse-voice." He is represented with a horse running and neighing at his side. Of Nan wang. Death of the thirteenth Buddhist patriarch of A Shamun, or Samanean, called Shih le fang, arrives from the western countries with eighteen others. The emperor of China, hating foreign manners and customs, confines them in a gaol, but instantly one of the genii, King kang shin, appears, breaks open the doors, and sets the prisoners at liberty. Of She hwang te. Lung shoo (Rio sio), the fourteenth patriarch of Buddhism in Hindustan, dies. NOTE.-Lung shoo is a Chinese denomination, and signifies "dragon-tree." Of Wen te, of the Han dynasty. Death of the fifteenth Buddhist patriarch of Kolenan tho (Karinan ta) made in Hindustan the image of Milih (Mi rok), which is much approved. Of the years Yuen ting of the same emperor. Death of Lo hwuy lo to (Ra go ra ta), the six- The eighteenth patriarch of Buddhism in Hin- Khing heen is sent to the kingdom of the great Yue te, and obtains the classical books of Buddha, unknown before this time in China. Of the years Te hwang, of the reign of the usurper, Wang mang. Death of Kew mo lo to, the nineteenth patriarch of Buddhism in Hindustan. Unfortunately, the first volume of this chronology, and the only one in the royal library, ends at the year 24 A.D. The second, which must contain the events subsequent to that date down to the year when the work was compiled, has not been brought to Europe. It would afford the means of giving a complete chronological view of the vicissitudes of the Buddhist religion in China and Japan, which would be highly interesting, and entirely new. In order to supply this defect as far as possible, I subjoin a few other facts respecting Buddhist chronology, which I have extracted from various Chinese and Japanese books. They come down to the beginning of the ninth century of our era. A.D. 65. Introduction of Buddhism at the court of Ming te, emperor of China, of the Hew han dynasty. 74. Death of the twentieth Buddhist patriarch of Hindustan, Too yay to. 107-125. The twenty-first Buddhist patriarch of Hindustan, Pho sew phan thew, dies under the reign of Gan te of the same dynasty. 147-167. Mo noo lo, the twenty-second patriarch of the Buddhists of Hindustan, dies under the reign of Hwan te, of the Hew han dynasty. NOTE.-The epoch of the death of Ho lih na, the twenty-third patriarch, is unknown. 240-253. Sze tsze pe khew, the twenty-fourth patriarch of the Buddhists in Hindustan, dies under the reign of Thse wang, of the Wei dynasty. There is a mistake in the Encyclopædia, San thsac thoo hwuy, which places his death in the twenty-seventh year of the same emperor: the whole reign of this prince was only fourteen years. 266-313. During this period, the Samanean, Chuch than molo chhă, translated into Chinese the Phan jo king, and many other Buddhist scriptures. He was of a Yue te family, settled at the north-western frontier of China. 300. Woo lo chhě, a Samanean, native of Khotan, translates into Chinese the Fang kwang king. 323-325. The twenty-fifth Buddhist patriarch of Hindustan, Pho shay sze to, dies under the reign of Ming te, of the Tung thsin dynasty. NOTE-The epoch of the death of Puh jo mih to, the twenty-sixth patriarch of the Buddhists of Hindustan, cannot be fixed. $72. Introduction of Buddhism into the kingdom of Kaou le, or Koraï, in Corea. 382. Kew mo lo shih, a Samanean, from Kheu thsze (now Koochay), in Central Asia, comes to Chhang gan (or Se gan foo), the capital of the kings of Tsin, and dwells in China until his death in A.D. 409. He translated into Chinese the Mo ho phan jo king (in Sanscrit Mahú Prajna), or "the boon of the great reve lation." 384. Introduction of Buddhism into the kingdom of Pth thse, in Corea. 407. First introduction of Buddhism into Tibet, under the reign of Hlatotori. 429. Death of Fo foo pha tho lo, a celebrated Samanean, native of Kapilawy, the country of Buddha, who settled in China, and translated the Hwa yen king. 457. Death of Phan jo to lo (in Sanscrit Prajna dara), the twenty-seventh Buddhist patriarch of Hindustan. 490. The twenty-eighth Buddhist patriarch of Hindustan, Poo the tă ma (in Sanscrit Boddhi Darma), comes from Hindustan to China, where he became the first patriarch of Buddhism in the latter country. He died nine years after his arrival, on the mountain Sung shan, in the Ho nan province. His Chinese successors are five. 506. The Samanean Săng kea pho lo, a native of the kingdom of Foo nan, in transgangetic India, is appointed by the emperor Seuen wan te, of the Hew wei dynasty, chief of different Buddhist temples. He dies in 425, after having translated several religious works into Chinese. 528. Introduction of Buddhism in the kingdom of Sin lo, in Corea, by the priest Me ho tsze from Kaou le. 552. First introduction of Buddhism into Japan. 592. Death of Hwuy kho ta sze, the second Chinese patriarch of Buddhism. 606. The third Chinese patriarch of Buddhism, Săng lin ta sze, dies. 629. Yuen hwang, a Samanean of the Chhin family in China, after long travels in Central Asia and India, returns to his native country, in 645, and translates a great number of Buddhist scriptures. This celebrated priest is better known A.D. under his title San thương få sze.—See Nouveau Journal Asiatique, vol. vi. 632. General introduction of Buddhism into Tibet by the king Sronghdzan gambo. 676, Te pho ho lo, a Buddhist priest from Central India, arrives in China, He translated a great number of religious works. 699. Shih chha nan tho, a Samanean from Cophene, comes to China, and translates the Hwa yan king and other Buddhist books. He dies in the year 710. se 713. Death of the sixth and last Chinese patriarch of Buddhism, Hwuy năng ta sze. 732. Přch kung, a Samanean of a Brahmin family, comes to China. He translates the classic Wan shoo wăn king, or the questions of Manjoosri, the King kang ting king, and the Hwa yan king på få keay. 814, or thereabouts, Phan jo, a Samanean of Cophene, established in China, translates the Hwa yan king. In 854 he was appointed Fă paou ta sze, or great master of the treasures of the religion." TRANSMUTATION OF A SUDRA TO A BRAHMIN. AMONGST the Mackenzie MSS. is the Agastya Inyána, a poem of 100 verses, in Tamul (on palm leaves), attributed to the Mooni, Agastya, wherein he impugns the veracity of the Rúmáyána and the Mahábhárata, alleging that "they are not true historical records, but were invented by Vyása, to enable the votaries of Síva to gain a subsistence." In the latter part of the poem, he details the process of his own metamorphosis, or transmutation from a sudra to a brahmin. T "Hearken (he says); I declare that I obtained the eminent name of Agastya, because I was formerly a sudra; my preceptor was a brahmin, who resided to the south of Mahámeru. "Before receiving his instructions, I purified my animal frame of all imperfections by abstracted devotion. I forsook the world, and lived in caves, and rocks, when my holy preceptor appeared, and said 'come, I admit you as my disciple.' I assented and followed him. He lighted a sacrificial fire, and placed in it a jar, into which he commanded me to leap. I did so, and was consumed, and was born again, and issued from the jar, which was then changed into the form of a woman. ¿ "Verily, that jar was the form of Mahéswara, and the brahmin of Mahádéva, who were my parents. They brought me up, and trained me in all learning, and finally Siva conferred upon me immortality." He then relates that, at the command of Síva, he proceeded to the Deccan to illuminate the darkness of the people; that he invented eighteen different languages, including the old Tamul, and composed various works, most of which appear to have perished, though the names of thirty-eight are extant. ( 33 THE COLLECTOR. No. II. C***** is a considerable military station, and a long line of officers' bungalows, each with a small portion of garden-ground attached to it, stretching for nearly seven miles along the majestic waters of the Ganges, gives it a singular, but by no means a picturesque appearance. Nor have the tenants of these little domiciles the delight of beholding nature in those graceful attitudes, which she sometimes assumes even in these torrid regions; for the aspect of every thing within the utmost stretch of the visual horizon is dreary and monotonous; and in the dry season, whirlwinds of dust almost blot out the sun from the system. Battles have been lost or won according to the setting of the wind, and armies, that have combatted without the advantage of that powerful ally, have been rendered feeble and inefficient by the immense volumes of dust, that have nearly buried them alive. It was in this dreary season that I arrived at the infantry cantonments, and after a few hours passed in conversation with a military friend, I proceeded on horseback, accompanied only by a chuprasse, towards the residence of Pitman, the collector and magistrate of the district. I had already learned from the young officer whom I visited in the cantonment, that it was the scene of perpetual gaiety, and celebrated for hospitalities of the most festive description. But not a word reached me either to confirm or negative the broken narrative (if it deserved the name) that fell drop by drop from the indigo merchant; yet as the said chapman was strictly a matter-of-fact sort of person, and therefore little prone to give any undue colouring to his statements,-no gleam of fancy from the day of his birth having ever visited his understanding,-my misgivings, as I approached the house, were by no means diminished. It was a splendid villa, situated on a somewhat romantic cliff impending over the stream, and though not very distant from the chouk, or high street, out of the reach of its numerous annoyances. There was an evident affectation of English style in the disposition and embellishment of the grounds; but every thing was upon the most expensive scale, and attested the pride, if not the taste, of the proprietor. I was ushered into a salon magnificently furnished and elegantly matted. Art and ingenuity had carried on a successful struggle with the incommodities of climate, and every artifice by means of which the apartments could be ventilated and the sun excluded, or the languid frame invited to repose, was successfully practised, through the refreshing ministration of punkhas pulled by invisible hands, and of couches and ottomans with cushions of the softest and coolest texture. Need I say, that the reception he gave me was as warm and affectionate as might be expected from a friend whose heart was naturally alive to generous impulses? A commodious tent was instantly pitched for my dormitory, and my baggage cattle not yet having come up, I found every thing ready for me,-such is the magic of goodAsiat. Jour.N.S.VOL. 6.No.21. F will and kindness,-whether for the toilette or repose, which the inventive hospitality of Pitman and his wife could devise. The house I found crammed with visitors, and the lawn, covered with tents for their accommodation, shewed like an encampment. I was most anxious to solve the perplexing problem, whether I was still to consider Pitman happy; and as the partner of his fate would in my mind go a great way towards deciding it, by enabling Pitman, if he had hitherto followed a false phantom of happiness, to pursue the path that conducted to real enjoyment, and to recall him, had he swerved from them, to virtue and to honour, I was restlessly anxious to see Julia, the successor of the weak and giddy Lucy. I was soon gratified by her entrance. It was a countenance of great beauty; pale as European beauty always is in the East, but I think paleness was somewhat more becoming its character, or rather the character of the mind that shone through it, than the roseate hue of an English beauty that had never crossed the line, and was still blossoming in its native valley. Her complexion alone would have constituted beauty, and the blood that flowed beneath it seemed like roses under a transparent stream, if, in aid of my simile, roses would be so obliging as to grow under water: a phenomenon, which I cannot say I ever witnessed. The whole face, indeed, was of that fine and accurate mould, which combines the most decided outline with extreme delicacy and softness, and nothing rough or masculine interposed to disturb the amalgamation. Her hair was wreathed into those Grecian folds which will long outlive the fitful caprices of fashion, because accordant with the most perfect grace which art can execute or fancy conceive; it was of a dark, though not the darkest hue, and relieved by lighter shadows, as a copse, on which the setting sun-beam loves to linger. Somewhat long lashes shaded without overhanging eyes that shot as bright, yet as serene a lustre, as if they were the modest lamps by which a chaste and hallowed love would hold its revels. She was a little taller than the ordinary height, and her figure, which united the first freshness of the girl with the more mature graces of the woman, was rounded so justly, so perfectly, that the eye could glance over the whole without discovering the least harshness or unevenness, or an atom to be added or subtracted. She welcomed her husband's friend with greetings, the value of which you immediately feel far to transcend the cold counterfeit civilities of the mere woman of fashion, in which the whole vocabulary of feeling seems to be employed, but real feeling has no share. Yet there was a sadness even in her smile, and I was at no loss in divining its cause; for it told its own tale silently, but impressively, saying that a life of bustling gaiety and uninterrupted amusement was as little congenial to her taste, as it was destructive to the interests and fortunes of her husband. I soon found that the theatrical mania of the latter had returned on him with increased force. An elegant theatre had been fitted up, of course at considerable expense, and Atkinson had been for some time installed into the office of manager; indeed he was the general arbiter elegantiarum of the house, having a natural turn for mechanics, and a taste in devising petty embellishments for fétes and balls hardly ever surpassed. On the day of my arrival, several civil and military |