that before the master of the house no person must pronounce the name of his wife; a kind of paraphrase must be employed, as "How is the daughter of (naming her father or mother) ?"

Among the Vizerees, living in Caubul, among the mountains between Persia and India, the following custom obtains. When a woman is smitten with a man she sends the drummer of the camp to fasten a handkerchief to his cap with a pin she has used to bind up her hair. The drummer, having watched an opportunity, does this in public, at the same time naming the woman, whom the man is obliged to marry immediately if he can pay her price to her father. The Eimauk of Caubul lend their wives to their guests.

The Sabeans, or Christians of St. John, living on the borders of Persia and Turkey, might have two wives. Having proceeded to the church, the parties were received by the priest, who administered an oath to the bride, by which she solemnly declared that she had hitherto been virtuous. Females appointed for the purpose took her aside to converse with and examine her on this point; and if they were satisfied, the priest duly baptized the bride and bridegroom. He then read prayers to them, the couple meanwhile standing back to back. They were then conveyed to the house of the bride's father, where they fasted for an appointed time.

The quasi-Christians of Georgia and Circassia contracted their marriages on very sudden resolutions, and treated them as mere matters of purchase and sale, according to the value of the women. Before the wedding the man promised in the presence of witnesses to be faithful, and not to unite himself to another woman so long as either party lived, unless compelled by urgent necessity. On the wedding day the bridegroom's father gave an entertainment, at which his son attended with the agreed dowry,

which he delivered to the bride's friends, who in return offered some equivalent. After the repast the bride went to the bridegroom's house, attended by her relations and by musicians. Some of the company went on before, and announced her coming. These messengers were presented with food and wine, which they poured round the house as a libation for the prosperity of the couple.

The bride and the rest of the party were conducted to an apartment, in the middle of which were a pitcher of wine and a vessel full of bread dough, standing upon a carpet. As soon as she had entered the room, the bride kicked over the wine and scattered the paste with her hands about the apartment. The actual ceremony of marriage was performed in a private room, where the couple and their sponsor stood before a priest, who by the light of a wax taper read the marriage service to them. The sponsor, or sometimes the priest, meanwhile placed a veil on the bridegroom's head; sewed the garments of the couple together; crowned them both. with a garland of flowers and tufts of various colors, changing the crowns several times; and gave bread to the bridegroom and the bride three times, and then a glass of wine also three times. The sponsor or the priest said each time when he placed the crowns upon the couple, "Let the servant of God (naming him or her) be crowned by the serv ant of God (naming himself)." He ate the remainder of the bread, and drank the rest of the wine himself; he then cut the thread by which the couple's garments were united; and the ceremony was at an end. No consent of the parties was declared during the rites, which much resembled those of the Greek church before described.

Among the Circassians, when two persons wished to be united, the man caused the woman to be demanded of her parents; and if they agreed to his suit, his father went to them to settle the dowry, of which half was always paid at

the time of the marriage, and the other half at a time agreed upon, which was generally when the first child was born. Until that event happened the marriage was incomplete. After the first birth the wife was invested with the distinguishing badges of her matrimonial state-a long white veil, worn over a red coif, the rest of her dress being also white.

The preliminaries being settled by the parents, the lover met his bride-elect by night, and with the aid of some of his male friends he seized her and carried her off. Sometimes it was in the midst of a noisy feast that the bridegroom rushed in, and with the help of a few daring young men bore off the lady by force. They usually conducted her to the wife of a mutual friend of the two families. The parents of the lady went next morning to seek her, affecting an enraged manner, and requiring to know the reason why she had been carried away. The parents of the bridegroom replied that, as their son wished to be married, he had complied with the customs of his country; and they asked the consent of the lady's parents to the union. The latter then demanded the dowry, and the former offered them half of it down, and the balance at a certain time already arranged between them. But custom required that the matter, being in supposed dispute, should be referred to arbitrators, who of course decided in the manner previously settled by the parties.

On the day following the marriage all the relations and friends assembled, armed with sticks, and divided themselves into two parties, of which one proceeded to the house where the bride was staying, and the other accompanied the husband when he went to the house to claim her. The first party waited for the second in defensive order, and a sham fight ensued, during which the bride appeared at the door, and the bridegroom carried her off, amid cries

of victory from his adherents. The united factions then followed the conqueror and his prize home in triumph, and feasted, danced, and had music.

An Armenian mother usually selected a husband for her daughter. After the terms had been agreed to, the bridegroom's mother, accompanied by a priest and two matrons, visited the bride, and gave her a ring as a token of espousal. On the evening before the wedding the couple sent. each other presents. On the wedding day a procession was formed, in front of which the bridegroom rode, having on his head a gold or silver net, or a flesh-colored gauze veil, hanging down to his waist. The bride rode behind him on horseback, entirely covered with a long white veil. In his right hand the bridegroom held one end of a girdle, and the bride held the other end. An attendant walked on each side of her horse, holding the reins. Sometimes the bride was conducted to church on foot between two matrons, and the bridegroom also walked, accompanied by a friend, who carried his sabre. Their relations attended them with tapers, and a band of music headed the procession. Still holding the ends of the girdle, they went up to the altar, where, standing side by side, the priest put a Bible on their heads, married them with a ring, and celebrated mass.

An Armenian girl's marriage has been thus described. She had flowers of celestial blue delicately painted all over her breast and neck; her eyebrows were dyed black; and the tips of her fingers and nails were stained a bright orange color. She wore on each hand rings set with precious stones, and round her neck a string of turquoises. Her shirt was of fine spun silk, and her jacket and trowsers of cashmere of a bright color. The priest on arriving at the house placed a mitre ornamented with jewels upon his head, and a metal collar on which the twelve apostles were represented in basrelief round his neck. He began by blessing a temporary

altar which had been raised in the middle of the room. The mother of the bride then took her by the hand and led her forward. She bowed at the feet of her future husband in acknowledgment of his supremacy. The priest, placing the couple's hands together, pronounced a prayer; and then drew their heads together until they touched three times; while with his right hand he made a gesture as if he were blessing them. A second time their hands were joined, and the bridegroom was asked whether he would be the woman's husband. He answering yes, at the same time raised her veil as a token that she was now his, and then let it fall. Whereupon the priest placed upon the head of each a wreath of flowers ornamented with a quantity of hanging gold threads. These coronets he changed three times from the head of one to the head of the other, repeating each time, "I unite you, and bind you one to another. Live in peace."