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it was a complimentary address which he had been instructed to deliver the day before, but had missed his opportunity. If so, I am glad he did not lose his labour; but the few words, which, from their occurrence in Hindoostanee, I understood, did not at all help me to his meaning.

This evening I dined with Mr. Sands, one of the circuit judges, at whose house I had the pleasure to find Mr. Melville, who had just arrived from Ghazepoor. He and Mr. Macleod offered again to take me to Benares, which, as they said, I had only half seen. I was, however, thoroughly tired with the days of bustle I had gone through. On Sunday I had three services, on Monday one, the consecration of the burial-ground, besides the school-examination. On Tuesday I had been sightseeing from five till nearly ten o'clock; to-day I was out an almost equal time, similarly employed, besides a regular evening drive, and receiving and paying visits, while all the intervals between these engagements were occupied with reading and answering a large mass of papers from Bishop's College, Madras, and Calcutta. I therefore begged leave to postpone my further researches till my next visit. To see it as it deserves, indeed, Benares would require a fortnight.

My boats arrived this morning off the mouth of the small river which leads to Secrole, but as the state of the weather was such as to make it probable it would soon be almost dry, they were sent on to Rajaghât, and thence proceeded directly to Chunar, whither I was advised to go myself by

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land. The weather has indeed been such as is very seldom experienced at this time of year, and such as threatens to be very unfortunate, not only for my voyage, but for the country. No rain has fallen' for many days; the wind has blown steadily and very hot from the west, and every thing foretels a speedy termination of the "bursat," or rainy season. In consequence I shall have a very laborious and slow tracking on the river, and what is much worse, the tanks are barely half full, the country but imperfectly irrigated, and famine, murrain, and all their attendant horrors, may be looked for. God avert such calamities from this poor country!

CHAPTER XIII.

BENARES TO ALLAHABAD.

Chunar-Intense Heat-Trimbuk-jee-Hindoo Temple-ConfirmationInvalids-Departure from Chunar-Large Fish-Retrospect of Benares- -Quarrel between Hindoos and Mussulmans-Sitting Dhúrna― Natives' Opinions of English Governors—Allahabad-Fort-Jumna Musjeed-Confirmation-Preparctions for marching-Festival of Rama and Seeta.

SEPTEMBER 10.-The events of yesterday are not worth recording. Mr. Macleod had promised to drive me in his gig half way to Sultanpoor, and at five o'clock this morning he was at my door. My palanquin had been sent on before, so that I had the advantage of making a quicker progress, as well as of enjoying his interesting conversation for about seven miles, when the carriage-road ended in a little nullah, where we found the palanquin waiting for me, in which I proceeded to Sultanpoor, where I found a boat in readiness to convey me to Chunar, at which place I was to be Colonel Alexander's guest.

The view of Chunar is, from the river, very striking. Its fortress, which is of great extent, formerly of first-rate importance, and still in good repair, covers the crest and sides of a large and high rock, with several successive enclosures of walls and towers, the lowest of which have their D d

VOL. I.

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base washed by the Ganges. On the right, as we approached it, is seen a range of rocky and uneven hills, on the left a large Indian town, intermingled with fine round-headed trees, with some very good European habitations, and a tall Gothic tower like that of a parish Church in England, which belongs in fact to the Mission Church, and is an imitation of that in Mr. Corrie's native village. The whole scene is entirely English; the mosques and muts are none of them visible in this quarter; the native houses, with their white walls and red tiled roofs, look exactly like those of a small English country town; the castle with its union flag is such as would be greatly admired, but not at all out of place, in any ancient English seaport, and much as I admire palm-trees, I felt glad that they were not very common in this neighbourhood, and that there were, in point of fact, none visible, to spoil the home character of the prospect. But such a sun, thank heaven! never glared on England as this day rained its lightenings on Chunar. I thought myself fortunate in getting housed by ten o'clock, and before the worst came on, but it was still enough to sicken one. There was little wind, and what there was was hot, and the reflexion and glare of the light grey rock, the light grey castle, the light grey sand, the white houses, and the hot bright river were about as much as I could endure. Yet, I trust, it is not a little that overpowers me. Breakfast, however, at Colonel Alexander's, and a good draught of cold water set me quite up again, and I was occupied the rest of the morning

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in obtaining details of the school and mission from Mr. Greenwood and Mr. Bowley. We dined with Colonel Robertson, the commandant of the fortress and station, and met a very large party, including among others, Sir G. Martindell, the General in command at Cawnpoor; he is a fine, mild, unaffected old officer, with an experience of India, and particularly the upper provinces, scarcely shorter than Mr. Brooke's, and perhaps more various and extensive.

In the evening Colonel Alexander drove me in a gig a little way into the country, which is really pretty. The European dwellings are all on the side of a steep slope, covered with wood and gardens, with their drawing-room verandahs opening for the most part on a raised terrace. Behind, and rising still higher up the slope, is the native town, the houses all of stone and mostly of two stories, generally with verandahs in front let out into shops, the whole not unlike a Welch markettown, but much larger, and probably containing 15,000 people. Beyond is an open country, intersected by a broad nullah, with a handsome Gothic bridge, and beyond this an open extent of rocky and woody country, which is a good deal infested by wolves and bears, but seldom visited by a tyger. The bears rarely do any harm unless they are first attacked. The wolves are, apparently, more daring and impudent than in Russia; they are said frequently to come to the houses and sheepfolds, and sometimes even attack and carry off children. The inhabitants of Chunar will not admit that it de

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