After breakfast I had a numerous attendance of persons who either wished to be confirmed themselves, or to have my explanation of the nature and authority of the ceremony. In the afternoon I went with Mr. and Mrs. Elliott a drive round a part of the city. Its principal streets are really wide, handsome, and, for an Asiatic city, remarkably cleanly, and the shops in the bazars have a good appearance. The chief street, down which we drove, is called the "chandnee chokee," or silversmith's street, but I did not see any great number of that trade resident there. It is about as wide as PallMall, and has a branch of the aqueduct running along its centre. Half-way down its length is a pretty little mosque, with three gilt domes, on the porch of which, it is said, Nadar Shah sat from morning to evening to see the work of massacre which his army inflicted on the wretched citizens. A, gate leading to a bazar near it retains the name of "coonia durwazu," slaughter-gate. The chandnee chokee conducted us to the gate of Lahore, and we went along the exterior of the town to the gate of Cashmere, by which we returned to the Residency. The city wall is lofty and handsome, but, excepting the ruins and sun-burnt rocks, there is nothing to be seen without the ramparts of Delhi. The Shelimar gardens, extolled in Lalla Rookh, are completely gone to decay. Yet I am assured by every body that the appearance of things in the province of Delhi is greatly improved since it came into our hands! To what a state must the Maharattas have reduced it!

January 1.-We went to see Koottab-sahib, a small town about twelve miles south-west of Delhi, remarkable for its ruins, and, among the Mussulmans, for its sanctity. It was the scene of very hard fighting between the Hindoo sovereigns of Indraput and the original Patan invaders, and the Mussulmans say that 5000 martyrs to their religion lie interred in the neighbourhood. Its principal sanctity, however, arises from the tomb of a very celebrated saint, Cutteeb Sahib, in whose honour the buildings for which it is now remarkable were begun, but never quite completed, by Shumshed, the third, I think, in succession of the Patan sovereigns. The emperor has a house there, and it is a favourite retreat of his during fine weather.

We went out at the Agra gate, and rode through the same dismal field of tombs as we had formerly traversed, escorted by three of Skinner's horse. Before we had cleared the ruins, another body of fifteen or twenty wild-looking horse, some with long spears, some with matchlocks and matches lighted, galloped up from behind a large tomb; and their leader, dropping the point of his lance, said, that he was sent by VOL. I.

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the Raja of Bullumghur, "the fort of spears," to conduct me through his district. We had no need of this farther escort, but, as it was civilly intended, I of course took it civilly, and we went on together to a beautiful mausoleum, about five miles further, raised in honour of Sufter Jung, an ancestor of the King of Oude, who still keeps up his tomb and the garden round it in good repair. We did not stop here, however, but proceeded on elephants, which Mr. Elliott had stationed for us, leaving our horses under the care of the Bullumghur suwarrs, of whom, and their Raja, we were afterwards to see a good deal. Our route lay over a country still rocky and barren, and still sprinkled with tombs and ruins, till, on ascending a little eminence, we saw one of the most extensive and striking scenes of ruin which I have met with in any country. A very tolerable account of it is given in Hamilton's India, and I will only observe that the Cuttab Minar, the object of principal attraction, is really the finest tower I have ever seen, and must, when its spire was complete, have been still more beautiful. The remaining great arches of the principal mosque, with their granite pillars, covered with inscriptions in the florid Cufic character, are as fine, in their way, as any of the details of York Minster. In front of the principal of these great arches is a metal pillar, like that in Firoze Shah's castle, and several other remains of a Hindoo palace and temple, more ancient than the foundation of the Koottab, and which I should have thought striking, if they had not been in such a neighbourhood. A multitude of ruined mosques, tombs, serais, &c. are packed close round, mostly in the Patan style of architecture, and some of them very fine. more particularly, on a hill, and surrounded by a wall with battlements and towers, struck me as peculiarly suited, by its solid and simple architecture, to its blended character, in itself very appropriate to the religion of Islam, of fortress, tomb, and temple. These Patans built like giants, and finished their work like jewellers. Yet the ornaments, florid as they are in their proper places, are never thrown away, or allowed to interfere with the general severe and solemn character of their edifices. The palace of the present imperial family is at some little distance behind these remains. It is a large but paltry building, in a bad style of Italian architecture, and with a public road actually leading through its courtyard. A little beyond, and amid some other small houses, near a very fine tank, we alighted at a rather pretty little building belonging to Bukshi Mahmoud Khan, the treasurer of the palace, where a room and a good breakfast were prepared for us.

One,

After breakfast, the day being cool and rather cloudy, we

went to see the ruins, and remained clambering about and drawing till near two o'clock. The stair-case within the great Minar is very good except the uppermost story of all, which is ruinous and difficult of access. went up, however, and was rewarded by the very extensive view, from a height of two hundred and forty feet, of Delhi, the course of the Jumna for many miles, and the ruins of Toghlikabad, another giantly Patan foundation, which lay to the south

west.

We returned in the evening to Delhi, stopping by the way to see Sufter Jung's tomb. It is very richly inlaid with different kinds of marble, but has too much of the colour of potted meat to please me, particularly after seeing buildings like those of Koottab-sahib. We were received here, to my surprise, by the son of baboo Soobin Chund, who is, it seems, the agent of the King of Oude in Delhi, and consequently has the keeping of this place intrusted to him. He had actually brought a second and finer horse for my acceptance; and I had great difficulty in convincing him of two things: first, that I had no power to render him any service which could call for such presents; and secondly, that my declining his presents was not likely to diminish my good will towards him, supposing me to have such power. I succeeded at last, however, in silencing, if not convincing him, and we returned to the Residency, passing in our way by the Observatory, a pile of buildings much resembling those at Benares, and built by the same person, Jye Sing, Raja and founder of Jyepoor in Rajpootana.

At Mr. Elliott's we found his son, and the two Mr. Fishers, come to pass another Sunday with me. I also found two presents awaiting my acceptance; the one from the old Begum consisted of a garland of withered jonquils, intermixed with tinsel, which was, I believe, supposed to pass for pearls; for after putting the said wreath round my neck, the chobdars who brought it hailed me with an acclamation of "Ue Motee-wala!" O, thou pearly person!" I however, had, of course, to receive the gift with many thanks as a favour from the hand of a princess. The other present, from the King, was more useful to a traveller, consisting of a buck, with his best wishes for my journey. The common deer of this neighbourhood are, indeed, by no means good, and may be had for a rupee a piece; but this had had some little feeding bestowed on it, and we found it by no means bad eating in our march.

Of the present situation and character of this sovereign and his family, I had abundant opportunity of acquiring a knowledge; and I am glad to find that, with some exceptions,

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the conduct of our countrymen to the house of Timour has been honourable and kind. My dear wife is probably aware that the first direct connexion between the English and the Emperor of Delhi began under Lord Clive's government, when Shah Aulum, father of the present Acbar Shah, voluntarily, and without any stipulations, threw himself under our protection, as the only means of securing his personal liberty from the dissensions of his own subjects and the violence of the Maharattas. He was received and treated in all respects as a sovereign; had a residence assigned to him, with a very large revenue of twenty-six lacks a year; and this was, in fact, the only part of his life which can be regarded as splendid and prosperous. In his anxiety to return to Delhi, however, he, after some years, forfeited all these advantages, and threw himself into the power of the Maharattas, who, about a twelvemonth before, had gained possession of that city, and who were our inveterate enemies. By these new friends he was made prisoner; and Ghoolam Khadir, the Rohilla, who a few years after captured Delhi, put out his eyes, threw him into a dungeon, and murdered all the members of his family who could be found. His own life would probably have soon sunk under his misery, had not Ghoolam Khadir been defeated and put to death by Sindia, (assisted by French officers and troops,) who now, in his turn, obtained possession of his person. His condition was, however, very little improved. He was, indeed, suffered to live in his palace, and his surviving family re-assembled round him; but he and they were treated with exceeding neglect, and literally almost starved, by the avarice of Sindia and the rapacity of the French. It was during this period that most of the marble and inlaid ornaments of the palace were mutilated, since they were actually sold to buy bread for himself and his children.

In this miserable state he was found by Lord Lake, who restored him to the sort of decent dependence which his son now enjoys; addressing him on all public occasions in the style of a sovereign,-acknowledging the English Government his "fidoi," or feudatory,-and placing him, in fact, in every respect but revenue, where Lord Clive had placed him before. His revenue was fixed at ten lacks a year, which was afterwards increased to twelve, and by Lord Hastings to fifteen, a large sum, but which is said to be, either through mismanagement, or, as is greatly apprehended, the rapacity of the old Queen, who is busy making a purse for herself, barely sufficient for the wants of his very numerous family. By Lord Lake, Mr. Seeton, and Sir David Ochterlony, he and his son, the present Emperor, were treated

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with all the outward respect which even in their best days his ancestors had received from their subjects. Sir C. Metcalf, however, intrenched in many respects on these little outward marks of attention and deference which soothed the poor old man in his inevitable dependence; and Acbar, the present Emperor, is also said to have been deeply wounded by the demand of Lord Hastings to sit in his presence. He felt still more the insult of setting up his Vizier, the Nawab of Oude, as King, in opposition to him; and he was hurt by what he supposed to be a continuance of the same conduct on the part of Government, when Sir Edward Paget passed him without a visit. Under these circumstances, I was glad to find that Mr. Elliott paid him every respect, and showed him every kindness in his power. I was glad, also, that I did not omit to visit him, since, independently of the interest which I have felt in seeing the venerable ruin of a mighty stock, Mr. Elliott says that the Emperor had frequently inquired whether the Bishop also meant to pass him by.*

Acbar Shah has the appearance of a man of seventy-four or seventy-five: he is, however, not much turned of sixtythree, but, in this country, that is a great age. He is said to be a very good-tempered, mild old man, of moderate talents, but polished and pleasing manners. His favourite wife, the Begum, is a low-born, low-bred, and violent woman, who rules him completely, lays hold on all his money, and has often influenced him to very unwise conduct towards his children and the British Government. She hates her eldest son, who is, however, a respectable man, of more talents than native princes usually show, and happily for himself, has a predilection for those literary pursuits which are almost the only laudable or innocent objects of ambition in his power. He is fond of poetry, and is himself a very tolerable Persian poet. He has taken some pains in the education of his children, and, what in this country is very unusual, even of his daughters. He too, however, though not more than thirtyfive, is prematurely old, arising partly from the early excesses into which the wretched follies of an eastern court usually plunge persons in his situation,-and partly from his

* In the course of his late progress through the upper provinces, Lord Amherst paid the Emperor a visit: he was received by him in the hall of audience, which both parties entered at the same moment, and, after an embrace, the Emperor ascended the peacock throne, and the Governor-general sate down in a state chair on his right hand. After an interchange of compliments, and the usual form of presenting attar had been gone through, Lord Amherst took leave and was conducted by the Emperor to the door of the hall. On a subsequent day the Emperor returned the visit with similar ceremonies.-ED.