Lucknow is the prefent capital of Oude, having fuperfeded the late capital Fyzabad, on the occafion of the Rohilla and other conquests; which left it rather in a corner of the kingdom, as it is now constituted, and in that corner the fartheft removed from the fcene of business. It is a very ancient city, and moderately extensive: but after the short account given above of the nature of the ordinary buildings, a city may very fuddenly be augmented on its becoming a royal refidence: and Fyzabad of course may have declined. A small river, named the Goomty, runs under Lucknow, and communicates with the Ganges; but this laft river is at leaft 43 miles to the SW of Lucknow. With refpect to Calcutta, it is distant by the nearest road, 650 miles; and about 280 from Delhi. All is one vaft plain from Lucknow to the mouth of the Ganges.

Fyzabad lies on the river Gogra, a very large river from Thibet, and is fituated about 80 miles to the eastward of Lucknow, and 560 from Calcutta. It is a very large city, and nearly adjoining to it, is the very ancient city of Oude or Ajudiah. Fyzabad was the capital of the Nabob of Oude, till within these few years; but it was an inconvenient fituation, even before the Rohilla conquest.

Jionpour is a small city on the Goomty river, about 40 miles to the NW of Benares, and in the road from that city to Fyzabad.

Corah, or Corah-Jehenabad is a finall city in the Doab or country between the two rivers Ganges and Jumnah. Both this city and Jionpour, are within the Nabob of Oude's dominions.

Bereilly is the capital of Rohilcund, which was added to the dominions of Qude, in the year 1774. It is but a small city and fituated about half way between Lucknow and Delhi.

The city of Agra*, as I have faid before, is fituated at the western extremity of the tract under difcuffion; and on the fouth bank of the Jumna river, which is very feldom fordable.

Latitude 27° 15', longitude 78° 29′ by Claud Boudier: 78° 28′ in the map.

This

city appears to have been during the late century, and in the beginning of the present, the most fplendid of all the Indian cities; and at this time exhibits the most magnificent ruins. About the year 1566, the Emperor Achar, liking its fituation, made it his capital, and gave his name to it: fince which, it is often named Acbarabad. It was then a small fortified town; but it foon fprung up to an extenfive well built city, regularly fortified according to the Indian method, and with a fine citadel of red free-stone. Perhaps it has feldom happened, that a city of fuch great extent and magnificence has declined fo rapidly. If Ptolemy, by Agara, meant Agra, it is certainly a place of great antiquity; but he has not placed Agara in the fituation where we should look for Agra. Biana or Baniana feems to have immediately preceded it, as the capital of the province now called Agra, and which was originally included in the kingdom of Canoge.

SECTION III.

The Tract occupied by the Courfe of the River INDUS and

J

its principal Branches: with the adjacent Countries on

the South and Eaft, as far as the Cities of AGRA, and AGIMERE; and the River PUDDAR.

T

HIS part comprehends in general the foubahs or provinces of Lahore, Moultan, and Sindy; with the northern parts of Agimere, and the western parts of Agra and Delhi: and is about 700 B. miles in length from NE to SW; and from 550 to 350 in width. It is bounded on the east by Mount Sewalic, and by an imaginary line drawn from Hurdwar to Agra; on the fouth by the great road leading from Agra to Agimere, and by the river Puddar; on the weft by the Arabian fea, and Perfia; and on the north by Cabul and Cashmere.

Delhi, the nominal capital of Hindooftan at prefent, and the actual capital during the greatest part of the time fince the Mohamedan conqueft, has its pofition determined by obfervations of lati tude and longitude; which observations accord both with the maps, and with the popular eftimation of its diftance, from the nearest points in the furveyed tract, mentioned in the last fection.

We first hear of Delhi, as the capital of Hindooftan, about the year 1200. It is reported to have been founded by Delu*, about 300 years before our æra; and I believe should properly be written.

Ferifhta. The Ayin Acbaree fays that the ancient name of Delhi, was Inderput.

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Debly. Although a more extenfive and populous city than Agra, it was not fo well built. Shah Jehan, grandson of Acbar and father of Aurengzebe, made this city his refidence, and directed it to be called Shahjehanabad, and by this kind of vanity, it happens, that most of the Indian cities have a plurality of names: which occafions great confufion, when it becomes neceffary to trace any event to a high period of antiquity.

Delhi, which is now fituated on the right, or western bank of the Jumna, anciently flood on the oppofite bank. It is difficult to afcertain the true measure of extent of this city, which was faid to contain, during the latter part of the last century, two millions of inhabitants. It is certain, that the account given by Bernier, who had good opportunities of being informed, and who deferves the greatest credit for veracity, does not justify fo high a calculation of its inhabitants. His account was indeed written in 1663, only four years after the acceffion of Aurengzebe: and it is well known that under his reign, both the empire and capital were greatly augmented. Bernier, I fay, estimated the circumference of Delhi, at three leagues only, reckoning what, was within the fortifications; befides which, he defcribes feveral fuburbs, but altogether, no extraordinary extent for a capital city in India. He describes Agra as being confiderably larger. After the plunders and maffacres that it has been fubject to, fince the decline and downfall of the Mogul empire, we may expect it to be reduced very low and accordingly, it is spoken of by late travellers as a city of moderate extent; and even for an Indian city, very ill built. ;

Claud Boudier found the latitude of Delhi to be 28° 37' and its longitude 77° 40'. A MS. map communicated by Mr. Haltings, and which includes fome principal roads in the Dooab, between Furruckabad, Matura, Anopesheer, and Delhi; gives 51 G. miles of wefting from Anopefheer, the nearest point in the furvey to Delhi; and 16 of northing: and this agrees perfectly with the obfervation of longitude, and comes within one minute of the latitude. Delhi is alfo 40 computed coffes from Ramgaut, another × Stappears that ancient Delhi stood on the same side of the Jumnapoint with the mesent city of that name B.

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point in the survey; but this would place it 4 miles further to the east than the obfervation. It is placed according to the observation, and the distance from Anopefheer. Beyond Delhi, weftwards, there are no points determined mathematically, by which the length and direction of the route can be ascertained; except the computed diftances between places; and fome latitudes and longitudes, täken with little precifion, if we may judge by a comparison of some of the observations from the fame catalogue, with those taken by Eupeans. For inftance, the latitude of Jionpour and Burhanpour are from 21 to 25 miles too far north, in the Ayin Acbaree; Oude, 35 too far north; and Delhi, 22 too far fouth. We have therefore little reafon to fuppofe that any of the others are much nearer the truth; nor is there any rule to guess on which fide the error lies. The longitudes are still more vague; as for instance:

Here the medium of the difference is 10 minutes too little, in

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3.

In these places, although the longitudes in the map are not determined with precifion, we may ftill perceive that the Ayin Acbaree is not exact. From fuch kind of materials, nothing very accurate can be expected and therefore I have never had recourfe to them, but in a very few cafes, where every other fpecies of information has failed.