presented at best with nothing beyond a wild fcene: which can only be relished by being contrafted with foft and beautiful ones. M. D'Anville confidered Rajemal as being feated at the head of the Delta of the Ganges: but it is more than 30 miles above it.

Dacca is fituated in the eastern quarter of Bengal, and beyond the principal ftream of the Ganges, although a very capital branch of it runs under it. Few fituations are better calculated for an inland emporium of trade, than this; as the Dacca river communicates with all the other inland navigations; and that not by a circuitous, but by a direct communication: as may be seen by the plan of its environs, in the Bengal Atlas. It fucceeded Sonergong, as the provincial capital of this quarter; and is the third city of Bengal, in point of extent and population. It has a vaft trade in muslins; and manufactures the most delicate ones, among those that are so much fought after in Europe: and the cotton is produced within the province. Dacca has in its turn been the capital of Bengal: and that within the prefent century. There are the remains of a very strong fortrefs in it; and within these few years there was near it, a cannon of extraordinary weight and dimenfions*: but it has fince fallen into the river, together with the bank on which it rested.

Dacca is fituated about 100 miles above the mouth of the Ganges, and 180 by the road from Calcutta. The country round it lying low, and being always covered with verdure during the dry months,

As it may gratify the curiofity of fome of my readers, I have here inferted the dimenfions and weight of this gun. I took the measures very carefully throughout, and calculated each part feparately. It was made of hammered iron; it being an immenfe tube formed of 14 bars, with rings of 2 or 3 inches wide driven over them, and hammered down into a smooth furface; fo that its appearance was equal to that of the best executed piece of brafs ordnance, although its proportions were faulty.

:

The gun contained 234,413 cubic inches of wrought iron and confequently weighed 64,814 pounds avoirdupoize: or about the weight of eleven 32 pounders. Weight of an iron fhot for the gun 465 pounds.

it is not fubject to fuch violent heats as Moorfhedabad, Patna, and other places.

Patna is the chief city of Bahar, and is a very extenfive and populous city, built along the fouthern bank of the Ganges, about 400 miles from Calcutta, and 500 from the mouth of the river. Having been often the feat of war, it is fortified in the Indian manner with a wall and a small citadel. It is a place of very confiderable trade. Most of the faltpetre imported by the East India Company, is manufactured within the province of Bahar. It is a very ancient city; and probably its modern name may be derived from Pataliputra, or Patelpoot-her; which we have fuppofed above to be the ancient Palibothra.

Benares is the chief city of the diftri&t commonly known by that name (and which confifts of the circars of Benares, Jionpour, Chunar, and Gazypour) but is more celebrated as the ancient feat of Braminical learning, than on any other account; although it be a fine city, and very rich and populous, and the most compactly built of any. It is built along the north bank of the Ganges, and is distant from Calcutta, by the road, about 460 miles. Its ancient name was Kafi: but there are no notices concerning it, in the works of the ancient geographers. I think, if it had existed during the time of the Syrian Ambaffadors, Pliny would have noticed it, as he has done Methora (Matura) and Clifobara, which lay near the Jumna river.

Allahabad is feated at the point of confluence of the two great rivers Ganges and Jumna, and fucceeded to Piyaug. Acbar founded the prefent city, which he intended as a place of arms, as its fituation is very important both as it refpects the navigation of the two rivers, and the country of the Doab, behind it. Allahabad is about 820 miles above the mouth of the Ganges, and 550 by land from Calcutta. It belongs to the Nabob of Oude, but its fortifications will hardly refift the battering of a field piece.

· Luck

Lucknow is the prefent capital of Oude, having fuperfeded the Jate capital Fyzabad, on the occafion of the Rohilla and other conquefts; 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 extenfive: 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 fmall 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 respect to Calcutta, it is diftant by the nearest road, 650 miles; and about 280 from Delhi. All is one vast 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 conqueft.

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 small 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 Oude, 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. This

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

city appears to have been during the late century, and in the beginning of the present, the nost splendid of all the Indian cities; and at this time exhibits the most magnificent ruins. About the year 1566, the Emperor Acbar, 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 such 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

SECTION III.

The Tract occupied by the Course of the River INDUS and 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.

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 sea, 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 position determined by observations of latitude and longitude; which observations accord both with the maps, and with the popular estimation of its distance, from the nearest points in the furveyed tract, mentioned in the laft 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 fhould properly be written.

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