wall of mud, that would be of very little assistance to the protection of the town, but the gurry, or fortress, which has lately been put into most excellent repair, may bid utter defiance to any Indian enemy, unless they are well provided with good artillery, capable of conducting a regular siege. Yet the situation of this fort is singular, and appears very unfavourable for the defence of the town; it stands in the center of a crowded town, by whose houses it is entirely surrounded. But notwithstanding this apparent inconvenience, the cavalier towers of the fort are very lofty, and command not only the town, but a noble extent of most beautiful prospect.

Some of the houses in Jamboseer are built after the Hindoo style, and are large, commodious, and exceedingly convenient, but to us they appeared entirely devoid of taste or elegance. The rooms are small, dark, and have their ceilings very low, while the stairs that lead to them are most inconveniently narrow, and very steep. On one side of the town there is a fine extensive lake, whose verdant banks are adorned by beautiful groves of mango and banian trees, which overshadow

several caravanseras and elegant pagodas, whose lofty domes and spires beautifully intermingle with, or peep over the luxuriant foliage, while the whole scenery is reflected on the placid surface of the crystal waters below.

The Brahmins, who dwell in or about these pagodas, are a very harmless and inoffensive race of men. Their lives are spent in the most innocent pursuits, and so wholly devoid of offence, are all their vocations, that they are protected by the English, as well as the Mahometan governments of Hindostan. But so diabolical are the laws and precepts of Roman catholicism, that the Portuguese will not suffer these innocent (and in their way) devout people, to worship the Great Deity according to their own ideas of propriety, or to retain any of the Hindoo tenets, on their Indian settlements. An instance occurred very lately where the Portuguese destroyed an Hindoo pagoda, at Damaun, which a few devout, and very respectable Brahmins, had nearly finished by the permission of a former governor, who (although a catholic) had the happiness to possess a liberal and an enlightened mind.

How the mild spirit of christianity revolts at such horrid tenets, that could possibly set on foot so infernal a persecution which none but the most develish minds could employ! There is no crime, however shocking to humanity and to religion, which a Roman catholic bigot will not sanction, and eagerly commit, if at all militating against his own hellish doctrines. But I rejoice in fervent thankfulness to the Supreme Being, and to the only God, that the living splendor of truth and reason is gradually doing away those clouds of darkness which have too long dwelt on the minds of a great portion of mankind, and which have been the cause of so much error and wickedness.

Having seen all that was worthy of obser vation in Jamboseer, and its vicinity, we took our departure on the evening of the day fol lowing after our arrival, and travelling through a pleasant and delightfully inclosed country, we arrived at the town of Guzerat about

sun-set.

This is a large and populous town, containing very excellent houses. Most of the considerable ones are surrounded by walls of

a tolerable strength, which are built at the expence of the inhabitants, to protect them from the depredations of the Coolies, which are a class of people, that were formerly extremely insolent in the Jamboseer Purgunna.

Guzerat is situated at the distance of six miles from Jamboseer, and yields an annual revenue of thirty thousand rupees.

We next proceeded to Corelli, which is a very pleasant village, situated near the banks of the majestic Myhi. Our tents were pitched under the shade of some charming Banian trees, on the margin of a beautiful lake, where we passed the night.

We left Corelli before day-break, and in a short time had the satisfaction to reach the banks of the far-famed river Myhi, whose bed, at this pass, is not less than six miles over. The stream, indeed, even at the common spring-tides, is not more than two miles broad; but in great floods the waters entirely fill the bed or channel, and then form a most grand expanse of river, which gradually widens as it approaches the gulph of Cambay, into whose vast deeps it pours its mighty flood. At low water, in neep-tides, the

stream is so very shallow, that and waggons pass through it difficulty.

loaded carts without any

We were enabled to reach the northern shore by seven o'clock, and we ascended them

by the pass of Dewan, which is a narrow defile of rocks, scarcely a quarter of a mile in length. The rocky banks on each side. of this road are upwards of thirty feet high in most places, and the passage between them is so very narrow that one cart only at a time can pass through it.

Here we were met by Jeejethoy, the nephew and the successor of Jallim Jallia, a renowned chieftain among the Coolies. The rajah, or prince of these free-booters, holds his residence at Ometah, which is the capital of their districts, and is situated a few miles to the eastward of the pass Dewan. These people, who are no more than a vast herd of lawless banditti, so far from having any idea of shame and disgrace being attached to the character of robbers, they deem their profession the most honourable that can exist in society, because they find it gives them. such a great and wonderful superiority over