complaints. The water at Dazagon is not exactly of the same tendency, but you must remember the great benefit you derived there some years ago. I wish you could have found time to try the baths at Vazarabhy, as well as to have drank the waters before leaving Bombay, as you had no advantage of that kind in Guzerat. You would have had time after your return from Salsette, and they would have strengthened you for the passage to Europe. I have great pleasure in complying with your wishes, by enclosing an account of the hot wells at Vazarabhy, drawn up some time ago by our friend B—, as you wished it for your collection. I have not altered a word from the original paper in my possession.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE HOT WELLS AT VAZARABHY.

About twenty-five miles north of Beunda, a town at the head of Tannah river, formerly considerable for its trade, in a pleasant extensive valley, surrounded by mountains, stand the pagodas of Ramexauar and Bhemexauar, famous for their natural hot springs; which are preserved in baths elegantly made of hewn stone. The face of the country, in the month of November, was rural and wild, and the soil fertile to the last degree. But delightfully pleasant as the weather was, and agreeable our situation, we soon found by experience that the month of November was a very improper season for this excursion: a kind of epidemical fever pervaded every village near us, and soon seized our servants to such a degree, that before we had passed three weeks in our tents we were left almost

destitute of their assistance; and had not a more disagreeable event (the dangerous state of health of one of our party) happened, to cause our sudden departure, we must shortly have been under the necessity of decamping on that account alone. The natives informed us that these fevers visit them annually, after the rains cease, and continue until the warm weather sets in.

The productions of the country are rice, gram, and a small dark grain used by the poor Columbees for food; they also plant a little tobacco, and a sort of bean something like the caravance. They have a few lime-trees, mangos, plantains, and guavas; the mango abounds in the country, the other fruit-trees are only planted round the pagodas. It is entirely owing to the lazy disposition of the natives, who live barely from hand to mouth, that the earth is not as famous for most oriental productions as it is for the surprizing springs with which Providence has so kindly and profusely furnished it. Something indeed may be said for the present confused state of the country, and the unhappy constitution of the government, which does not permit them to make a proper use of the riches nature has lavished on them; but industry was never the character of a Mahratta. The grass grows to a surprizing height, and the earth every where abounds with flowers and fragrant herbs of various sorts. The branches of the limetrees about the pagoda Ramexauar, we found bowed to the ground with their golden produce, and every thing seemed to flourish in the highest perfection. We pitched our tents under the friendly shade of a noble banian tree, which overshadowed a space of an hundred and thirty paces in circumference, and completely sheltered us from the heat of the sun.

Within a few yards of the pagodas runs a small river, remarkable for the sweetness of its water. To the brink of this river a number of tigers, hyenas, wild hogs, deer, and other creatures, flock in the night from the neighbouring mountains to drink; and although the tigers frequent it every night, as we constantly observed by their fresh tracks, the country people regard them with no other fear than lest they should destroy their cattle; instances of which are even rare in this lovely valley. Pigeons and doves abound here, also partridges and snipes; but the high grass prevented our success with the latter; the banian-trees are enlivened by green-pigeons, squirrels, and monkeys. Reptiles of various descriptions are found in abundance; the most remarkable is a very beautiful snake, which lies among the branches of the burr-tree, where a monstrous species of spider spreads a strong and extensive web from bough to bough, and fiercely attacks every thing that touches it.

The natives rear large herds of cattle, which they drive into their houses every evening, and men, women, children, cows, and buffaloes all sleep together. In our journey from the wells we put up in a Mahratta village; and rather than expose ourselves to the dew when we could get under cover, accepted an offer from the patell of his house to sleep in; and a most uncomfortable night we had. No sooner was the lamp out, after the whole village had satisfied their curiosity in seeing us eat our supper, than we were beset by a numerous army of hungry Bandicoote rats, almost as large as sucking pigs, which kept a continual squeaking and fighting the whole night, running over us with the greatest familiarity.

These we should have despised, had not the lowing of a great buffalo calf, close at our feet, kept us from dropping asleep. We thought the night tedious, and about two o'clock determined to rise and decamp; for this purpose, while searching about to open the door, and awake the palanquin bearers, I found myself furiously attacked by the head of a cow, which obliged me to make a precipitate retreat, and remain quiet until the lord of the castle awoke and procured a light, which we found it very difficult to persuade him to.

In our journey from Beunda, we passed several of these wretched villages of Columbees (people who till the ground). Those near the hot wells are Ankalulee, half a mile to the south-west; Chambalee, a few paces beyond it; Kellang, to the westward Gerad, to the north-west; and Vazarabhy at the distance of two miles to the south-west. The last village is the most considerable, and there resides Vittelpunt, the subahdar. He is at present superintending the building of a magnificent pagoda, designed also as a fortress in that part of the country. The pagoda, which is nearly finished, is elegantly designed and highly executed; but the engineers are very inferior to the civil architects, and in their choice of this ground have proved themselves so. For although they have, at a great expense, fortified one hill with a strong square stone wall, forty-three feet high, with a parapet and embrasures (in the midst of which stands the pagoda) they have entirely disregarded two more which hang directly over it, and absolutely command every inch of ground they have fortified; nay, so great is their error in this respect, that a stone rolled from the top

of the nearest hill, must fall directly into the fort; for the side of this hill, cut down and cased with stone, forms the fourth side of it.

About three miles from Vazarabhy, in a low swampy valley, stands the pagoda Bhemexauar, very neatly designed, with two handsome baths before it. These baths are little frequented, on account of their bad situation; but the waters appear to be of the same nature and virtue with those of Ramexauar. Within a mile of this pagoda, in the midst of the river, or rather in the bed of it, (for except in the rainy season it does not deserve the name of a river) are two of the hottest springs that perhaps were ever known. They are preserved in two hollow cavities, formed by nature in the rock, and are equal in heat to the source of the emperor's bath at Achen, raising the thermometer to one hundred and thirty-six degrees of heat, which are sixteen degrees higher than the king's bath at Bath, in Somersetshire; and the same number of degrees higher than the hottest well at Ramexauar. We could scarcely bear to dip our hands in; and actually took out a snake from one of them whose flesh was turned white, as if it had been boiled, and fell to pieces as soon as touched with a stick; how long it had been boiling we could not tell.

The birds in the woods which surround this pagoda, deserve to be particularly mentioned for their harmonious notes, approaching something to a regular tune. It is true their notes are few, and have little variety, but their manner of mocking each other with those few, has a pleasing and singular effect.

The last and most frequented pagoda is called Ramexauar.