about seventeen paces in length, through which I walked upright, after an entrance of some difficulty: but so dismal were these subterraneous regions that I was glad to make my exit at the first extremity I reached; their coolness was the only compensation for a visit. The supporters are large and substantial; the whole interior of the mine is of a deep purple colour, not easily distinguished from black by the light of a single torch, which was all we had for our guidance. The whole substance is so extremely soft, seemingly from moisture, that I broke off a handful with great facility; and a man with one of the working tools filled a basket in an instant. The ore does not run in any particular vein, but is contained in all the earth: here and there are seen small lines of a white greasy matter; and now and then a flake of that kind of stone of which the hills about this country are formed.

From the above account it will be found, that, labour excepted, a maund of iron may be made at Berye for about three rupees. One hundred maunds of iron earth cost two rupees delivered into the forge, and the charcoal fifty rupees per hundred maunds, ad'mitting two parts of the latter to be necessary for working one of the former. So powerful was the effect of the iron in the environs. of Berye, that the compass varied nearly three points.

From thence we proceeded, on the 2d of May, towards Gwalier, a name celebrated in the military annals of India, for the gallant and successful enterprize of captain Popham, in taking this fortress in the year 1780. The road from the mines thither was pleasant, but hilly; crossing the river Ummer, we reached Cherowray, a town already mentioned, situated on a hill between two vallies, commanding an extensive view. The more direct road to

Gwalier, which is seen from Cherowry, is through Nowgong; but on descending the hills we saw no more of that lofty fortress until we arrived within two miles of it.

Gwalier stands on a high hill in a circular valley, remarkable for the unusual regularity of its summit, extending about a mile from north to south. The town is situated below; great part of it now in a ruinous state, and the remainder very thinly inhabited, occasioned by a dreadful famine, with which this part of the country has been lately visited, in addition to the wars and revolutions. that had previously desolated it. Gwalier stands pleasantly between the circuit of the hill, and a river flowing in its front. The fort is said to have existed for eighteen hundred years, being first built by Rajah Surej Sihng; from that time it underwent many alterations and improvements by different sovereigns, who erected several palaces, still conspicuous on the eastern face. The most elegant was built three hundred years ago, by a rajah named Maun Sihng, whence it is called Maun Mhunder; it is beautified with enamel of various colours, stili bright and vivid. Gwalier was taken from him by the grandfather of Akber, and has since been in the possession of too many conquerors to enumerate.

We arrived at Gwalier on the 2d of May, and remained two days, to recruit our attendants and cattle after our late marches through the most rugged country that had occurred in our whole journey at this hottest season of the year. This place is still very interesting. Amidst a variety of ruined buildings, is a handsome serai; some parts of it are kept in tolerable repair, to answer the benevolent purpose for which it was erected; where a number of people, chiefly women, called Metrahnees, take up their abode to

attend strangers on their arrival in the city. The poorest traveller is immediately furnished with a bed, some wheat bread, and cool water, for the humble pittance of two pice, or one penny. This in some measure proves the truth of Thomas Coriat's assertion, in a letter to his mother, that during his travels through Hindostan, he could live for two-pence a day.

The most perfect building is an elegant mosque, erected by Ahmed Khan, who held a distinguished post under the emperor Aurungzebe. The gate leading to it from the bazar is very grand, and two lofty minarets, seen at a considerable distance from the town, have a striking effect. Near the south-gate are the remains of a magnificent bowree, or large well, built by the same person; from which pipes extended, in different directions, to the several houses in the city which he meant to supply with water, a frequent mark of the benevolence of the wealthy in Hindostan, where all great works spring from the munificence of the prince or of rich individuals.

One of the most magnificent structures without the walls, is the Roza shrine, or mausoleum of Huzzret Shah Mahomed Gose, a celebrated peer, or Mahomedan saint. It stands within a large enclosure, consecrated by Akber as a repository for the remains of himself and family; time and religious influence have rendered it the sepulchre of many hundreds besides. The mausoleum itself contains the bodies of three of Akber's sons, and the tutor of the eldest prince. Shah Abdalla, the emperor's eldest son, raised this edifice, by the order and at the expense of his father. The royal remains are deposited under a handsome tomb of white marble, exquisitely wrought, covered by a silken pall, decorated with

peacock's feathers. On a stool by the head, on the right hand, is the Koran wrapt up in a napkin. On the left, near the monument of Akber, is that of his eldest son; the other imperial princes repose at a greater distance. It is altogether a stupendous fabric, with an immense door in the centre, and twelve smaller in different apertures. The design is grand, the execution in a superior style, and the preservation wonderful, considering it has been erected two hundred and thirty-six years.

Under a neat marble tomb, near the peer, are deposited the remains of Tanseine, the Orpheus of Hindostan, he being the first who brought the art of singing to perfection in this part of the world. By the Mahomedan accounts he was a brahmin boy, converted to Islamism by Shah Mahomed Gose; who, struck with the sweetness of his voice, patronized him very early in life, and taking great pains in cultivating his talents, laid the foundation of that celebrity which he afterwards attained. He lived many years at the court of Akber, high in favour with the emperor, and the admiration of his subjects. Dying at Lahore, while attending his sovereign, Akber, out of affection and respect to his memory and talents, had his corpse conveyed from thence to Gwalier, at a great expense, that it might be deposited near the remains of his friend and early benefactor, Shah Mahomed Gose. Even to this hour the memory of Tanseine is so celebrated, that the musical amateurs of Hindostan, hold it in the highest veneration, and many travel from a great distance to do homage at his shrine. His tomb was formerly shaded by a spreading tamarind-tree, which has been so often stripped of its leaves, bark, and tender branches, by these musical votaries, that it is now almost a sapless

trunk, in the last stage of decay. A chief reason for this spoil is the prevailing idea that a decoction from the bark, leaves, and wood of this tree, gives a clearness and melody to the voice.

Many stories are told of Tanseine, nearly as surprising as those related of Orpheus, Amphion, and other celebrated musicians of antiquity. Tanseine composed verses, as well as sang with such superiority, that when Akber, who was extremely luxurious and magnificent in his entertainments, invited strangers, and resolved to give an extraordinary zest to the royal banquet, Tanseine had his allotted share in the feast. When the company assembled in the dusk of evening to enjoy the gentle breeze, and taste the perfumes of the gardens, percolated and cooled by the numerous fountains playing round the shrubberies, darkness was gradually permitted to approach; but lamps of various colours, intended for a general illumination, were notwithstanding properly arranged, though ordered not to be lighted until a private signal was given by the emperor to Tanseine, who then suddenly burst forth into a strain so astonishingly harmonious, that the whole scene became illuminated by the magic of his voice!

There are numerous gardens about a mile from the town, laid out in a bad taste; straight narrow walks, formal trees crowded together, and flowers closely planted in small beds, like a carpet. They seem very little attended to; nor is there any thing else in the once celebrated town of Gwalier deserving the traveller's attention.

I do not enter into Mr. Cruso's detail of Captain Popham's enterprize against the fortress of Gwalier, which is already well known. It then belonged to the Mahratta government, with whom the English were at war. We kept it for ten months, and