434

LEAVE AGRA.

CHAPTER XV.

Departure of the Embassy from Agra for Calcutta-FerozabadShakuabad-Jesswant-Nugghur-Ettaya-Akberpore-Caunpore-Dreadful Ferocity of the Wolves-Embark for CalcuttaAllahabad-Junction of the Jumna and Ganges-Chunar-Ramnaghur-Benares-Buxar-Chuprah-Dinapore - Banquepore -Patna Snowy Mountains-Hot Wells-Mongheer-Bhangulpore-Colgong — Rajemahl— Jumma Musjid— Bhaugretty River-Cossimbazar-Moorsheabad-Lake of Pearls-PalaceCurious Dwarf Horses-Desserah-A Hindoo Festival-Plassey --Quantity of Game destroyed on a Shooting Party-Baugretty and Jellinghy Rivers-Drowning of dying Hindoos-Dandies, or Boatmen on the Ganges-Their Mode of Life-Chinsura Chandernagore, Serampore-Arrival at Calcutta.

THE journal of Mr. Cruso thus continues :-Sir Charles Malet, having made every arrangement necessary for our journey to Caunpore, we left Agra in the afternoon of the 21st of July, and made our first stage to Hemetpore, six coss distant. The country was neither interesting nor well cultivated; about half-way we crossed a deep narrow river, provided with a ferry-boat at the pass, and on arriving at Hemetpore, put up for the night under a large dome in the centre of a tank, and found it a comfortable accommodation. The rainy season in this part of Hindostan commenced the beginning of June. So much had fallen

when we left Delhi, as to render our journey from

thence to Agra extremely delightful, and clothe the country with fresh verdure. Having made arrange. ments to travel chiefly in palanquins, and proceed a morning aud evening stage each day during the remainder of the journey, we set off at four the next morning for Ferozabad, where we arrived at nine, and halted until evening in a small mosque, about five hundred yards from the town, near a large pleasant garden. Ferozabad, seven coss from Hemetpore, is a large populous town, belonging to Hemet Bahauder miserably infested by religious beggars.

When the sun declined we commenced our second stage of five coss to Shakuabad; something more than half way we came to Muckenpore, the commencement of the territory belonging to Asuph-ul-Dowlah, nabob of Oude. The road was generally through a flat marshy country, abounding with water-fowl, except near the entrance of Shakuabad, where a gentle rise of hills diversified the prospect. We passed the night within the serai, and found the town noisy, populous, and full of prostitutes.

The next morning, at day-break, we left our disagreeable lodging, and travelling through a marshy country, and heavy rain, proceeded to Jess want Nugghur, fourteen coss from Shakuabad. It is a spacious town, well inhabited, but overrun with Fakeers and other mendicants, who might be usefully employed in cleaning the streets, which are filthy to the last degree. The general aspect of the district this day, though flat, was beautifully wooded, and abounded with antelopes.

On the 24th we left Jesswant-Nugghur before sunrise, and travelling six coss through a beautiful coun try, and a good road, we reached Attowe, or Ettaya, at

436

THE ASPECT OF THE COUNTRY.

eight o'clock. Here we were accommodated with a large house in the midst of a garden, profusely stocked with roses, jasmin, tuberoses, and other flowers, varied by fruit-trees. We stopped at Adjut-Mhel and Auriah, large and populous towns. The road was excellent, and the country uncommonly beautiful, especially between Cojepore and Secundra; the former is remarkable for the ruins of a grand serai, and a noble tank, in a sad state of dilapidation. Secundra is surrounded by beautiful groves. We passed the night among some majestic ruins, on the margin of a large tank without the town, which contains nothing remarkable.

Soon after three o'clock on the next morning, we proceeded through a wild country to Tunwapore, a wretched village, almost depopulated, and affording no convenience for a traveller, except a shady clump of trees, where we halted six or seven hours, and then renewed our journey to Akberpore, which we reached at sun-set. The greater part of the road was through a country intersected by deep gullies, particularly near the river Singore, where we found a ferry-boat at the pass. After crossing it, we re-entered the ravines and gullies, at this season covered with jungle, or underwood, in full verdure. This irregular scenery differs widely from the rest of the country called the Dooab, or Mesopotamia of India. Emerging from these gullies about two miles from Akberpore, we entered a lovely plain, and reached the town by an excellent road. It is not easy to fancy a more delightful spot for the accommodation of an oriental traveller. The buildings are spacious, the groves shady and varied, and the prospects no less singular than magnificent. In our

front was an ancient edifice, on the margin of an extensive lake, with a picturesque island in the centre; a building of modern architecure, never finished, adorned the brow of a hill half a mile further, near a large tank, environed by pagodas, mosques, minars, and other decorations, each deserving a particular description.

The next day brought us to Caunpore, a large cantonment belonging to the East India Company, on the west bank of the Ganges, situated in the Douab, literally two-waters, being that tract of country lying between the Jumna and the Ganges, over which we had now travelled from Agra to Caunpore, a distance of one hundred and seventy miles.

The whole road from Agra, on the banks of the Jumna, to Caunpore on the Ganges, is through a flat country and a light soil, apparently fertile, and richly wooded, with beautiful mango groves, and other umbrageous trees. The inhabitants in general, both Hindoo and Mahomedan, are tall and handsome, with a peculiar neatness, I could almost say elegance, of form and feature. They are also reckoned remarkably brave and high-spirited. The villages have commonly little mud forts attached to them, which on the late reduction of the country by the vizier, frequently made a gallant defence, even against our regular troops acting with him those forts are now mostly dismantled. As we left the Jumna, and approached the Ganges, we found the country more populous, better cultivated, and abundant in cattle, the late famine having raged with much less violence in this part of the Douab. I wish also to impute it in some measure to the better

government of our ally the vizier, under British influence.

The vicinity of Caunpore had been for some time infested by wolves. These savage animals were it seems first attracted thither in such numbers, during the late dreadful famine, by the dead bodies of the poor wretches, who, crawling for relief, perished through weakness before they could obtain it; and filled up every avenue to the cantonment with their sad remains. Long accustomed to human food, they would not leave their haunts, and were now grown so fierce, that they not only frequently carried off children, but actually attacked the sentries on their posts, who had in consequence been doubled. The first night the embassy arrived at Caunpore, Sir Charles Malet ordered his cot, or bed, to be placed in the garden, and was surprised in the morning to hear that a goat had been carried off from very near the place where he slept.

Three of these monsters attacked a sentinel, who after shooting one, and dispatching another with his bayonet, was overpowered by the third, and killed at his post. While the embassy was there, a man, his wife, and child, were sleeping in their hut, the former at a little distance, the mother was awakened by the struggles and shrieks of the child locked in her arms, which a prowling wolf had seized by the leg, and was dragging from her bosom. She grasped the infant, and exerted all her strength to preserve it from the foe, but in vain; the ravenous animal tore it from her maternal embrace, and instantly devoured it.

After a few days at Caunpore, on the 10th of