of very plain workmanship, but ornamented in an extraordinary manner upon the shaft, which makes it deserving of mention. On first appearance they seemed to be tusks of elephants; but on close inspection I found them to be made of stone, projecting from the body of the building, very similar to elephants' tusks; numbers of them are removed, others broken, and the whole in a state of ruin. You ascend by a winding staircase to the top, where I seated myself on that stone, which I fancy some ages back would have been degraded by the touch of such insignificance-" sic transit gloria mundi." The whole space for a considerable distance, both on the edge and below the rock, is one mass of ruins, baths, houses, &c., all in a state of woeful decay; even the wall, which from its dimensions would be almost thought imperishable, and which formerly encompassed not only the whole buildings of the palace, but also the town, and a large tract of country, can hardly be traced on the north side, whilst it con. tinues tolerably perfect, though parts are falling down daily on the east, west, and south. This wall appears evidently to have been built for the purpose of defence; it is built entirely of stone, of great height and width, having a parapet at the top well lined with loop-holes, &c. There are many things well worth seeing; but of which my paper will not admit of a description, as I fear I have already exceed ed the limits which many claims on your space prescribed for one letter. There is, however, a boali at the foot of the rock

under the palace on the south side, well worth seeing; the well of very large diameter, and I think four tiers of rooms, domed, to the water's level. I cannot pass over unnoticed an immense spherical stone, which was shewn me when passing through the village of Futihpoor, as that which had been discharged from the "great gun" at Agra, and had fallen in that place: by-the-bye, the original stone had broken in its fall, but the present one was placed exactly in the spot where the original fell. The distance from Agra to Futihpoor is nearly fourteen coss; but this very improbable story was told me with all the gravity imaginable, and, I am led to believe, is credited by all the natives round about.

The country is tolerably cultivated round Futihpoor, though in the immediate vicinity it is chiefly an open plain. The next few marches are through the country of the Bhurtpoor Rajah, all partially cultivated, and some of the crops appeared remarkably fine. The traveller observes, however, in every progressive march, the serious diminution in husbandry and cultivation, and the difference in scenery in so short a space of time, cannot help striking the eye. The outline and appearance of the low range of hills, which increase in boldness and in size as you daily advance, add considerably to the interest taken in traversing a country very deficient in the usual attendants on a civilized state, and boasting of little but long tracts of arid slaty soil, bounded by an horizon of low barren hills.-{Cal. Journ.

feet square, with a large reservoir in the centre of each face; from the angles of a second story rise four small marble minars, of the octagon form, surmounted by elegant pavilions crowned with domes; the lower story consists of a central room 24 feet square, with a suite of eight rooms round it, the pavement and lower compartments of which are of marble elaborately inlaid; the remaining part of the walls and ceilings, which are arched, are covered with stucco, painted, enamelled, and gilt in various patterns with extravagant profusion: the second story, with its marble terrace, consists of a single room

of the same dimensions as the central one below the whole, as well as the outside of the first story, is of white marble inlaid inside and cut in beautiful patterns of flowers, vases, cypress trees, and other ornaments composed of gems, as in the Taj, of inferior delicacy, but producing a fine effect. The minars are 14 feet in diameter, and 50 feet in height from the red-stone terrace to the top of the cullis; they are in two stages, with a gallery round, and decorated with inlaid work of various flowers. The diameter appears too great for their height, the only apparent defect, but perhaps unavoidable from the space necessarily required for each ascending stair.

The tombs in the lower story, which is 18 feet high, are of a yellow cast of porphyry of a high polish, and extremely beautiful; the heads of the arched doors of entrance are decorated with patterns of marble flowers in relief, which, as well as the Arabic inscriptions, are executed with a firmness and delicacy of touch, and a precision which is admirable: light is freely admitted through arched windows of pitwork.

The cenotaphs in the upper room are of plain white marble, the intercolumniations of the pillars are of fine lattice-work, admitting an agreeable light, that displays the inlaid flowers of the columns, and pavement to the greatest advantage; the ornaments of the latter are particularly beautiful, as well from the richness and brilliancy of the gems, as from the wild and diversified form of the wreaths and flowers, where the usual stiff and stately lines are exchanged for the graceful waving of nature.

The river front is adorned with a lofty terrace, having apartments underneath on a level with the water. The gates are large and handsome, built of red stone inlaid with marble; that on the river front contains three apartments. The view from the top, of the opposite shore, is grand and interesting; on one side, the Taj, with its towering dome of white marble forming with the slender spires, the beautiful minars, the splendid gates, and other buildings, a delightful picture softened by the verdant shades of its luxuriant gar

den; in the centre, the extended and lofty walls of the fort, rising with bold abruptness from the river, surmounted by the elegant marble domes of the Mootee Musjid, and the rich gilt spires and cupolas of the imperial palace.

To the westward, the city of Agra, built of brick and stone, rising immediately from the river, and extending along the banks, in a vast semicircle beyond as far as the eye can reach; the view is terminated by ruined buildings, vast arches, and the mouldering remains of pavilions, tombs, and the palaces of the ancient Omrabs.

On the northern bank, two miles to the westward of the Rozah, is the Rambaugh, surrounded by lofty stone walls two miles in circuit. The garden is divided into several stages, each decreasing about 12 feet in height as it recedes from the river; the walks are paved with red stone, and adorned with a variety of reservoirs and small cascades, the water of which falls from the highest terrace to those beneath; the first is of the best kind, consisting of grapes, peaches, apples, pines, oranges, &c. in the greatest abundance. Vegetables of every description are also reared in an outer enclosure.

The river face is adorned with a suite of excellent rooms, raised on a lofty terrace paved with red stone, with a large reservoir in the centre. This garden is cultivated with great care at the expense of the Government; the establishment consists of twenty-five men, and the fruit is sold to defray part of their wages.

At a short distance from the garden is an old building, or rozah, going fast to decay, the walls and dome of which were enamelled and gilt inside, and cut in the most beautiful style; and although it appears to owe its origin to higher antiquity, the colours, particularly the violet, retain their brilliancy even to this day.

It would be an endless labour to attempt the description of the palaces, gardens, rozahs, serais, and pavilions that decorate both banks of the Jumna, many of which are in a tolerable state of preservation, displaying in the most striking manner, the extent and magnificence of this once imperial city. Cal. Journ.

We have been favoured with a sight of several letters written by a British settler in our new colony of Albany, after an experience of about two years and a half. The information they communicate is certainly gloomy, but by no means of so utterly discouraging a nature as other intelligence which has frequently been received from the same quarter. As much that is contained in these letters is particularly interesting at this juncture, and as they appear to furnish us with a fair and candid view of the settlement, we shall lay such of their contents as are of a general character before our readers in the present number, reserving the more particular details for a future opportunity.

The British settlement of Albany is contained between the Great Fish River, Boscheman's River, and the sea, and comprizes an area of about 1,100 square miles.

The general character of the country, comprehending the climate, the nature of the soil, and its adaptation for agriculture, being considerations of the first importance to emigrants, demands our notice in the first instance.

Now, it certainly appears from the letters which are before us, that one very material error was fallen into in selecting Albany as one of our new settlements. It is true, the importance, nay, the absolute necessity of choosing a spot that might promise facilities for regular irrigation was not overlooked; but nevertheless the selection has not been judicious. To a superficial surveyor, the existence of numerous streams might seem to present all that was requisite; and Albany is a district abounding in rivers. Unfortunately, however, the level of the country is very considerably above them, for as the land increases very rapidly in elevation towards the interior, the streams have gradually, in the course of ages, worn

themselves deep channels, with very precipitous banks. Doubtless it is partly owing to the depth of these ravines below the surface of the country, that much more than half the land in the settlement is incapable of being cultivated, consisting, as the writer of these letters informs us, of "high unwatered plains." The district assumes generally an appearance of great sameness, for the deep watercourses already mentioned, the rocky and precipitous banks of which are clothed with wood, are seldom visible at a distance. They contain, however, the bulk of the population, and so completely do they conceal their inhabitants, that a casual visitor would scarcely notice their existence, though actually in the midst of them. In a country of such a character the cultivators must necessarily disperse, and consequently forego, in a great measure, the mutual assistance and support to which most of them have doubtless been accustomed in their native land.

We cannot but think that the district of Albany was somewhat hastily selected, particularly as it has subsequently been discovered that there are tracts adjoining which appear to present superior advantages. The various inroads of the Caffrees, however distressing to the settlers, have at least, by compelling us to invade their territories in order to chastise them, afforded us opportunities of exploring such portions of the neighbouring country as might otherwise have remained unknown to us for many years. In 1819 an expedition was sent into Caffreland, and the Europeans engaged in it, returned with accounts that the country they had visited was far superior in general fertility to that occupied by the colonists. They had discovered several fine rivers, the largest of which were the Ki and the Buffalo. The banks of these rivers