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fum is delivered into the hands generally of a girl, who procures the materials, and dreffes his meal in a most expeditious manner. For two domestics and myself, the horse and his keeper, the whole of my dayly expenditure amounted to a fum, which as you will not credit, I will not venture to note; and on days when I was inclined to feast, the addition of two or three pence procured a fumptuous fare, with the accompanyment of a fauce, which an alderman over his callipash might figh for.

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bad, contained fome defcription of that place, with a farrago of defultory remarks arifing from the moment, and hastily thrown together; but should the perusal have given a little amusement or information, I will contentedly facrifice any claims to genius or method. The following gives the detail of my journey from Allahabad to Lucknow, and though containing no matter of any fubftance, may afford you half an hour's relaxation.

ON the 20th of December,-after attending at the funeral ceremony performed in commemoration of Huffin and Huffein, or rather of the latter, I left Allahabad, and went no farther that day than Beghum* Serauce, a station of three coffes. I will curforily

Beghum is the feminine gender of Begh, as Khanum is that of Khan, both titles of Tartar extraction: the latter has been often adopted by the female branches of the imperial family of Timur.

+ Two British miles may be given to the average measurement of a cofs.

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embrace this occafion of informing you, that Huffin and Huffein, were the fons of Ali, the fon-in-law and nephew of the Arabian prophet. During the war which the firft Mahomet maintained against the Infidels, (fo the profeffor of the new faith denominated those of a different creed), Huffin was poisoned, and Huffein was flain in battle. They confequently became martyrs ;—and the tomb of Hussein, which was erected in the vicinity of Bagdat, is held by the Sheahs* in the fame degree of veneration, with that of their prophet, by the other Mahometan fectaries.

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On the 21st, eat my breakfast and smoaked my pipe at Tuttypour, or the place of victory. On enquiry why a village so mean and small, had been distinguished by fo great a name, I was told, that in former times, fome fignal victory had been obtained there; but my intelligencer knew nothing of the parties concerned. — In the evening, having this day travelled fix coffes, I halted at Alum Chund, the north-west limit of the Allahabad diftricts. The country had a barren and defolate aspect; the cause of which was afcribed to the rapacity of a former renter. On entering the ferauce, I found the hosts with their spouses, bufily occupied in the celebration of a marriage. Whether it was owing to the rare occurrence of this fpecies of ceremony, (for they are a people as void of restraint or form as any under the fun) or whether previous difficulties had till now obftructed the union, I will not pretend

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to determine; but the joy and merriment which circulated in their affembly, could not be furpaffed. The men were collected in a body, drinking arrack, and beating a tom-tom;* and the women, in a separate coterie, were chewing betle, and speaking very loud and quick. Though this jubilee had engroffed a great share of their attention, they gave me a good fupper, and a comfortable lodging.

On the 220,-I arrived at the Kurrah Manickpour,—eight coffes and an half. In my way, I halted during the heat of the day at the ferauce of Shahzadpour, which together with the town, is said to have been built by the Shaistah Khan,* mentioned in my laft detter. This nobleman, according to Bernier, was highly celebrated for his eloquence, and elegant ftyle of writing, which it is thought contributed to promote the early success of Aurangzebe. The ferauce of Shahzadpour, built chiefly of brick and mortar, has spacious and commodious apartments, but from want of repair, one angle of it has fallen into ruins. It is feriously to be lamented, that edifices founded on principles of fuch public fpirit, or motives equally beneficial to the state, and whofe uses are fo univerfally felt, fhould be fuffered to moulder into decay. It would seem, that when the larger ferauces were first founded, certains portions of land, or other established funds, were fet apart for keeping them in

A fmall drum.

+ He was the maternal uncle of Aurungzebe.

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neceffary order: but fuch has been the distracted state of Hindostan for these later periods, and fuch the oppreffions, or perhaps poverty of its rulers, that thefe grants have either been refumed, or diverted into other channels. In ftigmatizing any specific class of men, I believe I have committed an error; for on a more difpaffionate view, a large share of cenfure falls on the people at large. In India, oftentation, felf-love, vanity, or whatever term may be best fitted to the paffion whose effects I mean to describe, has ufurped as powerful a sway over the minds of the people, as in any circle: of the globe; and it is exemplified in various shapes, but in none more than in the foundation of public works. On obferving once, a Hindoo of fome diftinction fuperintending the construction of a place of worship, I asked him why, in a country famed for its charitable benefactions, fo many old edifices allotted to the purpofes of religion and hospitality were permitted to fall to the ground, which, had they been repaired, large fums of money would have been faved, and many a valuable monument of antiquity refcued from oblivion. He candidly told me, that were he to expend his whole eftate on repairs, the work would still retain the name of its original founder; but by the erection of a new one, it would be transmitted to pofterity in his own. By this regifter of fame, it fhouid feem that the entire credit of conftructing a pagoda, pond, or ferauce, will be given to him who firft raised the fabric, and no account taken of the occafional embellifher of fuch ftructures. This digreffion hath prevented me from fooner informing

you,

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