little camp and the fort. The latter is a fquare of about three hundred yards, with a large round tower at each angle, and an entrance on the eaftern fide. The rampart is of mud faced with mafonry, and furrounded with a deep dry ditch. It is well covered with a glacis, and may be confidered as a place of fome ftrength. With my glafs I difcovered fome large iron guns on the walls. The Rajah's people informed me that they were twelve-pounders, and had been brought, with a train of eight brafs field-pieces, from Mafulipatam: they had limbers and tumbrils complete, and were objects of equal care and vanity. The Rajah lived in a small Hinduftânee houfe, the upper part of which was feen above the rampart. Some of my people were admitted into his arfenal, where there was a manufacture of matchlock-guns, ginjauls, fpears, tulwars, and every kind of arms ufed by the natives. The town was much larger than any of those which we had feen fince I left Chunargur, and joins the fouth fide of the fort. It is at least two miles in circumference, and appears to be very populous, but chiefly confifts of poor Tellinghy huts. The valley is furrounded on all fides by deep ranges of hills, and the paf. fages through them, which are of very difficult accefs, form the only approaches to Poloonshah.

In the evening the Vakeel, accompanied by three perfons, who, from their appearance, were in high flation in the Rajah's fervice, paid me the promifed vifit: when they entered into a detail of various in cidents refpecting the defperate fituation of the Fringies or Europeans in the fircars. They then reprefented the removal of the troops about that time from Ellore to Mafulipatam for a more healthy fituation, as a discomfiture and re

treat towards the fea-coaft previ ous to embarkation; and the return of the two battalions, about the fame time, from Hydrabad, as a certain omen of deftruction to the British intereft in that part of India: they concluded by informing me, that it was the Rajah's intention to fend me to Hydrabad. These intimi. dations, however, had not the expected effect upon me; and, on my informing my vifitors that I was well acquainted with the Nizam's capital, as well as the characters of his principal officers, and had no objection to march towards it the enfuing morning, they expreffed the greateft aftonishment, and departed to inform the Rajah of declaration. As we obferved this night the fame precautions which we had employed during the preceding one at Poculla, a confiderable alarm was created, and different bodies of the Rajah's infantry, to the amount of at leaft fifteen hundred men, were pofted to guard all the avenues that led to the fort.

my

But, with all these marks of apprehenfion, the Rajah's forces did not attempt to moleft us during the night; and early in the following morning the Vakeel returned with a requeft that I would fend my Tootky horfe, and three fheep which I had brought from Chunargar, for the Rajah's infpection. I readily complied with this requeft, and at the fame time demanded an interview with the Rajah, and permiffion to depart. The horfe and the fheep were accordingly fent to the fort, and were returned in about an hour, with a very polite meffage from the Rajah, expreffive of the gratification he had received from the fight of fo beautiful an ani mal: at the fame time he requested to know if he could induce me to part with him. Sheep with tails being great curiofities in this part

of

of India, the Rajah had detained them, and fent me others in exchange, of the breed of his country, on whom nature had not beftowed that peculiar appendage. As I was to have a perfonal interview with the Rajah in the evening, I deferred, for the prefent, making any reply refpecting the horfe. The man who had taken the sheep having intimated that we were diftreffed for forage, about fifty coolies were fent to us laden with grafs, which, in our fituation, was a very acceptable prefent.

On the approach of evening, a large concourfe of people being af fembled round the fort, with all the cavalry that could be muftered, and two elephants caparifoned with fearlet howders, announced the approaching interview, which, from the number of his attendants, the Rajah requested might be transfered from my tent to a garden at a fmall distance from our encampment, and which was called Cafbaug. This was a very pleafing circumftance, and in a fhort time the proceffion paffed before my tent. -The horsemen manoeuvred with great agility as they paraded along; the noife of horns, tom-toms, and trumpets, was tremendous; and the Rajah appeared on a very fine elephant, preceded by a smaller one, which bore the Ganges water. His people, indeed, endeavoured to imprefs me with an high degree of veneration for his fanctity as a Brahman; to which, however, he had but fmall pretenfions, as he was of the Elmy tribe, that correfponds to the Rajepoot of Hindustân.

When the multitude had paffed, I followed with about fifty attendants. On my arrival at the garden, the crowd opened to admit me, and I found the Rajah feated in a Chinese chair, with feveral persons of a very refpectable ap

pearance around him. He rofe to falute me; and, having returned the falutation, I took the feat prepared for me.--He was a very handfome young man, of about twenty years of age, and dreffed with great elegance. He directed many very pertinent queftions to me relative to Hydrabad, the Nizam, his minif ter, and the principal officers of his empire, which was done to fift me; but I foon proved that I knew more of its exifting and paft ftate than himself. The fact was, that my excurfion to Poloonfhah was OCcafioned by the account given of my horfe; I, therefore, took this opportunity of prefenting it to him. He expreffed his fatisfaction on the occafion in very forcible terms of acknowledgement, and affured me that I fhould be at liberty to depart on the following day. This point, which was my principal object, being adjufted, the interview ended foon after, and a large quantity of cocoa-nuts and mangoes were fent to me. My troubles, however, were not to terminate here; for fome of the Company's zemindars, who had been in confinement at Madras, and made their efcape about this time, having arrived at Poloonshah, had fo much influence as to prepoffefs the Rajah against me: fo that the whole of the following day was confumed in getting a fupply of grain, and guides to direct us across the country into the nearest part of the high road to the Company's frontier; and my departure was purpofely delayed to the nineteenth of May. Even the Vakeel, whofe good offices I had been obliged to purchafe, ftrenuously urged me to make as little delay as poffible in quitting the Rajah's territory, as fresh modes of delay might be fuggefted.

I did not get clear of Poloonshah till eight o'clock, as every houfehold fervant of the Rajah came forth

* O 2

in

in expectation of a gratuity of fome kind or other. At length, how ́ever, I contrived to rid me of their importunities; when I received a guide, and the neceffary pafs to fhew at the Rajah's port at Dommapett on his frontier.

We proceeded for about three miles along a very narrow defile formed by two ranges of hills, in. terfected by deep ravines, ftrongly stockaded, and, in fome fituations, with high embankments thrown up to defend this approach. At the end of the defile the fort of Sunkurgherry opened upon us to the northward, at the distance of three miles. It was fituated amidst fome hills of no great height, and was a very pleafing, romantic object, tho' at too great a distance for me to judge of its ftrength.

On leaving the vicinity of Po. loonfhah, our road was nothing more than a very flight footpath, and through a thick jungle. The villages that occurred in the courfe of our march were very poor, and fituated in little fpots, where the natives had cleared the ground for cultivation.

We had proceeded about eleven miles, when we came to a fpring of water, which being furrounded with fine trees, we halted beneath their grateful fhade to refresh ourfelves and the cattle. We then renewed our march, being determined to get on as far as posible, that I might reach the Company's frontier on the enfuing day. A country of fuch natural ftrength I never yet beheld; as our road was once more between two ranges of hills, which gradually approached each other on either fide, till we came to the entrance of the ftrongeft pafs that I had ever feen. It is called Mooty Gautty, and is alfo fortined. It confifts of a narrow paffage between two ranges of hills, not more than twenty feet in breadth, with a per

pendicular rock on each fide, which continues for near half a mile, when the paffage diminishes to about ten feet, with a small stream flowing through it, that iffues from a rock on the eaft fide of it. Having proceeded about an hundred yards in this very narrow paffage, we began a very steep afcent for about an hundred and fifty yards to the fummit of the hills, when we were entirely clear of this ftrong natural defence to Poloonfhah, and in which a thoufand refolute men might defend themfelves against any numbers that could be brought against it.-This is

the range of hills we thould have been obliged to pass on the high road at Soodpilly Gundy, now about four cofs diftant to the eastward of Mooty Gautty; and, if equally ftrong, we should have found it impracticable to force it. I halt. ed at the top of the pafs till the whole party had collected, when I proceeded about two miles onward, and encamped clofe to a rivulet, near the village of Jogaram, at five p. m.

As we were now at the distance of twenty-five miles from Poloonfhah, and enjoyed the profpect of reaching the Company's frontier on the following day, the exceffive fa tigue of our journey, beneath a burning fun, did not produce a word of complaint. The village confifted of five miferable huts; and though the inhabitants fpoke the Tellinghy tongue, they were among the mot uncouth and uncivilized beings I had ever feen. They were of the Dair caft, and feemed to be totally ignorant of any concern beyond their own village.

May 20. As the Rajah's poft at Dommapett was only feven miles distant, it was neceffary to pafs it with fome degree of precaution, left the garrifon should attempt to ob ftruct our paffage. We, therefore,

marched

marched in a collected body till we came in fight of it. It confifted of 'a fmall mud fort, from which about fifty foldiers iffued to interrupt our progrefs. We then produced the Rajah's pafs, to which they refused to pay any attention; but, as the Company's frontier was not more than five cofs before us, I was determined to fuffer no further interruption, and ordered my people with the baggage to pafs onwards.--Having at this place joined the high road, the Rajah's guide was no longer neceffary, as thofe whom I had brought from Ewanpilly were well acquaint. ed with it. I formed the fepoys oppofite the men who came from the fort, and informed the officer in command that I would not be detained. When the cattle and followers were clear of the place, I proceeded after them: fome parties, however, were feen to fteal from the fort into the jungle; but, as I kept a conftant eye upon them, they did not offer to fire upon us; and the jungle foon became fo thick, that they were no longer able to make their way through it; fo we faw them no more.

One place alone remained to be paffed, belonging to the Poloonfhah Rajah. It is a fmall poft bearing his name, and is called Afhuffrow pett, where we arrived at two p.m. On our approach, the people belonging to the fort came forth in great hafte; but as they did not offer to moleft us, we foon paffed it, and arrived about four p.m. at the little village of Dubagoorum, on the Pularrum Rajah's frontier, and

fubject to the British Government. In a march of twenty-feven miles we had been very much haraffed; but, being arrived in our own territory, my troubles were at an end.

May 21. Our grain was now exhaufted, and we moved on about fix miles to the village of Tarpilly, in the talook of Reddy, where we might procure fome fupplies. The inhabitants were very much furprifed at our appearance, as they could not comprehend by what road we could have reached that part of the country; but, though we were not attached to the Prefidency of Madras, as we were subjects of the fame government, I experienced eve ry kind attention from them, and in two cafy marches we reached Yertnagoodum, a place in the route of Colonel Pearfe from Madras to Calcutta, where my geographical inquiries terminated, and, being a road commonly frequented by troops, I found every kind of refreshment and accommodation.

May 24.I proceeded to Rajamundry, recroffed the Godavery river, and encamped under the north fide of the fort, where, after an abfence of four months, I had the gratifying fight of an European countenance.

The due fouthing in this journey exceeded little more than eight degrees of latitude; but the mountainous parts, and circuitous windings which I was obliged to make, increafed the hole distance to eleven hundred and twenty-five British ftatute miles.