powers of ingenious flattery, and unbounded exaggeration : "Sooth'd with the strain the prince grew vain, Fought all his battles o'er again, thrice he slew the slain." From the mountains we directed our course towards Buckra Jeel, where we arrived on the 4th of December. Buckra Jeel is a large lake, about three miles in circumference at its most contracted size in the dry season, and about 30 miles in its extensive period, the rainy season; surrounded by thick and high grass at the foot of the Gorruckpoor Hills; the jungle or wild which entours the lake, is full of wild elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, leopards, wild buffaloes, deer, and every species of aerial game. This was the place destined for the grand hunt, which we were daily taught to expect with pleasing anxiety by the florid descriptions of his excellency. On the 5th of December, early in the morning, we were summoned to the sylvan war; a line of 1200 elephants was drawn up on the north of the lake facing to the east, and we proceeded rapidly through the high grass, with minds glowing with the expectation of the grand sport we should meet. Lay down your pipes ye country squires, who boast in such pompous language the destruction of a poor reynard or puss, and say in what terms ye could convey an idea of the scene I saw, and now endeavour to describe! When we had arrived at the eastern extremity of the lake, we perceived a large drove of wild elephants feeding and gamboling at the foot of the mountains; I counted above 170; at this critical moment Mr. Conway, a gentleman in the Nawab's service, fell off his elephant, owing to the animal's stepping his fore foot into a concealed hole; Mr. Conway was much bruised, pale, and almost senseless; the Nawab stopped to put him into a palankeen, and send him back to the encampment; this gave the wild elephants time to gaze on Our dreadful front, and recover from their amaze; many of them scampered off towards the hills. The Nawab divided our line of 1200 elephants into four bodies, and sent them in pursuit of the wild ones, which they were to take or destroy. I remained with the division attached to the Nawab; we attacked a large male elephant, and after a long contest, killed him in the same manner as the one I have already described; we killed also four smaller ones, and our division including the other three, caught 21 elephants, which we led to our encampment in high triumph. I have only given a short account of this grand hunt, as it is impossible to describe what we saw and felt the confusion, tumult, noise, firing, shrieking and roaring of 1200 tame elephants, attacked and attacking 170 wild ones, all in "terrible disorder tossed," formed a dreadful melange, which cannot be imagined by the most luxuriant fancy. There were above 10,000 shots fired from all quarters; and considering the confusion, I am surprised the scene was not more bloody on our side; about 20 men were killed and wounded, and near half a dozen horses. I had two rifles and two double barrel guns, and a boy to load for me in the khawar, yet I could not fire quick enough, though I expended 400 balls; many of our tame elephants which were must, and brought to oppose the wild ones, were knocked down, bruised, pierced, and made made to fly. The largest elephant we killed was above ten feet high*, and would have sold for 20,000 rupees if he had been caught. Our prize of this day might, with out amplification, be estimated at 50,000 rupees; but you know our only object was amusement. From Buckra Jeel we came to Faizabad, where we reposed for three weeks, to recover from the great fatigue we had undergone; after a gay scene of every species of oriental amusement, and festive dissipation, we returned to this place, having killed in our excursion eight tigers, six elephants, and caught 21. To enumerate the other kinds of game would require a sheet as ample as the petition which was presented to Jungaze Khan, and might perhaps be treated by you in the manner that Asiatic conqueror treated the petition.-Adieu.-Yours, &c. Travellers say there are elephants sixteen feet high; but this is the exaggerated language of travellers, who in general are more anxious to excite wonder than convey information. I never saw an elephant eleven feet high, and I have seen above some thousands. The Nawab gives extravagant prices for uncommonly large elephants, and he has none eleven feet high. Their general height is about seven or eight feet. Route from POON AH to BALLISORE, as travelled by Lieut. Col. UPTON, on his return to BENGAL, in the Year 1777. [The Cities, Towns, Villages, Rivers, Nullahs, and Forts, on the Road, are marked C T R N F with their distances from each, in Miles, and the computed course and distance of each day's march.] From Pass.. Miles. REMARKS. From Poonah to Poorundur, the road is very good, except in ascending the hill of Basdeu pass, but no carriages can go up or down this pass. Elephants, camels, bullocks, &c. can go with their 8 loads. Gai Gaut is to the northward of this pass about four miles, but not fit for carriages. Bhoor 2 Gaut, about eight miles to the northward of Gai Gaut; carriages of all kinds can cross the range of ESE 18 hills at this pass, to Sausore and Poorundur, tho' with some difficulty. Choukey at the top of the hill Poorundur... F 8. March From E T 3 V 5 March 17th, 1777.-Marched this morning from our encampment near the fort of Poorundur. Crossed the Kurra Nuddy about a mile west of Sausore; there is not much water in it now, but it 8. runs very rapid in the rains. to Paudouser.... V 12 From Paudouser to Suopa From The town of Sausore, which is pretty large, with. some good houses, is in the jaghire of Bejaba Pundit. After passing the town, marched on the north bank of the above Nuddy to our encampment, on a plain to the west of Kanouly, with the Kurra in our front. The road is very good. Encamped on the north bank of the Kurra Nuddy with the village of Paudouser, in our front, on the E 12 south bank. The road good, and the country very open. ...... T 10 E 10 E 12 Encamped about half a mile NE of Suopa, a small compact town, walled round. The inhabitants mostly Mahommedans; there is rising ground near our tents, from which we had the last view of Poorundur Hill, &c. The road very good. Koorumbeh is a compact town, with a large building for the worship of Behwannee, one of the to Koorumbeh... F 12 great Hindu goddesses. The country open, and indifferently cultivated. It also appears lower, as we advance; came down two or three descents in this march. The Papnassey Nullah, in which there is but little water at present, from west to east, close to the south side of Koorumbeh. From Koorumbeh Beema.....RS Peer Gauw T 9 Immediately after passing Koorumbeh, we ascended the Doonah Pass, which is only a rising ground, to Gardone.... 7 but very stony, and the road indifferent, till we descended the eminence, at the distance of four miles, from thence the road very good.-Gardone, a walled small town, stands on the west bank of the ENE 16 Beema river, in which there is no more than a foot and an half water at present, but in the rains is rapid, and about three quarters of a mile broad. Peer Gauw is a considerable town, with a large stone fort, in which there appeared but one gun mounted. The town and forts greatly on the decay. VOL. 6. The Beema and Surfutty rivers join close to the south east of Peer Gauw, and form the point on which the town and fort stands. The course of the Beema is from west to east, and the Surfutty from north to south, till it empties itself into the Beema. B This From Peer Gaut to Hundur ..... N 1 V Tajca This town is in the Jaghire of Mahajee Seindia, the Mahratta chief of Ougein; the country very open, and indifferently cultivated; no hills in 5 sight, and no trees to be seen, except a few at this 2 place. The Luhburra Nullah divides the Mahratta V4 dominions from the Nizam's: from the east bank of N .... this Nullah, the Jaghire of the nabob Curry Jing commences. The village is the Pergunnah of Ebs 14 Kuddywalet. Alsoudy Nahang Raisin ....... From Raisin to Chiloudy .... V V 4 Encamped a little to the eastward of the village Kousretty. V 3 Mourude; a few tamarind trees here, and wellwater, road good. Mourude V 5 .... E 12 From Mourude to Caloudee Carmulla..... From Carmulla T 6 C2 ESE 8 The road good, and the country well cultivated. Caloudee is a small town, on an open plain. Carmulla is a considerable city, in which there is a very pretty stone fort, in good order, with a double wall and ditch between them, as well as a large ditch round the outer wall. The inner fort has 22 round bastions, on which are 18 guns mounted, some of them large. The outer wall has the same number of bastions, but no guns mounted, and lower than the other. The ditch, between the walls, is about 11 feet deep, and not very broad, dry at this season. The outer ditch about 24 feet broad, and 12 deep; dry, except a little water under the north bastion, but in the rains both ditches are full. This city is in the Jaghire of Jannagie Numbalker, from the Nizam. He is now at Hyderabad. to Hepera....... V 8 The road in some places stony, but in general The boundaries of Carmulla are on the NE bank of the Seenah Nullah, and the Perinda disSE 20 tricts begin on the SE bank. Perinda is a large city, with a strong stone fort, in good order, and on the same plan with the fortifications at Carmulla, with this difference, that the citadel, or inner fort, has but 17 bastions, and the outer 20 bastions. There is a large gun and two swivels on each of the bastions of the citadel, but no guns on the outer. This city is the residence of Jancije Neembaither. The From Perinda to Ouple..... Kandooy?.... From V 12 2 The Perinda district, and Neembalther's Jaghire, and at Ouple and Kandooy, is in a Jaghire which Beemrao Panseh (the commanding officer of the Peishwa's artillery) has from the Nizam. All the ESE 14 country is very open, and plain, no hills to be seen; the road very good. to Cowa........ V 2 2 Pauwn Gauw T 6 From ..... 2 T 2 SEOS 14 .... To Nagjeery R 53 V 1 Pauwn Gauw is a small town walled round, and is the residence of an Aumil. Virague is a larger town than the above, with a mud fort with 12 bastions; but only 3 guns mounted. The Pergunnah takes its name from Pawn Gauw, and the whole in Bemrao Pansch's Jaghire, from the Nizam. Encamped in a mango grove, to the southward of the tower-good well-water. About two course from Virague, passed between two small hills, about three-quarters of a mile from each other, which is called a pass by the country Jaul Gauw... V 2 people, but by no means deserves that name. Ammy Gauw V 2 The road in general stony from the entrance of R2, the pass to Muzzapore, but very passable with guns, Muzzapore V&c. the rest of the road very good, crossed the Eeljapore Najeery river, in all four times, twice as marked in SE 141 the column, and once to the eastward of Heteeja, and again a little east of Ammy Gauw. .... V 2 ... Rajetun Pergunnah begins about two miles SE of Virague, and is in the Jaghire given by the Nizam to Baboo Naig, who is a Mahratta chief of high rank, and resides at Baramooty, a city and fort 22 course SE of Pornah. From the village of Eeljapore, the road is very T 6 good for about five miles; we then ascended the hill, on which stands the town of Tooljapore. 2 Eeljapore Boorum 2 SE 16 The only road by which carriages of any kind can ascend to the town, from the eastward, is cut out of the hill, on the south side of the road, and on the north is a deep gully, through which foot passengers can ascend and descend. The town of Tooljapore is famous for a number of Pagodas, dedicated to the goddess Behwanny. The principal Pagoda stands at the top of the above gully. The Hindus come from all parts of the country, to worship at this place. The town is not guarded by any fortifications, except its situation and the goddess. There is a large Tank, upon the hill, near the grand Pagoda. After passing Tooljapore we found very little descent, the roads very good, and the country well cultivated the rest of this stage. Tooljapore is in Rajetan Purgunnah, which continues to the eastward of little Tooljapore, where Nuldoorg *B 2 |