Buchanan’s jou.rney through

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in good repair. The mufic of his nabut, or ftate band, is much fuperior to anything I have ever heard among the natives, and is not much hardier than ourclarionet. His brother-in-law, who manages this part of the country, refides near thefort, in a good houfe belonging to the Nabob.

The town furrounds the glacis on all Tides , and is extenfive. The houfes are asgood as in the towns of the Jaghire, the inhabitants fpeak the Decanv dialed; of theMuffulman language, which we call Moors or Hinduftany. They took advantage ofus as ftrangers, and for every fupply we procured, demanded three times the ufualprice. At this place coarfe cotton cloth is made. It feems to be cheaper than in theJaghire, but dearer than in Bengal.

From Madras to Kavary pak, the road is tolerably good. From Kavary pak toArcot, a wheel carriage could not eafdy pafs. Many of the rich natives travel inbullock coaches like thofe in Calcutta , called chaycra. Near Arcot, I met the Mufful-man women riding on bullocks, and entirely wrapt up in white veils, fo as to concealboth features and lhape.

The heat on the glacis of the fort, where I encamped, was intenfe. The hillsin this vicinity are the moll; barren I have ever feen, thofe even of St. Jago in theCape de Verd iflands not excepted. They appear to be compofed of the fame granitethat abounds in the elevated barren grounds, on which the road from Madras isconduced. They feem to be undergoing a rapid decay, and will probably continueto do fo, till they are reduced to nearly a level with the circumjacent plain, whenthe decompofed parts, no longer rolling off, will cover them with a bed of fand, andprevent them from farther decay, as is now the cafe in the wafte lands alreadymentioned. In many parts of the vallies, formed by thefe hills, is found chunam, orlime-ftone nodules, which in Bengal is called congcar.

29th April. — The country between Arcot and the weftern hills contains fomegood ground, fome that ferves for gardens, and dry grains, and fome that is barren,confifting of granite covered with beds of fand.

The road leading to Vellore is conducted along the foot of the hills, which boundthe Palar valley on the fouth, and is formed on the rocky balis of thefe hills, and onthe fand and fragments that have fallen from them. A greater verdure, however,prevails here, than any I have feen in the Carnatic , owing probably to a fubterraneousfupply of water ; for on the whole way there is not a fpring vifible. This groundat the foot of the hills is in fome places pafture, and in others is overgrown withtrees and bulhes, efpecially with the wild date, or elate fylveftris, which thrives verywell, but here is confidered as ufelefs. There are alfo many Palmira trees, fromwhich tari is extracted. The lower part of the valley, near the river, is very goodland, and looks well, the greater part of it being verdant with the fecond crop ofrice. The houfes and villages by the way are very miferable.

30th April. — I remained at Vellore in order to give my people reft. The prefentfort is large and beautiful ; and having been chofen for the refidence of the familyof the late Sultan of Myfore, is ftrongly garrifoned by Englilh forces. The town,which belongs to the Nabob, is pretty large, and well built after the Hindu fafhion.Above it are three i'mall forts, which occupy the fummits of a hill that overlooks thetown, but one of them only has a fupply of water. The fortifications are faid to havebeen erected by the Canarefe monarchs.

The greater part of the Brahmans in the lower Carnatic follow fecular profeffions.They almoft entirely fill the different offices in the collection of the revenue, andadminiftration of juitice ; and they are exclufively employed as hircaras, that is,