MYSORE , CANARA, AND MALABAR. 598

of Colonel Clofe, I have received alfurances of every afliftance in forwarding the objedtsof my million ; and a Brahman has been appointed to accompany me, with orders tocall upon every perfon that I fhall defire for information.

Purnea is a Brahman of the Madual fed, and defcended from a family of theCoimbetore country. His native language is, of courfe, Tamul; but he fpeaks theKarnataca, Muflulman, Marattah, and, I believe, the Perfian. He is faid, by goodjudges, to be a perfon extremely well verfed in the affairs of the country, and ismuch more adtive than Brahmans in general are. By the inhabitants he is nowcalled Sri Mantra, the fame title that is given to the Pefhwa at Poonah. It is faid tofignify a perfon who has been fortunate from the time of his having been in thewomb. Next to Meer Saduc, he feems to have enjoyed a greater power, under thelate Sultan, than any other perfon; but his authority was greatly inferior to thatof the above mentioned favourite; and he is faid to have been in no fmall dangerfrom the bigotry of his mafter. The Sultan is reported to have once propofedto Purnea to become a convert to the faith of Mahomet: as all propofals from aSultan are tantamount to orders that mult be obeyed, the Brahman replied, “ I amyour flave,” and immediately retired. Thofe who knew the man, and efpecially theSultan’s mother, a very refpectable lady, reprefented to that Prince, how dangerousfuch a proceeding was, and that, if perfifled in, it would throw every thing intoconfufion; for the apparent acquiefcence of Purnea, was merely words of courfe, andhis influence among the people was confiderable. Tippoo very properly allowed theaffair to reft, and nothing more was faid on the fubject.

From the 20th of May, to the 5th of June, I was employed in vifiting every thingremarkable in Seringapatam and its neighbourhood, and in taking an account of theftate of agriculture, arts, and commerce at that place.

Seringapatam , as is well known, is fituated at the upper end of an illand furroundedby the Cavery, which is here a large and rapid river, with a very extenfive channel,filled with rocks, and fragments of granite. At this feafon it is in many placesfordable with facility ; but during the rains it rifes very high, to the great inconvenienceof the inhabitants. On the fouth branch of the river a bridge has been erected,which ferves alfo as an aquedudf, to convey from the upper part of the river a largecanal of water into the town and illand. The rudenefs of this bridge will fhow thefmall progrefs that the arts have made in Myfore. Square pillars of granite are cutfrom the rock, of a fufficient height to rife above the water at the higheft floods.Thefe are placed upright in rows, as long as the intended width of the bridge, anddiftant about ten feet from each other. They are fecured at the bottom by beinglet into the folid rock, and their tops being cut to a level, a long ftone is laid uponeach row. Above thefe longitudinal ftqnes others are placed contiguous to eachother, and ftretching from row to row, in the diredtion of the length of the bridge.The whole breadth of this may be twenty feet. One half is occupied by the aquedudt,which is fecured at the bottom, and on both fides by brick and plaifterv The road islaid with gravel, and fecured by a parapet wall on one fide, and by the aquedudl onthe other. But, however rude fuch a bridge may be, it is of molt effentialconvenience to the town, and to the inhabitants of the fouthern bank of the river,though the conftruction is attended with great expenfe. The inconveniencies feltfrom the want of a bridge to the northern branch are fo great, that both Purnea andthe refident are very anxious to have one eredted; but on an eftimate being formed,it is found, that even without an aquedudf, a rude bridge of this kind would coft16,000 canter’raia pagodas, or 5,372k gs, 4d. It is very fairly propofed, that the

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