CiiAP. v.] GREAT TAXK OF PADIVIL. 505 



breach affords a good idea of the immense magnitude 

 of the work, as it presents a perfect section of the em- 

 bankment from summit to base. As we stood upon 

 the verge of it above, we looked down upon the tops 

 of the highest trees ; and a peHcan's nest, with young 

 birds, was resting on a branch a considerable way 

 below us. 



We walked about two miles along the embankment 

 to see one of the sluices, which remains so far entire as 

 to permit its original construction to be clearly under- 

 stood. From its position, I am of opinion that the 

 breach in the embankment through wliich the water 

 now escapes was originally the second sluice, which had 

 been carried away by the pressure of the waters at some 

 remote period. The existing sluice is a very remarkable 

 work, not merely from its dimensions, but from the 

 ingenuity and excellence of its workmanship. It is built 

 of layers of hewn stones, varpng from six to twelve 

 feet in length, and still exliibiting a sharp edge and every 

 mark of the chisel. These rise into a ponderous wall 

 immediately above the vents wliich regulated the escape 

 of the water ; and each layer of the work is kept in 

 its place by the frequent insertion, endwise, of long 

 phnths of stone, whose extremities project beyond the 

 surface, with a flange to key the several courses, and 

 prevent them from being forced out of their places. 

 The ends of these retauiing stones are carved with 

 elephants' heads and other devices, like the extremities 

 of gotliic corbels ; and numbers of similarly sculptured 

 blocks are lying about in every direction, though the 

 precise natiure of the original ornaments is no longer 

 apparent. 



About the centre of the great embankment, advantage 

 has been taken of a rock, about two hundi^ed feet high, 

 which has been included m the bund, to give strength 

 to the work. We chmbed to the top of this rock. 

 The sun was now high, and the heat intense ; for, in 

 addition to the warmth of the day, the stone itself was 



