WESTERN HINDOOSTAN. 31 



followers in the march over this dreadful defert; beneath a ver- 

 tical fun, on burning fands, and want of water, tortured with 

 violent thirft, they were feized with frenzies, burft out into 

 piercing fcreams and lamentations, they rolled themfelves in 

 agonies on tlie parched foil, their tongues hung out of their 

 mouths, and they expired in moil exquifite tortures*. 



The wind Samiel, or the Angel of Death, as it is called by The Wixd 

 the Arabs, or the Smum, palTes over thefe deferts ; and with ^■^^"'^^• 

 its fufFocating vapour t proves inftantly fatal to every being it 

 meets. The only means of efcape is to fall prone on the fands 

 the moment it is perceived, for, fortunately, a difcolored iky is 

 a lign of its approach. It is very frequent about Bagdad, and 

 all the deferts of Arabia ; extends to the Regijlan,, and even to 

 the neighborhood of Surat X^ 



The moll remarkable place we are to take notice of, in iiril Braminabad. 

 remounting the river, is Brafjiinabad, once the capital of the 

 Circar of 'tattab, at a fmall diftance from Tatta. Its name was 

 taken from its having been fan6tified by the chief refidence of 

 the Brahmins, or perhaps where there might have been pecu- 

 liar worfliip paid to the God Brama. It had been the antient 

 capital of the country, and its fort was of valt extent, being 

 iaid to have had fourteen hundred baftions. At the time of 

 compoling the Ayeen Akberry, were confiderable vettiges of this 

 fortification. It is mentioned in Vol. ii. p. 142. 



At Tatta we once had a fadlory ; perhaps may have to this Tatta, 

 day,notwithftanding the exceffiv«?unwholefomenefs of theplace. 



* Dow's Feriflita, odtavo Ed. ii. 159. f Ayeen Akberry, ii. p. 137. 



X Niebuhr, Defcr.de TArabie, p. 7. 



There 



