105 



dwell in their habitations, and the sat}TS dance in their pleasant 

 places. Such is now the desolation round the circumscribed walls 

 of Ahmedabad; it is literally the resort of tigers, hyenas, and 

 jackals; the abode of monkeys, guanas, serpents, and noxious 

 reptiles! 



" The spider holds the veil in the palace of Ccesar ; 



" The owl stands sentinel on the watch-towers of Afrasiab ! " Sady. 



On perusing this letter in manuscript, Sir Charles Malet con- 

 firmed the preceding desolation of Ahmedabad by a circumstance 

 during his encampment near the city of Aurungabad, where, 

 among the ruins of the imperial palace, he saw a timid hare start 

 from the spot where once stood the throne of Aurungzebe, who 

 gave his name to the city. The following account of this interest- 

 ing visit is transcribed from his journal: 



" May 31, 1794.— This morning we made another excursion 

 from our encampment to view the city of Aurungabad and its en- 

 virons. We went first to the palace, which was built by Aurung- 

 zebe at the same time as the city; and in the multiplicity and 

 extent of its offices and apartments, exhibits a strong proof of the 

 magnificence of that great but bigotted monarch, and of the me- 

 lancholy mutability of human grandeur; for in the short space of 

 ninety years the splendid remains of this princely structure are 

 mouldering into dust, and some parts quite obliterated ! 



" We first entered by a lofty gateway into a vast area called 

 the Jellougah, or the place where the imperial guards paraded ; the 

 gates here, as in most other oriental palaces and cities, being in- 

 tended for the admission of state elephants, with the exalted hou T 



VOL. III. p 



