8 



generally good. The most striking public structures are a temple 

 built by Ranojee Sindia, father of Mhadajee; the palace not yet 

 completed for Mhadajee Sindia; a mausoleum erecting in memory 

 of a celebrated Gosannee devotee; and another containing the 

 ashes of Ranojee Sindia. The two latter, with others of less im- 

 portance, adorn the bank of the Sepra, from whence several large 

 flights of steps lead to the river; the whole produces a good effect. 

 Oojen is infested by swarms of Hindoo mendicants and a pro- 

 digious number of courtezans, of more effrontery than usual; in 

 passing through the public streets the dancing-girls beckoned from 

 their doors and windows, and seemed less under the restraint of 

 modesty than any women I have seen in India. 



Oojen is a very ancient city, said to have been founded by the 

 great rajah Bicker Maje, who gave an aera to the Hindoos still 

 current in a great part of India, this year, A. D. 1785, being 1842 

 in their calendar. The city with a large proportion of Malwa 

 province has been about fifty years in the possession of the Mah- 

 ratta family of Sindia. 



We spent the afternoon at a pleasant garden belonging to 

 Kaunna Khan, a Patan general, in great favour with Mhadajee 

 Sindia, and now with him and the army. It was laid out, like 

 most oriental gardens, in a formal manner, divided by narrow 

 gravel walks, bordered with chunam, on which there was room 

 only for one person to walk; this takes off from its utility as a 

 public garden, for which it seems to be intended; at least the citi- 

 zens have free access to it during the absence of the proprietor. 

 It contains some remarkably fine cypresses, and abundance of 

 apple-trees, figs, mulberries, and sweet lemons : a profusion of 



