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destitute of their assistance; and had not a more disagreeable 

 event (the dangerous state of health of one of our party) happened, 

 to cause our sudden departure, we must shortly have been under 

 the necessity of decamping on that account alone. The natives 

 informed us that these fevers visit them annually, after the rains 

 cease, and continue until the warm weather sets in. 



The productions of the country are rice, gram, and a small 

 dark grain used by the poor Colum bees for fc )d ; they also plant 

 a little tobacco, and a sort of bean something like the caravance. 

 They have a few lime-trees, mangos, plantains, and guavas ; the 

 mango abounds in the country, the other fruit-trees are only 

 planted round the pagodas. It is entirely owing to the lazy dis- 

 position of the natives, who live barely from hand to mouth, that 

 the earth is not as famous for most oriental productions as it is for 

 the surprizing springs with which Providence has so kindly and 

 profusely furnished it. Something indeed may be said for the 

 present confused state of the country, and the unhappy constitu- 

 tion of the government, which does not permit them to make a 

 proper use of the riches nature has lavished on them ; but indus- 

 try was never the character of a Mahratta. The grass grows to a 

 surprizing height, and the earth e\ery where abounds with flowers 

 and fragrant herbs of various sorts. The branches of the lime- 

 trees about the pagoda Ramexauar, we found bowed to the ground 

 with their golden produce, and every thing seemed to flourish in 

 the highest perfection. We pitched our tents under the friendly 

 shade of a noble banian tree, which overshadowed a space of an 

 hundred and thirty paces in circumference, and completely shel- 

 tered us from the heat of the sun. 



