7 1865.] Ancient Remains at Saidpur and Bhitdri. 83 
A mound rises at each corner, and another half way along each 























face, and many more are within the enclosure itself. There is also 
a spur running from the south-west angle. The general aspect of the 
- site is that of a fort with projecting towers at the corners, connected 
- together by a low embankment or wall; whilst the debris scattered 
about in every direction and the numerous mounds, would seem to 
indicate that formerly extensive buildings existed upon it. 
F On the spur is a recently erected Imambara, under the foundations 
of which a hole has been made into the mound on which it stands, 
‘revealing the original foundations of a very ancient edifice lying in 
siti. The bricks are of exceedingly large dimensions, some being 19 
‘inches long, about 1 foot in width, and 3 inches in thickness. It 
would be interesting to lay bare the whole of these remains, and to 
trace as far as practicable, without injury to the Imambara, the extent 
and nature of the earlier structure. 
Tn the year 1863, Mr. Horne was requested by the Government 
f the North-Western Provinces, at the suggestion of Major-General 
Cunningham, to make excavations into some of the mounds at Bhitari. 
Strange to say, although trenches were made into several mounds, yet 
othing of importance was discovered. It by no means follows, how- 
ver, that because no ancient relics were brought to light in those 
tumuli which were then laid open, that a further and more complete 
investigation would be fruitless. It is only natural that the changes 
Which have taken place through many generations among the build- 
ings which the successive inhabitants of Bhitari have erected, having 
“recourse to the ancient structures for their materials from century to 
century, rather than to materials of their own manufacture, should 
ave occasioned the formation of some, perhaps of many, of the exist- 
ing mounds ; and therefore it is no matter for astonishment that Mr. 
Horne should have found only vast masses of earth, pottery, brick, 
anc other rubbish, especially as his excavations were mostly carried 
on in the immediate neighbourhood of the inhabited portion of 
Bhitari, His decided conviction is, that if excavations were conducted 
‘on a more extensive scale, and embraced not only the larger tumult 
in the interior of the enclosure, but likewise those lying at various 
distances in the outskirts, it is highly probable that discoveries of 
| great interest to the archeologist, shedding light on the antiquity of 
AG 
