402 COURSE AND LEVELS 



to Rampur, the Raja's residence; the distance was nine miles and a half, 

 and we arrived about twelve o'clock. We found the fair nearly full, though 

 there were still every hour Tartars and Kanawaris coming in with heavy 

 loads chiefly of the byangi or Tartar wool. 



Rampur is situated on a strip of level ground by the river side, and is a 

 small town, consisting like Saran merely of people attached to the Raja's 

 person and a few Banias; above the town is the Raja's house; rather a 

 mean building of naked stone with occasional layers of wood as usual in 

 buildings in the mountains. The roofs are curved something in the man- 

 ner represented in Chinese pagodas ; some pains have been taken to form 

 and preserve the ground in a tolerably level surface ; forming a series of 

 platforms and banked up with stone. On each side of the river (on the 

 town side close) rise lofty and rather steep mountains, which seem to be the 

 cause both of a greater degree of cold and heat than would be experienced 

 were the place more open. The sun at this season of the year is not seen 

 till past ten o'clock, so that the mornings feel insupportably cold, while the 

 afternoons, owing to the reflection of the sun's rays from the mass of moun- 

 tain so near, and partly perhaps from the effect of contrast, appear to be as 

 much too hot ; the day we arrived however rain fell which prevented our 

 feeling the heat. The two following days we were much incommoded by it. 



The 12° might be called the last day of the fair which had only lasted 

 two days, though three is the term generally allowed. The 13th there were 

 few people and on the 14th they had all disappeared except the fixed resi- 

 dents. The town as I have already remarked is situated along the river 

 bank, on a small level piece, about 400 or (300 yards in length and 100 

 broad. Here it is the people assemble and range themselves in two rows 

 facing each other, each with his merchandize before him; the wool and 

 salt or Tartar traders, taking one side, and the grain, &c. or lower moun- 

 taineers the other. As they do not always understand each other's language, 

 they are sometimes obliged to adjust the barter by presenting a sample of 



