SURVEY OF THE GANGES. 557 



iiea of being able to obtain them better at the Camdon capital. Besides 

 these, two very great obje(5]:ions offered to the route pointed out by Cdsi- 

 pur; the first was the badness of the road, which our information led us 

 to suppose was infinitely worse than the one we wished to pursue ; the 

 second was, that we expe6ted to find the baggage and tents, which we 

 iiad left at Haridwdr, awaiting our arrival at Rudrapur. 



As the Subaddr stated himself not empowered to allow our proceeding 

 by a route which would-lead us through the city of Almora;. it became 

 necessary to make another reference to tlie government;, and Lieut. 

 Webb accordingly despatched another letter, urging the request for per- 

 mission to continue the journey through Almora^ by all the arguments 

 which appeared likely to secure a compliance ; concluding however, with 

 expressing a. hope, that if the obstacles to granting that should prove in- 

 surmountable, the chief would be . pleased to appoint some other route 

 towards Riidrapdr, leaving Almora at a distance. As this place '^;^/as not 

 above fourteen miles distant from the capital,, we. supposed an answer 

 might be received in two days at farthest, Yet the reply did not come 

 till the evening of the nineteenth, previously to which, a messenger, des- 

 patched by Col. CoLEBRooKE, with Supplies for us, had arrived, and in- 

 formed us that our baggage and tents, which we expected to find at Ru- 

 drapur, awaited our arrival at Cdsipur. One of the chief objedlions to the 

 route, pointed out to us by the chief of Almora, being thus removed, we 

 were preparing to prosecute our journey in that direftion ; notwithstand- 

 ing the Subaddr stated, that, the matter having been again referred to the 

 government, he could not yield us any assistance, till a reply should come 

 to hand. The chief's reply, however, having appointed us a meeting at 

 Dhdmes, situated at the distance of three Cos from Almora, and it beinp- 



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