128 
SUN-RISE IN INDIA. 
heard on every hand, first cheers the traveller with the 
opening day. I was much delighted one morning here, 
with viewing the natural phenomenon of sun-rise. Contrary 
to my usual practice, I had started early with my baggage. 
It was quite dark, excepting what light the stars afforded, 
which, in India, is always considerable at this season (Octo- 
ber), when not a cloud obscures the expanded vault of the 
heavens. After moving on for some time, on turning my 
eye toward the east, I could perceive the first appearance 
of day. It was not dawn, but a mere greyish pillar of light 
shooting from the horizon upwards, in the shape of a co- 
met's tail, but without lustre ; the eff*ulgence, if it could be 
so called, resembling that of the Milky-way more than any 
other object in nature which I have seen. This dull pillar 
of light was well defined. It continued a long time appa- 
rently httle increased in size, and without having acquired 
much brilliancy. At length its sides near the bottom gave 
way ; and the light, now stronger, diffused itself laterally 
to a considerable extent. By and bye the stratum of clouds 
immediately over this expansion displayed the roseate hue 
of morn, and the whole heavens became (though yet faint- 
ly) illuminated. The rosy tints disappearing in their turn, 
were succeeded by a greater degree of pale light ; and soon 
after, the near approach of the great luminary himself was 
announced by a pillar of red, or orange-red, light, which 
terminated in the orb now appearing large and fiery, through 
the medium of the horizontal morning air. This is the ge- 
neral course of sun-rise in India, as I have frequently wit- 
nessed since. The precursory phenomenon of the pillar of 
light, with the successive changes, being then new to mc, 
appeared perhaps more interesting on that account. 
At Pungrawah, the second stage from Banda, we find the 
rock of the same nature as those already described. In the 
march from this last place to the village of Kurtul, a range 
