104 
BENARES 
Shewalla, who joined familiarly in the conversation. The day was 
very close, and I was heartily fatigued. 
March 1 1 . — In the morning as I proceeded to Shewalla, I was 
met by a minister of the Rajah of Benares, bearing an arjee* from 
his master to me, excusing himself for not having been able to pay 
his respects to me in consequence of indisposition. Before sun rise, 
Mr. Neave called on me to proceed to Benares, to view the Minars. 
As the morning was cool we preferred riding, but ordered the ele- 
phants to follow. The approach to them is through the most fre- 
quented and populous part of the town, and a more extraordinary 
one I never beheld. The streets are so extremely narrow, that it 
was with difficulty I prevented my horse from touching the side. 
The houses are built of stone, some six stories high, close to each 
other, with terraces on the summit. They are whimsically painted, 
and the architecture is as extraordinary. Bands of carved work run 
in general round each story, by no means despicably executed ; and 
the large masses of stone used in the walls, together with the neat 
manner in which they are joined, show that the masons are very 
tolerable workmen. The windows are extremely small, and pro- 
bably they are formed in this manner to answer two purposes ; first, 
to prevent the opposite neighbours from overlooking the apart- 
ments ; and, secondly, to keep the houses more cool during the hot 
winds. Our style of architecture is by no means adapted to the 
climate, and the large windows would be insufferable, were it not 
for the tattys-f which are easily applied to a house one story high, 
^ An address from an inferior to a superior is called an Aijee, not a letter. 
f Screens on the outside of a window, composed of the roots of sweet-scented grass, 
on which water is constantly thrown by the servants, which perfectly cools the air. 
