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CHAPTER VIII. 
CONJEVERAM. 
February ^3. — I had found it impossible to leave Madras till the 
evening, in consequence of an engagement to dine with General 
Stuart ; but by ten I quitted my house, and settled myself for the 
night in my palanquin. The first set of bearers was excellent, and 
carried me twenty -six miles in five hours, during which time I had 
not been once interrupted by the usual demand of my passport ; 
the second set was indifferent, so that I did not reach Conjeveram 
till nine on the 24th. 
February 24. — The country after I awoke was flat and sandy, with 
frequent jungle, till I approached the town, where the paddy fields 
were cultivating. I was met at the entrance into the town by the 
peons of the Collector, and conducted to a house of his where he 
occasionally resides, and where he had sent servants to wait my 
arrival, and procure for me every thing I might want. Here I staid 
some hours, during which time I received a visit from the Aumil. 
In defiance of a very pleasant breeze, the thermometer stood in the 
room at 89*. 
The pagodas here are large, and of the same shape as at Tanjore ; 
the tanks are lined with stone, and in good repair; the streets are 
wide, and cross each other at right angles, with a range of cocoa-nut 
trees on each side, and the whole town has the appearance of pros- 
perity. I was much struck with the chariots employed in carrying 
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