POONAH 
123 
as the pupil of the human eye. The palace is a tolerably handsome 
building, and was very clean. The Durbar room is large; it is 
supported by wooden pillars handsomely carved. His guddy was 
of white muslin, richly embroidered in gold and coloured silk. His 
attendants stood round without the pillars, except a few with silver 
sticks, Holkar did not much injure the palace, but he carried away 
every thing moveable ; a small armoury and the elephant-houdahs 
did not escape. The town is indifferent ; several houses are large, 
and built with square blocks of granite, to about fourteen feet from 
the ground; the upper part is a frame work of timber, with slight 
walls merely to keep out the wet and air. The lime, bricks, and tiles 
are so bad in this country, that the rain washes away any building 
that does not depend on timber for support. A great plenty of 
this useful article is brought from the gauts and the westward ; it 
is not much dearer than at Madras. Holcar s stay did not improve 
the town. He pulled down several large houses in search of treasure, 
and they say found a great deal. We forded the river both going 
and returning ; the foundations of a granite bridge rise above the 
water ; but they were laid in misfortune, and superstition will not 
therefore permit their superstructure to be completed. A bridge 
of boats had been laid across by General Wellesley, but it has not 
been kept up. 
The spectacle of dead bodies on the banks of the river, in every 
state of putrefaction, was truly distressing. During the famine, 
many were murdered for the rice they had just received from 
British charity, which, I am proud to say, extended to this place^ 
whither a very handsome subscription, amounting to 40,000 
rupees, was sent, which had been collected at Bombay under the 
VOL. II. R 
