342 
A JOURNEY FROM MADRAS THROUGH 
CHAPTER 
July lf>. 
July 17 . 
Appearance 
of the coun- 
try. 
Hindu man- 
ners. 
hours the bullocks are changed. The mill goes night and day ; and, 
by the labour of 14 bullocks, expresses 7000 canes, which produce 
14 Mounds of Jagory , or 7 Maunds of raw sugar, equal to 1~ hun- 
dred-weight. To any one of our West India planters, the wretched 
state of mechanics among the Hindus will, from this, be very evi- 
dent ; yet, miserable as this machine seems to be, it appears to me 
better adapted for the purpose to which it is applied, than the mill 
in use at Chenapatam . So far as a very slight knowledge of Jamaica 
will enable me to judge, the sugar planters of the West Indies have 
a decided advantage over those of Hindustan in climate, soil, car- 
riage, and skill both in agriculture and mechanics ; but the enor- 
mous price of labour must always be a heavy drawback on them, 
while they continue the present system of keeping up the popula- 
tion by slaves imported from Africa. 
17th July. — In the morning I went three cosses to Bhidi-earay, a 
small fortified village situated on the side of Nandi- darga, which 
is opposite from Chica Bala-pura. I passed through among the hills 
by the side of Chud-raya-canda ; from whence, it is said, springs the 
Pennar, or, the Utara P indlani, as it is called in the Sanskrit. This 
river runs toward the north; and the Palar, which springs from 
Nandi, runs to the south. These hills may therefore be looked upon 
as the highest part of the country in the center of the land, south 
from the Krishna. The sources of the Kdvdri and Tungabhadra, 
towards the western side, are probably higher. 
Among the hills of Nandi-durga is much fertile land, now covered 
with Bamboos, and useless trees ; but which, with a little encourage- 
ment, might be brought into cultivation: this, however, would be 
improper, until there be a number of people, and a quantity of 
stock, sufficient to occupy all the lands that have formerly been 
cultivated, but are now waste. Such, at least, is the opinion of the 
Amildar, who is a sensible man. 
I took an opportunity, in company with this Amildar, of examin- 
