361 
MYSORE, CANARA, AND MALABAR. 
seemed tolerably good. I saw no appearance of its ever having CHAPTER 
been cultivated. There is here a small river, from the bed of which, 
as from the channel of the Palar at Vellore, trenches may be drawn, July 23. 
so as at all seasons to give the fields water. At present it contains 
no water above ground. Many of the torrents between this and 
the Pennar, in the newly acquired dominions of the Nizam , afford 
a similar supply of water. In others, the streams are shut up by dams 
or Anacuts, and forced into large reservoirs. The people in the 
Nizam's share of the Sultan’s dominions have already experienced 
the imbecility and rapacity of that government ; and have begun 
to retire into the dominions of the Mysore Raja , where there is 
plenty of room. For a century past this place has been subject to 
Mysore , although it was separated from the capital by the Mussul- 
man government of Sira. In the mean time many of the 'neigh- 
bouring Durgas, or hill forts, with the territories belonging to them, 
continued subject to their original Polygars, who were mostly rob- 
bers, till the whole were finally expelled by 7 ippoo. In the war of 
Lord Cornwallis this place suffered extremely, as Purseram B how’s 
army was encamped some days in the neighbourhood. This, joined 
to the famine, and to Tippoo’s government, both before and since, 
has reduced the country and population to a very low state. 
24th July. — I went two cosses to Madhu-giri, or Honey-hill, a July 24 . 
strong Durga, which is surrounded on all sides by hills. From 
Bailea, these hills appeared as a connected chain, and are a part of 
that ridge which runs north from Capala-durga ; but on entering 
among them, I found narrow vallies winding through in all direc- 
tions. The hills are rocky and bare ; but in many places the soil 
of the vallies is good. In some places there are coco-nut gardens; 
but many of the cleared fields are now unoccupied, and a great 
deal of good ground seems never to have been reclaimed. 
The view of Madhu-giri, on approaching it from the east, is much Madhu-giri. 
finer than that of any hill-fort that I have seen. The works here 
Vol. I. 3 A 
