398 
A JOURNEY FROM MADRAS THROUGH 
CHAPTER 
July 30. 
Badavana - 
hully. 
Appearance 
of the coun- 
try. 
July 31. 
Appearance 
of the coun- 
ty. 
lived at Sarur, which is near Kalydna pattana . At his visits he be- 
stows consecrated ashes, and receives charity. He has a fixed due 
on marriages, and sends his agents to collect it. At some of their 
ceremonies the Panchdnga attends, and acts as Purohita . 
30th July. — I went four cosses to Badavana- hully, or the poor 
man’s village ; which is fortified with a mud- wall and a strong hedge, 
and contains about twenty houses of cultivators. In the former 
war it fell into the hands of Purseram Bhow’s army ; and, although 
the inhabitants have lived ever since in perfect security, it has not 
yet recovered one half of its former population. The disease among 
the cattle last year did not extend toward this quarter farther than 
Chica Bala-pura ; but this year it has killed one half of the stock. 
The country through which I came to-day consists of vallies 
interspersed with detached barren hills. In these vallies there has 
been formerly a good deal of cultivation ; at present however they 
are not half peopled. A great part of the country is covered with 
the wild date palm, or Elate sylvestris, of which no care is taken. 
Even on bad soils it seems to be so thriving, that I have no doubt 
but that even there it is sufficiently productive of juice. 
31st July. — I went four cosses to Sira. The greater part of the 
country, through which I passed to-day, is covered with trees, 
which are rather higher than is usual in the wastes of this country. 
Among them were many wild date palms. The Sultan , as I have 
already mentioned, with a view of enforcing the doctrine of his 
religion, which forbids the use of intoxicating liquors, gave orders 
that all these should be cut. Like most of his other regulations, 
this seems to have been very ill obeyed ; for in the central parts 
of his dominions no tree seems to be in such abundance. On the 
way, I passed two ruinous villages, and one still inhabited ; but by 
far the greater number of the fields were uncultivated, and by far 
the greater part of the country shows no traces of its ever having 
been reclaimed, although it seems in very few places to be too steep 
or too barren for the plough. 
