362 Geographical Collections. 
The route of the embassy was from Agra, through the southern frontier of Ja- 
poor, to Oodipoor. ‘* A portion of this had been surveyed,” says the author, 
‘¢ and points laid down from celestial observation, by Dr. W. Hunter, which I 
adopted as the basis of my enterprize. The resident envoy (Greme Mercer, Esq. 
of Mevisbank) to the court of Sindia, was possessed of the valuable sketch of the 
route of Colonel Palmer’s embassy in 1791, as laid down by Dr. Hunter, the foun- 
dation of my subsequent surveys, as it merited from its importance and general 
accuracy. It embraced all the extreme points of Central India, Agra, Mewar, 
Ditteah, Jhansi, Bhopal, Sarangpoor, Oojein, and on return from this, the first 
meridian of the Hindus, by Kotah, Boondi, Rampoora, (Tonk,) Biana, to Agra. 
The position of all these places was more or less accurately fixed, according to the 
time which could be bestowed, by astronomical observation.”’ 
After giving some account of his interesting proceedings, Lieut.-Colonel Tod. 
states that in his work he has taken advantage of the labours of Mr. Elphinstone, 
Mr. J. B. Frazer, and the late General Reynolds. 
“¢ Rajast’han presents a great variety of features. Let me place the reader on 
the highest peak of the insulated Aboo, “‘ the Saint’s Pinnacle,” as it is termed, 
and guide his eye in a survey over this wide expanse, from the “ blue waters” of 
the Indus west, to the ‘‘ withy covered” * Betwa on the east. From this, the 
most elevated spot in Hindust’han, overlooking by 1590 feet the Aravulli moun- 
tains, his eye descends to the plains of Medpat,+- (the classic term for Mewar,) 
whose chief streams flowing from the base of the Aravulli, join the Beris and 
Bunas, and are prevented from uniting with the Chumbul only by the Pat-art 
or plateau of Central India. 
Ascending the plateau near the celebrated Cheetore, let the eye deviate slight- 
ly from the direct eastern line, and pursue the only practicable path by Ruttun- 
gurh and Singalli to Kotah, and he will observe its three successive steps, the 
miniature representations of those of Russian Tartary. Let the observer here 
glance across the Chumbul, and traverse Harouti to its eastern frontier, guarded 
by the fortress of Shahabad, thence abruptly descend the plateau to the level of 
the Sinde, still proceeding eastward, until the Table Mountain, the western limit 
of Boondelkhund, affords a resting point.” 
To render this more distinct, Lieut.-Col. Tod presents a profile of the tract 
described from Aboo to’ Katra on the Betwa, || from Aboo to Chumbul, the re- 
sult of barometrical measurement, and from the latter to the Betwa from general 
observations § of the irregularities of surface. The result is, that the Betwa 
at Kotah is 1000 feet above the level of the sea, and 1000 lower than the city 
and valley of Oodipoor, which again is on the same level with the base of the 
Aboo, 2000 feet above the sea. This line, the general direction of which is but 
a short distance from the tropic, is about six geographical degrees in length, yet 
is this small space highly diversified, both in its inhabitants and the productions 
of the soil, whether hidden or revealed. 
“< Let us now from our elevated station (still turned to the east) carry the eye to 
the southward, north of the line described, which nearly bisects Media-desa, the 
central land of Rajast’han, best defined by the course of the Chumbul and ifs 
tributary streams, to its confluence with the Jumna, while the regions west of the 
transalpine Aravulli, may as justly be defined Western Rajast*han. 
Looking to the south, the eye rests on the long-extended, and strongly-defined 
* Its classic name is Vitraventi, vitra being the common willow in Sanscrit ; 
said by Wilford to be the same in Welsh. 
+ Literally the central (medya) flat. 
~ Meaning table (pat) mountain (ar.) 
+ & : 9, Hi 
|| ‘he Betwa river runs under the table land just alluded to on the east. 
§ I am familiar with these regions, and confidently predict that when a si- 
milar measurement shall be made from Betwa to Kotah, these results will little 
err, and the error will be in having made Kotah somewhat too elevated, and 
the bed of the Betwa_a little too low. : 
