longing to a famous marauder, Rah Sing-, who had made
himfelf extremely obnoxious by his depredations. His party
watched my boats the whole of one night, within fifty yards
of us j the alertnefs of my Seapoys, however, prevented any
attack, and at day-break the party'marched off.
N o t far from where this river enters the Ganges, hands
the fort of Jionpoor, a building of confiderable extent, on a
high bank commanding the bridge. - It is now chiefly in
ruins, though formerly, from flrength and natural fituation,,
it commanded the country -from the Ganges quite to Lucknow:
it was built by Sultan Feroz Shah, about the year
1102 ; and this place at one time was the feat of an empire.
Chaja Jehan, Vizier to Sultan Mahummud Shah, during the
minority of his' fon, Sultan Mamood Shah, affumed the title
of Sultan Shirki (or King of the Eaff), and took pofleflion
of Bahar, and fixed his refidence at Jionpoor, where he built
the great musjiid or maufoleum, which is ftill remaining, for
the interment of himfelf and his family. This ruin is a great
pyramid in the front, blunt at the top, the apex being cut
off; the front is covered with ornaments. Over the center
of the building, in which are the remains of the tombs, fifes
a dome, but much below the front of the building which is
fen from without; there has alfo been a fquare of buildings
in the front, .as appears by the foundations, which now only
remain.
T h e bridge óf; feme cjcofeng the Goomty1 at this place is
in tolerable repair, and confifts of fixteen pointed arches; on
the top of the bridge'316 many little feops c^l®fefefiss;* built
of ftone. From a Perfian infcription on thé bridge,- we find
it was founded, by Khan Khannah, Viziei to the Emperor
- > Acbar, and Subaki of . thé province o f Oud. in the year 1.^67 .
The found principles upon whicht thi-s. bridge? is -bililf, :,are
. proved by its having withftood, for fuch a length o f time,
the force of the ftream, which in time o f the rains is very
great. The inundations have been frequently known to rife
even over the bridge, infomuch, 1 that in the year , Ï774, a
whole brigade of the Britifh forces paflfed over it in boats*.:
T h e river Goomty falls into the Ganges at a.fmall diftance
below the city of Benares, whence I proceeded direét to Buxar.
At this time I alfo determined to make a journey to SafTeram,
twenty cofs inland, fee birth-place of the Emperor Shere Shah,
t.o vifit fee maufoleum of that Emperor, and to make drawings
of it;. This heing fee feafon of fee’ rains, it was with
difficulty I could pafs in my pallankeen ; in many places the
. bearers waded above their middle in water, and fee whole
ground was one continued fwamp.
I could not but. be greatly ftruck with fee grandeur of
this monument, riling from the center of a large fquare lake,
* A brigade confifts of ten thoufand men. f
H 3.