Tehintchieu, ornament jts border, by an easy slope of théir bases to its
sides ; thus forming a bank of the richest soil, which the industrious
Booteea well knows how to cultivate. It was, upon our arrival, luxuriantly
clothed with the most promising crops of rice, which, in defect
of rain, all the springs of the surrounding mountains, are artificially
-conducted to fertilise. There is no town* nor indeed any hodse, except
^hatwtech we occupied, within asnde èïtlæ palace; but a few dusters
ofhouses,-distributed in different parts among the fields, when the eye
Svearÿ o!f Contemplating the bold features of near and distant moun-
-tains, and scanning their wonderful combinations, serve as points of
rest, andcall back the Wandering mind from a rude incbherent chaos,
-to repose amidst the fruitful and irçgeniouselForts of husbandry and
-population.
The castle, or palace, of Tassisudon * stands hear the centre of the
valley, andiis. a building of stone, of aquadrangularform. The length
■ of the front,exceeds fhatdfthe aider by one-third : the walls -are. lofty,
;iand as I conjecture ^upwards of thirty feet high, and they are sloped a
little from the foundation to the top : above the middle space,:is a tow
ofprojecting balconies, to .each, of which are curtains made of black
.hair, which are.dlways drawn .’at Slight : below, the walls are pierced
•with very small windows, which; I judge to be untended rather>for the
-purpose of admitting air, than light. There are two entrances iritothe
.‘palace : the one facing the south is by a flight of wooden steps, edged
-with plates of iron, beginning on a lèvel with the ground on the out-
: side,.’and :rising. to the! more elevated terrace within, the whole being
Plate VI.