Well; in spite of Ghiljees, Kaukers, Passes, &c., we reached Candahar on the 4th of May, having only halted two days since we left Dadur,—­pretty good work!  We were very much disappointed in the country, which is little better than a desert, and the weather cruelly hot.  I remember very little of what occurred after I was on the sick-list, except that on arriving at our ground at one place, after a march of eighteen miles, we found that the natives had destroyed the well which was to have supplied us with water,—­pleasant news for a man laid up with fever; in consequence of which they made a good profit by bringing it in for sale.  About as much as would fill two moderate-sized pitchers was sold for half a rupee, about 14d.  My European servant came and begged to be allowed to drink the water in my basin with which I had just washed myself, and before I could say anything, drank down the whole of it with a zest as if it had been champagne.

We reached Candahar on the 4th, and on the 8th his Majesty Shah Shooja-ool-Moolk was crowned, after which there was a review of all the troops that were here by his Majesty, a grand “tomasha;” but such, I am told, was the unpopularity of the Shah that out of the whole population of Candahar very few persons were looking on, though the Easterns are devoted sight-hunters.  On the —­ he held a levee, where every officer had the honour of making his leg to his Majesty.  I was not present at either of these grand occasions, being at the time still on the sick-list.  I, however, had a glimpse of his Majesty the other morning as he was taking his airing.  He is a fine-looking man, with a splendid black beard.  I am told that he is a very accomplished man, but an exceedingly bad ruler.  He has written his own life, which is said to be very interesting:  I should think it must be so, as few men have experienced so many changes of fortune as he has.  You will find a very good description of him, as well as of Cabool and Sinde, in “Burnes’ Travels in Bokhara,” the present Sir Alexander Burnes, who is second in command to Macnaghten, and a great deal with the Shah.  I read also an excellent article on this country &c. in the last December or January number of “Blackwood’s Magazine.”

Another horrible murder, somewhat similar to that of Capt.  Hand, occurred here about the middle of last month.  Two officers of the 16th Lancers, Inverarity and Wilmer, went one day on a fishing excursion to a small river about seven miles from this; several parties had been there before on pic-nic excursions, as it was much cooler, and there were some beautiful gardens, with lots of fruit, on the banks of the stream.  There is a slight hill to be crossed in getting to it, at the top of which is a cut-throat narrow pass, formed out of the rock; you must pass through it in single file, and the bottom being of rock is so slippery and rough that it is with difficulty a horse can keep his footing on it.  They were returning home about