Sec. 5. Description of Futtipoor, Biana, &c.; of Nill, or Indigo; and of other Matters.

The 1st of November I was sent to Biana to buy nill, or indigo.  I lodged the first night at Menhapoor, a great serai or public inn, seven c. from Agra, near which the queenmother has a garden, and Moholl, or summer-house, very curiously contrived.  The 2d I halted at Kanowa, or Kanua, eleven c.  At every coss from Agra to Ajmeer, 130 coss, there is erected a stone pillar, owing to the following circumstance.  At Ajmeer is the tomb of a celebrated Mahometan saint, called Haji Mondee; and as Akbar had no children, he made a pilgrimage on foot to that famous shrine, ordering a stone pillar to be erected at every coss, and a Moholl, with lodgings for sixteen of his principal women, at the end of every eight coss; and after his return he had three sons.

At twelve coss from Agra, on this road, is the famous city of Futtipoor, built by Akbar, and inclosed by a fair stone wall, still quite fresh, having four great gates, some three English miles between each.  Within the walls, the whole extent of the city lies waste like a desert and uninhabited, being very dangerous to pass through in the night time.  Much of the ground is now occupied as gardens, and much of it is sown with nill, or different kinds of grain, so that, one could hardly suppose he were in the middle of what was so lately a great and populous city.  Before the gate towards Agra, in a stony ascent near a coss in length, are the ruins of an extensive suburb.  At the S.W. gate, for two English miles from the city, there are ruins of many fine buildings; and on the left are many fine walled gardens, to the distance of three miles from the city.  At the entrance of the N.E. gate is a goodly bazar, or market, all of stone, being a spacious straight-lined and paved street, with handsome houses on both sides, half a mile long.  Close, within the gate is the king’s serai, consisting of extensive stone buildings, but much ruined.  At the head of this street stands the king’s house, or Moholl, with much curious building; beyond which, on an ascent, is the goodliest mosque in all the east.  It has a flight of some twenty-four or thirty steps to the gate, which is, in my opinion, one of the loftiest and handsomest in the world, having a great number of clustering pyramids on the top, very curiously disposed.  The top of this gate may be distinctly seen from the distance of eight or ten miles.  Within the gate, is a spacious court curiously paved with stone, about six times the size of the exchange of London, with a fine covered walk along the sides, more than twice as broad and double the height of those in our London exchange, supported by numerous pillars all of one stone; and all round about are entrances into numerous rooms, very ingeniously contrived.  Opposite the grand gate stands a fair and sumptuous tomb, most artificially inlaid with mother-of-pearl, and inclosed