AUGUST 24th.—­I got up early this morning and have spent half the day on the “Dul” or “City Lake”—­a large sheet of water which lies at the foot of the hill behind Sreenuggur.  Besides the excessive beauty of the lake itself there are many objects of interest to be seen on its banks.  I visited in succession the Mussul Bagh, Rupa Lank or Silver Isle, Shaliman Bagh, Suetoo Causeway, Nishat Bagh, Souee Lank or Golden Isle, and floating gardens.  A word or two of description for each.  The Mussul Bagh is a large grove of fine chenars planted in lines so as to form avenues at right angles to each other.  There must be several hundred of these noble trees upon the ground, I do not mean fallen but erect and vigorous.  The Shaliman Bagh is an extensive and well cultivated pleasure garden with pavilions, tanks, canals and fountains, in true oriental style.  The upper pavilion is especially worthy of notice having a verandah built of magnificent black marble veined with quartz containing gold.  It is surrounded by a large tank possessing one hundred and fifty-nine fountains, and its exterior is grandly if not artistically painted.  The Nishat Bagh is smaller but scarcely less attractive.  It is arranged in a series of fifteen terraces, from which a splendid view is obtained of the lake and adjacent country.  Down its centre runs a canal, expanding at intervals into tanks and having a waterfall for each terrace, with a single straight row of fountains numbering more than one hundred and sixty.  Grand hills rise immediately above it.  It contains pavilions of fruit trees, and as a flower garden, is superior to the Shaliman Bagh.  The Suetoo Causeway, is a series of old bridges and embankments which formerly crossed the lake, and was two or three miles long, but only portions of it now remain.  The two islands are small and covered with trees, having no interest of themselves, but adding greatly to the appearance of the lake.  They are I believe artificially constructed.  The celebrated floating gardens are very curious; they were formed by dividing the stalks of the water weeds near their roots, and sprinkling the surface of them with earth, which sinking a little way was entangled in the fibres and retained; Fresh soil was then added, until the whole was consolidated, and capable of bearing a considerable weight.  The ground is now about nine inches thick, floating upon the surface of the water, and the stalks of the weeds below it having disappeared.  It is exceedingly porous and is used for the cultivation of water melons, when walking upon it a peculiar elasticity is perceived, accompanied with a tremulous or jelly like motion.  It is divided into long stripes pierced by a stake at each end, which secures them in their position and allows of their rising or falling with the height of the water.  An unlucky day for Silly.  In the first place he was sea-sick.  The use of the broad paddle in a small boat caused a good deal of shaking, and every stroke is attended with