At a place about three miles from Manikyala, are the remains of a Serai now in ruins.  From this to Metope, the road extends over an open country capable of cultivation, but neglected.  Water in wells is thirty feet perhaps below the surface:  the country about Tope very bare of trees.

A curious low chain of sandstone rocks here occurs, and occasionally protrudes in places from below the soil, seldom rising above five feet and occasionally dilated into undulated tracts.

Drill husbandry, (i.e. seeds sown after the plough,) seems much in practice here.  The late noise about improving pasture grasses has been made with little reference to the nature of an Indian climate, or the genius of the Indian people.  Pasture grasses only excel in countries where there is no division of climate into hot, rainy, and cold seasons; but not in those in which rain is equally, or nearly so distributed throughout the year.  So far as I know, no place in India is calculated for pasture grass cultivation, because as none of excellent kinds can succeed without irrigation, this element of Indian agriculture is applied to more profitable cultures, such as artificial grasses.  In the cold season and the rains, nature supplies dhoob grass bountifully, leaving the natives to apply their agricultural labour to other objects, and in such seasons the condition of cattle is decidedly good.

Manikyala Tope, seen from near Rawil Pendi, is an insignificant building, and presents the same architecture as other topes, and as the Cabul tower, although it is not of the same materials.  The lower part of the base is of pure sandstone, the upper of a stalactital conglomerate of small pebbles, often perforated.  The terraces at the base are now almost hid by rubbish, so that the whole looks like an overgrown dome or a low mound.  There are three stone ledges below, with flat pilasters between the middle and lower ledge on the sides.  The dome is much damaged.  The stones of which the building was erected, were not hewn inside, but I do not know whether they have not been cemented together.  Access is easy to the top partly by means of broken steps, otherwise the stones gave good footing.  The top of the ruin is now open and discloses a square funnel, penetrating half the height of building; thence modern handiwork has caused a broken irregular perforation.  The building is not remarkable for great size, nor are any of the stones large, still as a piece of architecture it is far superior to any thing in modern Affghanistan.  The country around is very bare and sufficiently open.  It is curious that there are many Indian plants found on or about the building, all indicating a decided approach to Hindoostan.  A Sida, Euonymus, Bheir, Lantana, and a Menispermum, are common shrubs on the building, also Solanum quercifolium, spinis albis floribus coeruleo purpureis.

25th.—­To Puttiana, seventeen to eighteen miles; the country much the same, little wood but bushes of the old trees:  it is tolerably open until Pukkee Serai is approached, when it becomes very much broken and intersected by ravines in every direction, showing most forcibly the action of water, many of the cliffs thus formed are picturesque.  At Pukkee a small river is forded, thence to near Puttiana the country then becomes almost as raviny as before.