The large quadrangle thus occupied is called the ‘kila’, or fort, and the wall that surrounds it is thirty feet high, with a round embattled tower at each corner.  On the east face is a fine large gateway for the entrance, with a curtain as high as the wall itself.  Inside the gate is a piece of ordnance painted red, with the largest calibre I ever saw.[8] This is fired once a year, at the festival of the Dasahra.[9]

Our arrival at the wall was announced by a salute from some fine brass guns upon the bastions near the gateway.  As we advanced from the gateway up through the garden to the pavilion, we were again serenaded by our friends with their guitars and excellent voices.  They were now on foot, and arranged along both sides of the walk that we had to pass through.  The open garden space within the walls appeared to me to be about ten acres.  It is crossed and recrossed at right angles by numerous walks, having rows of plantain and other fruit trees on each side; and orange, pomegranate, and other small fruit trees to fill the space between; and anything more rich and luxuriant one can hardly conceive.  In the centre of the north and west sides are pavilions with apartments for the family above, behind, and on each side of the great reception room, exactly similar to that in which we were received on the south face.  The whole formed, I think, the most delightful residence that I have seen for a hot climate.  There is, however, no doubt that the most healthy stations in this, and every other hot climate, are those situated upon dry, open, sandy plains, with neither shrubberies nor basins.[10]

We were introduced to the young Raja, the old man’s adopted son, a lad of about ten years of age, who is to be married in February next.  He is plain in person, but has a pleasing expression of countenance; and, if he be moulded after the old man, and not after his minister, the country may perhaps have in him the ‘lucky accident’ of a good governor.[11] I have rarely seen a finer or more prepossessing man than the Raja, and all his subjects speak well of him.  We had an elephant, a horse, abundance of shawls, and other fine clothes placed before us as presents; but I prayed the old gentleman to keep them all for me till I returned, as I was a mere voyageur without the means of carrying such valuable things in safety; but he would not be satisfied till I had taken two plain hilts of swords and spears, the manufacture of Datiya, and of little value, which Lieutenant Thomas and I promised to keep for his sake.  The rest of the presents were all taken back to their places.  After an hour’s talk with the old man and his ministers, attar of roses and pan were distributed, and we took our leave to go and visit the old palace, which as yet we had seen only from a distance.  There were only two men besides the Raja, his son, and ourselves, seated upon chairs.  All the other principal persons of the court sat around cross-legged on the carpet; but they joined freely in the conversation,