Page:Wanderings of a Pilgrim Vol 2.djvu/499

 "Mirzapūr, a military cantonment, is two miles below the city and the civil station: the judge's, the magistrates', and the collector's offices are one mile below the city. The steamer stops at the agency ghāt at the lower end of the city. This place is noted for a cotton mart and cotton manufactory; as likewise for shell lac, lac dye, and hardware in a small way. Many boats are here at all seasons. The city is very confined, dirty, and subject to great sickness: there are two or three very fine stone ghāts here, and some small temples and minarets: bread, butter, eggs, mutton, lamb, kid, veal, and fowls, are procurable. Mirzapūr is from Calcutta, viâ Bhagirathī, 748 miles; viâ Sunderbands, 1036 miles; and by dāk route, 455. The dāk takes five days, and banjhī eight days to run. Steamers having plenty of cargo to land are generally detained here four or five hours."

The river has given us some trouble to-day, and we have grounded many times. The white houses of the Mirzapūr cantonments stretch along the right bank on a very high cliff; the church, a very elegant building, was planned by Colonel Edward Smith,—the spire rises just above the ghāt of the civil station. The manjhī of our vessel wished to anchor there, but we pushed on to the city, and lugāoed on the other side the river, close to a fine house, the residence of the Raja of Ramnager. We did not like to anchor at the stone ghāt of the city, on account of the noise, smoke, and heat produced by a crowd of native boats: this will be pleasant: I can be up top dāghī (gun-fire) to-morrow morning, and sketch the ghāts. In the mean time the sandbank by which we are moored is cool, pleasant, and quiet. Now for English letters!

11th.—We found we ought to have stopped at the ghāt off Cantonments, as there bread, butter, meat, &c., could be procured; but what cared I for such creature comforts when I saw the ghāts in the early morning? We crossed the river, and I went out to sketch them. There are two fine ones, built of stone, that lie close together, and a number of temples are upon them,—placed at intervals upon the cliff, from the river to the top of the high bank, and very beautiful they are.