-room. In these
circumstances, nothing remained for me but to make use of my letter
of introduction to Dr. Angus.

My arrival placed the good old gentleman in no little embarrassment:
his house was also already filled with travellers. His sister, Mrs.
Spencer, however, with great kindness, at once offered me half of
her own sleeping apartment.

Allahabad has 25,000 inhabitants. It lies partly upon the Jumna
(Deschumna), partly on the Ganges. It is not one of the largest and
handsomest, although it is one of the sacred towns, and is visited
by many pilgrims. The Europeans reside in handsome garden-houses
outside the town.

Among the objects of interest, the fortress with the palace is the
most remarkable. It was built during the reign of the Sultan Akbar.
It is situated at the junction of the Jumna with the Ganges.

The fortress has been much strengthened with new works by the
English. It serves now as the principal depot of arms in British
India.

The palace is a rather ordinary building; only a few of the saloons
are remarkable for their interior division. There are some which
are intersected by three rows of columns, forming three adjoining
arcades. In others, a few steps lead into small apartments which
are situated in the saloon itself, and resemble large private boxes
in theatres.

The palace is now employed as an armoury. It contains complete arms
for 40,000 men, and there is also a quantity of heavy ordnance.

In one of the courts stands a metal column thirty-six feet high,
called Feroze-Schachs-Laht, which is very well preserved, is covered
with inscriptions, and is surmounted by a lion.

A second curiosity in the fort is a small unimportant temple, now
much dilapidated, which is considered as very sacred by the Hindoos.
To their great sorrow they are not allowed to visit it, as the fort
is not open to them. One of the officers told me that, a short time
since, a very rich Hindoo made a pilgrimage here, and offered the
commandant of the fortress 20,000 rupees (2,000 pounds) to allow him
to make his devotions in this temple. The commandant could not
permit it.

This fortress also has its tradition:--"When the Sultan Akbar
commenced building it, every wall immediately fell in. An oracle
said that he would not succeed in its erection before a man
voluntarily offered himself as a sacrifice. Such an one presented
himself, and made only one condition, that the fortress and town
should bear