Many hundreds of small green birds have formed their nests in the
holes and crevices of the buildings.
On the 19th of January I left the famous town of Agra, in the
company of Mr. Law, in order to visit the still more celebrated city
of Delhi, which is 122 miles from Agra. There is an excellent post-
road all the way.
The country between Agra and Delhi continues tolerably unchanged;
there is no elevation to be seen. Far and wide, cultivated land
alternates with heaths and sandy moors, and the miserable villages
or small towns which lie on the road, excite no desire to delay the
journey even for a moment.
A long and handsome chain bridge crosses the Jumna near the town of
Gassanger.
On the 20th of January, at 4 in the afternoon, we reached Delhi.
Here I met with Dr. Sprenger, a very kind and amiable countryman.
Dr. Sprenger, a Tyrolese, has won for himself, by his remarkable
abilities and knowledge, a considerable reputation, not only among
the English, but throughout the whole learned world. He holds the
position of Director of the College in this place, and but a short
time since was requested by the English government to go to Lucknau,
for the purpose of examining the library of the Indian King of
Lucknau, to make known the valuable works, and put the whole in
order. He is a perfect master of the Sanscrit, the ancient and
modern Persian, the Turkish, Arabic, and Hindostanee languages, and
translates the most difficult of them into English and German. He
has already made the most valuable and interesting contributions to
literature, and will still continue to do so, as he is an extremely
active man, and scarcely thirty-four years of age.
Although he was on the eve of his departure for Lucknau, he was,
nevertheless, kind enough to become my Mentor.
We commenced with the great imperial town of Delhi; the town to
which formerly the eyes not only of all India, but almost of all
Asia, were directed. It was in its time to India what Athens was to
Greece, and Rome to Europe. It also shares their fate - of all its
greatness only the name remains.
The present Delhi is now called New Delhi, although it is already
two hundred years old; it is a continuation of the old towns, of
which there are said to have been seven, each of which were called
Delhi. As often as the palaces, fortifications, mosques, etc.,
became dilapidated, they were left to fall into ruins, and new ones
were built near the old ones. In this way, ruins upon ruins
accumulated, which are said to have occupied a space more than six
miles in breadth, and eighteen in length.
