'A Journey from Bengal to England, through the Northern part of India, Kashmire, Afghanistan, and Persia, and into Russia, by the Caspian-Sea. By George Forster. In the Civil Service of the Honourable the East-India Company in Two Volumes. Vol. II.' [‎71] (84/314)

FORSTER’S TRAVELS. 71
tains, but now choaked with filth or occupied by the meaneft order
of mechanics. Ali Murdan has left behind him many monuments
of liberality and tafte ; the grandeft, though now in ruins, is feen
*
in the vicinity of Dehli, and difplays at once a defign, ufeful and
f
magnificent.
During the fplendid sera of Dehli, when it covered accord
ing to popular tradition, a fpace of twenty miles, the inhabi
tants who refided at a diftance from the Jumna, which fkirted
only one of its angles, experienced much difficulty in procuring
river water, that of the wells not being efteemed fo falubrious.
Ali Murdan, defirous of relieving this common grievance, furveyed
the land to the weftward, and faw that a fiuice, opened from the
Jumna, where that river approaches Karnal, would from the de
clivity of the ground, introduce water into the back part of the:
city and conduct it through all the quarters. The defign was put
in execution, and to reward his fuccefs and preferve the work in
good condition, Ali Murdan was veiled with the privilege of levy
ing a certain tax, on thofe houfes which enjoyed the ufes of the
canal. Water was conveyed by this branch of the Jumna, form
ing a dillance of more than one hundred miles and afford
ed a commodious fupply to all the inhabitants; nor, did the
canal fall into decay, until the period of the Perfian and Afghan
invafions. Ali Murdan, who in hi$ tafte and difpofition would,
not have difgraced the Roman Lucullus, bellowed on the public
numerous edifices and gardens 5 one of which thickly fhaded with
cyprefs^