The plains of Hindostan extend 2000 miles along the southern slope of the Himalaya and Hindoo Coosh, between the Brahmapootra and the Indus, and terminate on the south in the Bay of Bengal, the table-land of the Deccan, and the Indian Ocean—a country embracing in its range every variety of climate from tropical heat and moisture to the genial temperature of southern Europe. The valley of the Ganges is one of the richest on the globe, and contains a greater extent of vegetable mould, and of land under cultivation, than any other country in this continent, except perhaps the Chinese empire. In its upper part, Sirhind and Delhi, the seat of the ancient Mogul empire, still rich in splendid specimens of Indian art, are partly arid, although in the latter there is fertile soil. The country is beautiful where the Jumna and other streams unite to form the Ganges. These rivers are often hemmed in by rocks and high banks, which in a great measure prevent the periodical overflow of the waters; this, however, is compensated by the coolness and moisture of the climate. The land gradually improves towards the east, as it becomes more flat, till at last there is not a stone to be seen for hundreds of miles down to the Gulf of Bengal. Wheat and other European grain are produced in the upper part of this magnificent valley, while in the south every variety of Indian fruit, rice, cotton, indigo, opium, and sugar, are the staple commodities. The ascent of the plain of the Ganges from the Bay of Bengal is so gradual that Saharampore, nearly at the foot of the Himalaya, is only 1100 feet above the level of Calcutta; the consequence of which is that the Ganges and Brahmapootra, with their branches, in the rainy season between June and September, lay Bengal under water for hundreds of miles in every direction, like a great sea. When the water subsides, the plains are verdant with rice and other grain; but when harvest is over, and the heat is intense, the scene is changed—the country, divested of its beauty, becomes parched and dusty everywhere, except in the extensive jungles. It has been estimated that one-third of the British territory in India is covered with these rank marshy tracts. It was estimated by Lord Cornwallis, and confirmed by Mr. Colebrooke, that a third of the East India Company’s territory is jungle.