New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-06-18
BAYARp TAYLoR's LETTERS.
LXXXIII.
TIE TAI srahai-Jeurney to Delhi.


everything else in the city snd ts vicinity The distant
view Of this mstehess ed6ce sstisfed me that It aloe
vas well deserved So pure, 20 goriOasly periec cd
II appear, that almost feared 10 approach IT, les, tse
charm should be broken IL IL seen 10 best advan sge
nom the tomb OF Itmun e dowlah, the Prime Minister
Of Shah Jehan which stands in garden on the northern
ksnk Of the Jumna directly opposite 70 the city sPens
an afternoon at this tomb and the Ram Bagh Garden OF
Rama) two miles further up tho river The former
mxusoleum Of white marble elegantly scuptured and
lad standing raised platform from the corners oil
which rise marble minarets It's design the same
purity Oftsse the richness Of fancy which had
previously remarked in Notice Musjeed AID aitef"ard
in the TAI.
Z The Ram Bagb is garden which, believe, formerly
belonged to the kogul EInperors and Is now kept IN
order as place Of recreation, by the Government loo
much praise caet be awarded TO the British rulers ia
India for the with which they have restored and
protected all OF these monuments OF the past exrendng
large 70 prevent the mosques palaces and tOmss OF
the former rulers from falling into decay On account
of the humidity OF the SOIL and the abundance Of in
sects and reptiles the Ram Bash trsversed by raised
stone causeways the principal VI which inclsse water
tanks and fountains IL pleasant shady retreat With
stone balcony oyerhanging the rapid Jumna, and COM
mandng view Of many ruined palaces on the opposite
bank There are suites Of apartments comfortably far
nished which let TO visitors at the rate OF rupee
per day. but when the applications frequent no one
s allowed stay than eight days. IN order TO give
chance others. Ny friends brought their servants
and handsome tiiin Of which oil partOsk, in the
largest chamber. We returned across the bridge o.
boats in the evening The HDdOOs had lighted lampsln
front Of the many little shnes facing the water aad IN
some of them stood persons waving torch back and
forth before the face Of the god crying out al the same
tune: Ram, Ram, Ran" Ram, Seeta, Kan !! lns
eereuony with the pouring of the Jumna water over the
image and decorating it with wresths of flowers appears
to be- the only form Of worship observed Ihefe are
more substantial offerings made, but if the god gets
them, the Brahmins take care that ne snail not Keep
them. ,
To return to the Tsj-for you expect me 70 describe
IT, and must comply though reluctantly Tor AN aware
Of the difficulty Of giving an intellglbie picture OF
building which has DO counterpart in Europe or even in
the Esst-the mosques and palaces OF Constant.
nople, the dOmed tent of Omar at Jerusalem ana
the structures Of the Saracens and MemiOOhs at Caro-
have nothing in common with IT, The remains OF Moor
ish art in Spain approach nearest 70 its spirit but are
the scattered limbs the rorsos OF which the Ia /. the
perfect type 1t occupies that place in saracenic art
which, In letter from COnstantinople mistakenly
gave the SoynsDye Mosque, and which, IN respect 10
trecisn Ant is represented by the ParthenOn If there
we're nothing else in India, this alone would repay the
journey.
The history and associations OF the Tai entirely
poetic IL is work inspired by Love and consecrsted
Ia Beauty Shah Jehan the Selim Of McOre's poem,
erected Il a. mSusoleum over bis queen Moor Jehsn-
the Light Of the world "-vhOm the same poet
calls Noor-Maha the Light Of the Hirem,' Or
more nronerlv Palace" She ia reputed to have
been woman Of ssrpassing beauty, and Of great vii
and intelligence Shah Jehan ncOnsolable for her
ioss and has immortaized her memory in poem the
tablets of which marble and the letters Jewels fOr
the Tel is poetry transmitted into iOrn and hence We
poet sees it, he halls il with the rapture OF realized
dream Few persons Of the thousands who sigh over
she pages Of Lsla ROokh. are aware that the Light
of the Harem real parsonage and that her tomb
n one ofthe wonders Of the world The native miniature
painters in Delhi show you her portrait painted on ivory
"a SMALL rather delicate face, with large dark piercing
eyes and black hair lowing from under scarf adorned
with peacock feathers.
The Tai stands on the bank Of the Jumna, rather more
Alan mile to the eastward of the Fort of Agra IL is
approached by handsome road cut through the undi
lett by the ruins Of ancient palaces Like the TOMB OF
Akhar II stands in large gerden, inclosed by lofty
wall of red sandstone with arcbed galleries around the
Interior and entered by superb gateway OF sandstone
/ iplaid with namens and inscriptions from the Koran
in white marble Outside of this grand portal however
IL spacious quadrangle OF sohd masonry WIN Oh ele
CANT structure intended as carcyansera on the Oppo
/ site side Whatever mar be the visitors impatience
he cannot help pausng 70 notice the fine proportions OF
these structures and the rich and massive STYLE OF their
construction The gate to the garden OF the Tai Is nos
90 large that Of Akbars Tomb, but quite as beautiful
In design Passing under the open doIni-vault. whose
arch hangs high above you of dark Italian cy
presses appears before you Down its center sparkles
long row Of fountains each casting up single slender
let On both sides the PALM the banyan aud the ieaih
cry bamboo minee their foliage the song OF birds meets
your ear aud the oder Of roses aud emOa0weTs sweet
ems the air Down such ayiSs' and over such foro-
Z ground rises the 1sl. ~
is an octsgona building, rather, asquare with the
I truncatto ana cccn fluc ptcChcy ~
stands upon lofty platform or pedestal, with nlnaret
nj each corner and this again il lifted on vast terrace
of solid masonry. Al Oriental dome, swelling out bold,
Nv from the base into nearly twOthrds OF sphere and
tapeng at the top into crescent tipped spre crowns
the edifce rising from lis center, with four similar,
4 though much smaller dOmes at the corners On e4cn
side there Is grand entrance formed by single pointed
arch rising nearly 10 the ccrnice andtwO smaller arches
Zone paced above the other either hand The height
ar Ire building from it's base the top OF the dome is
2l2 feet and of the miuarets about 2OJ feot but no
words can convey idea OF tho exquisite harmony OF
the different parts and the grand and glorious enec oil
4 the whole structure, with its attendant minarets
The material s the purest white marble, Little INFERIOR
TO that of Csrrara lC shines dszZlngly IN the sun
that YOU can scarcely cok at il at hand except in
the morning or evening. Every part-eyen the base
ment the dome and the upper galleries OF the mnareS
lis inlsid with ornamental designs in marble OF dioEent
eolOrs principally pale brown, and blush violet va
riety Great as the Dimensions OF the Ia are, II Is as
laborieusy finished OF those Chinese caskets oil
4 ivory and ebcny which are now common IA Enrcpe
| Bishop Heber truly said The Psthans designed Lac
| Titsns and finished like jewellers Around al the
arches of the portals aud the windows around the cor
nice and the dOmes-on the walls aud IN t0e passages
are nad chapters Of the Koran the letters beng ex
ouistey formed of black marble IL is asserted that tue
|yhole OF the Koran is thus insid IN the Ia and can
readily believe il to be true The building perfect IN
eyervpnrt Any adaptations II may have suffered are
sowe restored that al traces Of them have disappeared
Isscended 20 the base Of the building-a cleaning
marble platform almost level wiki the tops OF the
trees in the garden BEFORE entering the central hall
Sescendsd TO the yaslt where he beautiful hOorJehan
ia bnfied sepng passage whose walls and door nave
beep "a polshed bv the hands and feet OF Thousands.
thai You must Nalk carefully 10 avoid sliding down con