New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-06-04


H., eI ,be whole of its corridors chambers sad pa,
viions are Of white marble wrought with the most ex
o1is;te elaboration Of ornament The paviIons over
hanging the river ihlad within and without 10 the
rich style of Florentine mosaic. They are preclol.
cakets of marble gitterng all with jasper, agate
corpelisn blood stone and laps azu, and topped with
Golden dones Balustrades Of marble wrought in open
patterns Of such rich design that they resemble fnges
Of lace when from below extend along the edge oi
the battlemeBts The JumBs washes the walls, seventy
feet below and from the balconies attached to the -eaIa0
or womans apartments there beautiful views OF the
gardens and palmgroves the opposite bank, anf thai
wonder Of India, the Ts, shining like palace OF ivory
and crystal, about mile down the stream
The most curious part Of the palace the Sheesh ma
kGI palace Of Glass) which is an oriental bath, the
chambers and passages whereof adorned Sith thou
sands Of small mirrors disposed in the most Intricate
designs Tie water falls in broad sheet into the mar
bic pool over brilliant lamps, and the fountains are A
constructed 10 be lighted from within MIME cas-
cades tumble from the walls over slabs oi yeined marOle
into basins so curOHsly carved that the motion OF the
water produees the appearance Of fish This bath must
once have realized all the fabled splendOrs OF Arabian
story The chambers of the Sult2Gas and the open
courts connecting them are filed with fountains
Though The building il an incrusatlOn OF gold, marNe
and precious stones water is s It's most beautbai or
nAment Within these fairy precincts lies tbc gafden
still overTun with roses aid jasmine vines, 10 the midst
of which fountains arc playing There Is also court
paved with squares Of black and white marble, 50 as 10
form paehisi board This is game resembling
backgammon but instead Of ivory pieces il was played
On this colossal board by Akbar aod bis wives, or eu-
nuehs with girls who trCtted from square TO square,
as the moves we're made.
On an open terrace 10 front Of the DirdH tKhas
where Akbar sat great occasions, Is his throne,
slab Of black marble about SIX feet square 1t crssSed
entirely through which my old guide accounted for By
saving that when the Mahrsttas took Agra the Rah OF
BhuttpOre seated himself the throne whereupon it
not only cracked from side 20 side but blood gushei out
of its top in two places. When Lord Eilenborough was
Governor Genera of India he also sat upon IT, causing
il 10 she'd blood second time There aretwo red stains
on its surface which sufficiently attest these miracles To
all good Mussulmen. Opposite the throne is smaller
one Of white marble where, if tradition may be relied
on the EmperoIs fool or jester took his place and bur
lesqued bis master.
or Pearl Mosque as il is POLITICALLY and justly termed
II is in truth the pearl OF all mosques Of small dimen
sons bit absolutely perfect in style and proportions.
IL is lifted lofty sandstone PLATFORM and from With
out nothing csH be but its three dOmes of white
marble aud gilded spires In all distant views of the
Fort these 6Omes are seen, Ike sveTy bubbles which
have rested moment its walls, snd which the next
breeze will sweep away. Ascending a long fight Of
STEPS heavy door was opened for me, and stood in
the courtyard Of the mosque. Here nothing was TO be
seen but the quadrangle Of white marble, with the
mosque on its western side, aud the pure blue of the
sky overhead The three domes crown deep corridor,
open toward the court and divided into three ase by
triple row OF the most eXqusitey prOporOned Sara
Genie arches. The Notice Musjeed can be compared
10 Other odihce that have ever seen. To my eye 1t
is absolutely perfect While its architecture is the
puTest Ssracebc which suppose cannot exist with
out ornament il has the simplicity of Doric art
1t has in fact, nothing which properly be termed
ornament 1t Is sanctuary so pure aud stainless, re-
ycaling exalted spirit Of worship that felt hum
bled Christian. 10 think that n0bler religion has
never inspired its architects TO surpass this temple TO
God and MahoInet
Afler visiting the palace, Mr. Warren accompanied
me to the tomb Of Akbar, at Secundra about six miles
from Agra SecuBdra takes its name from Alexander,
whose invasion of India has thus been COMMUNICATED by
the Mtgus. The great Macedonian, however, did not
penetrate so far this, his battle with Porus having
been fought the Jheum, Hydaspes beyond Lahore
The read Secundra is studded with tombs and there
are many remains OF palaces the bank Of the Juna
The tomb of AkbaT stands ia the midst oil large square
garden which has lofty gateway of red sandstone in
the center of each Of its sides From these four gate
WAYS which are upward Of seventy feet high four grand
causcWays Of heWn stone converge 10 the central plat
form on which the mausoleum stands. The nterme-
date spaces filed with orange mango BANANA palm
and pcepul trees In the center of the caueways
Immense tanks and fountains. The platform Of solid
stone which terminates these magnificent approaches Is
about four hundred feet square The mauS0leum which
square measures than three hundred feet on
side and rises in five terraces, in pyramda form TO
the HIGHT of one hundred feet Around each of the ter
races runs an arched gallery surmounted bya OF
poas. restiUg circles oi small pillars The material
Of the edfoe is red sandstone except the upper story
which is Of white marble.
A long, descending passage leads from the main
trance vaulted hall in the center OF the structure
Light is admitted through few small openings in the
dome barely sufficient to show you plain tomb. in the
form Of sarcOplagus with a wreath of fresh roses IT,
inc uyon H. Beneath is the dust Of Akbar. ofthe
greatest mon who welded scepter the fourth
descendant in direct line from Tamerlane the grand
Dab tha nd fha her AT
Shah Jehsn; in him eliminated the wisdom the power
and the glory Of that lusrious line doubt If the
nSs of any family that ever regned can furnish six
cessye monsrchs comparable in the greatness Of their
endOWmcnts and splendor Of their rule 60 Baber HUI
.mayoon, AkbaT. Jehsn-Shir Shah Jehan and Aurung-
Zebe.
On tie summit of the mausOleum, which is open 70
tie sky and surrounded by OF marble, wrought
into patterns Of marvellous richness and variety alds
second tomb under pavilion ci marble covered with
aeidea dome This is eNQuisiey pured, containing
the nnetynine OF God in raised Arabic charac
ters iu0aed n elaborate scrOlwOrk At each corner
Of the upper terrace are two marble Urret the dOmes
Of which are covered with glded and emblSzOned tiles
The screens of marble klree around the sides
ranged IA panels two Of which present the same de-
SIGN There are small openings, 81 intervals, through
which looked out on the level country vstered By the
JumBs-Geow sandy tracts the river but recedng
into green wheat-helds and dark mango groves Agra
was almost hidden from sight by the trees, but above
them rose the spires OF two Christian churches the red
baitlemens Of the Fort and farther of the dome of the
Tai si'ery disc like the gibbOus moon, just hanging
On the horizon. warmth and sunny silence, Ike tha'
a Egypt hung over the landscape What had seen Of
iAe II ndor Of the Meguls and what thea saw, over
powered me lke magnificent dream.
We IN America hear ttls cfthese tliRgs and even
the accounts we get from In FISH ers generally
80 confused and unsatisfactory that Jon must pardon
t. IN attempting the description lose myself details
I thought the Ae11ar Of seville and the Ahsmbra y
Granada he'd sTesdy presented Inc with heprresS ype
Of SaIaceHir archlteeture kut vas mstal en- l iat