Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-07-18

.EAvES FROM DIR. THAYER'S JuUENAI-sIGHr-
AND SCENES IN INDIA.

+. people, scarcely any beyond what is needct
= for cooking rice and barley. Ii is transport
ed in carts and in baskets borne on the head
With the exception of a few bundles of fagots
and splinters Of wood now and then seen foi
use by those in better circumstances nothing
but dried manure is depended upon for fuel by
the masses. 1t is moulded between the hands,
sometimes with leaves added, into thin cakes
the size of a small plate, which are put upon
the outside of their mud huts where it is
dried, and afterwards sent to market. Chill
) dren following bullock teams in the streets,
quarrel for the fresh oflGl
On leaving Calcutta for trip into the in
terror Of India, we found it necessary to take
servant with us to put our sleeping apart
mcnt in the cars in order and to look after our
baggage and TO serve us at hotels Hotel keep
ers do not tprOvide servantsto serve their guests
at table or to take care of their rooms. | have
before referred to the division of labor even
among servants in India. We found il car
ried out to the letter by the one in our ser
vice. He could not take even our little dres-
sing bag from coach TO cars. nor from the
carriage 10 our rooms all that is done BY
carrier coolies, who are licensed, nor can
our servant ride IN the back of our carriage
without loosing caste there are those who
I'LL that office furnished from the livery sta
blcs. Our servant is a good Mahomedan,
says his prayers tiva times daily, kneeliug
and bowing his head 10 touch the stone pave
ment. He fasts thirty DAYS in each year {;
taking food but once and drink twice during
the twenty-four hours. During his period
of fasting, after the moon goes down he eats
a dinner made up of what he can get, and
drinks some milk or water at from one TO
two in the morning The greatest induce
ment he has for saving money is to lay aside
enough to defray his expenses to Mecca he
fore he dies
1t was late in the evening when we arrived
here and the crowd Of hotel runners
and dakh drivers awaiting our ar
rival and pressing us for their ser
vice was absolutely immense The number
who followed us and ran along side our car
riagc was legion. On reaching our hotel we
found it closed, dark and gloomy. We were
surrounded by host Of coolies, who uttered
IN concert a series of yels enough to make
timd persons like ourselves crazy. After
long waiting coolie appeared with lantern
IN hand and conducted Is up an outside
stone stair case that ledo a corridor on
which series OF doors opened into vacant
rooms with stone floors, having few strips
of old carpeting and rddlel straw mating
around cots nearly naked. The rooms are
large, gloomy apartments, With pair of
folding doors opening upon the corridor
another pair communicating with adjoining
rooms and third pair leading TO bathing
room; all are left open through the night for
ventilation. Agra is an old 2ity, dating back
TO 1920. 1t is situated on he bank OF the
river ,]umna, another holy sream: it has
population of $50, ,000 two-fIirds Hindoos.
1t is city full of interest historically, and |
for its costly buildings, built many genera
tlons ago, at an expense cute marvellous |
except with those VIII, have an
idea Of the wealth If the old |
moguls of India and of heir immense
expenditures in building pala'es, mosques |
and mausoleums. We have visited the Tui. |
the Fort, Seund. Iami Atsiid and the
Mausoeum of Itmadaddunurh To visit
these and TO study them according to their
worth would require months t hard work
and even then 10 appreciate tIrm fully re
pures knowledge of their history fImili-
arty with the Arabic lapcuagcS and of the
details of architecture. The 'iui is the gem
of India, was Srvcn',rn Years in the process
Of construction >; an expense Of about two
million dollar, employing twenty thousand
men, mp<tly workncn whose labor WIS
forcc. from them There is considerable
discrepancy of opinion as 10 the date Of its
commencement. hut none deny that it must
have been NJ least two hundred and fifty
years ago. On our way in the Tuj ahunt
one mile distant irOm our hotel VT bass
nearly all the way among the ruins OF
palaces. mosques and tombs. where in ages
gone by the mobiles of the old mogul
dynasty lived and Were buried As we
proceed We arrive at the gateway of the outer
court There are three arched gatcways
On each of the four sides of an oblong court
one thousand by one thousand
right hundred feet This outer court is sur
rounded by high red sand stone wall with
a dome on each of its tour corners resting
upon tall columns. The gateway of entrance
is by an arched d0med recess its portals are
nlaid with black and white marble with
passages from the koran. The outer walls
at the base for two or three feet in height
have flowers carved III has relief. The in
terror of the court is tagged with red sand
stone All around the inner walls are arched
rolonades. On passing through the gate op-
pOsite 10 the entrance, the inner court is
opened To view in which we see the Tuj in
the centre with its white marble walls, domes
and minaretS, and on either side of it hun
Ilred yards distant mosque Of red sand
stone, with white marble domes, turrets and
cupolas Between the gateway and
The red sand stone terrace ten feet high on
which these magnificent buildings rest, is Il
garden. Though the centre of this
garden to the terrace is water tank, II feet
wide; bordering it paved walk out
side of which is Il gravelled walk
irched over by the rare trees of India. among
which we noticed the cinnamon, cardamom
icacia and banyan. The inclosure is beauti-
fully laid out with trees, shrubs and flowers
through which we pasSt reach the Tuj, which
stands upon an elevated platform ten feet
,iub Qfl feet yiIe on1 300 fa.t Joa,, ,E raI /
sand stone. In the centre Of the platform
stands the white marble Tuj, and on either
side 200 feet from it stands mosque of red
sand stone with marble cupolas and domcs
The Tuj itself occupies 3l3 feet square. 1t is
with four of its sides projecting
)utwards from their centres so as 10 afford II
space on the roof for beautiful domes to rest,
md give space for half domcd archcd win
lows in recess The structure itself is two
stories high with flat roof 20 feet from the
he terrace ON which it stands. At each
ingle is minaret 100 feet high and in the
'entre Of the roof rests dome surmount- I
ii by gilt crescent 260 feet from the ,
yround On four sides are beautiful gate
ways of entrance, in recess with half
iomed arches, which with their caps and
plasters are inlaid with precious stones,
II Saracenc and Arabic characters
!
The outside walls are paneed near the |
Jase with black and red marble, the panels
having rare flowers carved upon them in has ,
relief. In fact the whole exterior from base
% uppcrt terrace, the wainscoting of the doors
md windows the mnarets, cupolas and
iomcs, are artisticaly inlaid with brown
and red marble. We pass through the high
lrched, richly y-ornamented gateway into an
antr-room 80 feet from side TO
,ide. There are eight of these rooms below | t
md eight above surrounding the great hall, all {
decorated with precious stones inlaid, repre-
'enting flowers and creeping vines and pas
iages fromthe koran. From one of these rooms ,
We descend by long, dark sloping passage i
way 10 an underground, high vaulted room,
where upon white marble platform rest two ;
saTcuphagi, one containing the remains of
Mumtaz Mahal, 10 commemorate whom. and
is II testimonial Of love for her, the Tui was
rcctrd The other contains the remains of
ler husband, sab Julian. one of the mogtls |
# India. Both are beautifully inlaid with
precious stones, among which noticed the
jasper, onyN, blood Sionr and s.pIhrcs
n the rarrSt designs Of ormimcuiatinn !
We returned from the vault and entered the F;
great hall which extends from the basement
q the upper terrace Just hcnrath the great |
central dome. Upon platform in the centre
VI the hall rest two monuments oi pure
y hitr marble mad with a.atcs. chalcrdnnv
lnd laps-uzui. surrounded bv a screen Of
Larhlc live feet IN height in the open ir;lccrv
If which lpwcrS are dclcatcly represented
Is II the whole is II piece Of lace work The
walls and arch of the great hall throughout
'rr inlaid with precious stones In short the I.
Shulr structure without and within. from i,
Iasc tu summit lis dumcS, mnarrts and
hrlr columns "l support are iaStciully and
ornamcntcd i'll beautiful and
lrlistlc designs with all the richness that I
,rcai varieties ui marble and sand stone
an give il and 10y the chisc in the hands ni |
he Sculpt'gr and abundance of jasper, agatcs. =
'ubics, amethyss and lapis-la from the /
works of the apidary | have seen bcaut- i
ul prnlingS of ii on ivory, models in ivory.
marble and Soapsione, photographs and :
ndia ink representations OF this admirable '
ributc "f affection from II husband to wife, 4
nj they all seem more like a cariculurc of ;
than otherwise 4
II IL