Delta chief., 1884-08-20
LUCKNOW.

lsuChHoN- ~ "oIu ~ touJulC WIN
"A word once in the mouth of every
body and bringing up memories in de-
tail of that most remarkable of all
sicgcs. when for five long months a
starving garrison OF 1000 souls held
out against the harassing fire Of = we'll
armed. well-provsioned pagan enemy
Commencing n, 5 80 o'clock one morn
ing. we managed to do" Lucknow,
superticially at least. by noon-,he day
fayoring that late exposure. The first
place visited was the Dilkusha palace.
Only the pondcrous ruins of this once
grand structure are now standing. The
walls are fully two feet thick. and large
trees are growing in the interior. The
palace was built lin European stylc)
by al old Mussulman as n hunting box
and private residence for favorites of
bis harem. The grounds are still very
pretty.
We were next driven 20 the Marti.
nicrc or Constantia, huge rambling
pile still in a good state of preserva-
,ion, embodying many types of essen-
italy Occidental architecture. The
fop is ornamcn,ed with good deal of
stucco gingerbread WORK. and with a
pro!usion Of statues, including images
of mYthologica! dcities aud prancing
lions with lanterns for eyes. In front
OF the building. and between IL and the
Goomty river. is q large tank with n
tall column in its center. This build
ing has quite a history. II was erected
by philan,hropic Frcnchman named
Claude MARITIME. who came to India us
a pcnniless adventurer and died a
Major General worth millions Of dol
lars. The building was put up at AN
enormous cost little over sevcn,y-five
years ago. MARITIME died before il was
finished, bu, left funds for its cndow-
mcnt as n school, ordering tina, his re-
mains should be entombcd in il to Sc
cure il from possible coniiscaiion. Thus,
ss We approached the building. We
could hear the hum Of 200 voices. and
saw dark but smooth-skinncd Anglo
Indian boys wandering about pcrusing
their lessons.
The tomb of the first King Of Dude
was the next thing on on our list. Pass
ing by frowsy-hcadcd woman who
was beating her breast on the street. we
walked under an immense gate bearing
the inscription. "Shah Nuzzuf." and
name OF the king. Mirsa Gahzccoddccn-
hydcr. Tho tomb proved to be an i'm
mcnsc domcd mausolcum. adorned
with thousands OF candlc-holdcrs out
kidc for purposes of illumination. and
with vast amounts of glassware and
tnscl stuff within. 1t was before this
tomb that the relief of Lucknow met
with its scvcrest opposition. Here it
was. also. that Brigadicr Adrian Hope
distinguished himself by going alone 10
seek for an unguardcd wickct-gatc.
which he found just Mt the supreme mo-
mcnt.
Tho Kaiser Bagh, one OF the chief
monuments Of Lucknow. was tho great
work Of the present cx-king of Dude.
who is state prisoner at Garden
Reach. in the suburbs Of Calcutta. 1t
was commenced in lS4S and finished
about two years later at n cost of some
thing like 81 500.0 in our money.
The palace OF Caesar, rs tho nnmc signi-
iics, must have been the theatre of nu-
mcrous brilliant spectacles before it
was dcspoiled Of its royal furniture and
appointments. Its fountains, gardens
and pavilions still testify of the splcnd-
ors Of the past. when they belonged to
ono of tho most cItravagant OF east
crn courts. Lying ali around the great
open square Of the Kaiser Bagh proper
arc various piles. more or less preten-
tious. that served to shelter some part
Of the royal household or its belong
ings. There one court that was
formerly paved with silver. There are
tombs, gates, and observatorics, and
over on the bank Of tho Goomty river
are two more elaborate palaces, one
called the Chuttcr Munzil by reason of
tho gilt umbrellas with which its domes
arc surmountcd. This building is now
used as museum and public library
hall.
But whatever of architectural fame
Lucknow has is embodied in the great
Imambara. Even this is Of brick
plastercd over, but one quite forgets
that in tho first burst OF superficial
admiration. Tho entrance to tho tomb
for It is tomb, like many Of 1ndia's
grnndest palaces-is marked by tho
usual richly decorated double gate
ways, within which is large tablet in
scribed with tho British lion and uni
corn, and tho universal "Diou ct Mon
Droit." Tho real Imambara stands
uppu nm elevnfaI ierroro Mt the rcar of