Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-12-26

Lucknow! A word to conjure With

Lucknow.
Lucknow. A word to coniure With
IA word once in the mouth of every
body aud bringing up memories in de-
iall OF that. III ,st remarkable of all
sizes. when for five long months a
starving garrison of 2,oDJ souls held
out against the harasSing fire Of a well
armed. well-provi,ioned pagan enemy.
Commencing at $50 O'clock ono morn
uperticially at least, by noon i the day
favoring that late exposure. The first
place visited was the Dilkusha palace
Only the pOnderOus 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 Tin Euro ,,ean s,yl.)
by an old Missilman "a hunting box
and private residence for favorites of
his harem. The ground. are still very
pretty.
We were next driven to the Martin
iere or Con tantia. q huge rambling
pile still in good state OF preservation.
emboiyinS many types of essentially
Occidental architecture. The top is
ornainenicd with good deal OF stucco
gingerbread work, and with profusiou
of statues, including image, of mytho-
logical deities a nj prancing lions with
lanterns for eyes. In front Of the
building. and between it aud the
Goomty River. is a large tank with .
tall column in its center. This build
ing has qnite history. 1t was erected
by philanthropic Frenchman named
Claude MARITIME. who came to In liza as
pennies, adventurer auh died a
Ma orIeneral worth millions of dol
lar'. The bIilding was put up at an
enormous cost II tlo over seventy-fivs
years ago. Ma died before it was
finished, but left funds for its endOw-
ment ~ a school. ordering that his re-
mains should be entombed in it to
secure it from possible confscation.
Thus, as We approached the building,
we could hear the hum of 20) voices,
and saw dark but smooth-skinned
Anglo-Indian boys wandering about
perusing their lessons.
The tomb Of the first King of Odde
was the next thing on our list. Pass
ing by frowsy- headed woman who was
beating her breast ON the street, We
walked under an immense gate bearing
the inscriptions "Shah Nuzzuf." and
name of tie King. Mirsa Gahzeeod-
deenhyder. The tomb proved to be an
immense domed mausoleum, adorned
with thousands Of candle holders cut.
side for purposes of illumination, and
with vast quantities Of glassware and
tiasel stuff within. 1t was before this
tomb that the "relief' of Lucknow met
with its severest opposition. Here II
was, also, that Brigaiie Adrian Hope
distinguished him elf by going alone to
seek for an unglarded wicket gate.
which he found just at the supreme
moment.
The Kaiser Bagh, ono of the chief
monuments of Lucknow, was the great
work of the present ex-King Of Dude,
who is State prisoner at Garden
Beach, in the suburbs of Calcutta. Ii
was commenced in lS4S and finished
about two years later ut cost Of some
thing like $:.3U0.0O0 in our money.
The palace of Cesar, aJ the name sig
mites, must have been the theater Of
numerous brilliant spectacles before it
was despoiled of its royal furniture and
appointments. Its fountains, gardens
aud pavilions still testify of the splen-
dors of the past. when they belonged to
one of the most extravagant of eastern
courts. Lying all around the great
open square of the Kaiser Bagh proper
are various piles, more or less preien-
tious, that served to shelter some part
of the royal household or its belongings.
There is one court that WAS formerly
paved with silver. There are tOmbs,
gates, and observatories, and over on
the bank Of the Goomty River are two
more elaborate palaces, one called the
Clutter Munzil by reason of the gilt
umbrellas with which its domes are sur
mounted. 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 plas-
tered over, but one Quite forgets that
in the first burst Of superficial admira-
ton. The entrance to the tomb-for II
is tomo, like many Of lndia's grand
est palacs,-is marked by the usual
richly decorated double gateways.
within which is large tablet Inscribed
with the British lion aud unicorn, and
the universal "..ieu ct Mon Droit."
The real Imamhara stands up
on an elevated terrace at the
rear Of spacious court filed
with fountains anu towers. Il was
built by Nnwa5 Asafuddanlah at an in
estimable cusf. He was anxious TO per-
petuato his memory. and required the
achitects to submit their plans to CON-
petition. eac., oae vouohing that his
building sho.ld he copy Of no sxist-
ing structure. and that it should snrpass
everything of the Ain.l ever built Ia
architectural beauty. kaiiiat-ul!Ah,
the succe ssful compe,it ,r. builded well.
and humb!y bow before this graceful
monument Of the art Of nti,uity. The
di nens,ons of the and hall are 1877
feet by -! feet, and at each end sPe
octagO"al apartments iiftv. three feet
in diameter. The interior Is filled with
the 50 10 cxquisitelv Useless insignia
that noticed IN The shah Nukzuf
Around abou. the lima are various
magnificent, foundations and incomplete
structures. left nv this same Nawab.
There !, au incipient mus i'd intended
to surpass the fAmoas .Iumma Mus. ID
of lie h.; but at his death 1t failed to
mater. allie further. There are also
foIr stories of a gigantic wntchtower
which he starlcd that he might look
down from its top upon 1.-THE great
BABY Ion that he had built" also falling
into decav. f*i'adeif,hta Press.
The French Government naYs a sum