The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-05-12
A Wonderful Structure.

Slhi, India, to the Chicago Nail,
e7sefiDes the many magnificent
s3'nos, morgues and other structures
= Nat region. We quote from Mr..
x1afrIson's letter as follows:
i'ut this and all the things l haye
aned and all the things L have seen,
sisany of which are of wondrous
Issaaiy or of lofty grandeur, and will
I'VE In memory while l live--aIl of
shee pale and dWindle when brought
mo comparison with the one per-
iee'ly beautiful thing, not of India
alone, but of the world. l refer to
tae"Taj Mahal." L had read much
ot his Panouns structure. l expec-
tedmSs but had an underlined i'm
iB6 red ~ was to be disappoin-
ref va EIe feeling that my expec-
tstionS could not be realized. l
almosN &eaded this when l Iapproach.
ed IL trough the great south gate
way, ltelf magnificent building of
red sandtone, 110 feet square aud 140
feet hlghpierced by portal seven
ty-tiYe fNt to the keystone of the
pointed ach. The structure is so
relieved b, inlaid white marble in
arabesques'riezes of vines and flow
ers, and enblatures of quotations
from the koln that it looks light
and cheerful The gateway alone
would be It mausoleum for
Queen. Between this and the tomb
is garden 9OOeet square, planted
in trees of richie, foliage. These so
ma the mauSolenl that | did not see
it until stood be,re the great arch
portal of the gat. This made q
frame work shoWig only the tomb
proper, AT first itooked small. for
so perfect are its PROPORTIONS it seem.
ed quite near and soight and airy as
to seem phantomDicture thrown
before blue sky. The picture was
so beautiful that l passed for some
minutes. A man passed along the
platform and seemed amere pigmy,
thus showing my eye the distance
and causing it to comprehend the
perfect proportions of the structure.
| soon knew there was to be no dis
appointment. The "Taj" was even
moe beautiful than | had anticipa-
ted. AS l walked forward through
the gateway the picture Widened un-
ltilits broad wings and lofty minarets
an full view, ana as it widened
Y could fancy the dome was lower
ing. YeW and cypress has made a
broad avenue partially concealing
the lower portion of the wings and
minarets. In the middle of thi.
avenue was a broad marble walk
with a long pool of pure water con-
fined between marble walls, and a
broad fountain bed halfway down.
| walked slowly along this walk
looking at the building before me,
dazzling and white in the Indian
monday sun, and still it seemed to
be growing lower. But after remov.
ing my eyes from it, after passing
around the central fountain, this
effect disappeared, and as l still ap-
preached it grew taller, until stand
ing in front of the great platform on
which it is built, l realized the gran
deur of the,whole. Its whole length
from minaret to minaret, and the
height to top of dome, all was fully
nef0re me. | looked up to the pin.
pacle $50 feet. / shall not attempt
any further description than to say
the entire structure is of white
veined or rather slightly clOuded
marble, is square, with the corners
cut off, and is surrounded by one
grand dome. with smaller one al
each corner, and four lofty minarets
over $50 feet high at the corner of the
wings. In front and on each side is
a wonderful doorway, sixty odd feet
high, being the segment of Sara.
cenic arched vault. Flanking these
doorways are arched window recesse,
one above another to the level of the
arch of the great portal. The whole
is inlaid in beautiful figures anC
arbesques in dark marble, thereby
relieving the structure of too glarins
appearance. Under the great dome
is noble vaulted room of polished
white marble, the wainscoting beau
tifully carved in vines and lotu!
flowers, and above inlaid in costly
marbles.
In the centre of this vaulted room
Immediately under the apex of thu
dome, is the cenotaph of "Montaz,'
called "Taj Mahol," or "crown of th'
house." 1t is cut from a great BLOCK
ofsnOw-white alabaster. A part o.
it is beautifully carved, and tn,
whole made beautiful by graceful
vines and pretty flowers, composed
OF lapis, lazuli, cornelian, topaz
blond STONE iaSnnr nnNX nlOSS-ao