hments, after having worked all the week, they
are compelled to pray all day long, and their greatest amusement
consists in being allowed to sit for a few hours gravely before the
house-doors. A person who passed a Sunday in this country among
strict Protestants would imagine that God had forbidden the most
innocent amusements.

These two religious societies, unfortunately, are not on very
amicable terms, and censure and persecute every slight irregularity
on the part of each other; by this means not setting the natives
living round them a very good example.

My last visit was to the magnificent treasure of Agra, and, indeed,
of all India--the famous Taj-Mehal.

I had read somewhere that this monument ought to be visited last, as
the others would not be admired at all after seeing this. Captain
Elliot says: "It is difficult to give a description of this
monument; the architecture is full of strength and elegance."

The Taj-Mehal was erected by the Sultan Jehoe (Dschehoe), in memory
of his favourite muntaza, Zemani. Its building is said to have cost
750,000 pounds. Properly speaking, the sultan's memory is more
perpetuated by this building than that of his favourite, for every
one who saw it would involuntarily ask who erected it. The names of
the architect and builder are unfortunately lost. Many ascribe it
to Italian masters; but when it is seen that there are so many other
admirable works of Mahomedan architecture, either the whole must be
considered foreign or this must be admitted to be native.

The monument stands in the centre of a garden, upon an open terrace
of red sandstone, raised twelve feet above the ground. It
represents a mosque of an octagon form, with lofty arched entrances,
which, together with the four minarets that stand at the corners of
the terrace, is entirely built of white marble. The principal dome
rises to a height of 260 feet, and is surrounded by four smaller
ones. Round the outside of the mosque extracts from the Koran are
inlaid in characters of black marble.

In the principal apartment stand two sarcophagi, of which one
contains the remains of the sultan, the other those of his
favourite. The lower part of the walls of this apartment, as well
as both sarcophagi, are covered with costly mosaic work of the most
beautiful stones. A marble lattice-work, six feet high, surrounding
the two sarcophagi, is a masterpiece of art. It is so delicate and
finely worked, that it seem