hich
connected it with the palace in the time of Jahangir, but there cannot
be much doubt that this was the locality described by William Finch
as the "Dersane Darwaza, leading into a fair court, extending along
the river, in which the King looks forth every morning at sun-rising,
which he salutes, and then his nobles resort to their _Tesillam_
(obeisance). Right under the place where he looks out, is a kind
of scaffold, whereon his nobles stand, but the _Addis_ with others
await below in the court. Here also every noone he looketh forth
to behold _Tamashah_, or fighting of Elephants, Lyons, Buffles,
killing of Deare with Leopards, which is a custom on every day of
the weeke, Sunday excepted, on which is no fighting; but Tuesday,
on the contrary, is a day of blood, both of fighting beasts, and
justiced men, the King judging and seeing executions."

The Diwan-i-am.

The road now turns towards the right, through the Mina Bazar, the
old market-place, where merchants displayed jewellery, brocades,
and similar stuffs for the nobles and others attending the court. A
gateway leads into the great courtyard of the Diwan-i-am, or Hall of
Public Audience, which, with its surrounding arcades, was for a long
time used as an armoury for the British garrison. The hall itself was
restored in 1876 by Sir John Strachey, then Lieutenant-Governor of
the North-West Provinces. The courtyard has recently been put back,
as far as possible, into its original condition by Lord Curzon's
orders. A further great improvement has been made by the removal of
the hideous modern additions which entirely concealed all the arcades.

The present hall, which is an open pavilion formed by a triple row
of colonnades, was commenced by Shah Jahan, but, if we may believe
tradition, was not completed until the 27th year of the reign of
Aurangzib. The arcades surrounding the quadrangle are probably of
Akbar's time. The interior dimensions of the hall are 192 feet by 64
feet. It is constructed of red sandstone, plastered over with a fine
white polished stucco, which served both as a protection to the stone
and as a ground for coloured decoration and gilding. This plaster-work
was carried to the perfection of a fine art by the old Mogul builders,
but the restoration of it in 1876 was very indifferently carried out.

The throne of the Emperor was in an alcove of inlaid marble at the
back of the hall, and connected with the royal apartments behind. Here
he sat