daily to give audience to his court, to receive ambassadors,
and to administer justice. At the foot of the alcove is a square
slab of marble, about 3 feet in height, on which, it is said,
his ministers stood to receive petitions to the Emperor, and to
convey his commands thereon. On the right and left of the throne are
chambers with perforated marble windows, through which the ladies of
the zanana could view the proceedings. Bernier's lively description,
though it properly belongs to the Diwan-i-am at Delhi, will enable
us to picture the scene in the days of the Great Mogul:--

"The monarch every day, about noon, sits upon his throne, with some
of his sons at his right and left, while eunuchs standing about the
royal person flap away the flies with peacocks' tails, agitate the air
with large fans, or wait with undivided attention and profound humility
to perform the different services allotted to each. Immediately under
the throne is an enclosure, surrounded by silver rails, in which are
assembled the whole body of _omrahs_ (nobles), the Rajas, and the
ambassadors, all standing, their eyes bent downwards and their hands
crossed. At a greater distance from the throne are the _mansebdhars_,
or inferior _omrahs_, also standing in the same posture of profound
reverence. The remainder of the spacious room, and, indeed, the whole
courtyard, is filled with persons of all ranks, high and low, rich
and poor; because it is in this extensive hall that the King gives
audience indiscriminately to all his subjects; hence it is called
_Am Khas_, or audience chamber of high and low.

"During the hour and a half, or two hours, that this ceremony
continues, a certain number of the royal horses pass before the throne,
that the King may see whether they are well used and Usbec, of every
kind, and each dog with a small red covering; lastly, every species
of the birds of prey used in field sports for catching partridges,
cranes, hares, and even, it is said, for hunting antelopes, on which
they pounce with violence, beating their heads and blinding them with
their wings and claws."

After this parade, the more serious business of the day was attended
to. The Emperor reviewed his cavalry with peculiar attention, for he
was personally acquainted with every trooper. Then all the petitions
held up in the assembled crowd were read and disposed of before the
audience closed.

On festivals or other special occasions the pillars of the hall were