United States or Marshall Islands ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
No. 3 Column now marched into the heart of the city, being guided by Sir Theophilus Metcalfe, and by a circuitous route made its way towards the Jama Musjid. Soon we lost sight of this force, and then our own work began. Advancing from our first place at the main guard, No. 5 Column pushed forward to the College Gardens, marching through narrow streets and lanes, with high houses on each side.
The two events which arrested my attention were the massacre of five hundred French troops near Jamâ El-Ghazouat, and the annexation of Texas, as most relating to my present pursuits. The first was an evident retribution for burning alive a tribe of Arabs in the caverns of the Atlas.
He it was who built the Jama Masjid, the great mosque set commandingly on a mound and gained by magnificent flights of steps. To the traveller approaching the city from any direction the two graceful minarets of the mosque stand for Delhi.
In this respect nothing could be more widely separated than his conduct and that of the three priests of the Jama Masjid in Delhi, who, discovering us on the wall, just before the Friday service began, held up the service for several minutes while they explained their schedule of gratuities beginning with ten rupees for the High Priest and this after we had already provided for the attendant who had supplied the overshoes and had led us to the point of vantage!
Mohammedans swear by the beard of the Prophet, just as good Christians swear by "the great horned spoon," or by "great Caesar's ghost," so that the possession of even this one poor little hair, surrounded as it is by a blue halo of suspicion as to its authenticity, sheds a ray of glory upon the great Jama Mesjid scarcely surpassed by its importance as the second-largest mosque in the world.
It was now midday, and at the latter place we were joined by No. 3 Column, which, making its way to the Jama Musjid, met with such a strenuous resistance that, after losing many men, and being without powder with which to blow up the gates of the mosque, it was forced to retire.
There were few defenders at these places, the mass of sepoys having evidently fled into the country; and the troops marched through the streets almost without opposition. There now remained but the Palace, Selimgarh, and the Jama Masjid, and these were all occupied by our troops on that day.
The country was nearly similar to that between Falezlez and Aisou; plains or slightly indented valleys. The granite appeared again, with sandstone on the top. No herbage was found to-day, except a few scanty bits here and there. In the morning our blacks all ran up to a sugar-loaf shaped rock, which they called their altar or temple, Jama.
September 7 to 14 Strength of our force General Wilson's order Volunteers for artillery called for All our batteries open fire Number of casualties during bombardment Frequent sorties Death of Captain Fagan, Bengal Artillery Breaches examined Orders for the assault Details of columns The assault Blowing in of Kashmir Gate Details of the operations Cowardly tactics of the enemy Gallant conduct of Private Moylan, 61st Regiment Gallant conduct of Surgeon Reade, 61st Regiment Doing of Nos. 1 and 2 columns Nicholson mortally wounded No. 4 column attacks Kishenganj Conduct of the Kashmir troops They lose their guns Their search for them Failure of the attack on Kishenganj Intention of the enemy Work of the Cavalry Brigade Support by the Guides infantry Casualties on September 14 Bravery of the native troops Temptations to drink All liquor destroyed We construct more batteries Reported intentions of the General These overruled The enemy attacks our advanced posts We storm the magazine Further advance of Nos. 1 and 2 Columns The 61st move to the church Colonel Skinner State of the church Unsuccessful attack on the Burn bastion Eclipse of the sun The Burn bastion captured The enemy begin to retire Capture of the Lahore Gate and Garstin bastion The Palace and Selimgarh taken The Jama Masjid taken The 61st move to Ali Khan's house Casualties Reflections
In and around it are innumerable palaces, mosques, tombs and forts, each and all worthy of careful inspection; but I will only mention the Jama Musjid; inside the fort the Diwan-i-Am, wherein formerly stood the famous peacock throne; and the Diwan-i-Kas, at either end of which, over the outer arches, is the famous Persian inscription, "If Heaven can be on the face of the earth it is this!
Word Of The Day