316 Eoi/al Gardens uf Lahore. 



evidently superior to any thing we can suppose the natives to 

 have ever arrived at; and, therefore, were, most hkely, de? 

 signed by the artists who came from Italy to construct the 

 tomb. The tomb itself is in the centre of the building, and is 

 composed of the whitest marble, inlaid with mosaic work of 

 cornelians, representing wreaths of flowers of the most beautiful 

 hues ; the cornelians being of such a variety of colours, that 1 

 counted sixteen differently coloured in the formation of one 

 flower ; and so exquisite is the execution of this mosaic, that 

 the junction of one stone with the other was discernible only 

 by a very near inspection. Around this edifice is a spacious 

 court-yard, and a fine garden of orange and pomegranate trees, 

 the whole encompassed by a good wall. The immense sum 

 said to have been expended in the construction of this wall 

 I dare not name, as it appears incredible. In the vicinity of 

 this splendid sepulchre of the Emperor Jehangeer is the modest 

 tomb of his beauteous, fascinating, and favourite Sultana, 

 styled Noor Muhul, the Light of the Palace, and afterwards, 

 Noor Jelian, the Light of the World. But she is better known 

 to our English readers, since the publication of Moore's last 

 and best poem, Lalla Rookh, where she is styled, the Light of 

 the Haram. It may be satisfactory here to gratify the curiosity 

 of your readers respecting this far-famed beauty, by giving 

 some history of her birth and fortunes ; and, in offering this, I 

 know of no better mode to convey information, than by adding 

 an extract from Dow's History of Hindostan. 



" About the year 1586, Chaja Aiass, a native of the Western 

 Tartary, left that country, to push his fortune in Hindostan. 

 He was descended of an ancient and noble family, fallen to 

 decay by various revolutions of fortune. He, however, had 

 received a good education, which was all his parents could 

 bestow. Falling in love with a young woman, as poor as him- 

 self, he married her ; but he found it difficult to provide for 

 her the very necessaries of life. Reduced to the last extremity, 

 he turned his thoughts upon India, the usual resource of the 

 needy Tartars of the North, He left privately friends who 

 either would not or could not a^iist him, and turned his face to 



