VIZIER ALLY'S WEDDING. 173 



44 The bridegroom was about thirteen years 

 44 of age, the bride ten ; both of a dark com- 

 44 plexion and not handsome. The former was 

 44 so absurdly loaded with jewels, that he could 

 44 scarcely stagger under the precious weight. 



44 From the shumeeana the company invited 

 44 to this festivity proceeded on elephants, to an 

 44 extensive and beautiful garden about a mile 

 44 distant. The procession was grand beyond 

 44 conception ; it consisted of about twelve hun- 

 44 dred elephants richly caparisoned, drawn up in 

 44 a regular line like a regiment of soldiers. About 

 44 one hundred elephants in the centre had howdahs, 

 44 or castles covered with silver: in the midst of 

 4 - these appeared the Nabob, mounted on an un- 

 44 commonly large elephant, within a howdah co- 

 44 vered with gold, richly set with precious stones. 

 44 On his right hand was the British resident at 

 44 the court of Lucknow ; on his left the young 

 44 bridegroom : the English gentlemen and ladies 

 44 and the native nobility were intermixed on the 

 44 right and left. On both sides of the road from 

 44 the tents to the garden, was raised artificial 

 44 scenery of bamboo- work, very high, repre- 

 44 senting bastions, arches, minarets and towers, 

 " covered with lights in glass lamps, which made 



