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"All the omrahs and great men of the country were invited to this 

 festivity, and a party of English ladies and gentlemen went to the 

 celebration on elephants caparisoned. The nabob had his tents 

 pitched on the plains, near the city of Lucknow; among the num- 

 ber were two remarkably large, made of strong cotton cloth, lined 

 with the finest English broad-cloth, cut in stripes of different 

 colours, with cords of silk and cotton. These two tents cost five 

 lacs of rupees, or above fifty thousand pounds sterling; they were 

 each an hundred and twenty feet long, sixty broad, and the poles 

 about sixty feet high : the walls of the tents were ten feet high; 

 part of them were cut into lattice- work for the women of the na- 

 bob's seraglio, and those of the principal nobility, to see through. 

 In front of the tent prepared for our reception was a large shu- 

 meeana, or awning, of fine English broad-cloth, supported on sixty 

 poles covered with silver ; this awning was about an hundred feet 

 long and as many broad. We were received with great politeness 

 by the nabob, who conducted us to one of the largest tents des- 

 tined for the men, where we sat for about an hour. His highness 

 was covered with jewels, to the amount at least of two millions 

 sterling. From thence we removed to the shumeeana, which was 

 illuminated by two hundred elegant girandoles from Europe, as 

 many glass shades with wax candles, and several hundred flam- 

 beaux ; the glare and reflection was dazzling, and offensive to the 

 sight. When seated under this extensive canopy, above a hundred 

 dancing-girls, richly dressed, went through their elegant, but ra- 

 ther lascivious dances and motions, and sung some soft airs of the 

 country, chiefly Persic and Hindoo- Persic. About seven o'clock, 

 the bridegroom Vazeer Ally, the young nabob, made his appear- 



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