190 
THE ORIENTAL ANNUAL. 
rocket, or, as others insist, by the orders of the 
commandant, who preferred death to subjection — the 
magazine within the Madressa blew up, at a moment 
when the roof was covered with the garrison, who 
had assembled upon it for the purpose of selling 
their lives as dearly as possible. It is almost needless 
to add that all persons thereon perished : among them 
were the governor and his three sons. 
It is certainly extraordinary that any uncertainty 
should exist concerning so signal an event, and one 
which occurred at no very remote period ; at a time, 
indeed, concerning which historians have, for the 
most part, been tediously explicit. Of the fact, how- 
ever, there is no question ; indeed, evident traces of 
the shock are to be observed even to this day, and 
all relations agree in mentioning that so fearful was 
the explosion, that the massive vaulted roof was 
carried high in the air, and fell in a shower of stones 
upon the city ; moreover, the minaret, near which 
was stowed the great bulk of the powder, was seen 
to reel to and fro, till, losing its equilibrium, it fell 
against the ruined base of a neighbouring wall, and 
the beautiful shaft was shivered in twain about forty 
feet from its foundation. The lower part still stands 
in an inclined position, as seen in the accompanying 
plate. The other minaret remains entire, and pre- 
sents a goodly specimen of what these magnificent 
erections once were. It is upwards of a hundred and 
thirty feet in height, and elaborately decorated with 
