162 
THE ORIENTAL ANNUAL, 
those who are neither well acquainted with the won- 
ders to which I refer, nor insensible to their merits, 
if proved, I give this modest assurance, — that the 
annexed plate is the finest illustration that could be 
offered them, and more eloquent than a whole chapter 
of words. It is a part of the ancient serai, and over- 
looks the site of the arena, which was used by 
the Emperors for chariot races and wild beast fights. 
There is one curious fact in the history of the 
great Akbur, which I have never met with in the 
English language, and therefore I shall not hesitate 
to introduce it here. Eminent as he really was 7 
both as a soldier and a statesman, Akbur was no less 
skilled in the dark mysteries of the soothsayer. 
Numerous are the accredited instances in which he 
is stated to have divined with truth the most inscru- 
table operations of fate, whole months before they 
were open to the vulgar eye ; and to this day is dis- 
played by the guides at Futtehpore Sikri the mystic 
chamber, or rather the remnants of it, in which the 
subtle secrets of the magic arts were practised by the 
Emperor. It has been before remarked, that the 
Brahmins have great pretensions to excellence in the 
occult sciences ; and, although he was the great 
Mogul himself, to these heretics Akbur was pleased 
to extend his especial patronage ; he even con- 
descended to admit them to his cedes sacra, when 
their great proficiency entitled them to that honor. 
To this rather than to his earth-bound wisdom, the 
