410 
ROYAL PERSIAN JUSTICE. 
of one of the Khosroes of Persia, most likely Noushirvan, the 
Great Chosroes of the Roman writers, who flourished in the 
sixth century of our era, and generally held his courts, cele¬ 
brated for magnificence, in this part of his empire. I lamented 
not having been able to examine these remains myself, but from 
the notes and sketches whence I drew my present information, 
I should he inclined to think the architecture in a very bad taste. 
The edifice stands about half a mile from the river, and is built 
of fine bricks, each equal in size to those of Babylon, but no 
inscription has yet been discovered on any of them. Indeed 
it is supposed from their general appearance, that they have 
been manufactured expressly for the object in which they are 
found; and all that is now left of the apparently more extensive 
structure, is a fa 9 ade of 284 feet, divided in the centre by a lofty 
semicircular arch, rather flatter in the bow than that of our Anglo- 
Saxon. Similar formed arches, of niche-like proportions, sur¬ 
mount each other in innumerable ranges all over the face of the 
building. The span of the centre arch is 82 feet 5 inches, its 
height 100; and the depth of the great porch or hall it forms is 
153 feet. The construction of its walls corresponds with these 
vast dimensions, being 19 feet thick, with additional piers or 
buttresses of 25 feet in solid fabric. “ The History of Persia,” 
from the Rozut-ul-Suffa, gives an interesting anecdote of this 
palace and its founder. A Roman ambassador, who had been 
sent to Noushirvan with rich presents, was admiring the noble 
prospect from a window of the royal palace, when he remarked 
a rough piece of ground ; and making enquiry why it was not ren¬ 
dered uniform with the rest, the person to whom he spoke replied, 
“ It is the property of an old woman, who, though often re¬ 
quested to sell it to the king, has constantly refused; and our 
