Identifier: aroundworldwith02youn (find matches)
Title: Around the world with General Grant: a narrative of the visit of General U.S. Grant, ex-president of the United States, to various countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa, in 1877, 1878, 1879. To which are added certain conversations with General Grant on questions connected with American politics and history
Year: 1879 (1870s)
Authors: Young, John Russell, 1841-1899
Subjects: Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885 Voyages around the world
Publisher: New York : The American News Co.
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Internet Archive

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a mass of jewels and gold valued atabout $30,000,000. Mr. Beresford, in his book on Delhi, saysit was called the peacock throne from its having the figuresof two peacocks standing behind it, their tails expanded, and the wholeso inlaidwith sap-phires, ru-bies, emer-alds, pearls,and otherp r e c i o usstones of ap-p r opr i atecolors as torepresentlife. Thethrone itselfwas six feetlong by four feet broad. It stood on six massive feet, which, with the body,were of solid gold inlaid with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds.It was supported by a canopy of gold, upheld by twelve pillars,all richly emblazoned with costly gems and a fringe of pearlsornamented the borders of the canopy. On the other sideof the throne stood umbrellas, one of the Oriental emblems ofroyalty. They were formed of crimson velvet richly embroid-ered and fringed with pearls. The handles were eight feethigh, of solid gold, and studded with diamonds. The ceilingof this hall was of solid silver. In 1739, when Nadir Shah, the
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INI EK1GK Ol IWLACE. THE MOSQUE. 63 Persian, took Delhi, he broke up the peacock throne and car-ried away the jewels, the Mahrattas came in 1760 and took thesilver, the English the mosaics, the bath-tubs of marble, andarticles of lesser value, so that the room of the peacock throneis now a stripped and shabby room, with no shadow of itsformer splendor. We went into the bath-rooms of the kings and the moreprivate apartments. Some of those rooms had been ingen-iously decorated in frescoes, but when the Prince of Walescame to Delhi a ball was given him in the palace, and threefrescoes were covered with whitewash. No reason was givenfor this wantonness, but that it was thought white would lightup better under the ball-room lamps. I asked one of the offi-cers who accompanied us, and who told us the story with indig-nation, whether the decorations could not be restored, like therestorations in the mosque of Cordova. But there is no suchhope. One of the most interesting features in a palace

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