Although he was on the eve of his departure for Lucknau, he was, nevertheless, kind enough to become my Mentor.

We commenced with the great imperial town of Delhi; the town to which formerly the eyes not only of all India, but almost of all Asia, were directed.  It was in its time to India what Athens was to Greece, and Rome to Europe.  It also shares their fate—­of all its greatness only the name remains.

The present Delhi is now called New Delhi, although it is already two hundred years old; it is a continuation of the old towns, of which there are said to have been seven, each of which were called Delhi.  As often as the palaces, fortifications, mosques, etc., became dilapidated, they were left to fall into ruins, and new ones were built near the old ones.  In this way, ruins upon ruins accumulated, which are said to have occupied a space more than six miles in breadth, and eighteen in length.  If a great part of them were not already covered with a thin layer of earth, these ruins would certainly be the most extensive in the world.

New Delhi lies upon the Jumna; it contains, according to Bruckner, a population of 500,000, {183} but I was informed that there was really only 100,000, among which are 100 Europeans.  The streets are broader and finer than any I had yet seen in any Indian town.  The principal street, Tchandni-Tschank, would do honour to an European city:  it is nearly three-quarters of a mile long, and about a hundred feet broad; a narrow canal, scant of water and half filled with rubbish, runs through its entire length.  The houses in this street are not remarkable either for magnitude or splendour; they are at most one story high, and are furnished below with miserable porches or arcades, under which worthless goods are exposed for sale.  I saw nothing of the costly shops, the numerous precious stones glittering in the evening with the lamps and lights, of which many travellers speak.  The pretty houses and the rich shops must be sought for in the bye streets near the bazaar.  The manufactures which I saw, consisted of gold and silver work, gold tissues and shawls.  The natives execute the gold and silver wares so tastefully and artistically, that finer cannot be found even in Paris.  The tissues woven in gold, the gold and silk embroideries and Cashmere shawls, are of the highest degree of perfection.  The finest Cashmere shawls cost here as much as 4,000 rupees (400 pounds).  The dexterity of the workmen appears still more surprising after seeing the simple machines which they employ to produce their beautiful wares.