The emperor is said to be very discreet in raising his revenues by various means.  For example, he confers honorary posts and appoints officials, for which he requires considerable sums of money; and—­ can it be believed!—­he always finds fools enough to pay for such absurdities.  Parents even buy appointments for their children.  The present commander of the imperial troops is scarcely ten years old.  The most remarkable fact, however, is that the vizier, who manages the emperor’s income and expenditure, not only receives no salary, but pays the emperor annually 10,000 rupees for this office.  What sums must be embezzled to make up for this!

The emperor issues a newspaper in his own palace, which is in the highest degree absurd and laughable.  It does not treat of politics or the occurrences of the day, but exclusively of domestic incidents, conversation and relative affairs.  It states, for example, “that the sultan’s wife, A., owed the laundress, B., three rupees, and that the laundress came yesterday to ask for her money; that the lady had sent to her imperial husband to ask for the sum.  The emperor referred her to the treasurer, who assured her, that as it was near the end of the month, he could not command a penny.  The laundress was therefore put off until the next month.”  Or, “The Prince C. visited at such an hour the Prince D. or F.; he was received in such a room; stayed so long; the conversation was on this or that subject,” etc.

Among the other palaces of the town, that in which the college is located is one of the handsomest.  It is built in the Italian style, and is truly majestic; the columns are of uncommon height; the stairs, saloons, and rooms are very spacious and lofty.  A fine garden surrounds the back of the palace, a large court-yard the front, and a high fortified wall encloses the whole.  Dr. Sprenger, as director of the college, occupies a truly princely dwelling in it.

The palace of the Princess Begum, half in the Italian and half in the Mongolian style, is tolerably large, and is remarkable for its extremely handsome saloons.  A pretty and hitherto well kept garden surrounds it on all sides.

The Princess Begum attracted great attention at the time before Delhi was under the English dominion, by her intelligence, enterprise, and bravery.  She was a Hindoo by birth, and became acquainted in her youth with a German named Sombre, with whom she fell in love, and turned Christian in order to marry him.  Mr. Sombre formed a regiment of native troops, which, after they were well trained, he offered to the emperor.  In the course of time, he so ingratiated himself with the emperor, that the latter presented him with a large property, and made him a prince.  His wife is said to have supported him energetically in everything.  After his death, she was appointed commander of the regiment, which post she held most honourably for several years.  She died a short time since at the age of eighty.