he well-preserved mausoleum of
Emperor Humayun, which gains in importance from having been the model of
the Taj Mahal at Agra. It stands on a lofty platform of red sandstone,
and consists of a large central octagon, surmounted by a dome with
octagon towers at the angles; the red sandstone exterior is artistically
picked out in relief with white marble. The windows are recessed, and
the lower doors are filled with beautiful lattices of stone and marble.
In the centre of each side of the main octagon is a porch, forty feet
high, with a pronounced pointed arch. The cenotaph of the Emperor is of
white marble, without any inscription; his wife and several other
persons, including two later Emperors, are buried here also. As was
quite the custom of the time, the tomb is surrounded by a garden of
thirteen acres. Farther on, was the Tomb of a Saint, a perfect gem! It
is built of white marble, is eighteen feet square, and is surrounded by
a broad veranda. Around the covered grave there is a low marble rail,
and over it a beautiful canopy, inlaid with mother-of-pearl; in the
walls are finely pierced screens. Near this tomb is a handsome red
sandstone mosque, called Jumat Khana, and in the vicinity are a number
of other important tombs of artistic design, two having elaborately
carved marble doors, the design being like lacework.

The culmination of the morning's trip was at the Kutub Minar enclosure;
the magnificent ruined Mosque of Kuwat-ul-Islam occupies a large portion
of the space, and dates from the latter part of the twelfth century. The
main entrance was through an arched doorway, the courtyard was
surrounded by cloisters formed of pillars purloined from Jain temples
and piled one upon another. Most of them are richly ornamented, although
many have been defaced.

[Illustration: _The tomb of Emperor Humayun_]

The famous Hindu Iron Pillar stands in front of the ruin; it is one of
the most unique antiquities in India, and is a solid shaft of wrought
iron, twenty-three feet, eight inches high and sixteen inches in
diameter; it has a deeply cut Sanskrit inscription, and is so individual
in its character as to prove a distinct reminder of a decayed past.

The most prominent feature of the landscape is Kutub Minar, rightly
named the Tower of Victory. Some have thought it of Hindu origin, but
the now accepted opinion is that it was built by the Moguls, after the
conquest. It is two hundred and thirty-eight feet high, and has f