part to a season of unrest, some
minor event precipitating the crisis. The revolt occurred on May 10th,
at Meerut, forty miles distant; at first there were but twenty-five
hundred men, then other regiments joined them, and, on their arrival in
Delhi, they attacked the civil offices, and the inmates were compelled
to flee to the fort, where they were murdered.

The Fifty-fourth Regiment marched to the relief, but most of the
officers were shot, and the native soldiers refused to act,--a precedent
followed by the natives of other regiments; thus the rebels were largely
reinforced, and they soon had complete possession of the fort, which was
then well garrisoned by native officers who were thoroughly trained in
English tactics. The mutiny was now complete, and English rule for the
time being ceased; disturbances also spread to Agra, Cawnpore, and
Lucknow, so the army was necessarily divided; however, the bravery of
the British forces at Delhi was such that by May 20th the fort and
palace had been regained. The King was captured before Humayun's tomb
(outside the city), and, the King's sons surrendering, they were shot in
front of the Delhi gate of the fort. The victory, nevertheless, was only
won through the sacrifice of many lives, the loss of officers being
particularly heavy; the city also suffered greatly from the siege, and
the beauty of the fort and palace was much impaired.

[Illustration: _A gateway built during the seventeenth century in
Delhi_]

[Illustration: _The Pearl Mosque at Delhi_]

There are two fine gates to the fort,--the Lahore on the west side, and
the Delhi on the south side,--both built by Shah Jahan, between 1638 and
1648. The fort is encircled by a massive red sandstone wall; we passed
through the grand archway of the Lahore gate, into a vaulted arcade
which Mr. Ferguson (the famous authority on architecture) considers the
noblest entrance known to any palace. The arcade ends in the centre of
the outer main court, measuring five hundred and forty by three hundred
and sixty feet; the inner court is somewhat larger and is surrounded by
cloisters or galleries. On the farther side of this inner court is the
fine Hall of Public Audience, Diwan-i-Am, one hundred by sixty feet,
where the proportions and the arrangement of columns and arches are
perfect. At one end of this hall is a raised recess in which the Emperor
used to be seated on the famous Peacock Throne, which Nadir Shah carried
to Persia; b