marble, the walls of which were from
eight to ten feet thick, without columns, or pediment, or even so much
as a few pilasters to break up the monotonous smoothness and regularity
of its exterior surface, the only aids in this direction being the great
east doorway, or main entrance, which was some thirty feet wide by about
sixty feet high, with an immense window opening on either side of it,
through which and the doorway entered all the light which illuminated
the interior. True, the doorway and window openings were each
surrounded by heavy marble borders, or frames, encrusted with great
plates of gold elaborately ornamented with a boldly sculptured design.
There was also a heavy gold string course and bull-nose moulding similar
to that on the palace; but, apart from that and the gold-tiled roof,
there was no attempt at exterior decorative effect. Whatever might have
been deemed lacking in this direction, however, was more than
compensated for by the barbaric splendour and profusion of the interior
decorations. The entire west wall of the building was covered with a
solid plate of burnished gold emblazoned with a gigantic face from which
emanated rays innumerable, representing the sun, the great eyes being
reproduced in a perfect blaze of gems; precious stones of all kinds
being thickly powdered also all over the plate, which was primarily
intended to receive the rays of the rising sun through the great east
door in the early morning--at which hour the most impressive ceremony of
the day was celebrated--and reflect the light back upon the people. The
two side walls were also decorated with great gold plates, about two
feet square, richly engraved, and arranged in a chequer pattern, a
square of gold alternating with a square of the white marble wall of the
building from top to bottom and from end to end, each of the white
marble squares having in its centre a gold ornament about the size of
one's hand which formed a mount for a precious stone, rubies and
emeralds being the most numerous, although diamonds of considerable size
gleamed here and there. Had the stones been cut and polished, instead
of being set in the rough, the effect would have been gorgeous beyond
description. Perhaps the most wonderful part of the whole building,
however, was the ceiling. This was composed entirely of white marble
slabs supported and divided into panels by great beams of solid marble
made up of enormous blocks of the stone the end