Page:"Round the world." - Letters from Japan, China, India, and Egypt (IA roundworldletter00fogg 0).pdf/186

 esch others’ presence, cruld be seen the so- ber, sedate matran, the young maiden, the venerable priest with his young disciple, and the nude ascetic with weadened agpect and withered limbs, engaged im rites and ceremonies hallowed to them by the usege of centuries. Thick, black smoke rose to the clear blue sky from bonfires between the Ghants on the bank, where the bodies of tha dead are belng consumed, afier which the ashes would be thrown inte the river to float straight to paradies. But the most horrible sights were the dead bodies, some of them partlally consumsd, which we saw floating around in the river. Along the bank in other places, were lines of prostrate siek people, brongkt fo the sacred Ganga to die, or perhaps to be murdered by euf- foestion with sacred mud by impaticnt heirs, which is said to be not an unusual occurrence, No where in the world unless in Central Africa, cau be scen such besotted superstition and idolatry coupled with euch intolerant fanaticism as in Benares.

We land near a large stone building of tasteful architceture, bat somewhat decayed, called the observatory of Jai-Singh, founded in 1680. Upon the fist roof are peveral charts of the heavens on stone, ard a mural quadrant for taking the son’s altitude. In old tines a posse of astrologers was main-~ tained here to obserye and record the mo- tion of the sun, moon and planets.

From here we dreve to the Great Mosgue of Aurremzebe of Vishnu, whieh he demol- ished, to signalize the triuasph of Islam over Brahminiem. The foundation is sighty feet above the river, upon which is buili the mesque, with high arched deme and two slender minarg, each one hundred and forty- seven feet in height. ‘Their diameter at tho base is only eight and one-fourth feet, de- ereseing to eeven and one-half feet at the top. Though a0 tall and slender they have an iaterior staireaze of one hundred and thirty steps. Oursccsnt was not devoid of risk, for each ix eaid to lean fifteen inches fromthe perpendicular. But theriver from the summit waa superb, and well repsid the trouble and fatigue of theclimb. At our feet, for miles around, was stretched the exowded city, with ite gaitdity-painted build- ings heaped together in tangled confusion, while the pirsets were so narrow aud crooked aa hardly to be distinguished in the mass.

Looking down from this lofty pinnacle I caught sight of a bevy of gaily-dressed