Newspapers / Western Carolinian (Salisbury, N.C.) / July 3, 1821, edition 1 / Page 4
Part of Western Carolinian (Salisbury, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
The Muss ! whate'cr the Muse inspires, My soul the tuneful strain admires....scoTT. rOtt THE WESTERN CAHOLINIAX. The Remonstrance of Insnrttcd Poverty againsi the practices of Wealth and J'ower. What though I am in rags without, No cov'ring o'er my head ; Driven by fate the world about, To earn my crumb of bread ; Arc not these limbs form'd just like thine ? Thy form, and shape, and limbs, like mine ? Methinks I feel or grief or joy, When pain or pleasures flow ; Or love or friendship can enjoy, And e'en forgive a foe : Methinks Tike thee I feel and know The sweets of pleasure, stings of wo. Did not the same creative hand, That gave thee all thy store, That made thee potent o'er the land, Make me also " weak and poor ?" Then something here, my heart within, Tells me that "poverty 5s no sin." My blood is purple, just like thine, And in like channels flows ; Though never warm'd with spice or wine, "With purity it glows : . My blood, tho' poorly fed and thin, Still warms, like thine, a heart within. My heart can melt at others wo, Can sympathize with grief; And all 1 have, I can bestow, If it would give relief : And some voice my heart within, Telia me that ' poverty 's no sin." Methinks a simple tear of mine, Or e'en a tremulous sigh, Would meet acceptance soon as thine, From mercy in the sky : Then sure these tears and sighs of mine, Are from a source as pure as tliine. Methinks this labour-callous'd hand, Wrhcn rais'd in humble prayer, Would soon as thine relief command, Relief from grief and care : Then is there not something within, That says, thy poverty 's no sin." Did virtue then from riches flow, Humanity from gold, Preeminence on luxuriance grow, On these perfection's mould : How then became that form of thine, So like this humble form of mine ? Methinks, vain pea-fowl, that an hour, E'er long, will let thee know, That all thy feathers, pride and power, Are harbingers of wo : That the poor, the rich, cotter and king, In heaven must bear a levelling. Methinks that tho' thou call'st me "poor," "An uncreated thing," I feel within a richer store, Than potentate or king : I feel a heart to virtue given, A soul that teems with hopes of heaven. PITHIAS. "lAtcrovy "ErxAvacts, &c. Variety's the very spice of life, That gives it all its flavor. ROYAL GARDENS OF LAHORE. Description of the Royal Gardens of Lahore. In a Letter to the Editor of the Quarterly Jour nal of Science, Literature, and the Arts, from Captain Benjamin Blake, of the Bengal Army. Sir Although I am aware that two or three descriptions of Shah Leemar (or Royal Oriental Gardens,) have at divers times appeared, such as those hy Foster in his 'travels through Cashmere l7ra;;klin in his Present State of Dilhee, and Klphinston's Embassy to Cabal yet as those gardens described were not of the class of the Hanging Gardens, and, as during a residence in India, I was fortunate enough to make one of an embassy to Lahore, where I viewed the Royal Gardens of the Moghul em perors, situated between three and four miles cast of the city of Lahore, in the Punjab, or Country of Five Waters considering a description of them may afford pleasure to your readers, who, no doubt, have heard of the splendid Hanging Gardens of Babylon, said to have been erected by order of Nebu chadnezzar to gratify his wife Amytis ; and, though the gardens to be descri bed in this paper are not of that splen did character, yet they certainly belong to the same class, therebv diflenng Irom the Royal Gardens generally found in India. The embassy to Lahore, (headed by Mr. C.T. Metcalte, Ambassador Irom the Honourable East India Comp-v u Runieet Sins, Chief of the Punjab, had been encamped upon the plain, on the north-east side of the city of La hore, and immediately opposite .the palace of the Moghul emperors, that part of it erected by Arungzebe, tow- ring above the rest of the buildings, and is particularly striking and de serving of notice for the many very beautiful latticed windows of white marble which it contains, the marble being wrought into an open work, re sembling the trellis or open work of ivory boxes which come Irom China. On Tuesday, 10th January, 1809, we quitted this plain, and entering the city, passed the eastern quarter, and through the Dilhee gate, which, as well as the walls generally, and this far-famed city itself, is decaying very fast under the hand of time, and its frequent accessa ry neglect. At a distance from the city, of a little more than three miles east, the road being bordered here and there with Mangoe groves, we arrived .it the Shah Leemar gardens. The ex treme length of these gardens, from south to north, is about five hundred yards, by a breadth of one hundred and thirty, or one hundred and forty. Mr. Metcalfe having obtained permis sion for his suite to view these gardens with him, we entered the west side of the northern or lowest garden, under a pretty good arched gate-way, which appears to have been the only entrance from the time they were first formed. There are three distinct gardens de scending from the south ; the highest, situated on remarkably rising ground, receives the Uslee canal on its south side, through a small stone building. the front of which, towards the garden, h;is arches of a Gothic character ; the back of the building being a blank wall. under which the canal first enters flow ing into a marble basin of three feet diameter, in the centre of which is a fountain. The surplus water of the canal is conveyed by aqueducts, under the floor, and the water in the basin passes in a thin sheet over a white mar ble slab, (from which it falls into the garden,) carved in scollops, the edges of the scollops being inlaid with black m:irble, in the fashion of fishes' scales. From this scolloped slab the water flows through the highest garden, and running under the marble floor of a Barah Doorce, or stone building of 12 arches, (being a square, having three to each face, as its name, in the lan guage of the country, imports,) it falls to the second garden over a large sur face of marble, sloping at an angle of about twenty degrees from the perpen dicular. This fall consists of three fine slabs, each being ten feet by four, the whole displaying a sheet of water of ten feet deep by twelve feet in breadth, the marble being scolloped and inlaid with black, in a manner sim ilar to the first slab alreadv described. A most beautiful effect is produced by the rippling of the water over their in- dentations to its receptacle at the bot- : torn of the inclined plane, in a reser- voir ol marble, tourteen leet by ten, and one foot in depth, having in its centre a Pulung, or couch, also of mar ble, with claw feet. On this couch the Moghul Emperors were used to re cline in the hot season, where, the wa ters rippling over the scolloped fall, they enjoyed the refreshing luxury of coolness fiom the falling water agita ting the airy particles, and also the de lightful sensations imparted by its mur murs over the uneven surface ot the marble ; thus rendering their situation, in the evenings of the sultry days, (when this aquatic couch is screened from the sun by an arcade in the garden imme diately above,) most perfectly fitted to an enchanting repose, the exquisite luxury of which may be sufficiently ap preciated by such as have resided in this warm climate. From this reser voir and its luxurious couch, the water flows in a gentle stream into a large quadrangular basin or tank, which oc cupies nearly the whole of this garden, having in its centre, a square insulated platform, or bank of earth, w hich con tain some flowers ; and around the tank is a border of flowers of eighteen or twenty feet in width, having, on the side nearest to the water, a narrow walk of not more than three feet. The water, on leaving this tank, passes between marble slabs, laid hori zontally, the upper ones forming the floor of an arcade 12 feet square, of which only three sides are arched. This three-sided arcade, erected over this passage of the water into the low er garden, (the walls of which rest up on this garden,) presents the appear ance of an aquatic chamber the wa ter here again falling in thin sheets of three faces, and the walls containing a ' b at number of recesses for lamps, whose glittering lustre under the fall ing water displays a magical and pe culiarly brilliant effect, which, with the addition of five fountains in this wa tery recess, produces an enchanting un ion of refreshing luxuries. 1 he wa ter flows, in the usual character of a stream, from this extremely cool re cess through this lowest or northern most garden which is plentifully stor ed with large trees, among which are the apple, pear, and some very fine mangoes ; the latter affording, from the I luxuriance of their foilage, delightful j groves, whose umbrageous protection from the scorching rays of the sun, renders this spot a most desirable and ; refreshing retreat. The upper gardens are laid out in a sufficiently tasteful manner, with fruit and flower trees ; among the latter we observed the Nar cissus, in great abundance. The pres ent Chief of Punjab, Rungeet Sing, has erected in the highest garden, a Tye Khanah or cool retreat, for the hot season, which has somewhat disfigured it. The construction of this retreat is very simple, being a house of two rooms, one below ground, the other a bove, and on a level with the ground. At one end of ihis building, on the space beneath the usual level of the ground, there is a well of water, to wards which the lower room opens ; and when it is requisite to cool this room, the following operation is put in action, viz : at the top of the well there is a large wheel, over whh pass two ropes parallel to each other, to which are suspended, along the entire length of the ropes, reaching a depth of two or three feet in the water, a succession of earthern pots ; so that, when the wheel is put in motion, the buckets are drawn up full on one side, and passing over the top of the well, return their contents again into it, the operation of which agitates the cncumambient air, causing a rapid evaporation, thus ren dering the chamber refreshingly ccol. During the encampment of the em bassy at Lahore, (a period of three weeks,) we made frequent excursions in its neighborhood, and within the ex tent of three to five miles beheld nu merous remains of the mansions of the Emirs, or nobles of the empire, of which there is scarcely a remaining vestige in the vicinity of Dilhee, for there "The spider holds the veil in the palace of Caesar, the owl stands senti nel in the watch-tower of Afrasiab." In one of these excursions, on the right bank of the Rauvee, we stumbled, as it were, on a most magnificent mau soleum of the Emperor Jehangeer, nothing inferior to the celebrated Taj Muhul,at Agrah. The building which contains this mausoleum is much lar ger ihan that at Agrah, though it is not, in the exterior, of so chaste and beau tiful a design. The large piazzas which surround this immense mass of ! buildings contain numerous acconimo- dations for pilgrims and other travel- lers and are floored throughout with pudding-stone. I here are various chambers within the edifice, some or namented with paintings in fresco, tol erably well executed, particularly some of domestic scenes, of parties eating fruit, &c. in a taste evidently superior to any thing we can suppose the natives to have ever arrived at ; and, therefore, were, most likely, designed by the ar tists who came from Italy to construct the tomb. The tomb itself is in the centre of the building, and is compo sed of the whitest marble, inlaid with mosaic work of cornelians, represent ing wreaths of flowers of the most beautiful hues ; the cornelians being of such a variety of colours, that I count ed sixteen differently coloured in the formation of one flower ; and so ex quisite. is the execution of this mosaic, that the junction of one stone with the other was discernible only by a very near inspection. Around this edifice is a spacious court-yard, and a fine gar den of orange and pomegranate trees, the whole encompassed by a good Will. The immense sum said to have been expended in the construction of this wall, I dare not name, as it appears in credible. In the vicinity of this splen did sepulchre of the Emperor Jehan geer, is the modest tomb of his beau teous, fascinating, and favourite Sulta na, styled Noor Muhul, the Light of the Palace, and afterwards, Noor Je han, the Light of the World. But she is better known to English readers, since the publication of Moore's last and best poem, Lalla Rookh, where she is styled the Light of the Haram. It may be satisfactory here to gratify the curiosity of your readers respecting this far-famed beauty, by giving some history of her birth and fortunes ; and, in offering this, I know of no better mode to convey information, than by adding an extract from Dow's History of Hindostan, " About the year 1586, Chaja Aiass, a native of the Western Tartary, left that country, to push his fortune in Hindostan. He was descended of an ancient and noble family, fallen to de cay by various revolutions of fortune. He, however, had received a good ed ucation, which was all his parents could bestow. Falling in love with a young woman, as poor as himself, he married her ; but he found it difficult to provide for her the very necessaries of life. Reduced to the last extremity, he turn ed his thoughts upon India, the usual resource of the needy i artars ot the North. He left privately, friends who either wTould not or could not assist him, and turned his face to a foreign country. His all consisted of one sor ry horse, and a very small sum of mon ey, which had proceeded from the sale of his other effects. Placing his wife upon the horse, he walked by her side. She happened to be with child, and could ill endure the fatigue of so great a iournev. Their scantv pittance of money was soon expended ; they had even subsisted for some days upon charity, when thev arrived on the skirts of the Great Solitudes, which separate Tartarv from the dominions of the family of Timur, in India. No house was there to ccver them from the in clemency of the weather no hand to relieve their wants. To return, was certain misery ; to proceed, apparent destruction. They had fasted three days : to complete their misfortune3t the wife of Aiass was taken in labour. She began to reproach her husband for leaving his native country at an unfor tunate hour ; for exchanging a quiet though poor life, for the ideal prospect of wealth in a distant country. In this distressed situation she brought forth a daughter. They remained in the place for some hours, with a vain hope that travellers might pass that way. They were disappointed : human feet seldom tread these deserts. The sun declined apace : they feared the ap proach of night ; the place was the j haunt of wild beasts ; and should they ' .11 . . f tt " escape tneir nunger, tney must iaii oy their own. Chaja Aiass, in this ex tremity, having placed his wife on the horse, found himself so much exhaust ed that he could scarcely move. To carry the child was impossible : the mother could not even hold herself fast on the horse. A long contest began between humanity and necessity ; the latter prevailed, and they agreed to ex pose the child on the highway. The infant, covered with leaves, was placed under a tree, and die disconsolate pa rents proceeded in tears. When they had advanced about a mile from the place, and the eyes of the mother could no longer distinguish the solitary tree under which her daughter had been left, she gave way to grief, and throw ing herself from the horsetothe ground, exclaimed, u My child, my child." She endeavoured to raise herself; but she had no strength to return. Aiass was pierced to the heart. He prevailed upon his wife to sit down. He promis ed to bring her the infant. He arrived at ihe place. No sooner had his eye reached the child, than he was almost struck dead with horror. A black snake (say our authors) was coiled a round it, and Aiass believed he beheld him extending his fatal jaws to devour the infant. The father rushed forward. The serpent, alarmed at bis vocifera tion, retired into the hollow tree. He took up his daughter unhurt, and re turned to the mother. He gave her child into her arms ; and, as he was in forming her of the wonderful escape of the infant, some travellers appeared, and soon relieved them of all their wants They proceeded gradually, and came to Lahore. " The Emperor Akbar, at the arri val of Chaja Aiass, kept his court at Lahore. Asiph Khan, one of that monarch's principal Omrahs, attended then the presence. He was a distant relation of Aiass, and he received him with attention and friendship. To em ploy him, he made him his own secre tary. Aiass soon recommended him self to Asiph in that station ; and, by some accident, his diligence and abili ty attracted the notice of the Empe ror, who raised him to the command of 1000 horse. He became, in pro cess of time, Master of the House hold ; and his genius being even great er than his good fortune, he raised him self to the office and title of Aktima-dul-Dowla, or High Treasurer of the Empire. Thus he, who almost per ished through mere want in the des ert, became in the space of a few years, the first subject in India. The daugh ter who had been born to Aiass in the desert, received as she grew up at La hore, the name of Mher-u!-Nissa, or the Sun of Women. She had some right to the appellation, for in beauty she exceeded ail the ladies ot the .bast In music, in dancing, in poetry, in painting, she had no equal among her own sex ; her disposition was volatile, her wit lively and satirical, her spirit lofty and uncontroled ; she was mar ried first to Sheri Afghan, whose o- riginal name was Asta Jillo, and after wards to Jehangeer. He received this title from having' fought with and conquered a tiger in single combat. OTTO OF HOSES. FnOM THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCES. gentlemen : As the rose, in all its varieties, grows in great abundance in our country, and as the essential oil which is extracted from it in the east, is very valuable and precious, as one of the most exquisite of pertumes,the fol lowing recipe for making what is termed the otto of roses, may not be unaccept able to such of our readers as are fond of experiments. It will be found, up on trial, to answer the purpose inten ded, and is, I believe, very similar to the mode pursued in India to obtain the delicious essence which all so high ly appreciate. A large glazed earthen or stone jar., or a clean wooden cask, must be filled with the leaves of the rose flowers, co rolla, which should previously be care fully freed from all seeds, stalks, and dirt. On these leaves pure spring wa ter (pump water will answer, but not so well) must be poured, till they arc covered. The vessel must then be set in the sun from sun-rise till sun-set, when it should be taken in for the night. This must be continued for se ven davs in succession. In three or four days after the first exposure, a number of particles of oily matter, of a fine yellow colour, will be observed to float on the surface, and in two or three days more this matter will form into a scum, which is the otto of roses. It can be t.iken up by some cotton tied to the end of a stick, and squeezed with the finger and thumb into a small phial, which should be stopped. This must be repeated till all the essential oil which floats on the surface is re moved. By this simple and unexpen sive process may be obtained, by al most every family, as much of this ex quisite essence as may be necessary for use. It is at least worth the trial, and I am sure, when that trial is made, the success will be more than an equiv- dnt for the labor. This mode, too, is vastly preferable to the one given in the Asiatic Researches, both for econ-omy-and simplicity, and is equally ef fectual and productive. As the pro cess I have mentioned is so easy and simple that all can try it, the essential oil thus obtained may be calculated on as perfectly pure and genuine, which is not always the case with that we buy in the shops ; for, in order to increase the quantity, the manufacturers of this article in the east have a practice of mixing with the roses sometimes the raspings of sandal wood, and at others a sweet scented grass, which gives to the essence a clear green colour, W STRENGTH OF CHARACTER. The desire of pleasing all mankind, is a fertile source of weakness and mutabil ity in some of the best dispositions ; young persons are not only prone themselves to fall into "excess of easy good nature, but it is the quality that most readily capti vates them in the choice of an early friend. It is impossible here to blame the disfwsi tion, although it be highly important to guard against the indulgence of it. Ia the course of our duties, we are almost as frequently called upon to undergo the censure and enmity of mankind, as to cuU tivate their friendship and good opinion. Cicero, in enumerating the causes which induce men to desert thIr duty, very prop erly mentions an unwillingness to take up enmities. This is, indeed, one ol the se verest trials of our attachment to princi ple ; but it is what we must be ready to sustain when occasion requires, or re nounce every claim to a strong and eleva ted character. Use law and physic only through ne cessity, not being exactly congenial to weak bodies and light purses ; they are good remedies, but bad recreations. The theory of virtue is good but the practice is a great deal better-
Western Carolinian (Salisbury, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
July 3, 1821, edition 1
4
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75