A NEW CAPITAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 22, 9 January 1912, Page 6

A NEW CAPITAL.

THE CITY OF DELHI. In the face of recent Indian events it may be interesting to read a few particulars regarding the great historic city of Delhi} which has recently icon announced tiie Capital of all Ini'a. Delhi is tiie chief commercial and .industrial centre of the Punjab, and is situated on the right bank of the Jum;ia, the principal feeder of the Ganges, and is 951 miles north of Calcutta. It s walled on three sides, has ten gates. Standing on high ground, the famous palace of Shah JeJian, now the Fort, looks out over the river, and a wide stretch of wooded and cultivated country. To the north, about a' mile distant, rises »tlie historic “ridge” crowned* with memorials of the Muty, and commanding a line view of the city, the domes and minarets of which jvertop the encircling groves. The palace buildings comprise the cathe-dral-like entrance hall, the audience .mil, and several lessor pavilions covering in all an area of 1600 feet, 1200, exclusive of gateways. The beautiful inlaid work and carving of these mildings are the admiration of the world, and the diwan-i-khas is worthy >f its ancient inscription: “if there .s a heaven on earth it is this—it is this!” In the heart of the city stands die Jama Masjid (great mosque), one of tiie largest and imest structures of die kind in India, which also owes its origin to Shah Johan. Among the notable monuments'iii the neighbourhood are the Imperial tombs, including that of Hamayun, second of the Mogul dynasty; the old Kala Masjid (black mosque) and the 13th century Kntab Miuar, which is 238 foot high, and tapers gracefully from a diameter of IT feet at the base to Oft at tiie summit. Modern Delhi is noted for its broad main streets, the chief being the Ohandiii Chunk, or Silver Street, with its high clock lower and the institute and museum. Delhi has a large trade in wheat and other produce, and its bazaars arc noted for gold and silver work, precious stones, shawls, and costly fabrics. It is the terminus of the East Indian and Kajputana railways, the former crossing the Jumna by a line iron bridge. Delhi was formerly the capital of the Afghan or Pa than, and afterwards of the Mogul Empire. It was taken by Lord Lake' in 1803, and lias ever since been under the British rule, except when it was held by the mutineers in 1857. The march of the mutineers from Meerut; the terrible 11th of May; the explosion of tin* powder magazine by Willoughby and his heroic band; the assault when the city was won (September 20) gate by gate and quarter by quarter—-

a success saddened by the death of the gallant Nicholson; the subsequent daring capture of the King of Delhi by Hodson; and the capture and shooting of his sons by the same officer, are memorable events.