"There is a dome at each of the four corners of the building, while there is a large one in the centre that swells from its base, so that at a distance it looks like a ball suspended in the air. The architect's attempt in the construction of this great central sphere was as daring as it is successful. Doctor Bronson says that of all the domes he has seen in other parts of the world, none can compare in beauty with that of the Taj. "Now picture the above in your mind if you can, and then add a mosque of red sandstone on either side, and on the level of the lower platform. I say 'on either side' for completing the idea at the risk of incorrectness. The building to our left, as we look from across the river, is really a mosque, and was intended for purposes of worship, while that on the right is of no sanctity whatever; it was simply erected for the artistic completeness of the picture, and is known as the _Jowab_, or 'Answer.' Without these buildings the Taj appears too high for its breadth, but when they come in view the effect is perfect. Height and breadth are exactly proportioned, and it would need a very bold critic to suggest an alteration. [Illustration: THE PRINCESS OF SHAH JEHAN.] "The tombs of Shah Jehan and his wife are in a vault beneath the floor, while the monuments for show are on the floor itself, and surrounded with a marble screen. If you have any doubt about the building having been erected for the lady, you will find it vanish as you enter; her tomb and monument are exactly beneath the centre of the dome, while those of her disconsolate husband are at one side. And here again is a marvel of the Taj workmanship; tombs, monuments, screen, walls, and pillars are covered with mosaic work, chiefly of flowers and scrolls, with many passages from the Koran. The scriptural texts are in black marble, but the flowers and scrolls are of jasper, carnelian, agate, and other semi-precious stones, with here and there an addition of mother-of-pearl. And in nearly every instance it is as carefully done as a Florentine brooch, and you do not wonder, when you have seen it, at the great cost of the work. It is as though we should attempt to cover the New York Post-office with frescoes as fine as the most delicate engravings on steel. "We saw a single flower containing more than thirty pieces of stone, and yet the whole flower was not more than an inch in diameter. There are hundreds and hundreds of these flowers, and there is a vast amount of stems and scroll-work and sacred writings, and as you look around you are fairly bewildered with the display. Bishop Heber says the builders of the Taj 'designed like Titans and finished like jewellers;' the wealth and elaboration of the interior are in full keeping with its great external beauty and symmetry.