1 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
2 221
3 <SL
4 Jht before him, ami these he feeds with Ms
5 _ _liand. The Grunth, or Sacred Book, is-now
6 read to him by the Gooroos, or priests, who are
7 magnificently attired .for the occasion, and seated
8 on the richest carpets and silks. After this ue
9 again holds his durbar, and finishes the businessnf
10 the day by a. ride on horseback. Should the
11 affairs of the state require his attention, Ruqjeet
12 is ready at all times during the day and night; and
13 it is not unusual for him to order his secretary and
14 prime minister to carry the designs on winch he
15 has been meditating during the uight, into execu¬
16 tion before daybreak. This is only a solitary in¬
17 stance of the many that might be adduced, oi the
18 energy'of character displayed by the present ruler
19 of the Punjab. Runjeet, while at Lahore, gene- hi. r^ence.
20 rally resides in the palace, which is the remains of
21 Mussulman grandeur; and though inferior, perhaps
22 to the palace at Delhi, it is still a superb edifice
23 The most interesting portion of it, is the Soomuii-
24 boorj; this is a quadrangular building, commanding
25 an extensive view of the surrounding country on
26 both sides of the Ravee, and contains the private
27 apartments of the Maharajah, before which there
28 is an open verandah, while the centre oi the square
29 fs occupied by a shallow reservoir of water, and
30 several fountains. Across the Ravee, and opposite
31 Lahore, stands the Mausoleum of «J changed, the
32 lofty miliars of which are seen at a great distance on
33 approaching Lahore. The building is constructed