February 28 Friday – At 5:30 p.m. in Agra, Metcalfe Hall, Sam gave his “At Home” lecture to another full hall. Sam noted the lecture ran an hour and 35 minutes. Sam’s notebook:

Mouza was drunk again last night; 2d time in 2 weeks. At midnight was sleeping on the marble steps of the great portico, with his head on the bare flags….

Lectured: Corpse, Plug, Poem, Smpox, German, Xning — 1 hr 35 m.

Drove from there (2 carriages full) to the Taj [Mahal], arriving at 11.30, clear sky & splendid full moon. At that moment, to our surprise, and eclipse began & in an hour was total — an attention not before offered to a stranger since the Taj was built [NB 36 TS 53].

Parsons writes “Shamefully let down, he complained that a host of earlier rhapsodists had thrust a false bottom under his responses [about the Taj Mahal]. If there were only time, he could purge those verbalizers out of his system and manufacture his own reaction” [“MT India” 91].

Livy wrote a long letter to her sister, Susan Crane, about staying in the Government House in Agra occupied by Col. P.L. Loch, political agent. Their bedroom was more than 30 feet square with 30-foot ceilings, with a large pillared verandah where their servants slept at night.

It is all most beautiful and delightful — good food, nice, interesting, homelike people, great comfort, & great independence. ..

Twice we have been out with two carriage loads from the house. That means all servants to go with us, a coachman and two footmen standing behind to each carriage.

To-night the rest of the household have gone down to hear Mr. Clemens read & Clara & I have staid at home, but later we are to be taken down to meet them at the Taj and see that by moonlight [Ahluwalia 46].