who would pay the son of Sombre two thousand rupees a month for life.  Le Vaisseau was to be received into our territories, treated as a prisoner of war upon parole, and permitted to reside with his wife at the French settlement of Chandernagore.  His last letter to Sir John Shore is dated the 30th April, 1795.  His last letters describing this final arrangement are addressed to Mr. Even, a French merchant at Mirzapore, and a Mr. Bernier, both personal friends of his, and are dated 18th of May, 1795.[26]

The battalions on duty at Delhi got intimation of this correspondence, made the son of Sombre declare himself their legitimate chief, and march at their head to seize the Begam and her husband.  Le Vaisseau heard of their approach, and urged the Begam to set out with him at midnight for Anupshahr, declaring that he would rather destroy himself than submit to the personal indignities which he knew would be heaped upon him by the infuriated ruffians who were coming to seize them.  The Begam consented, declaring that she would put an end to her life with her own hand should she be taken.  She got into her palankeen with a dagger in her hand, and as he had seen her determined resolution and proud spirit before exerted on many trying occasions, he doubted not that she would do what she declared she would.  He mounted his horse and rode by the side of her palankeen, with a pair of pistols in his holsters, and a good sword by his side.  They had got as far as Kabri, about three miles from Sardhana,[27] on the road to Meerut, when they found the battalions from Sardhana, who had got intimation of the flight, gaining fast upon the palankeen.  Le Vaisseau asked the Begam whether she remained firm in her resolve to die rather than submit to the indignities that threatened them.  ‘Yes,’ replied she, showing him the dagger firmly grasped in her right hand.  He drew a pistol from his holster without saying anything, but urged on the bearers.  He could have easily galloped off, and saved himself, but he would not quit his wife’s side.  At last the soldiers came up close behind them.  The female attendants of the Begam began to scream; and looking in, Le Vaisseau saw the white cloth that covered the Begam’s breast stained with blood.  She had stabbed herself, but the dagger had struck against one of the bones of her chest, and she had not courage to repeat the blow.  Her husband put his pistol to his temple and fired.  The bail passed through his head, and he fell dead on the ground.  One of the soldiers who saw him told me that he sprang at least a foot off the saddle into the air as the shot struck him.  His body was treated with every kind of insult by the European officers and their men;[28] and the Begam was taken back into Sardhana, kept under a gun for seven days, deprived of all kinds of food, save what she got by stealth from her female servants, and subjected to all manner of insolent language.