with this note five hundred yards from the palace, he met the Begum and her disorderly band filling the road and pressing on as fast as they could.  Unable to proceed, he returned to the palace with all haste, and gave the Resident the first notice of their near approach.  Captain Magness had placed two of his six guns at each of the three entrances to the south and west, but was now ordered to collect all, and proceed to the north-western entrance, towards which the Begum was advancing.  Before he could get to that entrance she had passed in, and he returned to the south-western entrance for further orders.

On passing the mausoleum of Asuf-od Dowlah, where the Kotwal or head police officer of the city resided, she summoned him, with all his available police, to attend his sovereign to the throne of his ancestors.  He promised obedience, but, with all his police, stood aloof, thinking that her side might not be the safe one to take in such an emergency.  A little further on she passed Hussun Bagh, the residence of the chief consort of the late King and niece of the emperor of Delhi, and summoned and brought her on, to give some countenance to her audacious enterprise.  The Resident admonished the minister for his negligence and falsehood in the assurance he had given him; and directed Rajah Bukhtawur Sing, with his squadron of one hundred and fifty horse, and Mozuffer-od Dowlah, the father of Ajum-od Dowlah, and Khadim Hoseyn, the son-in-law of Sobhan Allee Khan, the deputy minister, with all the armed men they could muster, to arrest the progress of the pretender; but nothing whatever was done, and the excited mass came on, and augmented as it came in noise and numbers.  All whom the Resident sent to check them, out of fear or favour, avoided collision, and sought safety either in their homes or among the pretender’s bands.

Captain Paton, as soon as he heard the pretender’s’ men approach, rushed to the gate to the north-west, towards which the throng was approaching rapidly.  He had only four belted attendants with him, and the gate was guarded only by a small party of useless sipahees, under the control of three or four black slaves.  By the time he had roused the sleepy guard and closed the gates, the pretender’s armed mass came up, and with foul abuse, imprecations, and with threats of instant death to all who opposed them, demanded admittance.  Captain Paton told them, that the Resident had been directed by the British Government to place Nuseer-od Dowlah, the uncle of the late King, on the throne as the rightful heir; that he was now in the palace, and all who opposed him would be treated as rebels; that the gates were all closed by order of the Resident, and all who attempted to force them would be put to death.  All was in vain.  They told him with fury that the Padshah Begum, and the son of the late King, and rightful heir to the throne, were among them, and must be instantly admitted.  Captain Paton despatched a messenger to the Resident