Page:Lord Amherst and the British Advance Eastwards to Burma.djvu/203

 the inscription over the Hall of Audience, ' If there is a Paradise on earth it is this, it is this, it is this.'

On the 24th, the Mughal returned the Governor-General's visit at the Presidency. At 7 o'clock a.m. Sir Charles Metcalfe and his staff and suite went in state to the Palace to announce Lord Amherst's intention of coming out to meet his Majesty; and at 8 o'clock, Lord Amherst started forth with the whole of the bodyguard, his own staff, and all the military and civil gentlemen at Delhi, and many who had arrived at Meerut and other stations; Colonel Skinner at the head of his regiment of irregular native horse, and a dense population. The Begam Samru seems very prominent in all these receptions. She is always ready to receive visitors; she says she smokes all day, and when tired of smoking, she assembles the women who amuse her by telling stories. She also had three sets of Nautch girls singing different tunes at the pitch of their voices, to the accompaniment of drums and tomtoms.

More visits to the ghostly court follow. Lady Amherst calls upon the queen, who embraces her and leads her to a seat. The queen complains of her poverty, begs the Governor-General to give her a pension, asks for a general order that every one who comes through Delhi should be obliged to pay tribute to her. Lady Amherst replied that all Lord Amherst's gentlemen had presented tribute to the king. The queen said that was true, but she had none of it. She made Lady Amherst promise to repeat what