" "But what would you do with it, CUDJO, if I gave it to you?" "Oh, dis chile 'ud take it!" Ha!

It ill 'ud tell O' thoose wur laft beheend, aw fear; It's wring, at fust, to kill mysel', It's wring to lyev mi childer here.

"Let's see, sirthat 'ud be by way of Leeds, Selby, and Howden.

It 'ud be a bit after nine o'clock when your friend came in.

His wisdom died with him, and in April, 1756, his grandson, Siraj-ud-daula, a young man of nineteen, already notorious for his debauchery and cruelty, came to the throne.

Siraj-ud-daula, though he did not yet know it, was a ruined man when he returned to his capital.

Law was by no means an admirer of Aliverdi Khan's successor, "Siraj-ud-daula, a young man of twenty-four or twenty-five, very common in appearance.

Before the death of Aliverdi Khan the character of Siraj-ud-daula was reported to be one of the worst ever known.

Siraj-ud-daula, who was informed by his spies which of them were beautiful, sent his satellites in disguise in little boats to carry them off.

When it became necessary to get rid of some great lord or minister, Siraj-ud-daula alone appeared in the business, Aliverdi Khan retiring to one of his houses or gardens outside the town, so that he might not hear the cries of the persons whom he was causing to be killed.

Then, as now, the difficulty of dealing with native agents was to induce these agents to express their own opinions frankly and clearly.[70] So far from the English Chief being corrected by his wakil, we find the latter, whilst applying to other nobles for patronage and assistance, studiously refraining from making any application to Siraj-ud-daula when English business had to be transacted at Court.

" Cossimbazar surrendered without firing a shot, owing to the treacherous advice of the Nawab's generals, and Siraj-ud-daula advanced on Calcutta.

Such reasons could only excite irritation in the mind of a man of Siraj-ud-daula's character.

" Owing to the general disgust felt at Murshidabad for the Nawab, his cousin, Saukat Jang, Nawab of Purneah, thought the opportunity favourable for reviving his claims, and, early in October, Siraj-ud-daula, hearing of his contemplated rebellion, invaded his country.

Siraj-ud-daula might join his forces to it.

The Seths and the English had long found the chief difficulty in their way to be the choice of a man of sufficient distinction to replace Siraj-ud-daula on the throne.

Mir Jafar was Bukshi, or Paymaster and Generalissimo of the Army, and his influence had greatly contributed to Siraj-ud-daula's peaceful accession.

" Law, who was nothing if not philosophical, remarked on this disappointment: "In saving Siraj-ud-daula we should have scored a great success, but possibly he would have been saved for a short time only.

[Footnote 71: Uncle of Siraj-ud-daula, who died so shortly before the death of Aliverdi Khan, that it was supposed he was poisoned to ensure Siraj-ud-daula's accession.]

[Footnote 71: Uncle of Siraj-ud-daula, who died so shortly before the death of Aliverdi Khan, that it was supposed he was poisoned to ensure Siraj-ud-daula's accession.]

As a foreigner, I was naturally more bold and said what I thought to Siraj-ud-daula.

In June 1756, when Siraj-ud-daula marched on Calcutta, he sent word to his representative, the Nawab Jusserat Khan at Dacca, to seize the English Factory, and make prisoners of the Company's servants and soldiers.

The next day M. Fleurin, second of the French FactoryM. Courtin was not well acquainted with the English languagecame to inform them that the Nawab of Dacca agreed that the ladies and gentlemen should be allowed to retire to the French Factory on M. Courtin giving his word that they would there await the orders of Siraj-ud-daula as to their future fate.

" For some two months the English remained in the French Factory, M. Law, at Cossimbazar, warmly soliciting their release from Siraj-ud-daula.

Her father, Mizra Gheas Bey, or Itimad-Ud Daula, as he was afterward known, was grand vizier of the Mogul empire during the latter part of the reign of Akbar the Great.