ity of helping it, as the treatment the women had met with had
been conformable to his Excellency the Vizier's orders. The Begum
alleged, that, even admitting that the Nabob had given those orders,
they were by no means authorized in this manner to disgrace the family
of Sujah Dowlah; and should they not receive their allowance for a day
or two, it could be of no great moment: what was passed was now at an
end; but that the Vizier should certainly be acquainted with the whole
of the affair, and that whatever he desired she should implicitly comply
with. The Begum then sent for five of the children, who were wounded in
the affray of last night, and, after endeavoring to soothe them, she
sent again for Letafit and Hossmund Ali Khan, and in the presence of the
children expressed her disapprobation of their conduct, and the
improbability of Asoph ul Dowlah's suffering the ladies and children of
Sujah Dowlah to be disgraced by being exposed to the view of the rabble.
Upon which Letafit produced the letter from the Nabob, at the same time
representing that he was amenable only to the orders of his Excellency,
and that whatever he ordered it was his duty to obey, and that, had the
ladies thought proper to have retired into their apartments quietly, he
would not have used the means he had taken to compel them. The Begum
again observed, that what had happened was now over. She then gave the
children four hundred rupees, and dismissed them, and sent word by
Jumrud and the other eunuchs, that, if the ladies would peaceably retire
to their apartments, Letafit would supply them with three or four
thousand rupees for their personal expenses, and recommended to them not
to incur any further disgrace, and that, if they did not think proper to
act agreeable to her directions, they would do wrong. The ladies
followed her advice, and about ten at night went back into the zenanah.
The nest morning the Begum waited upon the mother of Sujah Dowlah, and
related to her all the circumstances of the disturbances. The mother of
Sujah Dowlah returned for answer, that, after there being no accounts
kept of crores of revenues, she was not surprised that the family of
Sujah Dowlah, in their endeavors to procure a subsistence, should be
obliged to expose themselves to the meanest of the people. After
bewailing their misfortunes, and shedding many tears, the Begum took her
leave, and returned home."

That the said affecting narrative being sent, with ot