The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 87: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

70 REYNOLDS’ WORKS trial must ensue, it is requisite we should glean every par- ticular. Queen Indora’s name must sooner or later be men- tioned in the proceedings, and therefore as well to-day, at this court, as in another place a short time hence. I beseech that your lordship will leave yourself entirely in my hands.”’ ‘““ My friend, I will do so,’’ answered Lord Clandon, and the solicitor retired to his seat. The inspector now directed Sagoonah to enter the witness- box, and she was first of all questioned by the magistrate in respect to her knowledge of the obligations of an oath. Her answers were satisfactory, and she was sworn according to her own creed. Then, partly in reply to leading questions put by the inspector and the magistrate, and partly of her own accord, she proceeded with her evidence. She spoke the English tongue sufficiently well to render it entirely in- telligible, and it was rather with a peculiarity of accent than in broken phrases that she delivered her testimony. Her veil being raised, the extraordinary beauty of her counte- nance could not fail to strike those present to whom she was a stranger; her demeanour was coldly calm and collected, and her voice trembled not. But once, and once only, did she slance toward the prisoner in the dock, and this occasion will be mentioned in its place. She deposed that her name was Sagoonah, that she was about twenty-six years of age, that she had been left an orphan in her childhood, from which time she had been brought up about the person of Indora, Princess, and now Queen of Inderabad, an independent kingdom of Hindustan. She recollected that about sixteen years back, and conse- quently when she was only ten years old, an Englishman bear- ing the name of Clement Redcliffe arrived at the court of Inderabad. He was in the East India Company’s service, and came to that court as an accredited diplomatic agent on the part of the governor-general. The King of Inderabad, for his own reasons, detained the Englishman at his court, and caused a rumour of his death in the jungles to be propa- gated in other parts of India, so that it might reach the ears of the British functionaries at Calcutta. Sagoonah pro- ceeded to state that the Englishman was treated with all possible distinction at the court of Inderabad, his freedom alone excepted. He had sumptuous apartments assigned him in a pavilion attached to the royal palace; he had slaves Gomiuicdoc <S (E()