Fall of the Mughal Empire v4.c56.s18.1

v4.c56.s18.1

The battle of Patparganj was witnessed from the ramparts of Delhi, and as soon as the result became clear, the old Emperor Shah Alam sent a messenger to congratulate General Lake on his victory and ask him to come and deliver him from Maratha control by placing him under British protection. Lake agreed, for this was the first object of the Governor-General in the war. On 14th September the British army crossed over to the Delhi side by the bridge of boats on the river which Bourquien had left undestroyed in order to win the favour of the English. General Lake paid his first visit to the Emperor in the afternoon of the 16th, marching in state amidst the jubilation of the populace of the capital. In the palace the scene of his audience with the King of Kings was pathetic beyond words. As an officer of Lake's army writes: "The descendant of the great Akbar and Aurangdib was found . . . blind and aged, stripped of authority and reduced to poverty, seated under a small tattered canopy, the fragment of regal state and the mockery of human pride."* The British Government adopted the necessary measures for the support of the imperial family and the security of the capital with its dependencies. The exact terms of this political arrangement will be described in connection with the treaty with Sindhia in December.