44^ Voyage of the Novara. 



fallen do not ordinarily like to be sought out or gazed at. 

 There is, however, on the contrary, no difficulty in obtaining 

 access to the last minister of the last monarch of the Coro- 

 mandel coast, who seems to feel flattered by a visit from 

 strangers. On our entering, the venerable old gentleman 

 rose from a rich thick carpet, on which he was sitting cross- 

 legged, held out his hand in the most affable manner, and 

 did us the honour of accompanying us through the palace. 

 He had a long white beard, and wore a white turban on 

 his head, while his person was enveloped in white linen. 

 A splendid staircase conducted to a council-room, adorned 

 with a portrait of the late nabob, life-size, executed in London. 

 A second room has a likeness of George Augustus Frederick, 

 Prince of Wales, dedicated to his friend, Omadal-Omrah, 

 nabob of the Carnatic, 1st January, 1797, and of Lord 

 Cornwallis, arm in arm with a nabob, the former repre- 

 sented as walking among pines, the latter among palms. 

 In the harness-room and coach-house adjoining, our oblig- 

 ing attendant revealed to us an endless array of golden 

 howdah trappings, gilt with cunning hand, which seemed to 

 have formerly borne the mighty nabob, when ridmg on his 

 elephant. As we emerged from this lumber room, filled 

 with dust and mud, we perceived in the square before us 

 an immense dust-cloud, which approached nearer and nearer 

 in its gyrations, and gradually assumed the shape of an 

 elephant. It was a gigantic and magnificent specimen, and 

 proved to be the favourite elephant of the last nabob, which, 



