THE FACT OP PREDICTION. 



59 



of this melancholy forecast was concealed from the young 

 prince, and was confined, indeed, to Colonel Taylor and the 

 Eanee's minister — a native official. The Eanee died. The 

 yonng prince became a ward of the East Indian Company 

 and was afterwards installed as Eajah. In 1857 he took part 

 in the Indian Mutiny. After an attempt to destroy the British 

 troops sent to Shorapoor, he fled and was captured at Hyderabad. 

 He was tried and sentenced to death, but the sentence was 

 commuted by the Governor-General. The Rajah was to be 

 confined for four years to a fortress, and then, should his 

 conduct be satisfactory, his territory was to be restored to him. 

 This happened in his tioenty -fourth year, and the Colonel 

 imagined that the Eajiih had escaped the predicted fate. But 

 a few days brought a further surprise. At the end of the first 

 day's march to his new abode, the Eajah was examining the 

 commanding officer's pistols, and shot himself — it was believed 

 accidentally. The prediction was therefore literally fulfilled, 

 Colonel Meadows Taylor mentions that the casket containing 

 the horoscope came into the possession of the British officials. 



It is worth remembering also that a similar prediction is said 

 to have played an important part in bringing about the Mutiny. 

 It was said that the foreign raj would end in 1857. In part 

 this also was accomplished. The rule of the East India 

 Company was ended in that year by Act of Parliament, but the 

 British Government took its place. 



In the Memoires of the Comtesse de Boigne (vol. ii, pp. 322- 

 325) she gives a striking narrative which she received from 

 her father, the Marquis d'Osmond (French Ambassador to 

 Great Britain), who was intimately acquainted with the Chevalier 

 de X . . . , of whom she writes, and who was fully cognisant 

 of the facts. The Chevalier was lieutenant-colonel of the 

 regiment which the Marquis joined in his youth. A man of 

 striking personality and most amiable disposition, he was adored 

 by his regiment ; and, being a relative of the Marquis's family, 

 the young officer and he were close friends from the first. 

 When camping in a small German village during the Seven 

 Years' War a gipsy was brought into the officers' saloon after 

 dinner. At first the Chevalier remonstrated with his fellow- 

 officers, but finally yielded and allowed the gipsy to inspect his 

 hand ; after a close scrutiny she said : " You will advance 

 rapidly in your military career; you will make a marriage 

 beyond your hopes ; you will have a son whom you will not 

 see ; and you will die from a shot before you have reached your 

 fortieth year." 



