140. Memoirs of the late Lieutenant colonel Fohn Mordaunt. [March 1, 
He spoke the Hindoo language fluently, 
and was a tolerable Persian scholar ; yet 
he. could not write two lines of English 
correctly. I once had occasion to bor- 
row.a horse from him fora day or two: 
he sent the animal to me with the fol- 
lowing note. 
“You may kip the hos as long as you 
lick.” 
“This excelience of temper, ae all 
the jokes to which this unhappy def- 
cieney subjected him, was’ wonderful. 
Iie knew his failing, and allowed it to 
stand as a butt for the amusement of bis 
friends; but was highly offended at the 
attempt of an¥-one, whom he did not 
feel a par tiality for, to excite a laugh at 
his expence; and, more than once, in my 
hearing, has astonished persons of that 
description into the most complete hu- 
mulity. Once in particular, a very wor- 
thy young man of the name of James 
who was rather of the more 
silly. order of beings, thinking he could 
take the liberty of playing with, or rather 
upon him, in a large company ‘called to 
Mordaunt, desiring him to say what was 
the Latin for a goose? The answer was 
briefly, “I don’t know the Latin for it, 
but the English for it is Jumes P———-. 
It should have been premised, that 
the foregoing question was put to Mor- 
daunt, in consequence of his having in a 
note, sent toa person who had offended 
him, required.“‘ an immediate anser by 
the bearer.” The gentleman addressed, 
wishing to terminate the metter ami- 
cably, construed the word literally, and 
sent @ goose by the bearer ; stating also, 
that he would partake of it the next 
day. -This, to a man. of Mordaunt’s 
kidney, was the high.road_ to reconcili- 
ation ; though to nine persons in ten, and 
especially to those labourmg under ‘sach 
adesperate deficiency in point of ortho- 
graphy, it would’ have appeared highly . 
insulting! 
Tt may readily MY suppos ed, that Mor- | 
Gaunt was more ornamental than use- 
ful in General Clavering’ s office; how- 
ever, the latter could: not help esteem- 
ing } m,-and had he lived, woald pro- 
bably ae efiected Motiana’ s removal, 
from the Madras to the Bengal army; 
Dut the general dying, no other person 
felt so bold, or so interestec for him, as 
to jabour at that which, Bon not un- 
precedented, was so hostile to the sen- 
timents of the latter establishment. The 
Madras officers never failed to notice, 
sometimes, indeed, jn rather harsh 
‘ supreme : yovernment, 
terms, the injustice of an officer beingon . 
their rolls, who never joined his regi- 
ment for nearly twenty years, and whose 
whole time was passed in the lap of dis- 
sipation, 
Being on a party of pleasure to the. 
northward: and near to Lucknow, the 
capital of Oude, and the residence of the’ 
late Nabob Vizier Asoph ul Doulah, 
Mordaunt, of course, had the curiosity’ 
to see both the prince and his court, 
The free open temper of Asoph pleased 
Mordaunt, whose figare and manner 
made a oreat impression on his illustrious 
host. The latter was fond of hunting 
and shooting; to cock-fighting, in- 
deed, he was so partial, that he has 
even neglected due attendance to-busi- 
ness of importance with the several re- 
sidents, while engaged in a main with ‘Ins. 
dear friend Mordaunt, ” who was com- 
pletely skilled in that branch of barbari ity. 
Though I cannot say it ever appeared. . 
to me as a very faithful resemblance, yet 
there is sufiicient of character, and some 
other good points, in the portrait in- 
tended to represent Mordaunt, in the 
celebrated picture of the cock-pit, ex- 
ecuted by Zoffani, while at the Nabob’s 
court, to give some idea of the manly, 
dignified,and elegant person of thesubject 
of this memoir. _ He is therein represent- 
ed asin the act of handing. a cock,on which 
he bets highly, 1a opposition to a bird of 
his Highness the Nabob, who is pour- 
trayed, 11 a loose undress, on the op- 
posite side of the pit. 
The figures in question, however, pos- 
sess sume merit, from the insight they 
give into the open, independent, yet un- 
assuming alr of Mordaunt, and the fa- 
miliar manner in which the Nabob 
stooped to join in diversions with him, 
and, indeed, with every European. gen- 
tleman who wished to partake of such 
amusements as Characterized that weak, 
idle, and contemptible prince. 
Mardauant became such a paren. 
‘ that he was retained by the Vizier at his 
court, in capacity of aid-de-camp; though 
he never“attended but according to his 
own fancy, and then, generally, either to 
shoot, or to gamble with him, Te va- 
rions applications and sarcasins directed 
against Mordaunt, as an absentee from 
ee corps for so many years, and at the 
distance of full two thousand miles; were 
alike disregarded by himself, and by the — 
‘of which-all the 
individuals were personally attached 
dim, pene persons ia not hosts 
