१८५७ का स्वातन्त्र्य समर (वीर विनायक दामोदर सावरकर - अंग्रेजों द्वारा छपने से पूर्व प्रतिबन्धित महाग्रन्थ)

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as Russell came out, Azimullah said to him, "I want to
see this famous city and those great Rustoms, the Rus-
sians, who have beaten the French and the English
together." $^{1}$ Undoubtedly, Azimullah was a past master
in irony and satire. This curiosity on the part of Azim-
ullah to see these brave Rustoms who defeated both the
English and the French Russell undertook to satisfy, by
inviting him to his tent. On that day, till the shades of
sunset closed round them completely, "he was looking
with marked interest at the fire of the Russian guns." One
cannon-ball of the Russian guns burst right at his feet, but
he did not move. The gay Azimullah, before returning
home in the evening, said to Russell, "I have my serious
doubts whether you could ever capture this strong forti-
fied position." That night, Azim slept in Russell's tent,
and he left next day, early in the morning. On the table
was left this note :—"Azimullah Khan presents his com-
pliments to Russell, Esq., and begs to thank him most
truly for his kind attentions."
It is difficult to say where Azimullah went after leaving
Russia. Yet, from the mention in the Proclamation of Cawn-
pore later on, it would appear as certain that he was trying
to put through some diplomatic scheme in Egypt also.$^{2}$

1. The above account is published in Russell's Diary, a very
   well-known book. Russell was military correspondent of the Lon-
   don "Times" in the war of 1857. He was personally present in
   most of the affairs that he describes.
2. Lord Roberts has come across a genuine letter from Azim-
   ullah to the Sultan of Turkey about the oppression in Hindusthan.
   He says regarding this "There were numerous letters from his Eng-
   lish fiancées and two from a Frenchman . . . . It seems probable
   that 'les principales choses' to which Lafont hopes to bring satis-
   factory answers were invitations to the disaffected and disloyal in
   Calcutta and, perhaps, the French settlers in Chandernagore to assist
   in the effort about to be made to throw off the British yoke. A
   portion of the correspondence was unopened and there were several
   letters in Azimullah's own handwriting. Two of these were to Omar
   Pasha of Constantinople and told of the Sepoy's discontent and the
   troubled state of India generally."—Forty Years in India, p. 429.
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