Aside from the inscriptions on the trigger guard and pommel cap, this is a standard Long Sea Service pistol from late 1790s to early 1800s. The trigger guard is inscribed "GENERAL GERARD LAKE," and the pommel cap is inscribed "ALIGARH - DELHI - AGRA- LASWARI -1803 -." General Gerard Lake, 1st Viscount Lake of Delhi and of Aston Clinton (1744-1808) had a long military career spanning from 1758 during the Seven Years War. He fought at Yorktown during the American Revolution. During the French Revolutionary Wars, he fought as the commander of the Guards Brigade in the ill-fated Flanders Campaign and as commander-in-chief in Ireland during the Irish Rising of 1798 which he is partially credited with stirring up through his harsh treatment of the Irish and defeated the French invasion force at the Battle of Ballinamuck. The next segment in his career is what is most relevant to this pistol. In 1800, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the British forces in India and arrived in Calcutta in July of 1801. The following year was promoted to full general. In 1803, war broke out between the British East India Co. and the Maratha Empire in the Second Anglo-Maratha War. Lake's army captured Aligarh Fort at the Battle of Ally Ghur on September 1, 1803, before moving on to capture Delhi on September 11, Agra on October 10, and then finally broke Daulat Scindia's forces at the Battle of Laswari on November 1 helping secure a treaty with Scindia that December. Lake then turned his attention to the fight against Yashwantroa Holkar's forces and defeated him the following November at the Battle of Farrukhabad. Lord Cornwallis was sent to replace Lake as commander-in-chief and also Lord Wellesley as governor-general, but died shortly thereafter leaving Lake to continue the fight until he and the EIC came to terms with Holkar. In response to his successes, Lake received the thanks of Parliament, was created first as Baron Lake of Delhi and Laswary and of Aston Clinton. Upon his return from India in 1807, he was raised to viscount and died the following year after serving the empire for half a century. Provenance: The Richard P. Mellon Collection