For the two last years of her life, D’Eon was almost bed-ridden through infirmity, but affectionately nursed and tended by Mrs. Cole. About a year before her death she sent for Père Elisée, formerly surgeon to the ‘Pères de la Charité’ at Grenoble, who was enjoying a comfortable allowance from the Duke of Queensberry as his grace’s physician, and with whom he dined almost daily.[381] Elisée and Dr. Perigalese attended her as her strength failed from day to day, and until she quietly expired at 10 P.M. of May 21, 1810. When the last offices were being performed to the remains of her deceased friend, Mrs. Cole learnt for the first time, and to her utter astonishment, that her late most intimate companion was a man. Upon making his appearance the following morning, Père Elisée equally expressed his great surprise, and at once recommended the expediency of the Chevalier’s sex being professionally determined; the body was accordingly dissected in the presence of several medical gentlemen, the Earl of Yarborough, Sir Sidney Smith, the Honourable Mr. Lyttleton, Mr. Douglas, and other persons of consideration, the following certificate being forthwith made public:— ‘I hereby certify that I have inspected and dissected the body of the Chevalier D’Eon, in the presence of Mr. Adair, Mr. Wilson, and Le Père Elisée, and have found the male organs in every respect perfectly formed.[382] ‘(Signed) ‘T. COPELAND, ‘Surgeon, Golden Square.’ ‘May 23, 1810.’ In the Slade collection of autograph papers at the British Museum is preserved this letter:— ‘My dear Sir,—Introduced by a friend of the late Chevalier D’Eon, I attended in the evening of yesterday at lodgings in two pair of stairs at No. 26 New Milman Street, Foundling Hospital, and being permitted to inspect the corpse, can assure you that the late Chevalier, called when living, Mademoiselle D’Eon, had the visible organs of generation of a male, and was a very man. Mrs. Cole, with whom he lived for many years, being as well as the Chevalier aged above eighty, assured me that it was with the utmost astonishment that she received the information, just after her companion’s death, that he, a Mademoiselle D’Eon as she called him, was discovered to be as I saw him—a man—that she did not recover the shock for many hours. The above, being interesting to you, as you can have no doubt of its authenticity, I have sent in writing. The Prince de Conti, &c. &c. had attended on the same day at the lodgings. ‘Yours very truly, ‘GEO. SILK, ‘Notary Public.’ ‘Doctors’ Commons, May 27, 1810. ‘Robert Slade, Esq.’