Rajas of the punjab

· 1873 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1T H E P A T T IA L A S T A T E ,

2117.

3principal Chief would gladly throw off the Maharaja's

4yoke, which was almost too heavy to bear. Eanjit Singh

5knew his danger and made extravagant promises to his

6followers, His mother-in-law, Mai Sada Kour, he petted

7and coaxed, for she was the head of the great Ramgharia

8confederacy, and he knew she had been intriguing with

9the English. He again cohabited with her daughter

10Mehtab Kour, his first wife, whom he had long discarded,

11and he acknowledged as his own, Sher Singh and Tara

12Singh, two children called her sons, hut with whose exist

13ence neither he nor M eh tab Kour had anything to do,

14and whom he had till now disowned.1

15The Maharaja could not, however, fail to perceive that

16the advance of the British army under General St Legcr "r,tIbharmy

17ancf the detachment under Colonel Ochterlony was pro

18ductive of considerable effect on the Satlej Chiefs, who,

19fearing to compromise themselves with the English, with

20drew one by one ; their contingents followed then-

21example, and had it not been for a considerable reinforce

22ment from Lahore the army of Biwan Molikam Chand

23would have disappeared. At length. Ranjit Singh awoke

24to the fact that the British Government was not to he

25turned from its resolution by bis opposition ; and he

26determined, though somewhat late, to persuade the world

27that he was a consenting party. He, accordingly, sent. , o ^ 0e“b“1,y

28to Colonel Ochterlony, Sirdar Sada Singh and Nizamuddin 0l'hteilony

29Klian, to see if the new Englishman was nr ore practi

30cable than Mr Metcalfe.2

31These men arrived at Colonel Ochterlony’s camp on

32t|ie t3th February. They were full of complaints of

331 Government of India to Mr Metcalfe, ,23d January 1809; unft Mr Met

34calfe to Government of India of 29th January and 3d February,

354 Mr Metcalfe of 6 th, 12th, and 15th February to Government,

36'

37c

38: :