1 86 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
2 task becomes much more so, when we endeavour
3 Strength of to calculate the hordes of the East. In the time
4 ihe tine se of Runjeet Singh, we ourselves saw the book
5 Ladies in which he kept a cortect list of his regular or ©
6 Aeen troops; and in 1835 these amounted to
7 thirty-five regiments of infantry of a°1000 men
8 each; while the regular cavalry or Ghorchurras
9 Adaitions®: numbered 15,000 men. Great additions have no
10 doubt been made since that time to both branches ;
11 but in estimating the regular troops at so low arate,
12 it must be recollected, that the Sikh force consisted
13 of an immense number of irregular regiments, both
14 cavalry and infantry, under the command of Sir-
15 dars, who disciplined them and brought them into
16 action at their own expense. With such a resource
17 as this at command, the number of men comprising
18 the Sikh army when it resolved to cross the Sutlej
19 was incalculable. There might have been 70,000
20 infantry and half that number of cavalry; but with
21 the exception of the Aeen or regular troops, much
22 opposition could not have beén expected against the
23 British disciplined troops, either European or Native.
24 agace The opinion of Runjeet Singh himself was, that his
25 Ses or hig FCSUIar troops were equal to any in the world; he
26 regular troops. had probably been told by the French officers in
27 his service, that they weré a match for their own
28 countrymen, and as a matter of course equal, if not
29 superior to the British, whom the Maharajah had
30 been industriously made to believe had been beaten
31 by the French, and hence were inferior to the latter !
32 We have had frequent opportunities of discussing