1 216 HISTORY OF THE SIKHS.
2 Regret at through the pages of a romance, might think -
3 Be” there was no province belonging to the Lahore
4 government, which might be more prized by .
5 Europeans, and it is not unlikely that the cession of
6 that fruitful valley may cause regret, among those
7 who view it as possessing all the requisites of an
8 earthly paradise. But unless Sir Henry Hardinge
9 had subjugated and annexed the whole kingdom of
10 Impossibility Lahore to the British possessions, he could not
11 of retaining it, * f
12 possibly have occupied Cashmere, insulated as it is
13 from the Punjab, and at such a distance from the
14 British frontier, subjected to the attacks of refrac-
15 tory hill-chiefs, and a convenient bait for the Rajah
16 of Jummoo; and it was no doubt considered wiser
17 Wise policy of policy to give the latter a place which he might
18 Boole Singh. have seized, for a consideration, than leave it at
19 his mercy, to become a bone of contention between
20 him and the British. The territory annexed to
21 the British lay convenient to their present frontier ;
22 cease the Jalindhur Doab could be taken possession of
23 the Jalindhur by their troops ; while the ‘hill-portions of it had
24 ae already thrown off the Sikh yoke, and offered
25 allegiance to the British. The confiscated Sikh-
26 territory on the left bank of the Sutlej became thus
27 defended by our troops in advance between the
28 Sutlej and Beah, and would soon be in as settled
29 astate as any of the other British provinces.
30 Pificutty of When Major Broadfoot was killed at Feeroz-
31 obtaining a shuhur, the selection of an officer to fill his place
32 Major Broad was a task of some ditticulty, since there were few
33 who knew much about Sikh affairs of sufficient