1 AHLUWALIA MISL. 319
2 character.which causes him to look to the British Government with the
3 hope of obtaining from it a release from the overbearing tyranny of Ranjit
4 Singh.” Notwithstanding the encroachments of the Mahardjé on his terri-
5 tory, his feelings towards him were sincere, and he proved true to the bond of
6 friendship which had been formed between him and the Mahardjé. He
7 beautified and enlarged Kapirthalla. He was exceedingly fond of horses,
8 and, in memory of a black charger, for which he had taken a fancy, he erect-
9 ed a beautiful tomb, which exists to this day at the entrance of Kapur-
10 thalla city.
11 Fatteh Singh was succeeded in his estates by his eldest son, Nehal
12 Singh. He was fond of architecture, and constructed in Kaparthalla, the
13 head-quarters of his government, many beautiful edifices which exist to this
14 day, a monument to his memory and public spirit. A quarrel took place be-
15 tween him and his younger brother, Amar Singh, who had been encouraged
16 by the Lahore darbar to entertain hopes of the expulsion of his elder
17 brother in favour of himself. A plot was hatched against the life of Nehal
18 Singh by a number of conspirators, who attacked him, on one occasion, as
19 he was coming out of his female apartments, but he defended himself gallant-
20 ly and escaped with httle injury. These would-be assassins contrived,
21 however (shortly after their failure on his life), to seize and arrest him, and
22 then obliged him to assign a liberal maintenance to his rival, Amar Singh.
23 But the feud between the brothers did not end here. During the reigns,
24 both of Ranjit Singh and of his successor, Kharak Singh, the quarrel remained
25 unabated, and Amar Singh, by his residence in Lahore, secured the favour
26 of Sher Singh, the new Mahardjd, hoping to realise his object through the
27 support of that monarch. In all probability his efforts would have been
28 crowned with success, had not an accident occurred which cost Amar Singh
29 his life. On the 28th of March, the Maharaja went on a boating excursion
30 to the Ravi, attended by his courtiers, Ra4jds Dhian Singh and Hira Singh,
31 Jamadar Khushal Singh, Sirdar Attar Singh, Kalianwala, Rae Kesra Singh,
32 Bhai Gurmukh Singh and Sirdar Amar Singh, Ahluwalia. The boat was
33 seen suddenly to fill with water and sink. The elephants upon which the
34 party rode to the river, were immediately driven.into it to the rescue,
35 by which means all were saved, with the exception of Amar Singh. This
36 incident left Nehal Singh in undisturbed and undisputed possession of his
37 dominions in the Jalandar Dodb.
38 When Lord Auckland visited the Panjéb in 1838, Sardar Nehal Singh
39 rendered him important aid in collecting supplies, and otherwise assisting
40 the British troops in their march to Kabul. Two years later, he sent a
41 contingent to Kdbul, though his troops had to march only as far as Jallald-
42 béd. His conduct was, at least, questionable during the first Sikh war of
43 1845. In spite of repeated requisitions from the military authorities, he
44 failed to supply provisions to the British troops, which he was bound to do
45 by the treaty of the 25th of April 1809, and afforded no assistance of any
46 kind till after the Sikh army had been defeated. He was ordered to cross
47 the Sutlej and join the British without delay, but he failed to do so, not-
48 withstanding friendly warnings. On the 31st of November news was
49 received by Major Broadfoot to the effect that the Ahluwalia subjects and
50 agents had all joined the enemy, and they fought against the English at
51 Aliwal and Buddowal. The raja, in extenuation of his pusillanimous and
52 treacherous conduct; pleaded his inability to act otherwise, in consequence of
53 the mutiny of his troops. It, however, appeared to the British Government,
54 after careful investigation, that the ra4ja’s object was to keep aloof as long
55 as the struggle for supremacy between the contending parties was undecided,
56 Nehal Singh
57 succeeds,
58 His quarrel] with his
59 younger brother, Amar
60 Singh.
61 The life of Nehal
62 Singh js attempted.
63 Death of Amar
64 Singh.
65 Nehal Singh’s
66 services to the British
67 Government during the
68 first Kabul war, 1838.
69 His unsatisfactory
70 conduct during the
71 first Sikh war of 1845.
72 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com