1 MAHARASA RANJIT SINGH, 375
2 ’'The British envoy was marching to Léhore, but, as he approached,
3 the wily Mahardjé moved to his newly acquired town of Kasur, with
4 the double object of preparing for his march beyond the Sutlej, and of
5 preventing the envoy from seeing his chief cities, Lahore and Amritsar.
6 Mr. Metcalfe reached Kasur on 11th September. He was received at rhe meeting ne-
7 some distance from the town by Dewdn Mohkam Chand, and Sardar Fatteh [vee the Maharaji
8 Singh, Ahluwalia, at the head of two thousand horse. He brought with him Kasi, 180s.
9 an English carriage and a pair of horses, three elephants, with golden
10 embroidered howdahs, and trappings, shawls, &c., as presents for the
11 Mahardjé from the British Government. He was courteously received by
12 the Mahardjd, and had several interviews with him, but the latter studiously
13 avoided all discourse on the subject of the negotiations. These were at
14 length explained to him at a private interview. As might have been
15 expected, the Mahardjé expressed his great satisfaction at the prospect of The Maharaja un-
16 a British alliance, but would not consent to the proposal to confine himself fie wo.acceds te
17 to the east of the Sutlej. As for the reported French invasion of India, British envoy.
18 he affected to be indifferent about the matter. The negotiations had not
19 much advanced, when the Mahardjd suddenly broke up his camp and made
20 his third invasion into the districts south of the Sutlej, at the head of a _ ugisthira expedition
21 large army, leaving instructions for Aziz-ud-din to follow him with the envoy, rs the Sutlej, 1808.
22 The envoy was justly offended at the discourtesy shown him, but he possessed
23 firmness and patience, and followed the Mahardjd to Khai, where another
24 interview between them took place, but with no better results. Having
25 levied a nazrdéné at Ferozepur, the Mahardjé sent his general, Karam Chand,
26 Chabal, to seize Faridkot, which surrendered on the Ist of October with- — He captures Farfa-
27 out offering any resistance. The Mahardjd himself followed Karam Chand, ‘+
28 and, taking possession of all the treasures and assets of the deposed chief,
29 put Dewdn Chand at the head of affairs. The British envoy, who had
30 submitted a draft treaty, was constrained to follow him. He then marched
31 against the Pathan possession of Maler Kotla, held by Até Ullah Khan, from ana marenes against
32 whom he demanded a lakh of rupees as tribute. Most of his villages Maler Kotla,
33 en route had been devastated, and he was now threatened with the plunder of
34 his city, if the fine were not paid without delay. The Khan, pressed with the
35 Sikh’s extortionate demand, paid a portion of the fine in cash, and the balance
36 was raised by a mortgage’ of the fort of Jamdlpur, and three other strong-
37 holds to the rdjé of Patial4, The Pathdn chief laid the matter before the -
38 British envoy, on his arrival in that territory, but Mr. Metcalfe, though
39 expressing his sympathy with the oppressed chief, declined to interfere.
40 The envoy, moreover, perceiving that the Mahardaja4 was using him as a tool
41 to further his own ends, made his stand at Faridkot, and objected to
42 proceeding further with his camp. He remonstrated with the Maharaja The envoy remon-
43 for his acts of hostility in attacking those very chiefs who had solicited the raja for nlehostile
44 protection of his Government, and deliberately declined his request that he P°°*e’™s*
45 would accompany him to Ambdla. The envoy rightly urged that the object
46 of his visiting the ruler of Lahore was to enter into negotiations of a
47 nature which the Maharaja could only too plainly perceive, as was very
48 evident from the fact of his studiously evading all discussions upon that
49 head, and his acting in direct contravention of what, he was perfectly well
50 aware, was the object of the mission. But the object of the Lahore ruler
51 was to gain time and trick the envoy. Mr. Metcalfe has left a graphic
52 account of his negotiations with Ranjit Singh; and the following passage
53 from the envoy’s description of an interview with the Sikh ruler will be
54 found interesting :—- : ae
55 “Reverting to the object of his wishes, the r4jd said that the only little ,,d8fccgeier *
56 “Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com