1 The views of Ranjit
2 Singh evidently modi-
3 fied since his interview
4 with Lord Lake in
5 The mission halts at
6 Fattehabad.
7 The Maharaja con-
8 tinues to prosecnte his
9 Sutlej campaign.
10 His interview with
11 the raya of Patiala,
12 November 18us,
13 876 HISTORY OF THE PANJAB.
14 doubt that remained in his mind, proceeded from his not being able to conceive
15 why the Governor-General should hesitate to grant such a trifling request. He
16 did not, he said, ask any country from the British Government ; he only wanted
17 to be left to carry on his concerns with the people of his own nation, his bre-
18 thren, without interference. That they all acknowledged his supremacy, and
19 that he merely wanted the Governor-General to say that he would not dis-
20 pute what was acknowledged by all. That the British Government had
21 given away territories, yielding large revenues on many occasions, and was
22 known to make great sacrifices for friends; and that he was not able to
23 account for the hesitation in complying with his small request. I remark-
24 ed upon this that, if the object of his request was trifling, the earnestness
25 with which he pursued it was surprising, and that, if if was important, he
26 ought not to wonder that a certain degree of deliberation should take place
27 upon it.”
28 But the Maharaja had himself proposed to Lord Lake, four years previ-
29 ously, that the river Sutlej should divide the two States, and his seriously
30 taking up the question of the Sutlej States in 1808 could only be regarded
31 as a breach of a stipulation entered into by himself, prompted, of course, as
32 it was, by the rapid growth of his military power in the Panjdb. But, to
33 revert, the envoy remained at Fattehdbdd on the banks of the Sutlej, until
34 Ranjit Singh recrossed that river, and he had received further instructions
35 on the point from his own Government.
36 In the meantime, Ranjit Singh continued his march to Ambdla, which,
37 with its dependencies, he seized from Rdni Dia Kour, widow of Sardar
38 Gurbaksh Singh, and he also took possession of all the jewels and treasures
39 of the unfortunate lady. The confiscated estates of this lady were made
40 over to the chiefs of Nabhd and Kythal.
41 Ambédla was made over to Ganda Singh, Séfz, a favourite menial servant
42 of the Maharaja, and 5,000 cavalry and infantry were placed under his
43 command. He then seized Saniwdl, Chandpur, Jhandar, Dhdri and
44 Bahrém pur, all worth Rs. 50,000 a year, and granted them to his favourite
45 Dewdu Mohkam Chand. Rahimdbdd, Machiwara, Kanna, Trikot, Challowdi
46 aud Kylawar were next seized and made over to the favourite sardars around
47 him, Karam Singh, Nagla, Fatteh Singh, Ahluwalia, and others. Tribute was
48 then exacted from the sons of Sardar Karam Singh of Shahdbdd and the
49 * Chief of Thanesay. *
50 At Shahdbdd the Mahardjé proposed a meeting with Rdjé Sahib Singh
51 of Patidla. The raja did not relish the idea of accepting the invitation, but
52 eventually was obliged to do so from fear. The interview with the Mahardja
53 took place at Lakhnour, 20 miles east of Patidld, on the Shahdbdd road
54 on 24th November 1808, the presence there of Baba Sahib Singh, Bedi,
55 the revered descendant of Baba Nanak, having done much to allay the rdaja’s
56 fears of treachery on the part of the Lahore ruler. The Mahardja appeared,
57 at Lakhnour, at the head of a large army, which was employed in the reduc-
58 tion of the States south of the Sutlej. Each chief suspecting the other of
59 treachery, the meeting took place in the Bedi’s tents, when the Mahardja
60 * Rai Kanhai Lal mentions at page 200 of his work that, after levying nazrdnd from
61 the Nawab of Maler Kotla, Ranjit Singh took the fort of Bhatinda and the town of
62 Sindm, in the territory of the Rajé of Patil, but restored these to the rajé after taking from
63 him a 2azrand of 50,000 rupees. ‘There is no mention of the alleged incident inany of the works
64 consulted by me. The Panjab Rdjds and the JZistory of Patidlé, the best authorities on
65 Patiala, aftairs say nothing about it. Sir Lepel Griflin writes in his work, previously alluded
66 to: **But he (Ranjit Singh) was even more adiplomatist than a warrior, He preferred to attack
67 those who were unable to defend themselves, and throughout his march he had scrupulousl
68 avoided injuring the territory of Raji Sahib Singh. * * * He would have liked to attack
69 the Raja and annex his country, but he dared not do so.” Punjéb Rajds, page 116,
70 Sri Satguru J agjit Singh Ji eLibrary NamdhariElibrary@ gmail.com