1 VI PREFACE.
2 the Sutlej and Jumna : Its officers have been
3 appealed to for the adjustment of all disputes
4 between the chiefs and their neighbours or
5 dependants, and the references to the Supreme
6 Council of Government at the Presidency are
7 frequent, and involve questions of great intri-
8 cacy, making the management of our relations
9 in that quarter by no means the least troublesome
10 part of the business submitted to its decision.
11 Lord William Bentinck was led by the per-
12 ception of this circumstance to seek from the
13 officers employed in the management of Sikh
14 affairs, some general information as to the his-
15 tory and condition of the chiefs, and the habits
16 and customs of the sect. Accordingly, when
17 preparing for his journey to Hindoostan, in
18 1830, he called upon Captain Murray, the Poli-
19 tical Agent at Umbala, who had for more tlian
20 fifteen years been employed in conducting our
21 relations with the Sikh chiefs on the British side
22 of the Sutlej, for a report upon the subject. Cap-
23 tain Wade, the Assistant at Loodeeana, who
24 had latterly been entrusted with the subordi-
25 nate charge, under the Resident at Dehlee, of
26 the correspondence with Runjeet Sin oh, was
27 similarly called upon, and botli officers submit-
28 ted voluminous reports, containing valuable
29 information on all the points required. That of
30 Captain Murray seemed to be the result of