1 46 MARRIAGE OF RUNJEET SINGH. A. D. 1785.
2 retained the town of Battala, but towards tlie close
3 of the year SUDA KooNWUR, widow of GooR BuKiiSH
4 Singh succeeded by intrigue with the inhabitants in
5 ejecting the garrison and recovering it.
6 Jy Singh had set his hopes on the promise afforded
7 by the character of GooR Bukhsh; and though he had
8 two other sons, by name Bagii Singh and Nidhan
9 Singh, he treated them with neglect, his whole affections
10 being engrossed by the family of his deceased son. The
11 widow, SuDA KooNWUR, had paramount influence, and
12 gained an entire ascendant over the old man, and as she
13 was of an aspiring, bold spirit, she procured that a sepa-
14 rate appanage of some villages about Sohnan and Hajee-
15 poor should be set apart for the surviving sons, while she
16 regulated every thing at Battala for the interest of her-
17 self and her only child by GooR Bukhsh, a daughter.
18 At her suggestion, a negociation was opened for the affi-
19 ance of the girl, whose name was Mehtab-koonwur,
20 to RuNJEET Singh, the young son of Maha Singh,
21 whom she hoped thus to bind to a permanent reconcilia-
22 tion, and through his friendship and powerful support to
23 secure for herself the Sirdaree upon her father-in-law's
24 decease. Maha Singh assented readily to the union,
25 and the Mungnee, or betrothment, of the children was
26 duly performed in the year 1785, and contributed further
27 to raise Maha Singh in power and reputation ; for
28 through the friendship of the Ramghureea Sirdar, and
29 Kangra Raja, which was permanently secured by his
30 aid in the recovery of their lost possessions, added to
31 the influence resulting from this close connexion with the
32 Ghunee Misul, there was no one in the Punjab, or of
33 the Sikh nation, that could compete with him in authority,