1 1 26
2 the manners and customs of the country, and therefore ignorant
3 of the proper method of dealing with such a people, were sents
4 accompanied by a native, Serdar Kan Sing, to Mooltan, to
5 receive the state accounts from the Mulraj, and to take their
6 posts as governors of that district. Both these officers were
7 barbarously murdered ; and the natives, as if by a given signal,
8 rose in revolt against the English. The troops of the provinces
9 Banu-Tank, Hazareh and Peshawur also joined the hostile move-
10 ment ; and a conspiracy was detected at Lahore, in which, as
11 before mentioned, the ranee was implicated. Their intention was
12 to carry away Dulleep Sing, and to bring him into the camp of
13 the insurgents. An earnest and bloody struggle arose : Dost
14 Mahomed Khan, of Cabul, whom the English released a few
15 years ago from prison, took the conduct of the Sikhs, and
16 they defeated the English in two battles, at Ramnuggur
17 and Chillian wallah ; and it was not before the return of
18 Sir H. Lawrence that the English recovered their position, by
19 those two deciding battles of Mooltan and Gujerat, on the
20 Chenaub river ; after which — viz , on the 1st of May, 1849 — the
21 country was annexed to the English possessions ; the Sikh
22 durbar was abolished ; and my official capacity depending only
23 on the existence of that body, was consequently at its end. I
24 solicited a pension, which I obtained. Dulleep Sing was sent to
25 the interior of India, where he lived upon a pension, derived
26 from the revenue of the same country from which I receive my
27 own ; the only difference between the two pensions being, that
28 I am allowed to expend mine wherever I please. The receipt,
29 however, must be at Lahore; my agent there presenting a
30 life certificate, signed by an English authority.
31 It was in the year 1839 that I had returned to Lahore, after
32 having visited the European continent and my native country.
33 I enjoyed the pleasure, on my return, of being the companion of
34 General Ventura, who was also hastening to India to resume his
35 duties. On our voyage we had many conversations, among
36 which, the events which had happened during my absence from
37 Lahore underwent discussion. On that occasion, the general