marches, arrived at Moodkee. Here he met the enemy in force under Lall Singh, and a desperate battle ensued, which cost the English nearly a thousand men, among whom, unfortunately, was the gallant Sir Robert Sale. The enemy, however, defeated, withdrew to their entrenched camp at Ferozeshah.

This position it was next determined to attack; and on the 21st December, having been joined by the troops of Sir John Littler and General Gilbert, the assault was made. The governor-general was present during the action, which commenced late in the afternoon. The plan of attack was injudicious; and, notwithstanding the heroic efforts of the troops, only a small portion of the works were captured ere night set in; and the combatants, resting upon the scene of their operations, assailants and assailed lay all night in close proximity to each other. The night was intensely cold, and a desultory fire from the Sikh batteries aggravated the discomfort of the situation.

At length morning came, to witness a renewal of the bloody conflict. The Sikhs fought desperately; but they, nevertheless, had to succumb to the continued and vigorous assaults of their adversaries; and the battle was already won for the English, when reinforcements for the Sikhs unexpectedly arrived, and the action was resumed. By this time our troops were thoroughly exhausted; and it was with sore despondency that they beheld the approach of this new enemy. Fortunately, their apprehensions were not verified. The Sikh commander at once ordered an attack upon the British lines. The movement had commenced, when a sudden panic seemed to seize the troops, and they retreated in disorder, leaving their enemy masters of the field. Victory in this, the most desperate and bloody encounter that India had as yet witnessed, was of untold value to the English; for had the efforts of our countrymen ended in defeat, the consequences might have been serious indeed.

There were, however, other battles to be fought; for the Sikhs, though baffled and crippled, had not lost hope,

Rallying under Runjoor Singh, they advanced in considerable force against the important position of Ludiana farther up the river. Sir Harry Smith was at once detached to reinforce the garrison. The enemy lay at Aliwal; and, being joined by the garrison of Ludiana, Sir Harry advanced to attack them there. A brilliant engagement ensued in which the Sikh squadrons were grandly broken by the vigorous onset of the British cavalry; and the army, quitting the field, crossed the Sutlej in great haste.

The battle of Aliwal was followed by that of Sobraon, where the Sikhs, under the superintendence of European engineers, had constructed a formidable line of works which were a menace to the British position at Ferozepoor. This, the most decisive action of the war, was also the sharpest, most brilliant, and—so far as the enemy were concerned—the most sanguinary. The fortifications were carried by a grand assault, and the enemy, retiring before the advance of the assailants, essayed to cross the river. The guns which had been found useless for siege purposes, were now brought to bear upon the retiring columns, and were plied with such effect, that thousands of the fugitives were shot down-their corpses literally choking the channel of the river. The British loss was likewise severe, amounting to some 3000 in killed and wounded.

This victory opened for the British the road to Lahore, which was forthwith entered. Sir Henry Hardinge might now have added the entire Punjaub to the dominions of Britain. He was, however, much more moderate in his exactions. The Sikh territories on the right bank of the Sutlej, together with the Jullundur Doab, was the only territory demanded by the terms of the treaty concluded between the victors and the vanquished. Other clauses gave Cashmere over to Gholab Singh in consideration of the payment of a military subsidy; and arrangements were made with the youthful Maharajah Dhuleep Singh-a reputed son of Runjeet Singh, concerning taxation, and the nature of the army he was henceforth to be permitted to

M

maintain. An army of occupation was left behind; and the British troops returned, bearing with them 250 pieces of captured cannon which they were careful to display to the natives as an indisputable evidence of their success.

Thus ended the great and well-nigh disastrous First Sikh War. Its chief author, Lall Singh, was more generously dealt with than his perfidy had warranted, being permitted to retain his office as minister, till his mischievous doings again threatened the tranquillity of the country, when he was tried, deposed, and banished the Punjaub.

of

CHAPTER XXV.

ADMINISTRATION OF LORD DALHOUSIE.

Movements of Moolraj-Outbreak of the Second Sikh WarSiege of Moultan-Shere Ally deserts to the Enemy-Battle Ramnugger-Chillianwallah-Goojerat-Close of the War, and Annexation of the Punjaub-Sattara AnnexedSir Charles Napier arrives in England-Sir Charles' Measures opposed by the Governor-general-Outbreak of the Second Burmese War-Annexation of Pegu-Settlement of the Affairs of the Nizam's Dominions-The Case of Palmer's Banking-house-Lord Dalhousie's Annexation SchemesThe Kingdom of Oude-Review of Lord Dalhousie's Administration.

SIR HENRY HARDINGE who, with the other heroes of the late war, had received due recompense from their sovereign, returned to England in 1848, and the duties of government passed into the hands of Lord Dalhousie. India was now quiet; and the military and financial reforms of his predecessor had been so comprehensive, that little fear was entertained of an interruption of this desirable condition of things.

Short time elapsed, however, before these visions of peace were dispelled, and the Sikhs had to be dealt with anew. Moolraj, a Sikh chieftain had, for some cause or other, notwithstanding his known ambition and power to work evil, been left in possession of his dominions, in which stood the important fortress of Moultan. He had, it appeared, agreed to pay a military subsidy; and, on being pressed for it, had taken refuge in sham negotiations. His intentions were from the very first suspected; but no adequate measures were taken for their frustration; and at length two British envoys, Mr. Agnew and Lieut. Anderson, were brutally murdered in the city by his

order. This act was, of course, regarded in the light of a challenge, and preparations were accordingly made to answer it. They were, however, so tardily carried on, and so manifestly inadequate, that the stamp of failure marked the undertaking from its very outset.

Before the arrival of the main army, Lieut. Edwardes and other officers, acting on their own responsibility, had earned great renown by their promptitude and spirit, having already invested the stronghold of Moultan and defeated Moolraj in several engagements. The force now before that city numbered upwards of 30,000 men of all arms-an imposing force indeed. It was, however, anything but homogeneous; and the defences were remarkably strong. The siege operations had scarcely begun, when the magnificent army of the assailants was considerably modified by the desertion of Shere Ally to the enemy. This and other causes determined the commander to await reinforcements from Bombay. The delay was highly injudicious. The whole Punjaub was strewn with combustibles; and it required only the spark of failure to set it ablaze. The ranee had renewed her intrigues and the Sikh chieftains, at whose entreaties an army of occupation had been left in Lahore, expressed their anxiety for renewed warfare with their conquerors. To make matters worse, the kindling spark alluded to was not wanting. Moultan, indeed, fell; but the protracted character of the siege served in no small degree to injure the prestige of our countrymen, and to encourage their enemies.

The Sikh forces now rallied to the standard of Shere Singh and his father, Chutta Singh, and prepared for action. Meanwhile, the commander, though tardy in his movements, had not been idle. A considerable force was got together which, in November, found itself face to face with the army of Shere Singh at Ramnugger, upon the left bank of the Chenaub. Here a series of indecisive actions, chiefly cavalry engagements, ensued; and Shere Singh eventually retired. It was only, however, for the purpose of taking up fresh ground.