The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-23 00:00:00

SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF RUN-
JEET SINGH, AND RISE OF THE KING.
DOM OF THE SEIKS.

The Ruler of Lahore, C7lfled Sukerchuckea by his
countrymen, from the name of the village in which his
grandfather, a Sansee Jat, of the humblest origin, was
born about the year 1780. This person, whose name
iwlniasssCh
the
,puaurnnr,uijatsboS,oin
jnogihne,
da amidst the anarchy
band
w ssehc
diriol prevailedbberi, i
‘i
a formidable commroasned
be yr 10) ifs
ocuotuiraaLe. an
ll(1 tillne tesnttoe r
eb,e,
into a league with the Zeemeendars of Goorjarwallah, a
fortified place within thirty miles from Lahore, he made
it his head-quarters and the depository of his booty. In
1761, Kbawjah Obyd, the Governor placed in Lahore by
Alimud Shah Abdalli, marched with a force to chastise
Churret Singh, and the Seik confederacies with which he
generally acted in consort : the whole of their predatory as-
sociations under variousleaders,who afterwardsbecame the
founders of chieftships, did not then exceed 3,000 men.
The Afghan Governor appeared before the mud-works
of Goorjarwallah, but instead of commencing opera-
tions, he suffered himself to be artfully inveigled into a
negociation which led to his ruin. A considerable part
of his army consisted of Punjaubees, who were brought
over to the interest of the Robbers, raising a false alarm
by pretending that the camp was attacked at night,
made the Mussulmans take the flight, and leave their
commander to escape almost alone. The whole
of his baggage, equipage,
and treasure being thus
abandoned, was seized, and a considerable district ever
afterwards remained in possession of the captors.
Churrut Singh, now undisturbed by the Afghans, began
that system of unscrupulous acquisition, which has dis-
tinguished all his descendants. Force; fraud, and stra-
tagem, gained him considerable territory, part of
which he bestowed on relatives and favourite followers,
on the tenure of military service. Having interfered
between the Raja of Jummoo and his son, with the view
of helping himself to their country while affecting to ad-
just their differences, he was killed, by the bursting of
a matchlock, in the forty-fifth year of his age. Chur-
rut Singh, born a common peasant, and living a robber,
left his family when he (lied, a territory which yielded
three lacks of rupees a year. He was succeeded by his
only son, Maha Singh, a boy ten years old, des-
tined to imitate his predecessor, with rather less princi-
ple and equal success. In his seventeenth year, he
murdered the mother that bore him, assumed the di-
rection of affairs, committed spoilation on all his weaker
neighbours, and died while besieging, with intent to
plunder, his brother-in-law, at the age of 27 in 1792.
Runjeet Singh, the son of Mahe, was born in 1680,
and succeeded his father in his twelfth year. The ap-
pointed guardians of his minority were the young chief-
tan's mother, and Sudda Kour, a lady of greater note,
to whose daughter he was married. This mother.in-
law of the greatest of the Seiks, was left a widow in
her youth, and afterwards, it is said, encouraging an in-
cestuous passion in the father of her deceased husband,
she persuaded him to bequeath her the chiefship of the
Gunneyah confederacy ; one of the associations pos-
sessed of land, which she actually succeeded to, on the
old man's death. Runjeet, who had lost an eye by the
small-pox, when an infant, was, according to the barba-
eroduuscapractice ne
slhn
odui al
d, allowede
et oa p
agbr
ewouf ps
uwhollyd
nng-
the administrators of his affairs, and disposed to demand
too exact an account of the management of them in his
nonage. But in spite of this precaution, he got
unruly at seventeen, and leaguing with Sudda Kour,
dismissed his mother, with all her Ministers, from
authority. It is to the counsels, intrigues, and
military co-operation, of his new co-adjutress, that he
owes the acquisition of his present capital, the seat of
all his greatness. The old thieves' den of Goorjah-
wallah being still the principal city of the house of
Suckerchuekea. Lahore was held conjointly by three
Seik Surdars, whom Sudda Kour discovered to be
disunited, and unprepared to make any great resistance
to an enemy. After sowing further dissension among
them, and corrupting their officers to gain admittance,
she added her own forces to Runjeet's, and advanced
unexpectedly on the city by night. It was entered and
occupied before morning, partly by consent of the chiefs,
who stipulated for the retention of some of their own
lands in Jaggeer. This event took place in 1799.
Runjeet having now acquired a commanding position in
the Punjab, proceeded in the hereditary' spirit of his
grandfather's profession, to acquire new territory by
every means which cunning, deceit, and open violence
could command. A few instances, cited at random, will
best show the practice which he continued to the day
of his death. Petankote was a little principality ad-
joining the Kungra Hills, held by a chief whose sons
complained of their father's treatment of them. The
Ruler of Lahore, paying the family a visit with his
army, put an end to domestic feuds by giving them a
village in Jaggeer, and annexing the rest of their lands
to his own dominions ! The Hill Raja of Noorpoor,
having omitted, on one occasion, to pay his respects to
the Seik, went afterwards to apologize—was seized—
compelled to conduct men to his hoards and jewels,
and deprived of every acre which he owned, on man-
fully refusing to sanction the spoilation by accepting a
pittance ! Two Sirdars of the Seik family, called
Ramghurhia, being with their troops in tile neighbour-
hood of Runjeet's camp, rashly went, in a friendly
way, to see him. With the most shameless perfidy, he
threw them into confinement, and they were compelled,
under threats of death, to march with his guards, and
order the garrisons of their own forts to surrender a
tract of country, worth five lass a year, to the
treacherous enemy. Besides, whenever a person of con-
sideration died, he has been in the constant habit, after
giving the children or other relatives, a paltry pension,
to serve himself heir to the whole property of the de-
ceasedhas exhibited
Illiterate
emergedhe ;ri
ha
fitandrteeodma
ni
dtdpu rruiwouldinnhirgi
etiunrefined
in: be ebsdeadrili
barbarism
ctreiuvst ti
iryatn::::spi•pghoeheicrntte:iaoetmauh
rteosn sog mene
a scene of domestic ruin and confiscation, asthe Punjab
relaxa-
tions
of Runjeet Singh from plotting aggressions more
ohEraubrlfrei
othsspseervea,eexnrtwget
eaonspsoienvrnesob,
rmuhtaibrutality.
consistedirtiyt in sensual indulgences, which
appeared excessive even among his countrymen, whose
which. was a solitary indulgence
or whiskey, generally valued in proportion to their effi-
cacy in depriving him of his senses. The Padsha, or
Kin.' as
he now began to call himself, suspected one of
hilarity
suppose,or s ioni sociability ahrbi a
tl
modeitfiya pprlooafmi
ndorbt
ilerndan,i
dn agys:
his Queens, the daughter of Sudda Kour, of following
the eminent example of infidelity which he had set to
his family, and an anecdote on the subject affords an
illustrative sample of Seik delicacy. About nine months
after their final separation, the lady apprised her bus.
band that she had been happily delivered of twin boys :
one of whom is Sheer Singh, and the other is called
Tara Singh. Runjeet seems to have taken no notice
of the event at the time, but some years afterwards,
when dandling the children on his knee, in full durbar,
he treated the courtiers with such pleasantries as
these :—" It was a pretty trick of the old Kour to
make my wife call these boys mine ; who, look you, this
little fellow is the son of a weaver, and this one of a car-
penter, who would take them for princes ( p").
Such is the pedigree universally ascribed to the young
men, whom their sovereign does not acknowledge, though
he allows them to cherish all the pretensions of being his
offspring. Some years ago, having no longer need of
Sudda Kour, he repaid her for the "trick," by making
the old lady transfer her property to the suppositious
youths, and surrender the rest. to himself! Kurruck
Singh, a son by another Ranee, and older than the fore-

going, is the heir apparent of Lahore.
No domestic occurrences ever diverted Itunjeet Singh
from his schemes of aggrandizement. Having become•
a master of almost all the petty states to the north of
the Sutlej, he was preparing to dispossess the Scik
chiefs between that river and the Jurr.na, in the same

manner, when they took alarm, and solicited the protec-
tion of the British Government in 1808. Mr. (the pre-
sent Sir Charles) Metcalfe was appointed Envoy on this
occasion, to ne,gociate with the sovereignty of the
Punjab. The treaty which he finally concluded having
been subvtantially respected by both parties ever since,
is still in force. Its principal stipulations, fixing the
river Sutlej as the boundary between the two
Powers, provided for the security of the states to
the south of it under the British Government, and the
co-operation of Runjeet Singh against any European
enemy who should invade India through his dominions.
It was not, however, without much evasion and long
procrastination that the conqueror of so many small
a rh
principalities
tite
consented
extend
his
authority t oforego his designs, openly
claiming
to the Jumna,
which he said would make a much better line of frontier
than what the Envoy insisted on. The mission was
first received at Kusoor, with every exterior mark of
respect, but negociations had scarcely begun when the
Maharajah struck his tents and marched at the head of
an army, across the Sutlej, whence taking possession of
Fureedkote and other districts, be proceeded as far as
Umbaila, which he likewise reduced. Meanwhile Mr.
Metcalfe
hhavingad re f
.0 protestedsei(to accompany
astrongly against these ag-
gressions,r,y
the
expedition,
and, in consequence of the events which followed, a de-
tachment under Colonel Ochterlony was sent to support
the invaded states. It advanced and finally established
the cantonment of Loodiana, as Runjeet, retreating be-
fore it, re-crossed the Sutlej, gave up these recent con-
quests,
Envoy
agreedrequired to
rt o t erm s already mentioned, which
the gsubscribe
to.
Whilst Mr.
Metcalfe and his escort remained at Amritsir, our M us-
selman sepoys, not being prohibited it appears, made a
Tazea for the usual celebration of the Mahurrum, a ce-
remony interdicted in the Punjab, and held in
abhorrence by all the bigotted followers of Gu-
roo Govind. One Phoola Singh, a leader of
Acalis or Immortals, a sort of Knight Templars
among the Seiks, attempted, at the head of this band,
to cut up the party in a night attack. Captain Fer-
guson was severely wounded, and several of the men
killed, but the assailants were fairly repulsed and driven
into the town. Runjeet Singh made a decent show of
regret for this outrage, which it is now believed that he
was not accessory to, although at the time many con-
sidered it an experiment made at his instigation, to try
the mettle of disciplined troops. lie is known after-
wards to have upbraided Phoolah Singh for bringing

T EMBER 23, 1839

disgrace in his country, by attacking an Ambassador,
and then tarnishing its martial reputation by suffering
a handful of foreigners to defeat these sacred. defenders
of Amritsir !
In 1805, Runjeet Singh had under his banner twenty-
seven independent chiefs, and thirty-two jageerdars, with
their contingents of horse and foot. His own force, be-
sides 10,000 cavalry, consisted of 900 artillerymen and
five battalions of sepoys, drilled after the English
fashion, by deserters from the Company's service. The
whole army at his disposal, never perhaps in the field at
a time, is said to have amounted to 40,000 cavalry and
20,000 armed men of other descriptions.
After gradually over-running the intervening districts,
he first attacked Multan in 1810, on pretence of de-
manding the place for Shah Soojah, the Kin.. of Cabul,
who had just been dethroned. The Nawab, Muzuffur
Khan, refusing to surrender his fort, was offered
forbearance if he would pay three lees of rupees ;
but rejecting these terms also, he had to prepare
for a siege, which immediately began. Famine was
threatening the besiegers, when the commander dis-
covered, to his great joy, that the Nawaub was now
willing to pay 180,000 rupees to get rid of such un-
pleasant company. The siege, which had continued all
the cold season, was accordingly raised in the month of
April. Although he returned, annually laying waste
the country until bribed to desist, Runjeet did not
obtain possession of Multan for eight years after the
event described. In 1818, his army again invested the
place, under the nominal command of his son, Kour
Kurruck Singh, but really directed by Missur Dewan
Chund, a person who rose from a menial station, to be
the ablest of all his master's generals. In the course of
a month the parapet was demolished in many places,
and the garrison reduced to great distress when Sadu
Singh, a commander of Acalis,advanced to the Dhool Kot
of Fause Braye, of one of the bastions, and springing
over the breast-work, effected a lodgment, which com-
pletely dispirited the defenders. The Sieks, animated
in a corresponding degree, escaladed the walls, and took
possession of the fort. The aged governor, Muzuffur
Khan, a Syud and a Hadgi, dressed in green, defended
the door of his dwelling, until he and two of his sons
were slain. A daughter, of fifteen years of age, seeing
the fate of her relatives, and dreading the brutality of
the conquerors, struck a dagger to her heart, and died
before their faces. Multan was delivered up to plunder,
and the troops were supposed to leave it loaded with
wealth. Their vigilant sovereign, whom an illness had
kept at Lahore, coming out to meet his victorious
army on its return, surrounded it with his batta-
lions, and commanded the spoilers to resign their
spoil to him This claim being quite . unexpected
could neither be evaded nor resisted, and the wily.
chief got nearly all the booty of the devoted city and
fort. In 1813, the Sieks obtained possession of the
fort of Attock and an adjoining territory, on the east
bank of the Indus, by negotiation with the Afghan
officer, Juhan Dan Khan ; Futtey Khan, the vizier of
Cabul, with the view of recovering the place, marched
a large army against it in July of the same year.
Dewan Chund was forthwith despatched from Lahore,
with a force to raise the seize, and protect the new ac-
quisition. When he reached the river, five miles below
Attock, he found his enemy drawn up between him and
the fort. A large body of the Mulkuah, or militia of
Afghanistan, formed the first division, and it was
supported by the cavalry under the command of
Dost Mahomnaed Khan, the late Ruler of Cabul,
and brother to the Vizier. The Mulkuah ad-
vanced to the attack before the Sieks had all come up ;
but Dewan Chund made prompt arrangements for re-
ceiving them, by ordering one of the battalions to form
square, while he divided his horse into four bodies, to
keep Dost Mahomed in check, and expected the ar-
tillery to open on the Afghans. The square we may
suppose was nothing very formidable, but the novelty
of it startled the assailants, who, though they rushed
on with great impetuosity, could not stand the fire which
began to gall them from one side, and they were repulsed
with great loss. The Afghans fell back in confusion,
being compelled to make a precipitate retreat, and to
abandon his designs on Attock.
In the month of May, 1814, Runjeet Singh com-
menced preparations for his first attempt on Cashmere.
He succeeded in gaining over the Mussultnan Rajah of
Rajouree, in the intervening hills, but in spite of all his
intrigues, Rook Ullah Khan, the neighbouring Raja of
Poonich, remained faithful to his alliance with the Go-
vernor of the valley. The Siek, putting himself at the
head of the main body of his troops, resolved to move
against the country of that prince, in order to penetrate
from thence into Cashmere by the Toshah Mydan pass.
Another division under Ram Dyal, the grandson of
the Dewan, was ordered to proceed by Byram Gullah,
to the town of Soepyn, which is within the valley.
Though the rains set in with great violence, bringing
disease, and cutting off supplies, Ram Dyal following
these instructions got to his destination, and defeated
the first party of Afghans who opposed him. But
when fairly in Cashmere, he suffered a severe reverse
and was obliged to retrace his steps over the moun-
tains. He and his whole force were at last over-
powered, and surrendering to Mahomed Azeem, the
Governor of Cashmere, he treated them with un-
usual humanity on account of his friendship
for Missur Chund. Meanwhile, Runjeet having
reduced Poonich and advanced within a few
miles of the Toshah Pass, was waiting for tidings of
success from his general, when the fatal news arrived.
The mountaineers bad already got in his rear, and nearly
put off his communication with the plains, but the
Poonich Raja now fell upon the Sieks in front, with his
whole army, and made them commence a disastrous re-
treat. Runjeet is acknowledged to have behaved well
in this affair, as be kept in the rear giving orders in
person to check the pursuers, who followed him to the
plains, which he reached safely, but with great loss in his
troops, about the middle of August.
The second expedition against Cashmere set out
in April, 1819. The principal division of the
army under Missur Dewan Chund, after reducing
the now hostile country of Rajoree, and forcing
the Tashah Mydan pass, entered the valley, while
Runjeet remained behind keeping up the com-
munication. Jubbur Khan. the present governor, who
could muster only 5,000 men, encountered the Sieks
near Soopyn, and was completely routed. The Afghans
dispersing fled through the mountains towards Pesha-
wur, and Cashmere, the favourite theme of eastern story,
has ever since remained subject to Lahore.
The Maharaja, who has not obtained any footing of
consequence to the west of the Indus, overran the
country as far as Peshawur, in October 1818. After
consulting the stars and the chattering of birds, he
made an offering of sweetmeats to the River Deity,
and led the way in fording the stream on his
elephant. Yar Mahomed Khan fled from the city
on the approach of the Sieks, and no opposi-
tion being offered, Runjeet might consider himself
the sovereign of that part of Afghanistan. But for
some reason which is not known, he showed none of
his wonted eagerness of acquiring territory, and after
three days of idle parade, he played off a practical joke,
very cruel of its kind, on Julian Dad Khan, the traitor,
who had surrendered Attock to the Sick, on the pro-
mise of a Jageer, by proclaiming the poor man Gover-
nor of Peshawur, as the reward of his service, and heav-
ing him without men or money to maintain the new
dignity. Yar Mahomed returned and resumed his
authority before Runjeet had repassed the Indus. He
left a garrison, however, in the fort of Khyrabad, on the
western bank of the river, and seems to have formed
some sort of alliance with the ruler of Pes-
hawur, who was soon afterwards at war with
his brothers. On pretence of assisting him
against Mahomed Azeem Kban, the former governor
who had repulsed the Sieks from Cashmere, but really
to take possession of the lands of Akhora, belonging to
the family of a chief then recently dead, the Maharaia
once more entered the country of the Afghans with
24,000 men 1823. He took the place without en-
countering opposition, hut soon learned that the son of
the deceased proprietor, at the head of four thousand
armed peasants, was posted near his camp. This-youth,
whose name was Saduk Khan, had levied a force of his
own clan called Khuttack, and of the Yoosufzehies, for
the defence of his inheritance, and he proved by far the
most formidable adversary that Runjeet had hitherto as-
sailed. Mounting his horse about noon, the Maharaja
proceeded with the disciplined battalions, led by a van-
guard of the Immortals, under Pheola Singh, the leader
whohad attacked the British mission at Arrnritsir in 1805.
The Afghans, posted in a valley between two small
hills, received the onset without flinching, cut the
Immortals to pieces, including Phoola Singh himself, and
drove back the rest with great slaughter. It is not
mentioned why the cavalry, who were in the field, did
not charge, but one body of foot after another, was
pushed on to the attack and defeated in succession, till
sunset, when Saduk with his bold peasantry ascended
one of the hills and prepared to defend it during the
night. Runjeet Singh, who had been directing the
movements all day, now ordered up fresh corps of his
infantry and commanded Bulbuddar Singh, the redoubted
defender of Calunga against Gen. Gillespie, to proceed
with his body of troops at the head of his Goorkas and
take possession of the hill, whilst the horse surrounded
it below. Bulbudder fell in the attempt, several of the
bravest Siek chiefs shared his fate, and a thou-
sand of their men were slain in this remarkable action.
The Afghans, who have suffered dreadfully too, though
like the losing parties at Flodden and Corunna, they
might boast the honour of arms, were not in a condition
to renew the conflicts. The Sieks, by tacit acqui-
escence, allowed these brave men to pass quietly
through the Cordon, and retire to their homes, in the
night time.
In September, 1812, the Queens of the Shah Soojah
and Zemau Shah of Cabul took refuge from the troubles
of their country, and were received in Lahore with
every demonstration of respect. Soojah, the deposed King,
having been treacherously seized, was conveyed by the
Governor of Attock to his brother, who then ruled Cash-
mere. Two grand objects of the Siek chief's ambition and
avarice, the possession of the celebrated Valley, and
of the Hill of Light, a very valuable diamond belonging
to the fallen family, seeming now to be brought by cir-
cumstances within his grasp, he plotted industriously to I
make the attainment of the one a pretence for procuring
the concession of the other. With this view he gave

the Queen to understand that he was resolved to
liberate her husband in the most chivaifotis manner, and
to bestow on him the Fort of Rotas,
.. with a territory tuf-
ficient to maintain his dignity. When the poor lady
appeared overjoyed at this generous conduct in
prospect, she received a hint from his Highness's
emissary that nothing was wanting to make him enter
on the execution of these noble intentions, but the
Koh-i-Noor on whom he had somehow set his heart
with the fondness of a lover. Her Majesty, evincing
some skill in diplomacy, had no doubt that when her
royal husband was at liberty, gratitude would induce
him to concede any thing to so invaluable a friend in
distress : but with respect to the Diamond it was in
pawn at Candahar, for two lacs of rupees. Runjeet
having satisfied himself that the prize, not so far off, was
fairly in his power, and dreading its flight, threw
the confidential servants of the Queen into
close confinement, and placed a cordon of sen-
tries round their residence, with strict orders to search
every person who went out from them. This severity
having no effect, he tried what starvation could do, and
actually deprived the ladies and their household of food
and water for two days. The Waffa Begum, as Shah
Soojah's wife was called, still holding out, the Siek at
length discontinued his shameless treatment, on getting
her promise that the King would redeem tho jewel,
and make a present of it to his deliverer when put in
possession of Rotas. Runjeet Singh now pretend-
ing unbounded friendship for Futty Khan, the Vizier,
and of late principal ruler of Afghanistan, obtained an
interview with him on the banks of the Jhilum, in
which they agreed to send a joint force for the reduc-
tion of Cashmere, which had rebelled, and reclaim the
person of Shah Soojah. The expedition succeeded,
though many of the Sieks perished in the snow. Futty
Khan installed his brother in the government of the
valley, and Runjeet had, for the time, to be satisfied
with the custody of the royal captive, who was con-
veyed to his family at Lahore.
This success furnished a fair pretext for renewing his
inhospitable demands to have the great diamond. The
King professing his willingness to confirm his wife's pro-
mise when the acquisition of his expected terri-
tory should enable him to recover the precious Koh-i•
Noor. Such evasion would not do. The unhap-
py members of this family were once more incarcerated
in separate apartments, threatened with perpe-
tual imprisonment in Govingurh, at A mritsir,
and again denied provisions for several days. Shah
Soojah at last negotiated for a sum of money, and a
month's time to redeem the article for which he suf-
fered so much. He tried again to outwit his antago-
nist here, but proved no match for Runjeet, who knew
the facility of giving money and taking it back from a
prisoner without loss. Two lacs were therefore speedily
advanced, and when the month expired, a day was
appointed for surrendering the Hill of Light to the re-
presentative of the house of Sukerchukea. A native
chief, who was present at the interview, describes it
thus :

The Shah and Runjeet Singh having been seated
face to face with some interval between them, Soojah,
summoning all the majesty of a race of kings into his
dignified countenance, essayed to overawe the mean-
looking and low-minded grandson of a thief, during an
impressive silence which lasted an hour. But the
Siek, who could no more read royalty in the glances of
a monarch than the Grunth in the manuscript, grew
impatient at this Quakerly interruption to business,
and desired one who spoke Persian, to remind his Ma-
jesty of the purpose for which they had met. The Shah
without opening his lips, " spoke with his eyes" to an
attendant, who, retiring, soon returned, and placed a
a small parcel between the great men. Runjeet's itching
fingers immediately unrolled numerous envelopes, when
to the consummation of his wishes, a large diamond ap-
peared, which jewellers behind him, who had seen it,
recognised as the Koh-i-Noor.
Possessed of the treasure which he had incurred so
much disgrace in acquiring, his next object was to recover
the two lacs, or the value of them, from the wretched
captives. After their separation and imprisonment, they
had been graciously permitted to enjoy the fresh air
in tents pitched for them in the garden called Sha-
limar. It would have been impolitic to insinuate that
the rupees had never left his Majesty's coffers so the noble
host of kings and queens now directed a party of expe-
rienced officials to pay them a domiciliary visit and to
bring him all the jewels and money without reservation.
To obey this mandate loyally, the plunderers made sure
work by taking away not only all the ornaments used
by women of rank, but rich dresses and every sword,
shield, and matchlock, that a particle of gold or silver
could recommend to their master. The royal family
was now completely fleeced, and could not be shorn of
more by the most practised ingenuity. Runjeet there-
fore allowed the females to escape to Loodiana where
they were sometime afterwards rejoined by their hus-
bands, on whom the British Government settled 50,000
rupees a year.

The remainder of the life of the Maharajah is pretty
well known from the writings of Mr. Elphinstone, Cap-
tain Sir Alexander Burnes, and other travellers who
lately visited the Court of Lahore. Captain Burnes re-
lates that he could drink more strong Scotch whiskey
than any Highland chief he ever met with. The only
European Powers for whom he appears to have enter-
tained any regard were England and France ; and
though it was deemed necessary to keep a watchfnl eye
over him, his fidelity to England is, upon the whole,
more deserving of commendation than that of most of
our Oriental allies.