The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-02 00:00:00

whorls, on mount of that love, we ought to have given
Cr.alitu,ra ? liidopeedeut of all this his father, and not
the Sheik, was governor of the province at the time the
treaty was made with Ghoolab Singh, and why should we
have displaced the father for the sake of the son, of
whom the Cashmerees comparatively knew nothing ?
Nothing is more easy than to make an asser-
tion ; but unless borne out by facts, it were
much better to have allowed the public to arrive at
their own conclusions than to attempt to mislead them
by such assertions as those put forth by our contem-
porary. We hinted at a rumour that a secret under-
standing subsisted between Dewan Moolraj, of Mouitr,
aid Sheik Etnaum-ood-Deen, and expressed our
Lahore,hef
that the dela) s of the Dewan in proceeding
gave some colour to the report. On reconsideringo the
whole question we feel assured that no such understan
(which must have involved a quarrel with the Bri-
tish) could have ever existed. The Mofusvilite not con-
tent with leaving the rumour where he found it, con-
verted it into a fact, and raised a superstructure of such
evident absurdity, consisting of Mahomedan conspiracies
throughout the length and breadth of the land, that we
are quite surprised he should have persisted in his as-
sertion, as was the case in a subsequent number of his
paper. We are told, on unquestionable authority, that
Dewan Moolraj has come to Lahore entirely on the
strength of our guarantee for his safety. Is it, then, at
all likely that, having obtained such guarantee, he
would turn upon us, and league with one acting in open
defiance of our wishes, and with a rebel to his own
state? The Dewan now looks to us for a satisfactory
snttlement of his affairs, and we are happy to be able
to add that they are already in a fair train for ad-
just-nen'. Indeed, so far from entertaining any feel-
ing favaurable to the cause of the Sheik Ernaum ood-
Decal, we are credibly assured that he has sent 300
of his picked men as a special guard to attend on the
agent to the Governor-General in his journey to the
hills, and has even offered to march himself to Cash-
mere, at the head of the whole of his troops, should
such be the wish of the British authorities. So much
for the league between DewanMoolraj and Sheik Emaurn -
ood-Deen, and so much for the accuracy of the travelled
authority on which the Mofussilite first put forth his
erroneous statements, and then supported them by quib-
bling arguments, We do not pretend to say that Maha-
raja Ghoolab Singh is the idol of the hill people. On
the contrary it is our belief that he is feared and hated
by a large portion of the population, and we believe
there are good grounds for both the fear and the hatred,
arising out of his conduct during the lifetime of Maha-
raja Runjeet Singh. But since then the current of his
conduct has undergone a consiflerable change; it has
been long thought the sway he held in the hills, as a
deputy, would be converted, some time or other, into
the sceptre of a sovereign, and it is reasonable to sup-
pose that he will treat his subjects in a manner very
different to that which pervaded his conduct as a mere
governor on behalf of another; he was then under the
reasonable fear which example afforded, that he might
at any time be deprived of his jagheers and of his pro-
vinces by the will of a capricious Sovereign, and he
therefore, with the true oriental caution, screwed the
last penny to lay up a store for the time of his possible
disgrace. Now all things are altered. He is an inde-
pendent Prince, owing a nominal allegiance to the
British, whose possessions are to descend to his posterity
under our guarantee; it is his best interest to treat his
new subjects with the consideration which will yield
suitable returns, and to earn the good-will of his suzerain.
And what superiority has Sheik Emaum-ood-Deen over
Ghoolab Singh in this respect? He is hated to the full
as much as any governor can be. His very name is
detested in the Jullunder, where he is known ; and no
better proof of this can be adduced than that the people
have come forward to point out where the wealth of
which he has plundered them is concealed. It has been
stated, moreover, that all the hill chiefs are inimical to
Ghoolab Sirgh. This is true only in degree. There
are, in every family, half a dozen or more claimants to
sovereign authority, and we are assured teat in most
cases one of the parties, formed by such division of in-
terest, is with Ghoolab Singh—the other, of course,
against him. It might, with almost equal reason, be said
that all the hill chiefs in the Jullunder are against us,
because we have not restored them to their former
thrones, and have only given them good maintenance.
We shrewdly suspect that the devil is, after all, not so
black as he has been painted. At all events, he is doing
his best to wash himself clear of the stains which have
defiled his character. It is, perhaps, not unnecessary to
say, that in making these observations, we have no wish
to recal; our opinion of the treaty which delivered over
the Cashmerees to the rule of Ghoolab Singh. Those
who framed it believed conscientiously they had no other
option in the then state of affairs, and it is certainly
their business to carry out its provisions in all their
bearings. Had the Cashmerees risen as a body, and
proved their determination not to submit by national
resistance to the yoke, or had their movement been even
as extensive as it was in the first instance reported to
have been, we should take a very different view of the
question. But this is not the case; it has proved the
mere act of a rebel, and must be treated accordingly.
It appears that the statement of our native correspon-
dent, made some days back, that our troops were moving
to Kulloowal, a ferry town on the Chenab, about 15
miles from Wazeerabad, was perfectly correct. Briga-
dier Wheeler reached that place from Seealkote on the
13th of this month, with a part of his force. The '
march between the two places was set down at 11 miles,
but turned out to be 16, and proportionately wearisome,'
occupying six hours. A friend with that part of the
furce talks in the highest terms of the manner in which
Brigadier Wheeler has conducted the march, " every-
thing being admirably well arranged." The second de-
tachment of the force, consisting of the 24th and 59th
Native Infantry, of the Light Field Battery, and of the
Bth Irregular Cavalry (Becher's), and commanded by
Lieut.-Colonel Thompson, were following close on the
brigadier. The latter has been ordered to halt at Kul-
loowal for some time, and his further destination will of
course depend entirely on circumstances. It is quite
clear, however, that the plan which had been previously
agreed on with Maharaja Goolab Singh, for the occupa-
tion of Jamoo, has been abandoned, in part at least, and
that instead of occupying the southern frontier of his
territories, we have now military occupation of the
northern frontier of the possessions of the Seikhs.
The only item of interest communicated to us from
Lahore, since our last, is that the greater part of our
troops had crossed the Ravee, and that the destination
of the agent of the Governor-General had been changed;
instead of proceeding to Jamoo, as previously stated, he
started on the 15th instant, on his way to Bheemhur, by
dak, having dispatched his baggage two days after his
arrival at the capital. News had been received from
Reehursee to the 10th, communicating information to
the effect, that the surrender of the Sheik might be
hourly expected, unless he deceived our authorities a
second time, and that he had agreed to leave the valley
in a few days. Meantime it was most wisely determined
to make no relaxation in the preparations for his forcible
ejection, should lie continue to prove refractory. Eight
guns were, on the 12th, sent to overtake the force of
Tej Singh, and what is perhaps even better in these
days than diplomacy, carefully edged with silver so
much in vogue—five lakiss of rupees had been sent with
them. We need hardly say there is no truth whatsoever
in the report that Ghoolab Singh, with Lieut. Edwardes
and others, had been besieged in Reehursee.
In reference to the general affairs of the trans-Sutlej
states, we understand that in reference to the services of
Mr. John Lawrence being required at Lahore, for some
two months to come at the least, and his consequent ins
bility to attend to his peculiar duties as commissioner in
our trans-Sutlej possessions, Mr. George Blunt, of the
civil service, has been appointed to officiate for Mr. Law-
rence in that capacity, and that he will accompany the
Governor-General into the Jullunder, eiu, Belaspoor, his
Lordship's camp moving from Kalka to the Jullunder by
the plain route.
Since the above was written, we have received letters
leaving no doubt on our mind that Sheik Emaum-ood-
I)een has, by this time, finally accepted the terms of-
fered to him, much too favourable, in our opinion, con-
sidering the trouble he has given us, and quitted Cash-
mere for Lahore; and the moment the troops of Ghoolab
Singh are in possession of the valley, will, we trust, see
the return of our force from its present advanced posi-
tion. Then will come the question of the evacuation
of Lahore. How that may be finally settled remains to
be seen. Our impression is that we cannot withdraw
our troops.
By our native letter, received this morning, and dated
the 1511 inst., we learn that Ittur Singh had at length
proceeded to join the Seikh force, and that Sirdar Tej
Singh had arrived within six koss of Blieembur, but re-
ported his inability to march further for want of car-
riage. It is well he is not required to go onwards. We
have all along doubted his willingness to march, and the
fidelity of the troops under his command.