The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-22 00:00:00

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draught of an act of considerable importance.: It is
tended to do away with those clumsy attempts to ads ytg
minister to men of various countries and origins; the'
laws of their own several lands or tribes, to which the
Company's judges have hitherto resorted. Lex loci, as
it called, ordains, that for all persons, except Hindoos
and Mussulmtns, and in all places of the Company's
territories, except within the jurisdiction of the Supreme
Courts, the law of England shall be the law of the land.
By the same Act it is proposed to give a pow er of appeal
from any of the Company's Courts to the Supreme
Courts of judicature of the several Presidencies. The
proposed law gives general satisfaction, as far as it
goes, but is considered open to criticism in many points.

THE PUNJAUB.
(From the Delhi Gdzette, Jan. 29.)
Our Lahore letter confirms our previous e.dvices re-
garding the negotiations with Goolab Singh, and also
the advance of the army to the camp ground of Khan
Kutch, "on hostile thoughts intent." That the sol-
diery are thinking very seriously of a collision with the
British authorities may be inferred from the very signi-
ficant fact that the Fuqueer z-ood-deen, who has
for months withdrawn himself from any interference in
the politics of Lahore, presented himself at a late durbar
to remonstrate against the folly of any hostile demon-
stration against the trans-Sutlej government, and we
have good authority for a current saying amongst the
Sikhs that they will eat " both Goolab Singh and the
British, but they think they will begin with Goolab."
We have elsewhere considered the more general
question of the present position of parties in the
Punjaub, and as the movements of Sirdar Lena
Singh have attracted considerable attention, we
have looked into the pages of our native con-
temporary the Benares Ukbar, of the 18th instant, and
there find it stated that Lachman Singh, who was repre-
sented to us as the bearer of a message from the Khaisa
of Lahore to the Sirdar, had returned to Benares on the
17th instant, he having been in reality deputed by Lena
Singh to Lahore with a message of his own. It is, how.
ever, stated in the same paper, that Sirdar Ummur
Singh, Mejeet,:ea, uncle to Lena Singh, had arrived
from L•ihore, as the bearer of overtures tending to the
return of his uncle to his native country. But nothing
is said of any preparation being made by the Sirdar to
quit his present place of residence, and we apprehend he
has no intention of stirring, for the present at least.
Our readers may find it satisfactory if we embrace the
opportunity afforded by the present political lull in the
Punjaub briefly to sketch the condition of parties in
that distracted country at the commencement of a year
destined, we think, to be fraught with much of serious
and lasting consequences to the fortunes of the Sikhs as
a nation. We shall, therefore, make no apology for
doing so, although we shall doubtless have to mention
much with which many of our readers are as well
acquainted as ourselves. Our object in this is to avoid
hereafter, en the occurrence of any momentous events,
having to explain who the parties are in, and where the
theatre of, such events.
First, thee, for the court or durbar. At the head of
affairs is the Rance Chunda, the mother of the Maha-
rajah Dhuleep Singh, a lady of some accomplishments
for a Sikhnee, and mistress of her pen, which weapon it
was that enabled her to communicate with and excite
the troops to their late revolt against Raja lleera Singh.
Finding how efficacious a weapon it therein proved, the
Ranee now retains possession of it and signs all docu-
ments and orders with her own fair hand. She presides
in the durbar, sitting within a purdah, on the outer side
of which are seated Sirdar Juwahir Singh, her brother
and nominal Minister ; Bhaee Ram Singh, and the boy
Maharajah Dhuleep. The Ranee Cand Koonr, the mo-
ther of Now Nihal Singh, used, during her short reign,
to conduct business in a similar manner. The Sikhs in-
stance her, and foretel a speedy end to the present
Ranee's power, from the circumstance that her prede-
cessor, who was well known to be endowed with greater
talents and courage than the Ranee Chunda, was unable
to conduct the details of Government to their satisfac-
tion. How much less then, argue they, can a weaker
woman, now that the Government requires so much
firmer a hand ? There is justice too in the remark.
Ranee Chunda is not a daughter of any of the high
houses in the Punjaub, but of a respectable zemindar.
hence she has no actual party of her own among the
Sikhs.

Next to her comes her brother, Sirdar Juwahir Singh.
(We do not mention the Maharajah, as he is an infant
under untrol.) This chief is unfitted by nature, educa-
tion, and habits, to re-establish a tottering throne. A
man of no talent, and degraded by dissipation of the
lowest kind, he may be a brave and a bold politician oc-
casionally, but success will never adhere to the man who
divides his favours between the blind goddess and the
dancing girls of Lahore. Fortune brooks no divided
reign.
Next comes Sirdar Sham Singh, of Attarce, one of the
ablest of the Sikhs of the old regime now left in Lahore.
We need not enter into particulars regarding Sham
Singh's family. To all v.ho have read Bellasis" and
the Caleat 4 Review (who have not ?) it would be use-
less. Suffice it then here to mention that Sham Singh
is supposed not to be quite so attached to the present
state of things as he might be. His hot and ungovern-
able spirit showed how he spurned a woman's and a de-
bauchee's control, when a few days after the late revo-
lution he murdered his own relation close to the durbar,
in spite of the repeated solicitations of the Ranee that he
would not molest him on his coming to Court.
Bhaee Rain Singh, one of the trusted followers of itun-
jeet Singh, and a bitter enemy of tha Dogras, is the
guardian of the young monarch, the lamb rearing to the
certain slaughter which constitutes the natural death of
a ruler. Isn't it their natural death? Save the
elf lion himself, whose addiction to strong drink brought
on his end, which of his descendants or Luccessors has
died peaceably? Of his sons, Kurruck Singh was
suspected of being poisoned by his own son, Now Nihal
Singh. The latter was killed by an upper wall of a
gateway, thrown down on him purposely. (;:hand Koonr
was strangled by her slave girls, by command of Shere
Shere Singh died by the sword of A jeet Singh
Sindnanwala, one of the royal blood. Shere Singh's son,
Purtab Singh, shared his father's fate. Aject Singh was
killed by young Heera Sintth. littur Singh was also
killed by Heera Singh's party. Who, then, can venture
to predict a death in his bed to the poor victim of his
family's ambition, the infant puppet Dhuleep Singh?
Energy, vigour, and the influence consequent on them
are the attributes of Bhahee Ram Singh. He will make
himself or sacrifics his whole party.
Dewan Dena Nath, the secretary of all the Govern-
ments, the Talleyrand of the five rivers, with the Fakeer
Noor-ood-deen close the roll of the known characters
constituting the present Ministry.
After them come a host of interior partisans—Sirdar
Hegira Singh, the Ranee's young brother ; the traitor
Raja Lull Singh, and many others.

The above -are the heads of one party, the nominal,
but not virtual rulers of the State. The real rulers,
" the Rhalsa," as it styles itself, aro the army—the Sikh
portion of it. Never remarkable for high discipline or
blind obedience, the army at present spurns all control.
Holding all virtual power in its own hands it assumes
the right to turn out its own officers or those of the
State ; settles its differences with a Minister by a revolt;
its account with moctsuddies by murder. It vowed alle-
giance to Peshora Singh (a son of Runjeet, older by
birth and equal in legitimacy to Dhuleep Singh), on his
quitting Lahore for his jagheer at Seealkote, and pro-
mised to declare in his favour, as he was the true heir to
the throne and country. But it objected to declare itself
because it was in arrears of pay, and had not [received
the promised rewards for marching towards Jumbo°.
As soon, said its representatives, as we have got these
our dues, you shall have the country which is your
" vii asvt"fhis is the distinguishing feature of the
army at present. It is rioting in plunder and re-
wards, which have sapped both its discipline and
its courage, and it will not fight now, if ever
again ; every individual in it has too much now to
lose in money, plunder, and golden necklaces, to
fight against any attacking power. Time and leave
of absence may bring the troops hungry and empty-
handed back to their colours; but, at present, each man
is quarrelling and exciting disturbance to secure for
himself the largest possible share of the plunder of a
throne nodding to its fall. The troops know the Govern-
ment cannot last, and doubt if any succeeding one can
be formed, and therefore will riot on till the end, and

then disband themselves.
We know but little of Ittur Singh, Sirdar, who has of
late been frequently mentioned in our native friend's
letters, and with him must close our sketch of the Court
and ermy parties.
We next come to consider those opposed to the Court
party. Of these, by far the most formidable are the
Dogras, now reduced to Raja Goolab Singh, Meean
Juwahir Singh, a son of Raja Dhyan Singh's, and some
younger members of these families. Raja Soochet
Sing's widow professes herself now satisfied with the end
the Khalsa have meted out to her husband's murderers;
besides, she is heirless. Raja Heera Singh's wives and
slaves died with him, on the pyre.
Raja Goolab Singh, though his force is very small
numerically, compared to the Sikh army, is formidable
from his strong hill country, the known valour of the
hillmen, the immense wealth the family have accumu-
lated in the hills, and from his own determined cha-
racter. Sikhs at any time approach the Raja with fear
and trembling, and they will be a bold band of Sikhs
who first come to actual blows with the Bear of Jumboo.
In discipline and materiel the Raja's force is superior
to the Sikh army as now disorganised. A struggle be-
tween thcin on the plains might be in favour of the
latter from their numerous cavelry ; but Goolab Singh
is an able general, and needs not to read " Bellasis" to
learn that a couple of hundred hillmen in a strong pass
can keep in check a far superior force of men from the
plains, even though drilled to a nicety.
The Khalsa at present recommend the Durbar to at-
tack Jumboo, but have no thoughts of marching there,
only wishing the pretext for more demands of pay and
perquisitc s.
The Raja, au con trairc, professes entire obedience to
to the Durbar, and is humouring it in hopes of another
storm. At the the same time the whole country, from
Rajawur allong the hills to Attock and thence to Mit-
ten Kot, is in a state of ferment and rebellien at the Ra-
ja's instigation. Ile will find the Khakia work without
marching on Jumboo.
At Scealkote, a short distance below Jumboo, is Koonr
Peshora Singh, abovementioned, who is there waiting
the turn of events, and doubtless intriguing with his
neighbour of Jumbo°. We would be but little surprised
to see Peshora Singh, ere long, on the throne, and the
Raja Goolab Singh his Minister. This would, we
think, hold out a fairer promise of a Government ca-
pable of maintaining itself, and restraining its unruly sub-
jects, than any other that can be formed. The main
obstacle to this would be the Raja's disinclination to
quit his hill countries, where, it is whispered, fear rather
than love retains his neighbours in the yoke of fidelity.
At present, as we have before observed, the Raja is
temporising.
In Ks.shmelt, is Shaikh Gholam Mohee-ood-deer
bold, energetic, and crafty, and wise enough withal, to
serve his friend the Baja by a disturbance, without for-