. The autobiography of Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Smith, baronet of Aliwal on the Sutlej : Edited, with the addition of some supplementary chapters. d by theconquest of various independent principalities by theability, enterprise, and foresight of the celebratedRunjeet Singh, who raised himself to pre-eminenceand absolute power from the middle class of the old Sikh families, the ancient Rajpoots,although subdued into obedience, were ever distrust-ful of him and he was ever obnoxious to them ;hence the seeds of discord which so rapidly sprungup on the decease of Runjeet Singh, a
. The autobiography of Lieutenant-General Sir Harry Smith, baronet of Aliwal on the Sutlej : Edited, with the addition of some supplementary chapters. d by theconquest of various independent principalities by theability, enterprise, and foresight of the celebratedRunjeet Singh, who raised himself to pre-eminenceand absolute power from the middle class of the old Sikh families, the ancient Rajpoots,although subdued into obedience, were ever distrust-ful of him and he was ever obnoxious to them ;hence the seeds of discord which so rapidly sprungup on the decease of Runjeet Singh, and which con-cluded in this war so fatal to the Sikh. The whole Punjaub contains about a quarter ofa million of Sikhs, the chief part to be found aroundLahore and the beautiful city of Umritsir. A Sikhcultivator is seldom seen. The Sikhs, although pro-fessing a religion of Brahmanical tenets and estab-lished by their great priest and prophet GovindGooroo, drink to excess, eat opium and bangh (aspecies of wild hemp possessing narcotic and intoxi-cating qualities of the most enervating description),and regard the abstemious Hindoo and the sensual. I845-] RUNJEET SINGH. 499 Mussulman with contempt. Hence the labour ofthe fields and every other labour fall upon the twolatter races, and they have always been favourablydisposed to the British. Runjeet Singhs great policy was a firm adherenceto the rulers of British India. He had observed in1811 [1808 ?] the discipline of some of our Seapoyswho formed an escort to Mr. Metcalfe (ultimatelyLord Metcalfe) on an embassy to the Court ofLahore. This escort, when treacherously attackedby a fanatical sect not then subdued to Runjeetsauthority, called Akalies, so boldly and ably defendeditself, that, observing the effect of discipline, theacute Runjeet instantly set to work to organize hisown army on a similar footing. He invited foreigners,especially Frenchmen, to enter his service, and wasliberal to many of them in the extreme. Undersuch ins
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