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The fear of him is strong in the District; The strongest tremble at sight of him. He did justice day and night like Naushirwân; Nor tiger nor wild-beast, nor fox, dared peep out
[JUNE, 1882. They could be seen in the gardens round the city;
The Sahib with great acuteness made the canal surround it.
From the City wall he made the canal run On both sides of the Mall Road.78
Since the powerful Sâhib came.
The produce of the deserts and the wastes has He took it to the Cantonment where the Courts been doubled.
are held,
Where he deals justice as a good swimmer swims."
This very land had remained dry from all time, And most of the village lands were uncultivated. He took much pains for the benefit of the people,
And brought the canal after the greatest efforts. There is a village Sobraon towards the sunrise from the City,"
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
There is a canal cut there cleverly made. The work began in the month of February Commencing on the fourteenth,
In the year eighteen hundred and seventy-five. The work was commenced with great joy. Munshi Daya Râm was the manager; Superintendent was he of the city, possessing good qualities.""
Tahsildar Maya Dâs you know, Unequalled for his good qualities and mild temper.
Hafiz Ilahi Bakhsh his Deputy you know, Like whom a man is rarely found in the world.
Rahmat 'Ali, the Doctor, learned and peaceable; Rai Gopi Mall, the Chaudhri, clever and saga
cious.
Muhammad Sulimân the excellent Clerk of The villagers say, "Use no more pots for the the Court, wells,
And the fortunate Munshi 'Abd-ur-Rahmân "The canal water has come and the thorns have the Sheriff. become flowers."
The water comes with great force,
Wave on wave is seen, hundreds of thousands of waves.
In the gardens is the splendour of fruit-bearing flowers,
Flowers of every colour and beauty of every hue.
On one hand is the tank of greatest beauty: On the other the canal gives exquisite splendour.
Hundreds of thousands dug at the canals: The tale of them we cannot know they were beyond number.
Work came to the people and the people increased,
And in a few days the canals began to run. Cuts, too, innumerable were made in the villagelands
And the water turned the fields into a spring garden.
I do not write the whole story, though I know it,
I merely give the points; more would be superfluous.
The canal was opened on the 7th May,
In two months and 22 days the water began to
"The battlefield and village of Sabbråwån or Sobraon is about 20 miles east of Firozpur City. The battlefield and monument have long since disappeared into the Satlaj, but the village is still there. Our English name is almost as successful as that of the neighbouring field of Ferozeshah which is really Pheru Shahr, the City of Pheru, the Sikh Saint!
1 The next ten verses are in praise of the various native
run.
He had thousands of congratulations and the country prospered:
Seeing the canal, Grey Sahib rejoiced greatly in his heart.
All the dried up gardens became green; The rich and poor saw the ripple of the water. The barren and dry lands became pleasant; Our fortune awoke at the running of the canal.
On the roadside are fountained wells, Cisterns, conduits and drains beyond measure. Fruits of wondrous kinds; Roses and jasmines beyond measure: Plantains, English apples, nutmeg and almonds, Jâmans, limes, cypresses and all fruits.
officials connected with canals.
13 The rest of the story is mostly taken up with the praise of the Mall at Firozpur, which is certainly one of the greenest and prettiest roads I have seen in any station in India. It is about three miles long.
"Lit. 'as a young man swims so are truth and lies there." The verse is very vague, but has apparently the sense I have given it.
