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THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[JUNE, 1891.
when Sir Frederick Currie took his place as Resident at Lâhôr, he sent Mr. Ayrton and Mr. Anderson to accompany the Sardar Kánh Singh Man, who had been appointed to supersede the Diwan Mulraj as Şabahdâr of Multán. When these officials paid their visit to Múlraj, requesting him to surrender the keys of the fort and his authority over the province, he replied in an abusive and cunning manner, and when they returned to the 'idgáh where they were lodged, some miscreants assailed them, pierced the breast of Mr. Ayrton with a lance, and killed Mr. Anderson with a sword. Then a great disturbance arose, the troops prepared for hostilities, and the Sikh escort of the English officials joined them, and the Sardar Kánh Siogh was taken prisoner and conveyed to Malraj. Sir Frederick Currie having been informed of what had taken place, at once despatched Sikh troops under the command of the Sardar Sher Singh to punish the rebels of Multân. The army of the Nawab of Bahawalpur and Major (Sir Herbert) Edwardes, who had arrived from the district of Bannů, swelled the number of the troops ; but the fort of Multan was taken only after some English troops sent from Bombay had arrived. At this time the Sardar Chhatar Singh Atariwala, who had been sent by the Lahôr government to take over the administration of the Hazara country, from which the author's father had withdrawn when Gulab Singh obtained the 'ildqa of Manawarin exchange for it, becoming afraid for his own safety, because the Sikh troops under his command had slain an English officer in the service of the Khâlşa government, conceived that he had no other remedy but to revolt. He persisted in this although Sir Frederick Currie had sent the Raja Dina Nath to dissuade him. He also repeatedly sent letters to his son Sher Singh with orders to join the troops of Mulraj, which he obeyed; whilst he himself prepared for hostilities, and was reinforced from every side by great numbers of Sikhs, who, vainly imagining that they would overthrow the government, began to plander the country in every direction, and burnt the bridge of boats across the Rêvî at Rajghat near Shahdara. Arjun Singh, son of the late Hâri Singh, occupied the country as far as Gujranwâlâ, whilst on the other side the graceless Ram Singh kicked up the dust of rebellion at Nûrpûr. Chhatar Singh, having arrived at Peshawar, despatched the Khalşa troops who had made common cause with him, to RÅwal Pişdi. Here Messrs. Lawrence and Boyd whom the Sardar Sultan Muhammad Khan Barukzais had caused to be captured, were sent to him. Dost Muhammad Khan, the Amir of Afghanistan, also came to the aid of Chhatar Singh, and intended to conquer Kasmir, Hazara and Rawal Pindi as far as the Jhêlam. Sardar Chhatar Singh surrendered the fort of Atak, which he had taken with his help, to the Amîr.
Gulab Singh having in former times been on friendly terms with Chhatar Singh, the latter now sent envoys to Srinagar, requesting his aid in this war, which would in that case, said they, terminate by Gulab Singh becoming the sovereign of the Pañjáb, to whom Chhatar Singh would be glad to pay homage. The Maharaja Gulab Singh replied with his natural shrewd: ness, that as the Khalşa government had sold him to the English, it is pow his bounden duty to remain loyal to the latter, and advised Chhatar Singh, through his own mediation, to crave pardon for what he had done, saying that he remembered well how often the late Mahârâjâ Ranjit Singh had said, that whoever opposes the English ensures only his own ruin. The Bakhshi Hiranand, who had come to Srinagar as envoy from Chhatar Singh was detained under surveillance, and the envoy of the Amir Dôst Muhammad Khan, who had arrived with letters and presents of horses and Persian swords to obtain the aid of the Maharaja Gulab Singh, was not admitted to his presence, or even permitted to enter Srinagar, and returned without effecting anything. Gulab Singh had offered the English to march with his troops to the Hazara distriot to quell the rebellion. Sir Frederiok Currie delayed his reply, but at last advised that the rebels should be prevented from entering the mountain districts. The Diwin Hari Chand then marched from Jammon to Manâ war, and another portion of the troops, commanded by Sayyid Ghulam 'Ali Shah and Zôrîwar Singh, was ordered to punish RÂm Singh. This force, operating under the direction of Sir John Lawrence, who was at that time
• This is the name of the author of the Trikh-i-Sultani.
