Tempo:
188 1834.
Dost
Mu-
hammad formally tenders his allegiance to the English, 1st
July
1834;
but defeats Shah Shuja
and recovers confidence.
Muhammad
Dost
attempts to recover
Peshawar.
The English decline interfering.
HISTORY OF THE SIKHS
CHAP. VII
appeared to adhere to Dost Muhammad rather than to others, had nevertheless an ambition of his own, and he was more than suspected of a wish to make his admiration of the amenities of English life the means of acquiring political power.^ Thus, doubtful of all about him, Dost Muhammad left Kabul to oppose Shah Shuja, but the Sikhs had, in the meantime, occupied Peshawar, and the perplexed ruler grasped once more at British aid as his only sure resource.^ He tendered his submission as a dependent of Great Britain, and having thus endeavoured to put his dominions in trust, he gave Shah Shuja battle. But the Shah was defeated,
and the rejoicing victor forgot his difficulties. He declared war against the Sikhs on account of their capture of Peshawar and he endeavoured to make it a religious contest bv rousing the population generally He assumed the proud to destroy infidel invaders.^ distinction of 'Ghazi', or champion of the faith, and the vague title of 'Amir', which he interpreted 'the noble', for he did not care to wholly offend his brothers, whose submission he desired, and whose assistance was necessary to him."* Dost Muhammad Khan, amid all his exultation, was still willing to use the intervention of unbelievers as well as the arms of the faithful, and he asked the ^.nglish masters of India to help him in recovering Peshawar.^ The youth who had been sent to Ludhiana to become a student, was invested with the powers of a diplomatist, and the Amir sought to prejudice the British authorities against the Sikhs, bv urging that his nephew and their guest had been treated with suspicion, and had suffered restraint on his way across the Punjab. But the English had not yet thought of requiring him to be an ally for purposes of their own, and Dost Muhammad was simply assured that the son of Nawab Jabbar Khan should be well taken care of direct reply to his on the eastern side of the Sutlej. solicitation was avoided, by enlarging on the partial truth that the Afghans were a commercial people equally with the English, and on the favourite scheme of the ereat traffickers of the world, the opening of the Indus to commerce. It was hoped, it was added, that the new impulse given to trade would better help the
A
1 Capt. Wade to Government, 17th May 1834. Cf. Masson, Journeys, iii. 218, 220. 2 Capt. Wade to Government, 17th June 1834. •'^Capt. Wade to Government, 25th Sept. 1834. * Capt. Wade to Government, 27th Jan. 1835. 5 Capt. Wade to Government, 4th Jan. and 13th Feb. 1835.
I
Dost
Mu-
hammad formally tenders his allegiance to the English, 1st
July
1834;
but defeats Shah Shuja
and recovers confidence.
Muhammad
Dost
attempts to recover
Peshawar.
The English decline interfering.
HISTORY OF THE SIKHS
CHAP. VII
appeared to adhere to Dost Muhammad rather than to others, had nevertheless an ambition of his own, and he was more than suspected of a wish to make his admiration of the amenities of English life the means of acquiring political power.^ Thus, doubtful of all about him, Dost Muhammad left Kabul to oppose Shah Shuja, but the Sikhs had, in the meantime, occupied Peshawar, and the perplexed ruler grasped once more at British aid as his only sure resource.^ He tendered his submission as a dependent of Great Britain, and having thus endeavoured to put his dominions in trust, he gave Shah Shuja battle. But the Shah was defeated,
and the rejoicing victor forgot his difficulties. He declared war against the Sikhs on account of their capture of Peshawar and he endeavoured to make it a religious contest bv rousing the population generally He assumed the proud to destroy infidel invaders.^ distinction of 'Ghazi', or champion of the faith, and the vague title of 'Amir', which he interpreted 'the noble', for he did not care to wholly offend his brothers, whose submission he desired, and whose assistance was necessary to him."* Dost Muhammad Khan, amid all his exultation, was still willing to use the intervention of unbelievers as well as the arms of the faithful, and he asked the ^.nglish masters of India to help him in recovering Peshawar.^ The youth who had been sent to Ludhiana to become a student, was invested with the powers of a diplomatist, and the Amir sought to prejudice the British authorities against the Sikhs, bv urging that his nephew and their guest had been treated with suspicion, and had suffered restraint on his way across the Punjab. But the English had not yet thought of requiring him to be an ally for purposes of their own, and Dost Muhammad was simply assured that the son of Nawab Jabbar Khan should be well taken care of direct reply to his on the eastern side of the Sutlej. solicitation was avoided, by enlarging on the partial truth that the Afghans were a commercial people equally with the English, and on the favourite scheme of the ereat traffickers of the world, the opening of the Indus to commerce. It was hoped, it was added, that the new impulse given to trade would better help the
A
1 Capt. Wade to Government, 17th May 1834. Cf. Masson, Journeys, iii. 218, 220. 2 Capt. Wade to Government, 17th June 1834. •'^Capt. Wade to Government, 25th Sept. 1834. * Capt. Wade to Government, 27th Jan. 1835. 5 Capt. Wade to Government, 4th Jan. and 13th Feb. 1835.
I
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