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EVACUATION OF LASSA
219
ment had renewed intrigues set on foot in 1838, and ^^ was in correspondence with the crafty minister of Lahore, and with the disaffected Sindhianwala chiefs; ^ and the English Government itself was at war with China, at the distance of half the earth's circumference.- It was held that the trade of British Indian subjects must not be interfered with by Jammu conquests in Chinese Tibet; it was deemed unadvisable to allow the Lahore and Nepal dominions to march with one another behind the Himalayas; and it was thought the Emperor of Pekin might confound independent Sikhs with the predominant English, and throw additional difficulties in the way of pending or probable negotiations.'^ It was, therefore, decided that Sher Singh The English should require his feudatories to evacuate the Lassa interfere, territories; a day, the 10th of December 1841, was fixed for the surrender of Garo; and a British officer was sent to see that the Grand Lama's authority was fully reestablished. The Maharaja and his tributaries yielded, and Zorawar Singh was recalled; but before the order could reach him, or be acted on, he was surrounded in the depth of winter, and at a height of twelve ' Cf. Mr. Clerk to Government, 16th Aug. and 23rd Nov. 1840, and" 17th Jan. 1841; and Governmertt to Mr. Clerk, 19th Oct. 1840. The correspondence of Nepal with the Sikhs, or rather with the Jammu faction, doubtless arose in part from the presence of Matabar Singh, an eminent Gurkha, as a refugee in the Punjab. He crossed the Sutlej in 1838, and soon got a high command in the Lahore service, or rather; perhaps, a high position at the court. His success in this way, and his necessary correspondence with British functionaries, made the Nepal Government apprehensive of him, and at last he became so important in the eyes of the English themselves, that in 1840, when differences with Katmandu seemed likely to lead to hostilities, overtures were virtually made to him, and he was kept in hand, as it were^ to be supported as a claimant for power, or as a partisan leader, should active measures be necessary. He was thus induced to quit the Punjab, where his presence, indeed, was not otherwise satisfactory; but the
differences with the Gurkhas were composed, and Matabar Singh was cast aside with an allowance of a thousand rupees a month from the potent government which had demeaned itself by using him as a tool. (Cf. particularly Government to Mr. Clerk, 4th May and 26th Oct. 1840; and Mr. Clerk to Government, 22nd Oct. 1840.) [- The first China or Opium War ended by the Treaty of Nankin (1842), which resulted in the cession of Hong Kong and the opening of the first five treaty .ports. Ed.1 3 Cf. Government to Mr. Clerk, 16th Aug. and 6th and 20th Sept. 1841. The Sikhs, too, had their views with regard to China, and naively proposed co-operation with the English, or a diversion in Tartary in favour of the war then in progress on the sea coast! (Mr. Clerk to Government, 18th Aug. and 20th Oct. 1841.)
EVACUATION OF LASSA
219
ment had renewed intrigues set on foot in 1838, and ^^ was in correspondence with the crafty minister of Lahore, and with the disaffected Sindhianwala chiefs; ^ and the English Government itself was at war with China, at the distance of half the earth's circumference.- It was held that the trade of British Indian subjects must not be interfered with by Jammu conquests in Chinese Tibet; it was deemed unadvisable to allow the Lahore and Nepal dominions to march with one another behind the Himalayas; and it was thought the Emperor of Pekin might confound independent Sikhs with the predominant English, and throw additional difficulties in the way of pending or probable negotiations.'^ It was, therefore, decided that Sher Singh The English should require his feudatories to evacuate the Lassa interfere, territories; a day, the 10th of December 1841, was fixed for the surrender of Garo; and a British officer was sent to see that the Grand Lama's authority was fully reestablished. The Maharaja and his tributaries yielded, and Zorawar Singh was recalled; but before the order could reach him, or be acted on, he was surrounded in the depth of winter, and at a height of twelve ' Cf. Mr. Clerk to Government, 16th Aug. and 23rd Nov. 1840, and" 17th Jan. 1841; and Governmertt to Mr. Clerk, 19th Oct. 1840. The correspondence of Nepal with the Sikhs, or rather with the Jammu faction, doubtless arose in part from the presence of Matabar Singh, an eminent Gurkha, as a refugee in the Punjab. He crossed the Sutlej in 1838, and soon got a high command in the Lahore service, or rather; perhaps, a high position at the court. His success in this way, and his necessary correspondence with British functionaries, made the Nepal Government apprehensive of him, and at last he became so important in the eyes of the English themselves, that in 1840, when differences with Katmandu seemed likely to lead to hostilities, overtures were virtually made to him, and he was kept in hand, as it were^ to be supported as a claimant for power, or as a partisan leader, should active measures be necessary. He was thus induced to quit the Punjab, where his presence, indeed, was not otherwise satisfactory; but the
differences with the Gurkhas were composed, and Matabar Singh was cast aside with an allowance of a thousand rupees a month from the potent government which had demeaned itself by using him as a tool. (Cf. particularly Government to Mr. Clerk, 4th May and 26th Oct. 1840; and Mr. Clerk to Government, 22nd Oct. 1840.) [- The first China or Opium War ended by the Treaty of Nankin (1842), which resulted in the cession of Hong Kong and the opening of the first five treaty .ports. Ed.1 3 Cf. Government to Mr. Clerk, 16th Aug. and 6th and 20th Sept. 1841. The Sikhs, too, had their views with regard to China, and naively proposed co-operation with the English, or a diversion in Tartary in favour of the war then in progress on the sea coast! (Mr. Clerk to Government, 18th Aug. and 20th Oct. 1841.)
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