Tempo:
Europeanization of the Anny
257
The Punjabi victory over the Pathans and Afghans caused some apprehension in British circles. The British realized that the Durbar's conquests had reached the furthest geographical limits of the Punjab in the north and north-west. Beyond were impassable mountains and inhospitable, unprofitable regions. If the Puajabi empire was to expand any further, it could be only across the Sindh desert to the sea or across the Sutlej to India. The British government felt that it should curb Punjabi aggres• siveness before it got out of hand, and opened negotiations with the Arnirs of Sindh. When news of I.he Anglo-Sindhian negotiations read1ed Lahore, the Punjabis, wbo were flushed with many victories, talked loudly of settling the issue with the British once and for all. Within a few months, India began to buzz with rumours of troop concentrations on the Sutlej and the Durbar's plans Lo extend its arms over the subcontinent. Before anything could be finalized in Sindh, war broke out between the British and the Burmese and made the British particularly nervous aboul their north-western frontier. The governor general, however, rlecided to trust Ranjit Singh's repeated professions of friendship and refrained from asking for an explanation of rumours of warlike preparations in the Puajab.11 In July 1825 Misr Dewan Chand died. With the passing of men like Mohkam Chand, his grandson Ram Dyal, Phula Singh, and Dewa11 Chand, the Durbar was left with very few Punjabi generals of any real ability. As a result it had to turn more and more to its European officers, pa1t.icularly Ventura. to plan its strategy. The nominal command was, as usual, entrusted to one of Ranjit Singh's sons, Kharak Singh or, latterly, to Sher Singh, who was attracting his father's attention as an up-and-coming army commander and who also enjoyed a great measure of popularity with the ranks. Sher Singh's growing influence over hls father gave rise to misgivings in the minds of Kharak Singh and his mother, Raj Kaur. lo January 1826, when the Maharajah went on tour. he appointed Sher Singh to deputize for him at Lahore. Kharak 8 SC II of 22.10.1824.
257
The Punjabi victory over the Pathans and Afghans caused some apprehension in British circles. The British realized that the Durbar's conquests had reached the furthest geographical limits of the Punjab in the north and north-west. Beyond were impassable mountains and inhospitable, unprofitable regions. If the Puajabi empire was to expand any further, it could be only across the Sindh desert to the sea or across the Sutlej to India. The British government felt that it should curb Punjabi aggres• siveness before it got out of hand, and opened negotiations with the Arnirs of Sindh. When news of I.he Anglo-Sindhian negotiations read1ed Lahore, the Punjabis, wbo were flushed with many victories, talked loudly of settling the issue with the British once and for all. Within a few months, India began to buzz with rumours of troop concentrations on the Sutlej and the Durbar's plans Lo extend its arms over the subcontinent. Before anything could be finalized in Sindh, war broke out between the British and the Burmese and made the British particularly nervous aboul their north-western frontier. The governor general, however, rlecided to trust Ranjit Singh's repeated professions of friendship and refrained from asking for an explanation of rumours of warlike preparations in the Puajab.11 In July 1825 Misr Dewan Chand died. With the passing of men like Mohkam Chand, his grandson Ram Dyal, Phula Singh, and Dewa11 Chand, the Durbar was left with very few Punjabi generals of any real ability. As a result it had to turn more and more to its European officers, pa1t.icularly Ventura. to plan its strategy. The nominal command was, as usual, entrusted to one of Ranjit Singh's sons, Kharak Singh or, latterly, to Sher Singh, who was attracting his father's attention as an up-and-coming army commander and who also enjoyed a great measure of popularity with the ranks. Sher Singh's growing influence over hls father gave rise to misgivings in the minds of Kharak Singh and his mother, Raj Kaur. lo January 1826, when the Maharajah went on tour. he appointed Sher Singh to deputize for him at Lahore. Kharak 8 SC II of 22.10.1824.
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