Page:A biographical dictionary of eminent Scotsmen, vol 8.djvu/105

Rh quarter, returned in his new capacity, and discharged his task with his wonted ability and success. His account of this survey is contained in the "Transactions of the Royal Geographical Society for 1834."

The talents of Burnes as an oriental linguist and statist having thus been tested, instead of being allowed to rest, were summoned to higher exertion. In the growth of our Indo-British empire, it was necessary that the Indus, whose approaches had hitherto been so carefully shut up to British mercantile enterprise, should be thrown open to our ships, but, at the same time, without exciting the jealousy of those wild tribes who regarded the river as the pledge of their national freedom. To disarm suspicion, therefore, it was resolved that this object should be covertly accomplished, by means of a political mission ostensibly directed to a different purpose. A present of five large and splendid horses, accompanied by a letter from the sovereign of Great Britain, were to be consigned to Runjeet Singh, the celebrated Maharajah of the Punjaub; and on the way to Lahore for that purpose, Lieutenant Burnes, by whom the mission was to be conducted, was to travel by the circuitous route of Scinde. He was provided with letters addressed to the chieftains of the province, and to conceal the real purpose of his journey, and facilitate his progress, he enlisted in his service a guard of wild Beeloochees, instead of taking with him a troop of British soldiers, whose appearance would have awakened the jealousy of the natives. Thus provided, Burnes commenced his journey, and reached the mouth of the Indus on the 28th of January, 1831. He had now a difficult diplomatic task to perform, for the Ameers of Scinde had taken the alarm, and every delay which they could devise was thrown in the way of his further progress. This, however, was nothing more than what he wished; for, during the delay occasioned by their feigned negotiations, he had made a complete survey of the mouths of the river, and constructed a map of the lower part of its course; he also obtained their full permission to continue his journey on the Indus, instead of travelling by land, and their assent that thenceforth it should be left open to the transit of British merchandise. Proceeding along the river by water, and visiting every place of interest upon his way, he at length reached Lahore on the 18th of July. As the real and most important part of his journey was already accomplished, all that remained was little more than a mere political visit of ceremony, graced with all the showy forms of an oriental embassy, and an amusing account of which he has given us in the third volume of his "Travels in Bokhara." Splendid retinues, with abundance of trumpeting and cannonading, welcomed him into the capital of the modern Timour; and on entering the palace, and putting off his shoes on the threshold, according to the Asiatic rule of etiquette, Burnes suddenly found himself locked in the embrace of a diminutive old man, who was no other than Runjeet Singh himself, eager to do him honour, and who had come out thus far to welcome him. After sojourning till the middle of August at the court of Runjeet Singh, by whom he was treated with the utmost kindness, Burnes left Lahore, and having crossed the Sutledge, he proceeded to Loodiana, where he became acquainted with Shah Zeman and Shah Soojah, who had formerly been kings of Cabool, but were now discrowned, and living under British protection. He then continued his journey, and arrived at Simla, where he met Lord William Bentinck, the governor-general, who forthwith proceeded to avail himself of Burnes' mission, by negotiations for opening the navigation of the Indus.

After this successful expedition, Burnes proposed to Lord Bentinck to