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 CHAPTER VIII

The Punjab War

Colonel Lawrence handed over his charge in the Punjab to his brother John towards the close of 1847, as a temporary measure pending the arrival of Sir Frederick Currie on March 6, and left Calcutta for England on January 18, 1848, in the same steamer with Lord Hardinge.

Meanwhile, Lord Hardinge had seriously altered the strength and distribution of the army. Hoping for a continuation of peace, he had reduced the strength of the Sepoy army by 50,000. But he had so re-arranged the troops as to double the garrisons on the North-West frontier. There were 50,000 men with 60 guns on the Sutlej, 10,000 men at Firozpur, and 9,000 at Lahore. But though the troops at hand for immediate operations in the Punjab were thus greatly increased, the grave reduction in the native army diminished very seriously the force naturally available for prompt hot- weather campaigning.

A very brief period elapsed after Sir Henry's departure when Mulráj, the Governor of Múltán, began to complain to John Lawrence, who held office till March, 1848, of his inability to comply with the