Page:The Earl of Auckland.djvu/113

Rh At the foot of a paper detailing the strength of the troops employed beyond the Sutlej, Nicolls added a remark that the aggregate, except in the number of horse and light guns, exceeded the two armies which, under Lake and Wellesley in 1803, beat down the great army of Daulat Ráo Sindhia. 'I did this' — he wrote — 'in the hope of inducing Lord Auckland to pause before he sanctioned any advance upon Balkh or to Herát.' His advice was taken so far as Herát at least was concerned. Kámrán and Yár Muhammad received a general pardon for their past offences, together with more of our money, on the strength of promises which they had no intention of keeping longer than it might suit them.

As for the Sikhs, then nominally governed by the weak-witted Karak Singh, they viewed with natural misgivings the frequent passing of our troops and convoys through the Punjab. The Sikh Government openly complained of the unforeseen uses to which we had turned the Tripartite Treaty, and they hotly repelled the Envoy's attempts to enforce Sháh Shujá's claims to the greater part of the Pesháwar province, in breach of the treaty of 1834. Macnaghten further accused them not only of sheltering Afghán refugees, but of secretly encouraging Dost Muhammad to organize a revolt against the Sháh. The latter charge was scornfully denied, and George Clerk, who had succeeded Wade as Agent for the Punjab frontier, admitted that the writing of secret and traitorous