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202 and quietly accepted the new order of things; but their subjugation by no means signified their national annihilation. Religious liberty for all was proclaimed, and it was recognised to be a healthy and good thing for the Sikhs to maintain fidelity to the instincts and traditions of their religious convictions, which were not inconsistent with sincere allegiance to the British Crown; to maintain their sentiment of nationality in the form of subordinate patriotism; to keep in their recollection those elements which had contributed to the moral strength of the Sikh nation; and to preserve the character and enterprise engendered in their race by the trials they underwent in early times.

The Punjab recovered from the long-continued ravages of war with surprising rapidity. For good the old order changed, giving place to the new. Security for life and property following on disarmament soon reigned throughout the land. The growth of material prosperity among the