Page:Viscount Hardinge and the Advance of the British Dominions into the Punjab.djvu/50

46 Chairman's speech, that he went to India a Conservative, and that his opinions had undergone no change.

When affairs of honour, as they were termed in those days, were in vogue, Sir Henry Hardinge was frequently appealed to for advice by the most eminent men in public life. No man possessed a greater reputation for sound judgment and tact in matters requiring the most delicate handling, and both the Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel had the advantage of his advice on several occasions. The most memorable of these was the meeting which took place between the Duke of Wellington and Lord Winchelsea in 1829.

During his political career it was to Peel that Sir Henry Hardinge was most devotedly attached. The following letter shows the affectionate terms on which they corresponded. It was written in reply to a private account of the battle of Firozsháh, which the Governor-General had sent home to him.

'1846.

'My Dear Hardinge,

'Your loss has been very severe. It demonstrates the extent of danger and the necessity for unparalleled exertion. We are astonished at the numbers, the power of concentration, and the skill and courage of the enemy. On all matters of reinforcement, I hope Lord Ripon will write to you as fully as the short time will allow. We shall lay some of your letters on the table of the House,