broken only by our artillery. One Sikh cannon after another was captured. So ably were the orders of attack conducted, each column and line arriving at its point of attack to the very moment, that the enemy were soon driven headlong back over the river; and all the Sikh guns were captured or destroyed. Only one gun was carried by the Sikhs to the opposite bank, and there it was spiked by Lieutenant Holmes, of the irregular cavalry, and Gunner Scott, of the horse-artillery, who forded the river in pursuit. The victory was complete, and the confusion among the Sikhs great. Campcarriages, munitions of war, all things that Runjoor Singh had brought with him, were captured. These were indeed "glorious operations;" this was indeed a "complete and decisive victory.' ."* It cost us in all 151 killed and 413 wounded.

There was now for a short time a perfect lull in the campaign. The Sikhs at Sobraon went on strengthening their position, and adding to their guns on their tête-de-pont; and Sir Hugh Gough waited for his artillery and reinforcements. From the 14th of January till the beginning of February, the enemy were industriously employed in building their defences, under the direction, it is said, of a Spanish engineer. The army under Sir Charles Napier, which had been assembled at Sukkur, by order of the Governor-General, consisting of 16,000 men, was moving up to the left bank of the Sutledge, towards Ferozpoor, and would have proved, had the war lasted, a most valuable reinforcement to the army of the Sutledge. It had by this time reached Bhawulpoor, opposite Mooltan, and as the Nawab of that place had intimated to the British government his intention of remaining neuter, and of taking no part in the war, the Governor-General, feeling that the blow must be struck and the contest decided at Lahore, requested Sir Charles Napier to come on with his staff in advance of his army, and to join him without delay, being desirous of having the assistance of that distinguished officer in the pending struggle. Sir Charles Napier did not, unfortunately, arrive in time to participate in the glories of Sobraon, but came up with the army at Lahore.

On the 9th of February, the heavy guns from Delhi *Despatches of the Governor-General, Sir Harry Smith, and Sir Hugh Gough. Macgregor's History of the Sikhs."

broken only by our artillery. One Sikh cannon after another was captured. So ably were the orders of attack conducted, each column and line arriving at its point of attack to the very moment, that the enemy were soon driven headlong back over the river; and all the Sikh guns were captured or destroyed. Only one gun was carried by the Sikhs to the opposite bank, and there it was spiked by Lieutenant Holmes, of the irregular cavalry, and Gunner Scott, of the horse-artillery, who forded the river in pursuit. The victory was complete, and the confusion among the Sikhs great. Campcarriages, munitions of war, all things that Runjoor Singh had brought with him, were captured. These were indeed "glorious operations;" this was indeed a " complete and decisive victory.' ." It cost us in all 151 killed and 413 wounded. There was now for a short time a perfect lull in the campaign. The Sikhs at Sobraon went on strengthening their position, and adding to their guns on their tête-de-pont; and Sir Hugh Gough waited for his artillery and reinforcements. From the 14th of January till the beginning of February, the enemy were industriously employed in building their defences, under the direction, it is said, of a Spanish engineer. The army under Sir Charles Napier, which had been assembled at Sukkur, by order of the Governor-General, consisting of 16,000 men, was moving up to the left bank of the Sutledge, towards Ferozpoor, and would have proved, had the war lasted, a most valuable reinforcement to the army of the Sutledge. It had by this time reached Bhawulpoor, opposite Mooltan, and as the Nawab of that place had intimated to the British government his intention of remaining neuter, and of taking no part in the war, the Governor-General, feeling that the blow must be struck and the contest decided at Lahore, requested Sir Charles Napier to come on with his staff in advance of his army, and to join him without delay, being desirous of having the assistance of that distinguished officer in the pending struggle. Sir Charles Napier did not, unfortunately, arrive in time to participate in the glories of Sobraon, but came up with the army at Lahore.

On the 9th of February, the heavy guns from Delhi *Despatches of the Governor-General, Sir Harry Smith, and Sir Hugh Gough. Macgregor's History of the Sikhs."

reached the, Commander-in-Chief's camp; on the 8th, Sir Harry Smith had rejoined head-quarters from Aliwal.

After the battle of Ferozshuhr, the Governor-General had taken up his quarters at Ferozpoor, occasionally riding to the Commander-in-Chief's camp, which was now twenty-four miles distant from Ferozpoor, to confer with his excellency. In one of these rides, the Governor-General's horse fell, and so severely contused the Governor-General's thigh, that he was obliged to be taken in his carriage to the field on the morning of the 10th.

The enemy's works were very strong, and although, on the first intelligence of the battle of Aliwal, and at sight of the numerous bodies which floated from the neighbourhood of that battle-field down to the bridge of boats at Sobraon, the Sikhs seemed much shaken and disheartened, they now appeared to be as confident as ever of being able to defy us in their intrenched position, and to prevent our passage of the river. The soldiers were chiefly those who had been trained by the French and Italian officers. They had strong walls, only to be surmounted by scaling-ladders, which afforded a secure protection for triple lines of musketry. In all, they were 34,000 men, with seventy pieces of artillery; their position was united by a good bridge to a reserve of 20,000 on the opposite bank, on which was a considerable camp and some artillery, commanding and flanking the fieldworks on the side of the British."

The forces under Sir Hugh Gough consisted of 6,533 Europeans and 9,691 natives, making a total of 16,224 rank and file, and ninety-nine guns. Sir Hugh ordered this force to march at half-past three o'clock on the morning of Tuesday, the 10th of February, when his men would be fresh, and there would be a certainty of many hours of daylight. To pass another night like that which had been spent within the enemy's camp at Ferozshuhr, was by all means to be avoided. The troops began to move out of camp at the very moment appointed, and they marched in silence to their destination. Sir Hugh was now much stronger in cavalry, and very strong in artillery. He at once put his battering and disposable artillery in position in an extended semicircle, embracing within its fire the works of the Sikhs. It had been • Commander-in-Chief's Despatch.

intended that the cannonade should have commenced at daybreak, but so heavy a mist hung over the plain and river, that it became necessary to wait. It was half-past six before the whole of our artillery fire was developed. "Nothing could be conceived grander than the effect of the batteries when they opened, as the cannonade passed along from the Sutledge to Little Sobraon, in one continued roar of guns and mortars; while, ever and anon, the rocket, like a spirit of fire, winged its rapid flight high above the batteries in its progress towards the Sikh intrenchment. Well might the Commander-in-Chief call the opening of the cannonade 'most spirited and well-directed.' The Sikh guns responded with shot and shells, but neither appeared to do much execution; the latter were seen bursting in mid-air ere they reached the British batteries, while some of the shot passed over Rhodawala, and struck the ground in front of General Gilbert's division. It now became a grand artillery concert, and the infantry divisions and brigades looked on with a certain degree of interest, somewhat allied, however, to vexation, lest the artillery should have the whole work to themselves.

It was

“The Commander-in-Chief, however, was determined to give full play to an arm which he did not possess to an efficient extent in other hard-fought battles. reported, that the guns were to play for four hours at least; but there is some reason to believe, that the rapid firing had nearly exhausted the ammunition before half that time had elapsed; and it was once more to be proved, that the British infantry were not to remain mute spectators of a battle. Notwithstanding,' wrote the Commander-inChief, 'the formidable calibre of our guns, mortars, and howitzers, and the admirable way in which they were served, and aided by a rocket battery, it would have been visionary to expect that they could have silenced the fire of seventy pieces behind well-constructed batteries of earth, planks, and fascines, or dislodge troops, covered either by redoubts or epaulments, or within a treble line of trenches.” ” *

Compared with Ferozshuhr, the works at Sobraon were regular fortifications, in the construction of which no labour had been spared. The utmost ingenuity of the Sikhs and their European advisers had been exerted to render this,

* Dr. Macgregor's "History of the Sikhs.”

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