be better understood by stating, that at Surwal the Commissariat officer purchased attah at 24 seers the rupee in the camp, and offered to retail it to the sepoys at only 17 seers, so that the sepoy absolutely saw the public officer buying at the above-mentioned rate, and immediately selling it to him at 17 seers. Whether such a system as this could ever have been intended by Government, perhaps, I am not a proper judge; but I feel certain, that it cannot fail to engender serious discontent. For two days previous to the before-mentioned period, attah was purchased by the Commissariat officer at 21 seers the rupee, and he immediately and on the same ground sold it to the sepoys at 17 seers the rupee, although the men were perfectly aware that the sepoys of the 1st Brigade received their attah on the same ground on the previous day at 21 seers.

At Surwal, fire-wood was sold by the people in charge of the supplies, at 10 maunds for the rupee; the following march to Subzul Kote was only 6 miles, where there was great abundance of wood. But the Commissariat took possession of the whole, and sold it to the men at only 3 maunds and 5 seers; nor did the officers or men get this until one o'clock P.M., although I am certain, that had they been allowed to purchase it direct, the owners would instantly and gladly have sold it at 8 or 10 maunds. It is impossible to keep the men ignorant of these and similar facts, and I have therefore thought it proper to bring it under your observation.

I am, my dear General,

Yours,

W. NOTT.

To Gen. Sir W. Cotton, K.C.B. and K.C.H.

As the army approached the territories of the Khan of Bhawulpore, a number of Affghans came into the

camp, bringing camel loads of fruit from Caubul. General Nott admired the appearance and bearing of these men; their frankness was akin to his own soldier-like feelings, and he encouraged them to converse freely with him. In one of his letters to his children," he records a conversation with an Affghan.

Several natives of Caubul came into our camp yesterday morning, some of them very fine-looking fellows indeed; they pretend to look upon our sepoys with the greatest contempt, but I imagine they forget the advantage of our discipline. I like them very much, and I wanted to take two or three of them into my service, but I could not succeed. One man, whom I met yesterday, was the finestlooking fellow I have ever seen, quite the gentleman. He spoke Hindostanee very well; he said that he left Caubul two months ago, that he had come by the Mooltan road. He asked me, why we were marching into his country. I told him merely for the purpose of putting his rightful King upon his throne. He said: "We prefer Dost Mahomed." I said, "He has no right to the throne." I shall not forget the fine expression of his large black eyes: stepping up to me, and placing his hand on my shoulder, he said, in a bold, yet respectful tone: "What right have you to Benares and Delhi? Why, the same right that our Dost Mahomed has to Caubul, and he will keep it." From the manner and appearance of this individual, I strongly suspect he has come down for the purpose of viewing our columns as they pass this place, and that he will then return with his information by the nearer route of Mooltan. I think I have never seen a finer man in any country.

The sympathies of the Gencral were not with Shah

Soojah, the puppet of the Indian Government. The supercilious demeanour and the frivolity of the Shah disgusted him, presenting, as it did, a powerful contrast to the manly behaviour of the Affghans. Referring to the reports which continually came into camp regarding the state of feeling in Affghanistan, he says: "I differ from the Government and from others, and I really believe that the people of Affghanistan will not give up their country without fighting for it, and I know I would not were I in their situation." And again: "Lord Auckland cannot possibly back out of this undertaking, and I think the Khan of Herat will oppose that vain man, Shah Soojah, to the very death; I would, were I in his place."

At Roree, on the Indus, intelligence arrived that Sir John Keane and the Bombay division had been arrested in their progress up the river by the Ameers of Scinde, who had collected their forces at Hyderabad, the capital of Scinde, and assumed an attitude of hostility. Upon this, Sir Willoughby Cotton, with a portion of the Bengal troops, moved down to assist Keane. Nott's division formed a part of the force. The officers and men, who looked to plunder rather than glory, were glad of this temporary diversion, although it was attended with some inconvenience. Hyderabad was known to contain a vast amount of wealth in bullion and jewels, which would have fallen to the captors.

* It was the fortune of Major-General Sir Charles Napier and a portion of the Bombay army to achieve the conquest of Scinde four years

Nott calculated that his own share of the expected prize would be two or three lacs of rupees. The Bengal division had not however proceeded above three or four marches to relieve Sir John Keane, when information was received that no reinforcement was required. The Ameers had been coerced into a treaty which bound them to admit the passage of troops through Scinde, to pay twenty-eight lacs of rupees towards the expenses of the expedition, and to allow of contingents officered by the British being formed and stationed at Hyderabad, Kurrachee, &c. On this, Sir Willoughby Cotton's force retraced its steps, and joined the detachment which had been halted at Roree,* while Sir John Keane and his force moved upwards towards Shikarpore. In the meantime, Sir Alexander Burnes (for to this position had the previous exertions of the gallant Captain raised him) had effected an arrange

subsequent to this period. The estimate of the wealth of Hyderabad had not been exaggerated in the least.

*Camp Noogath, Feb. 7, 1839.-I had given out my orders last evening for the column to march this morning at four o'clock. I went to bed at nine last night, and was roused out of my sleep by an express, bringing a note from Sir Henry Fane, who is ten miles ahead of me, saying that the Ameers had come to terms, and directing me to halt the 1st and 2nd Brigades where we now are, until further orders. Thus I have lost two or three lacs of rupees by the timely wisdom of these violent Ameers. However, I have also lost the grilling I should have had in this horrible climate. I suppose we shall now retrace our steps to Bukkur, pass the bridge of boats which we have thrown over the noble Indus; and then, hurrah for the Bolan Pass and Affghanistan-for poverty, a fine climate and a gallant race of people !-General Nott to his son, Charles Nott, Esq., Calcutta.

ment with the Khan of Khyrpore for the complete cession to the British of the island and fort of Bukkur, which, standing in the middle of the Indus, not far from the confluence of the streams which bound and run through the Punjaub, gives the complete command of the whole of the great river and its tributaries above Shikarpore. This cession enabled our engineers to throw a bridge of boats across the Indus for the passage of the army to Shikarpore-a passage which was effected in the most orderly manner, Nott marching at the head of his division. One of the General's letters to his favourite correspondents at this time, lets us into the state of his mind touching himself and his prospects, the chance of success attending the expedition, the incompetency of the officers above him, the state of the country, and his wishes in respect to his son Robert, a youth.

I wish I could get Robert a cadetship, but the Court of Directors have made these appointments quite a family affair, and I shall probably go down to my grave without seeing one of my children in that army in which I have passed a long life. Little do those about me know the deep misery I am in; surrounded by all this warlike pomp, they think me fortunate, while I sometimes wish to step quietly out of this world and all its disappointments. Man without anything to hope for must be exquisitely miserable. I arise in the morning, and go through the duties of the day mechanically; at night I go to my couch without feeling the least pleasure, interest, or satisfaction of what that day has