precepts as to bestow adoration on his own name. He is considered a saint by them, and they pay him divine honours, addressing him in their prayers as their saviour and mediator; and, until his tomb was washed away by the Ravee, the Sikhs made pilgrimages thereto.

"The simplicity and purity of the doctrines taught and inculcated by Nanuk were the means of drawing towards him many who had troubled themselves but little with

the complicated structure of the Hindoo religion, polluted, as it had become, by the worship of images and idols. Nanuk at once directed their attention to the one-existing Supreme Deity, who was endowed by him with the great attributes of omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipo-1 tence. He it was who knew all their actions, and their

innermost thoughts; He it was who was ever present through space and time; the only Immortal: all others perished and were lost! Nothing was created without Him, and what men viewed with awe and wonder, emanated from His omnipotent hand. All the events which occurred were regulated by His presence, and every gift bestowed on man was supplied by His bounty. No place was without His presence. Turn my feet,' said Nanuk, to where the house of God is not'-showing clearly that the mind of the teacher was deeply imbued with the great truth, that all space was filled with Him. The most insignificant animal that crawled on the earth, the least

complicated flower that decked the face of the desert, were alike the work of the same Divine hand that formed the elephant and wide-spreading banian tree! Trusting to this bountiful Being, Nanuk despised all worldly riches, unless in so far as they served to relieve his fellow creatures; and charity to all mankind was one of the precepts which he was induced to preach to his followers, next to devotion to the Deity. The life of a fellow creature was sacred in his eyes, for the same breath was breathed into them all by the Almighty, and was only to be taken away by Him. Murder, war, and discord, whereby the lives of men were sacrificed, he deprecated; and cruelty and intolerance were held in abomination by him, as heinous sins.

"The doctrine of a fall of man, by a first act of disobedience to the will of his Creator, was not admitted by Nanuk he held that nothing was needed but a pure and holy life to insure happiness; grounded as such must be in a belief of the Deity ever present to watch man's actions. After all, Nanuk's was an imperfect code of religion, and finite in its application; but such as it was, there are many professing Christians whose creed is equally limited."

The Sikhs have always reverenced the memory of Nanuk since the period of his teaching, towards the close of the fifteenth century, although they soon forgot his most important precepts. His most influential successor from his death to the days of Runjeet Singh was Govind Singh, who to his religious, added also a very considerable military, character. He, unlike Nanuk, seems to have been more at home in fighting than teaching; and, while the Sikhs still professed to follow the faith of Nanuk, and had even raised him to a superhuman dignity in their estimation, they followed, without the slightest compunction, the exciting and ambitious path in which their warrior-chieftains led them on. Runjeet Singh's talents and shrewdness preserved the Sikhs for a time from destruction, by saving them from the fate on which, after his death, they madly rushed.

There can be no doubt that Delhi, in the first instance, and Calcutta, in the second step, were the proposed destinations of the Sikh army when they crossed the Sutlej. Several of the Sirdars may have understood better than their followers the character of the enemy whom they volunteered to encounter; the difficulties of the way, and their own comparative strength to cope with them. It is even hinted that some of the leading men were willing to consign a troublesome army to de

We have endeavoured to show the spirit which ac tuated the Khalsa troops in their attempt to spread their conquests over Hindostan; and it now seems proper to inquire whether the native portion of the British army was likely to have opposed a firm resistance to the Sikhs. lony, and an Adams, showed that the native troops of "The victories gained in India by a Clive, an Ochtertheir days were, at least, a match for any power opposed implicitly the orders of their European officers, between The men were steady, brave soldiers, obeying

to them.

whom and the men the freest intercourse existed. The officer commanding a company knew every sipahee personally, while the commanding officer of the regiment was

so associated with the interests and welfare of his men as position of affairs is somewhat changed. to be looked up to with a species of filial reverence. The The bonds which united the native soldier to his officer have been look with esteem and respect on his commander no longer sundered. The means whereby the former was made to exist, for the independent power of the latter has been curtailed, and the sipahee is drilled and taught the mechanism of the art of war, without an attempt being made to enlist his feelings in the cause. but little interest in the service, and looks upon it as a officers in the native army do not know even the names means of present livelihood and future comfort. Many of their native officers, (the Subedars, Jemadars, &c.); and a wide chasm has separated the two classes.

He consequently takes

"When a dislike to any particular duty arises, it spreads manding officer urges his men to a sense of their obligathroughout the whole ranks it is in vain that the comtions; they are sulky and sullen, and refuse to obey of ficers whom they hardly know except by name. We need only instance the unruly spirit which prevailed in the corps that mutinied in 1843, and which, in spite of every exertion on the part of their officers, refused to march to Scinde until the presence of two European regiments. threatened their very existence.

"No body of officers can excel in zeal and energy those of our native army in India, but they cannot, under the present state of interference with the internal manage ment of their regiments, calculate with certainty on those strenuous exertions, and that determined courage which marked the sipahiee of former times. The mounted branch of our army, called the regular cavalry, is not now com posed of men sprung from a race of warriors. Many of them are persons of low caste, whose fathers and brothers are the cooks and table-attendants of the officers, and it not unfrequently happens that the latter swell the ranks of a light cavalry regiment. We look in vain for the gal lant Rajpoot and high caste Mussulman, who formerly displayed such courage and daring in the hard fought fields of Indian warfare. Their officers, indeed, are the same gallant men who formerly led them to the charge, emulating in every respect the European officer at the head of his countrymen, but they have not the same material to work at. How is it, then, that the irregular cavalry are said to excel the regular in effectiveness? They are officered from the classes of Englishmen who command regular cavalry, but the horses of the latter are of a better stamp. The regulars have not, it is true, the same amount of cloth and trappings about them, and are armed with a sword intended merely for a thrust, while the irregulars are in possession of a strong heavy weapon,

capable, when properly wielded, of doing great execution. Nevertheless there is another vast difference existing between the regular and irregular cavalry; the latter possess in their ranks men of high caste and family, who are accompanied to the field by young relatives, who do their utmost to imitate them. This spirit of emulation does not exist in the regular cavalry, every man does what he considers his duty, and no more. In Affghanistan, one of our regular cavalry corps refused to charge the Affghan horse, even when it was certain from the very weight of its horses to overthrow the enemy! The advantage of charging en masse has not yet been fully impressed on the native cavalry; they still trust to their individual exertions, which, in the absence of effective weapons, can achieve but little. Could the regular native cavalry be brought to believe that a dense and compact body of well-trained horsemen will bear down undisciplined troopers, less reliance would be placed in individual power, and the full advantage of a body of dragoons might be realised. In some regular Native cavalry corps, a proper impression prevails (as witness the 1st Bengal regiment in Affghanistan, the 3d at Allewal, the 5th at Moodkee, and the 9th at Meeanee) but it is far from being universal. In the battle of Moodkee, the loss in the European infantry and cavalry was great as compared with that sustained by the Native branch of the service, and we endeavoured to reconcile such a marked difference, by supposing that the Sikhs took more deadly aims at the former, without for an instant doubting that both were equally exposed. The effect, however, produced on both branches of our Native army at that hardcontested fight was somewhat to shake their courage, and it could not be denied that, previous to the battle of Feerozshuhur, a fear prevailed that, opposed to formidable batteries, our Native infantry might waver, and our regular Native cavalry might shrink from charging guns, or even the squares of Sikh infantry.

Such a feeling was industriously suppressed, however, if ever entertained, by the Commander-in-Chief and Governor-General. The Native troops marched with alacrity to Feerozshuhur; but a resistance there awaited them which they could not have anticipated, and which certainly caused the wavering of the best troops Europe could produce. The Sikhs defended their entrenched camp with a spirit which even European intrepidity could not at once overcome; and if a less-courageous bearing were manifested by the Native troops, it should be remembered that they had not acquired that contempt for an enemy which the European entertains: their highest aim was to follow and emulate him.

.." When entering, therefore, the field of Feerozshuhur, some doubted whether the Native character for bravery was equal to the approaching struggle; but the hopes of all were buoyant, and it was soon to be proved to what extent the Native soldier could be trusted.

Thus, on the setting-in of the night of the 21st December, were the European infantry regiments placed in the enemy's camp, having captured a portion of it, while the Sikhs occupied the rest; their cavalry and infantry moving about throughout the whole night, har rassing and firing on the British who were bivouacked. A large Sikh gun was brought up close to the British, and its contents discharged, but so near that the grape could not spread itself, and the men and officers thus escaped, while the chargers of the latter were knocked over, even when their masters were holding the rein while lying on the ground. On another occasion, while the 50th and other European soldiers and officers were lying on a tent and on the ground, a battalion of Sikhs passed and deliberately fired into the midst of them; but, strange to say, with little or no effect! this was a fearful position to be in; and from the intervals, between the European infantry regiments and the Native brigades with them, being left vacant, there was no possibility of forming a line or acting in concert; portions of one regiment got mixed up with more of another in the entrenchment, and in the darkness of night could not retain their respective positions. If a regiment had attempted to move right or left in search of another, the Sikh guns were sure to be directed to the spot; and where the 50th bivouacked,

Sir Harry Smith, with admirable prudence, forbade a shot to be fired in return for any that might be directed against his position. The white covers were taken off the caps, which served as marks for the enemy, and every means adopted for keeping the men out of the hostile fire. The gallant soldiers, who had at the point of the bayonet captured the batteries of the Sikhs, were thus glad to actually conceal themselves under the darkness of night. It was not flight, but as near an approach to it as can be well conceived; and no wonder if at this time the GovernorGeneral of India felt the precarious position of the troops. Never in the annals of warfare in India had matters attained such a threatening crisis. The European infantry alone could now support him, and he knew well what their daring bravery had accomplished at Plassy, Bhurtpore, and Ghuzni. In this action the reserve was brought up by Sir Harry Smith, and seized another portion of the position, while the 3d dragoons charged and took some batteries; yet the Sikhs remained in position, and in possession of a considerable portion of the quadrangle.'

We see that though Gilbert's division drove everything before it, and though Sir Harry Smith followed up with equal success, yet the Sikhs persisted in keeping their position. On the left, where the Feerozopore force was engaged, under the command of Sir John Littler, the fire was so terrific, that her Majesty's 62nd regiment was unable to make good their charge, and were ordered to retire; at least this is the explanation of those who ought to know best, and it does not follow that though one portion of an entrenched camp be carried, all the rest can be so. There was a half-moon battery at the right corner of the Sikh position which played with deadly effect on the 62nd, and against which they could not stand; had they formed a portion of the centre division, there is little doubt but the 62nd would have done their part well, and emulated their brave countrymen in capturing the batteries. It unfortunately happened that Sir John Littler, in his private despatch, intended solely for the Commander-in-Chief, used the words 'panic struck' as applicable to his regiment, and attributed the irresolution on the part of the Native regiments in his division as arising from the example of the 62nd.

To complete the estimate of the capabilities of the Indian army, there is another passage which we should

also copy. The first sentences refer to the unfounded rumour respecting the conduct of the 62d, H.M.S., in the Sikh fights-a regiment that seemed to have been most severely cut up

"Whether, as their own Brigadier stated, the regi ments had received an order from himself to retire from a position which they could not carry without the risk of being annihilated; or whether this check was a necessary consequence of the insurmountable obstacle opposed to them, the loss in men and officers attests that the efforts of both were great, for we find that this gallant regiment had no fewer than 7 officers killed and 10 wounded; while among the soldiers of a weak regiment in numbers, there were 76 killed and 154 wounded, a greater number in both grades than fell to the lot of any other European regiment. Both the Governor-General and Commanderin-Chief did everything in their power to re-assure tho regiment that its well-known character for bravery was fully borne out; and it is to be lamented that an occurrence should have happened which could ever have rendered it a matter of doubt.

"As a contrast to the killed of the 62nd, let us see what the list of the other five Native regiments exhibited. We find the number of casualities scarcely amounted to half that of the 62nd in rank and file; while not a single European officer belonging to the five regiments was killed; and the whole number of their wounded European officers little more than equalled that of the 62nd regiment alone. We do not for an instant wish to draw any invidious comparison between the European officers of the Native army and those of her Majesty's service; but we may rely upon it, that the list of killed and wounded among these is a good proof that they and

with the more aristocratic class of country gentlemen in London. They cheer him, and he " 'championizes them in the House of Commons. He is ungrateful if in his book he misreports the character of their conversation; and presuming that he rather leans to " Charity's side, we cannot say that "Tancred" was a loser by his seclusion from their society.

"Saw Eskdale just now,' said Mr. Cassilis, at White's, 'going down to the Duke of Bellamont's. Great doings there-son comes of age at Easter-wonder what sort of fellow he is? Anybody know anything about him?' "I wonder what his father's rent roll is,' said Mr. Ormsby.

46 4

They say it is quite clear,' said Lord Fitzheron. "Safe for that,' said Lord Milford; and plenty of readymoney too, I should think for one, never heard of the present Duke doing anything.'

"He does a good deal in his county,' said Lord Valentine. "I don't call that anything,' said Lord Milford; but I mean to say he never played-was never seen at Newmarket, or did anything which any body can remember. In fact, he is a person whose name you never, by any chance, hear mentioned.'

"He is a sort of cousin of mine,' said Lord Valentine, and we are all going down to the coming of age-that is, we are asked.

"Then you can tell us what sort of fellow the son is.' "I never saw him,' said Lord Valentine; but I know the Duchess told my mother last year, that Montacute, throughout his life, had never occasioned her a single moment's pain.'

Here there was a general laugh.

"Well, I have no doubt he will make up for lost time,' said Mr. Ormsby, demurely.

"Nothing like Mamma's darling for upsetting a coach,' said Lord Milford. "You ought to bring your cousin here, Valentine; we would assist the development of his unsophisticated intelligence.'

"If I go down, I will propose it to him.'

666

'Why if?' said Mr. Cassilis; sort of thing I should like to see once uncommonly-oxen roasted alive, old ar mour, and the girls of the village all running about as if they were behind the scenes.'

"Is that the way you did it at your majority, George?' said Lord Fitzheron.

Egad, I kept my arrival at the years of discretion at Brighton. I believe it was the last fun there ever was at the pavilion. The poor dear king, God bless him! proposed my health, and made the devil's own speech. We all began to pipe. He was Regent then. Your father was there, Valentine-ask him if he remembers it? That was a scene! I wont say how it ended; but the best joke is, I got a letter from my governor a few days after, with an account of what they had all been doing at Brandingham, and rowing me for not coming down, and I found out I had kept my coming of age the wrong day!'

"Did you tell them?'

"Not a word. I was afraid we might have had to go through it over again.

"I suppose old Bellamont is the devil's own screw,' said Lord Milford. Rich governors who have never been hard up, always are.'

666

"No; I believe he is a very good sort of fellow,' said Lord Valentine; at least my people always say so. don't know much about him, for they never go anywhere.' They have got Leander down at Montacute,' said Mr. Cassilis. Had not such a thing as a cook in the whole county. They say Lord Eskdale arranged the cuisne for them; so you will feed well, Valentine.'

That's something; and one can eat before Easter; but when the balls begin

"Oh, as for that, you will have dancing enough at Montacute; it's expected on these occasions. Sir Roger de Coverley, tenants' daughters, and all that sort of thing. Deuced funny; but I must say if I am to have a lark, I like Vauxhall.'

"I never met the Bellamonts,' said Lord Milford, musingly. Are there any daughters?'

None.'

"That's a bore; a single daughter, even if there be a son, may be made something of; because, in nine cases out of ten, there is a round sum in the settlements for the younger children, and she takes it all.'

"That's the case of Lady Blanche Bickerstaff,' said Lord Fitzheron. She will have a hundred thousand pounds.'

You young men are always talking about money,' said Mr. Ormsby, shaking his head; you should think of higher things.'

666

"I wonder what young Montacute will be thinking of this time next year,' said Lord Fitzheron.

"There will be plenty of people thinking of him,' said Mr. Cassilis. Egad, you gentlemen must stir yourselves if you mean to be turned off. You will have rivals.'

"He will be no rival to me,' said Lord Milford; for I am an avowed fortune-hunter, and that, you say, he does not care for, at least at present.'

"And I marry only for love,' said Lord Valentine, laughing; and so we shall not clash.'

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Ay, ay; but if he will not go to the heiresses, the heiresses will go to him," said Mr. Ormsby. I have seen a good deal of these things, and I generally observe the eldest son of a Duke takes a fortune out of the market. Why, there is Beaumanoir, he is like Valentine. I suppose he intends to marry for love, as he is always in that way; but the heiresses never leave him alone, and in the longrun you cannot withstand it; it's like a bribe-a man is indignant at the bare thought, refuses the first offer, and pockets the second.'

"It is very immoral and very unfair,' said Lord Milford, 'that any man should marry for tin who does not want it."

Mr. D'Israeli professes to have a political object in his novels; and his politics are of the highest Toryism. He admires, or professes to admire, the political ascendancy of the Aristocracy. He seems to lament even the changes of the Reform Bill; and "Progress" through his works is the great point of his enmity. He wants to retrograde. For a writer of these principles, it must be a sacrifice to paint in such dark and frivolous colours the idle hours-the time when the heart "looks out”the leisure of the men whose cause he pleads, for whose superiority he toils, and sneers, and waxes eloquent in the Saxons Legislature. Sometimes, indeed, a germ of sympathy with the struggling classes of society may be traced in Mr. D'Israeli's speeches. Is he at heart still a Radical, and these revelations of the core of "Young England," are they satirical? Does the writer move in the brilliant circles of the West to tell the dingy East of all their wild oat sowing?

We pass over the festivities at Bellamont when the Marquis came of age-the offer made to him by his father of a seat for the county and of her niece as his wife, by his mother, both courteously postponed, which, in the latter case, at least, looks much like rejection, and of Tancred's determination to travel to the Holy Land-an idea that gave rise to all kind of contrivances on the part of the Duke and Duchess, short of an actual exercise of authority, to prevent. Tancred, however, is a man of diseased intellect. He expects a

new revelation. He anticipates that at the Holy Sepulchre, or on Mount Sinai, he may meet with that enlightenment which he cannot, or will not, expect out of