Neither the limits of this sketch, nor the materials from which it is
drawn, will admit of my giving a particular or correct account of the
countries possessed by the Sikhs, or of their forms of government,
manners, and habits: but a cursory view of these subjects may be
useful, and may excite and direct that curiosity which it cannot expect
to gratify.
The country now possessed by the Sikhs, which reaches from latitude
28° 40' to beyond latitude 32° N., and includes all the Penjáb[67], a
small part of Multán, and most of that tract of country which lies
between the Jumna and the Satléj, is bounded, to the northward and
westward, by the territories of the king of Cábul; to the eastward, by
the possessions of the mountaineer Rájás of Jammu, Nadón, and Srínagar;
and to the southward, by the territories of the English government, and
the sandy deserts of Jasalmér and Hánsyá Hisár.
The Sikhs, who inhabit the country between the Satléj and the Jumna,
are called Málawá Singh, and were almost all converted from the Hindú
tribes of Játs and Gujars. The title of Málawá Singh was conferred upon
them for their extraordinary gallantry, under the Baírágí Banda, who is
stated to have declared, that the countries granted to them should be
fruitful as Málwá, one of the provinces[68] in India. The principal
chiefs among the Málawá Singhs, are, Sáheb Singh, of Patiálá; B'hangá
Singh, of T'hánésur; B'hág Singh, of Jhind; and B'hailal Singh, of
Keintal. Besides these, there are several inferior chiefs, such as
Gúrúdah Singh, Jud'h Singh, and Carm Singh; all of whom have a few
villages, and some horse, and consider themselves independent; though
they, in general, are content to secure their possessions by attaching
themselves to one or other of the more powerful leaders.
The country of the Málawá Singh is, in some parts, fruitful: but those
districts of it, which border on Hánsyá and Carnál, are very barren;
being covered with low wood, and, in many places, almost destitute of
water. Sarhind was formerly the capital of this country; but it is now
a complete ruin, and has probably never recovered the dreadful ravages
of the Bairágí Banda, who is stated not only to have destroyed its
mosques, but to have levelled all its palaces and public buildings
with the ground. Patiálá is now the largest and most flourishing town
of this province, and next to it T'hánésur, which is still held in
high religious veneration by the Hindús; who have also a very high
reverence for the river Seraswetí, which flows through this province.
The territories of the chiefs of Málawá Singh are bounded to the N.
W. by the Satléj; between which and the Béyah, is the country called
the Jaléndra Beit, or Jaléndra Dúáb; the Sikhs inhabiting which are
called the Dúábá Singh, or the Singhs who dwell between the rivers[69].
The country of Jaléndra Dúáb, which reaches from the mountains to
the junction of the Satléj and the Béyah, is the most fruitful of all
the possessions of the Sikhs; and is, perhaps, excelled in climate
and vegetation by no province of India. The soil is light, but very
productive: the country, which is open and level, abounds with every
kind of grain. That want of water, which is so much felt in other
parts of India, must be here unknown; as it is found every where in
abundance, within two, or at furthest three, feet from the surface of
the soil. The towns of Jaléndra and Sultánpúr are the principal in the
Dúáb.
The country between the Béyah and Ráví rivers is called Bári Dúáb,
or Mánj'há; and the Sikhs inhabiting it are called Mánj'há Singh.
The cities of Lahore and Amritsar are both in this province; and it
becomes, in consequence, the great centre of the power of this nation.
Ranjít Singh, of Lahore; Fateh Singh[70], of Alluwál; and Jud'h Singh,
of Rámgadiá[71]; are the principal chiefs of this country.
The country of Bári is said to be less fertile, particularly towards
the mountains, than Jaléndra; but, as it lies on the same level, it
must possess nearly the same climate and soil.
The inhabitants of the country between the Ráví and Chanháb, are called
D'harpí Singh, from the country being called D'harpí. The D'haníghéb
Singh are beyond the Chanháb[72], but within the Jéhalam river.
The Sind Singh is the term by which the inhabitants of the districts
under the Sikhs, bordering on the Sind, are known; and Nakái Singh is
the name given to the Sikhs who reside in Multán. With the leaders of
the Sikhs in these provinces, the extent of their possessions, or the
climate and productions of the country under their rule, I am little
acquainted. Those in Multán, as well as those settled on the river
Jéhalam, are said to be constantly engaged in a predatory warfare,
either with the officers of the Afghán government, or with Muhammedan
chiefs who have jágírs in their vicinity.
The government of the Sikhs, considered in its theory, may, as has been
before stated, be termed a theocracy. They obey a temporal chief, it is
true; but that chief preserves his power and authority by professing
himself the servant of the Khálsá[73], or government, which can only
be said to act, in times of great public emergency, through the means
of a national council, of which every chief is a member, and which is
supposed to deliberate and resolve under the immediate inspiration and
impulse of an invisible being; who, they believe, always watches over
the interests of the commonwealth.
The nature of the power established by the temporal chiefs of the
Sikhs, has been sufficiently explained in the narrative of their
history. It will be necessary, before any account is given of the forms
and actions of their Gúrú-matá, or great national council, which is
intended to have a supreme authority over their federative republic, to
take a view of that body of Acálís, or immortals, who, under the double
character of fanatic priests and desperate soldiers, have usurped
the sole direction of all religious affairs at Amritsar, and are,
consequently, leading men in a council which is held at that sacred
place, and which deliberates under all the influence of religious
enthusiasm.
The Acálís[74] are a class of Sikh devotees; who, agreeably to the
historians of that nation, were first founded by Gúrú Góvind, whose
institutes, as it has been before stated, they most zealously defended
against the innovations of the Bairágí Banda. They wear blue chequered
clothes, and bangles, or bracelets of steel[75], round their wrists,
initiate converts, and have almost the sole direction of the religious
ceremonies at Amritsar, where they reside, and of which they deem
themselves the defenders; and, consequently, never desire to quit it
unless in cases of great extremity.
This order of Sikhs have a place, or Bungá[76], on the bank of the
sacred reservoir of Amritsar, where they generally resort, but are
individually possessed of property, though they affect poverty,
and subsist upon charity; which, however, since their numbers have
increased, they generally extort, by accusing the principal chiefs of
crimes, imposing fines upon them; and, in the event of their refusing
to pay, preventing them from performing their ablutions, or going
through any of their religious ceremonies at Amritsar.
It will not, when the above circumstances are considered, be thought
surprising, that the most powerful of the Sikh chiefs should desire
to conciliate this body of fanatics, no individual of which can be
offended with impunity, as the cause of one is made the cause of the
whole; and a chief, who is become unpopular with the Acálís, must not
only avoid Amritsar, but is likely to have his dependants taught, when
they pay their devotions at that place, that it is pious to resist his
authority.
The Acálís have a great interest in maintaining both the religion and
government of the Sikhs, as established by Gúrú Góvind; as, on its
continuance in that shape, their religious and political influence
must depend. Should Amritsar cease to be a place of resort, or be no
longer considered as the religious capital of the state, in which all
questions that involve the general interests of the commonwealth are
to be decided, this formidable order would at once fall from that
power and consideration which they now possess, to a level with other
mendicants.
When a Gúrú-matá, or great national council, is called, (as it always
is, or ought to be, when any imminent danger threatens the country, or
any large expedition is to be undertaken,) all the Sikh chiefs assemble
at Amritsar. The assembly, which is called the Gúrú-matá, is convened
by the Acálís; and when the chiefs meet upon this solemn occasion, it
is concluded that all private animosities cease, and that every man
sacrifices his personal feelings at the shrine of the general good;
and, actuated by principles of pure patriotism, thinks of nothing but
the interests of the religion, and commonwealth, to which he belongs.
When the chiefs and principal leaders are seated, the Adí-Grant'h and
Dasama Pádsháh ká Grant'h are placed before them. They all bend their
heads before these scriptures, and exclaim, _Wá! Gúrúji ká Khálsa! Wá!
Gúrúji ki Fateh!_ A great quantity of cakes, made of wheat, butter,
and sugar, are then placed before the volumes of their sacred writings,
and covered with a cloth. These holy cakes, which are in commemoration
of the injunction of Nánac, to eat and to give to others to eat, next
receive the salutation of the assembly, who then rise, and the Acálís
pray aloud, while the musicians play. The Acálís, when the prayers
are finished, desire the council to be seated. They sit down, and the
cakes being uncovered, are eaten of by all classes[77] of Sikhs: those
distinctions of original tribes, which are, on other occasions, kept
up, being on this occasion laid aside, in token of their general and
complete union in one cause[78]. The Acálís then exclaim: "Sirdars!
(chiefs) this is a Gúrú-matá!" on which prayers are again said aloud.
The chiefs, after this, sit closer, and say to each other: "The sacred
Grant'h is betwixt us, let us swear by our scripture to forget all
internal disputes, and to be united." This moment of religious fervor
and ardent patriotism, is taken to reconcile all animosities. They
then proceed to consider the danger with which they are threatened,
to settle the best plans for averting it, and to choose the generals
who are to lead their armies[79] against the common enemy. The first
Gúrú-matá was assembled by Gúrú Góvind; and the latest was called in
1805, when the British army pursued Holkár into the Penjáb.
The principal chiefs of the Sikhs are all descended from Hindú tribes.
There is, indeed, no instance of a Singh of a Muhammedan family
attaining high power[80]: a circumstance to be accounted for from
the hatred still cherished, by the followers of Gúrú Góvind, against
the descendants of his persecutors: and that this rancorous spirit
is undiminished, may be seen from their treatment of the wretched
Muhammedans who yet remain in their territories. These, though very
numerous, appear to be all poor, and to be an oppressed, despised
race. They till the ground, and are employed to carry burdens, and to
do all kinds of hard labour: they are not allowed to eat beef, or to
say their prayers aloud, and but seldom assemble in their mosques[81];
of which few, indeed, have escaped destruction. The lower order of
Sikhs are more happy: they are protected from the tyranny and violence
of the chiefs, under whom they live, by the precepts of their common
religion, and by the condition of their country, which enables them
to abandon, whenever they choose, a leader whom they dislike; and the
distance of a few miles generally places them under the protection
of his rival and enemy. It is from this cause that the lowest Sikh
horseman usually assumes a very independent style, and the highest
chief treats his military followers with attention and conciliation.
The civil officers,--to whom the chiefs intrust their accounts, and
the management of their property and revenue concerns, as well as the
conduct of their negotiations,--are, in general, Sikhs of the Khalása
cast; who, being followers of Nánac, and not of Gúrú Góvind, are not
devoted to arms, but educated for peaceful occupations, in which they
often become very expert and intelligent.
In the collection of the revenue in the Penjáb it is stated to be a
general rule, that the chiefs, to whom the territories belong, should
receive one half of the produce[82], and the farmer the other: but
the chief never levies the whole of his share: and in no country,
perhaps, is the Rayat, or cultivator, treated with more indulgence.
Commerce is not so much encouraged; heavy duties are levied upon it by
all petty rulers through whose districts it passes: and this, added to
the distracted state in which the Penjáb has been, from the internal
disputes of its possessors, caused the rich produce of Cásmír to be
carried to India by the difficult and mountainous tract of Jammu,
Nadón, and Srínagar. The Sikh chiefs have, however, discovered the
injury which their interests have suffered from this cause, and have
endeavoured, and not without success, to restore confidence to the
merchant; and great part of the shawl trade now flows through the
cities of Lahore, Amritsar, and Patiálá, to Hindústan.
The administration of justice in the countries under the Sikhs, is
in a very rude and imperfect state; for, though their scriptures
inculcate general maxims of justice, they are not considered, as the
Old Testament is by the Jews, or the Korán by the Muhammedans, as
books of law: and, having no fixed code, they appear to have adopted
that irregular practice, which is most congenial to the temper of the
people, and best suited to the unsteady and changing character of their
rule of government. The following appears to be the general outline of
their practice in the administration of justice.
Trifling disputes about property are settled by the heads of the
village, by arbitration[83], or by the chiefs. Either of these modes,
supposing the parties consent to refer to it, is final; and they must
agree to one or other. If a theft occurs, the property is recovered,
and the party punished by the person from whom it was stolen, who
is aided on such occasions by the inhabitants of his village, or
his chief. The punishment, however, is never capital[84]. Murder is
generally revenged by the relations of the deceased, who, in such
cases, rigorously retaliate on the murderer, and often on all who
endeavour to protect him.
The character of the Sikhs, or rather Singhs, which is the name by
which the followers of Gúrú Góvind, who are all devoted to arms, are
distinguished, is very marked. They have, in general, the Hindú cast
of countenance, somewhat altered by their long beards, and are to
the full as active as the Mahrátas; and much more robust, from their
living fuller, and enjoying a better and colder climate. Their courage
is equal, at all times, to that of any natives of India; and when
wrought upon by prejudice or religion, is quite desperate. They are
all horsemen, and have no infantry in their own country, except for
the defence of their forts and villages, though they generally serve
as infantry in foreign armies. They are bold, and rather rough, in
their address; which appears more to a stranger from their invariably
speaking in a loud tone[85] of voice: but this is quite a habit,
and is alike used by them to express the sentiments of regard and
hatred. The Sikhs have been reputed deceitful and cruel; but I know
no grounds upon which they can be considered more so than the other
tribes of India. They seemed to me, from all the intercourse I had
with them, to be more open and sincere than the Mahrátas, and less
rude and savage than the Afgháns. They have, indeed, become, from
national success, too proud of their own strength, and too irritable
in their tempers, to have patience for the wiles of the former; and
they retain, in spite of their change of manners and religion, too much
of the original character of their Hindú ancestors, (for the great
majority are of the Hindú race,) to have the constitutional ferocity
of the latter. The Sikh soldier is, generally speaking, brave, active,
and cheerful, without polish, but neither destitute of sincerity nor
attachment; and if he often appears wanting in humanity, it is not so
much to be attributed to his national character, as to the habits of a
life, which, from the condition of the society in which he is born, is
generally passed in scenes of violence and rapine.
The Sikh merchant, or cultivator of the soil, if he is a Singh, differs
little in character from the soldier, except that his occupation
renders him less presuming and boisterous. He also wears arms, and is,
from education, prompt to use them whenever his individual interest,
or that of the community in which he lives[86], requires him to do so.
The general occupations of the Khalása Sikhs has been before mentioned.
Their character differs widely from that of the Singhs. Full of
intrigue, pliant, versatile, and insinuating, they have all the art of
the lower classes of Hindús, who are usually employed in transacting
business: from whom, indeed, as they have no distinction of dress, it
is very difficult to distinguish them.
The religious tribes of Acálís, Shahíd, and Nirmala, have been
noticed. Their general character is formed from their habits of life.
The Acálís are insolent, ignorant, and daring: presuming upon those
rights which their numbers and fanatic courage have established, their
deportment is hardly tolerant to the other Sikhs, and insufferable to
strangers, for whom they entertain a contempt, which they take little
pains to conceal. The Sháhíd and the Nirmala, particularly the latter,
have more knowledge, and more urbanity. They are almost all men of
quiet, peaceable habits; and many of them are said to possess learning.
There is another tribe among the Sikhs, called the Nánac Pautra,
or descendants of Nánac, who have the character of being a mild,
inoffensive race; and, though they do not acknowledge the institutions
of Gúrú Góvind, they are greatly revered by his followers, who hold it
sacrilege to injure the race of their founder; and, under the advantage
which this general veneration affords them, the Nánac Pautra pursue
their occupations; which, if they are not mendicants, is generally
that of travelling merchants. They do not carry arms; and profess,
agreeably to the doctrine of Nánac, to be at peace[87] with all mankind.
The Sikh converts, it has been before stated, continue, after they have
quitted their original religion, all those civil usages and customs
of the tribes to which they belonged, that they can practise, without
infringing the tenets of Nánac, or the institutions of Gúrú Góvind.
They are most particular with regard to their intermarriages; and, on
this point, Sikhs descended from Hindús almost invariably conform to
Hindú customs, every tribe intermarrying within itself. The Hindú
usage, regarding diet, is also held equally sacred; no Sikh, descended
from a Hindú family, ever violating it, except upon particular
occasions, such as a Gúrú-matá, when they are obliged, by their tenets
and institutions, to eat promiscuously. The strict observance of these
usages has enabled many of the Sikhs, particularly of the Ját[88] and
Gujar[89] tribes, which include almost all those settled to the south
of the Satléj, to preserve an intimate intercourse with their original
tribes; who, considering the Sikhs not as having lost cast, but as
Hindús that have joined a political association, which obliges them
to conform to general rules established for its preservation, neither
refuse to intermarry[90] nor to eat with them.
The higher cast of Hindús, such as Bráhmens and Cshatríyas, who have
become Sikhs, continue to intermarry with converts of their own tribes,
but not with Hindús of the cast they have abandoned, as they are
polluted by eating animal food; all kinds of which are lawful to Sikhs,
except the cow, which it is held sacrilege to slay[91]. Nánac, whose
object was to conciliate the Muhammedans to his creed, prohibited hog's
flesh also; but it was introduced by his successors, as much, perhaps,
from a spirit of revenge against the Moslems, as from considerations of
indulgence to the numerous converts of the Ját and Gujar tribe, among
whom wild hog is a favourite species of food.
The Muhammedans, who become Sikhs, intermarry with each other, but are
allowed to preserve none of their usages, being obliged to eat hog's
flesh, and abstain from circumcision.
The Sikhs are forbid the use of tobacco[92], but allowed to indulge
in spirituous[93] liquors, which they almost all drink to excess; and
it is rare to see a Singh soldier, after sunset, quite sober. Their
drink is an ardent spirit[94], made in the Penjáb; but they have no
objections to either the wine or spirits of Europe, when they can
obtain them.
The use of opium, to intoxicate, is very common with the Sikhs, as
with most of the military tribes of India. They also take B'hang[95],
another inebriating drug.
The conduct of the Sikhs to their women differs in no material respect
from that of the tribes of Hindús, or Muhammedans, from whom they are
descended. Their moral character with regard to women, and indeed in
most other points, may, from the freedom of their habits, generally
be considered as much more lax than that of their ancestors, who
lived under the restraint of severe restrictions, and whose fear of
excommunication from their cast, at least obliged them to cover their
sins with the veil of decency. This the emancipated Sikhs despise: and
there is hardly an infamy which this debauched and dissolute race are
not accused (and I believe with justice) of committing in the most open
and shameful manner.
The Sikhs are almost all horsemen, and they take great delight in
riding. Their horses were, a few years ago, famous; and those bred in
the Lak'hi Jungle, and other parts of their territory, were justly
celebrated for their strength, temper, and activity: but the internal
distractions of these territories has been unfavourable to the
encouragement of the breed, which has consequently declined; and the
Sikhs now are in no respect better mounted than the Mahrátas. From a
hundred of their cavalry it would be difficult to select ten horses
that would be admitted as fit to mount native troopers in the English
service.
Their horsemen use swords and spears, and most of them now carry
matchlocks, though some still use the bow and arrow; a species of arms,
for excellence in the use of which their forefathers were celebrated,
and which their descendants appear to abandon with great reluctance.
The education of the Sikhs renders them hardy, and capable of great
fatigue; and the condition of the society in which they live, affords
constant exercise to that restless spirit of activity and enterprise
which their religion has generated. Such a race cannot be epicures:
they appear, indeed, generally to despise luxury of diet, and pride
themselves in their coarse fare. Their dress is also plain, not unlike
that of the Hindús, equally light and divested of ornament. Some
of the chiefs wear gold bangles; but this is rare; and the general
characteristic of their dress and mode of living, is simplicity.
The principal leaders among the Sikhs affect to be familiar and easy
of intercourse with their inferiors, and to despise the pomp and
state of the Muhammedan chiefs: but their pride often counteracts
this disposition; and they appeared to me to have, in proportion to
their rank and consequence, more state, and to maintain equal, if not
more, reserve and dignity with their followers, than is usual with the
Mahráta chiefs.
It would be difficult, if not impracticable, to ascertain the amount
of the population of the Sikh territories, or even to compute the
number of the armies which they could bring into action. They boast
that they can raise more than a hundred thousand horse: and, if it
were possible to assemble every Sikh horseman, this statement might
not be an exaggeration: but there is, perhaps, no chief among them,
except Ranjít Singh, of Lahore, that could bring an effective body of
four thousand men into the field. The force of Ranjít Singh did not,
in 1805, amount to eight thousand; and part of that was under chiefs
who had been subdued from a state of independence, and whose turbulent
minds ill brooked an usurpation which they deemed subversive of the
constitution of their commonwealth. His army is now more numerous than
it was, but it is composed of materials which have no natural cohesion;
and the first serious check which it meets, will probably cause its
dissolution.
FOOTNOTES:
[67] A general estimate of the value of the country possessed by the
Sikhs may be formed, when it is stated, that it contains, besides other
countries, the whole of the province of Lahore; which, agreeable to Mr.
Bernier, produced, in the reign of Aurungzéb, two hundred and forty-six
lacks and ninety-five thousand rupees; or two millions, four hundred
and sixty-nine thousand, five hundred pounds sterling.
[68] This province now forms almost the whole territory of Daulet Ráo
Sindíá.
[69] With the chiefs of the Sikhs in the Jaléndra Dúáb we are little
acquainted. Tárá Singh is the most considerable; but he and the others
have been greatly weakened by their constant and increasing internal
divisions.
[70] Fateh Singh is, like Ranjít Singh, of a Ját family.
[71] Jud'h Singh, of Ramgadiá, is of the carpenter cast.
[72] The term Gujarát Singh is sometimes given to the inhabitants of
this Dúáb, of which the chiefs of Gujarát and Rotás are the principal
rulers.
[73] The word Khálsá, which has before been explained to mean the state
or commonwealth, is supposed, by the Sikhs, to have a mystical meaning,
and to imply that superior government, under the protection of which
"they live, and to the established rules and laws of which, as fixed by
Gúrú Góvind, it is their civil and religious duty to conform."
[74] Acálí, derived from Acál, a compound term of _cál_, _death_, and
the Sanscrit privative _a_, which means _never-dying_, or _immortal_.
It is one of the names of the Divinity; and has, probably, been given
to this remarkable class of devotees, from their always exclaiming
Acál! Acál! in their devotions.
[75] All Singhs do not wear bracelets; but it is indispensable to have
steel about their persons, which they generally have in the shape of a
knife or dagger. In support of this ordinance they quote the following
verses of Gúrú Góvind:
Sáheb beá ki rach'ha hamné,
Tuhi Srí Sáheb, churi, káti, katár--
Acál purukh ki rach'ha hamné,
Serv lóh di rach'ha hamné,
Servacál di rach'ha hamné,
Serv lohji di sada rach'ha hamné.
which may be translated: "The protection of the infinite Lord is
over us: thou art the lord, the cutlass, the knife, and the dagger.
The protection of the immortal Being is over us: the protection of
ALL-STEEL is over us: the protection of ALL-TIME is over us: the
protection of ALL-STEEL is constantly over us."
[76] The Shahíd and Nirmala, two other religious tribes among the
Sikhs, have Bungás, or places, upon the great reservoir of Amritsar;
but both these are peaceful orders of priests, whose duty is to address
the Deity, and to read and explain the Adí-Grant'h to the Sikhs. They
are, in general, men of some education. A Sikh, of any tribe, may be
admitted into either of these classes, as among the Acálís, who admit
all into their body who choose to conform to their rules.
[77] A custom of a similar nature, with regard to all tribes eating
promiscuously, is observed among the Hindús, at the temple of
Jagannáth, where men of all religions and casts, without distinction,
eat of the Mahá Prasád, _the great offering_; i.e. food dressed by the
cooks of the idols, and sold on the stairs of the temple.
[78] The Sikh priest, who gave an account of this custom, was of a high
Hindú tribe; and, retaining some of his prejudices, he at first said,
that Muhammedan Sikhs, and those who were converts from the sweeper
cast, were obliged, even on this occasion, to eat a little apart from
the other Sikhs: but, on being closely questioned, he admitted the fact
as stated in the narrative; saying, however, it was only on this solemn
occasion that these tribes are admitted to eat with the others.
[79] The army is called, when thus assembled, the Dal Khálsá, or the
army of the state.
[80] The Muhammedans who have become Sikhs, and their descendants, are,
in the Penjábi jargon, termed Mezhebi Singh, or Singhs of the faith;
and they are subdivided into the four classes which are vulgarly,
but erroneously, supposed to distinguish the followers of Muhammed,
Sayyad Singh, Sheikh Singh, Moghul Singh, and Patán Singh; by which
designations the names of the particular race or country of the
Muhammedans have been affixed, by Hindús, as distinctions of cast.
[81] The Muhammedan inhabitants of the Penjáb used to flock to the
British camp; where, they said, they enjoyed luxuries which no man
could appreciate that had not suffered privation. They could pray
aloud, and feast upon beef.
[82] Grain pays in kind; sugar-cane, melons, &c. pay in cash.
[83] This is called Penchayat, or a court of five; the general number
of arbitrators chosen to adjust differences and disputes. It is usual
to assemble a Panchayat, or a court of arbitration, in every part of
India, under a native government; and, as they are always chosen from
men of the best reputation in the place where they meet, this court has
a high character for justice.
[84] A Sikh priest, who has been several years in Calcutta, gave this
outline of the administration of justice among his countrymen. He spoke
of it with rapture; and insisted, with true patriotic prejudice, on its
great superiority over the vexatious system of the English government;
which was, he said, tedious, vexatious, and expensive, and advantageous
only to clever rogues.
[85] Talking aloud is so habitual to a Sikh, that he bawls a secret
in your ear. It has often occurred to me, that they have acquired it
from living in a country where internal disputes have so completely
destroyed confidence, that they can only carry on conversation with
each other at a distance: but it is fairer, perhaps, to impute this
boisterous and rude habit to their living almost constantly in a camp,
in which the voice certainly loses that nice modulated tone which
distinguishes the more polished inhabitants of cities.
[86] The old Sikh soldier generally returns to his native village,
where his wealth, courage, or experience, always obtains him respect,
and sometimes station and consequence. The second march which the
British army made into the country of the Sikhs, the headquarters were
near a small village, the chief of which, who was upwards of a hundred
years of age, had been a soldier, and retained all the look and manner
of his former occupation. He came to me, and expressed his anxiety to
see Lord Lake. I showed him the general, who was sitting alone, in
his tent, writing. He smiled, and said he knew better: "The hero who
had overthrown Sindiá and Holkár, and had conquered Hindústan, must
be surrounded with attendants, and have plenty of persons to write
for him." I assured him that it was Lord Lake; and, on his lordship
coming to breakfast, I introduced the old Singh, who seeing a number
of officers collect round him, was at last satisfied of the truth of
what I said; and, pleased with the great kindness and condescension
with which he was treated by one whom he justly thought so great a man,
sat down on the carpet, became quite talkative, and related all he
had seen, from the invasion of Nádir Sháh to that moment. Lord Lake,
pleased with the bold manliness of his address, and the independence
of his sentiments, told him he would grant him any favour he wished.
"I am glad of it," said the old man; "then march away with your army
from my village, which will otherwise be destroyed." Lord Lake, struck
with the noble spirit of the request, assured him he would march next
morning, and that, in the mean-time, he should have guards, who would
protect his village from injury. Satisfied with this assurance, the old
Singh was retiring, apparently full of admiration and gratitude at Lord
Lake's goodness, and of wonder at the scene he had witnessed, when,
meeting two officers at the door of the tent, he put a hand upon the
breast of each, exclaiming at the same time, "_Brothers! where were you
born, and where are you at this moment?_" and, without waiting for an
answer, proceeded to his village.
[87] When Lord Lake entered the Penjáb, in 1805, a general protection
was requested, by several principal chiefs, for the Nánac Pautra,
on the ground of the veneration in which they were held, which
enabled them, it was stated, to travel all over the country without
molestation, even when the most violent wars existed. It was, of
course, granted.
[88] The Játs are Hindús of a low tribe, who, taking advantage of the
decline of the Moghul empire, have, by their courage and enterprise,
raised themselves into some consequence on the north-western parts of
Hindústan, and many of the strongest forts of that part of India are
still in their possession.
[89] The Gujars, who are also Hindús, have raised themselves to power
by means not dissimilar to those used by the Játs. Almost all the
thieves in Hindústan are of this tribe.
[90] A marriage took place very lately between the Sikh chief of
Patiálá, and that of the Ját Rájá, of B'haratpúr.
[91] Their prejudice regarding the killing of cows is stronger, if
possible, than that of the Hindús.
[92] The Khalása Sikhs, who follow Nánac, and reject Gúrú Góvind's
institutions, make use of it.
[93] Spirituous liquors, they say, are allowed by that verse in the
Adí-Grant'h, which states, "Eat, and give unto others to eat. Drink,
and give unto others to drink. Be glad, and make others glad." There
is also an authority, quoted by the Sikhs, from the Hindú Sástras,
in favour of this drinking to excess. Durgá, agreeably to the Sikh
quotations, used to drink, because liquor inspires courage; and this
goddess, they say, was drunk when she slew Mahíshásur.
[94] When Fateh Singh, of Aluwál, who was quite a young man, was with
the British army, Lord Lake gratified him by a field review. He was
upon an elephant, and I attended him upon another. A little before
sunset he became low and uneasy. I observed it; and B'hág Singh, an old
chief, of frank, rough manners, at once said, "Fateh Singh wants his
dram, but is ashamed to drink before you." I requested he would follow
his custom, which he did, by drinking a large cup of spirits.
[95] Cannabis sativa.