eed in his present possessions, and bound to cooperate
in the restoration of the Shah. The manifesto further set forth that a
guaranteed independence would be tendered to the Ameers of Scinde; that
Herat would be left in the possession of its present ruler; and that
Shah Soojah should enter Affghanistan surrounded with his own troops,
and supported against opposition, foreign or domestic, by a British
army. As soon as these objects were effected, the British army was to
be withdrawn from the Affghan territory; but British influence was to
be used to further every measure of general benefit, and heal the
distractions which had so long afflicted the Affghan people: even those
chiefs whose hostile proceedings had been the cause of the measure,
would receive a liberal and honourable treatment. The grand objects,
therefore, for which the British troops were assembled at Simla, on tire
Jumna, were to dethrone the hostile chiefs of Candahar and Cabool, and
to re-establish the Shah Soojah in his dominions. On hearing of the
raising of the siege of Herat, the intentions of the Indian government
were in some degree modified. It was determined not to send forward the
whole force, a part only being thought sufficient to effect the objects
in view. The army of the Indus was in fact reduced to a _corps d'armee_,
and it was to be commanded by Sir John Keene, the commander-in-chief at
Bombay. The army was divided, and proceeded by two different routes; the
Bombay division being destined to bring Scinde to submission. The first
step of this division was to march upon Hyderabad, which was captured
without any effectual resistance. The seizure of the capital was
followed by the occupation of Kouratchee, the richest city in Scinde. By
these means the Ameers were brought to contract a fresh treaty with the
Indian government; agreeing to make an immediate payment of L300,000; to
abolish the tolls on the Indus; to maintain an auxiliary corps of four
or five thousand men under the command of British officers; and to pay
a tribute amounting to nearly one-half of their revenue. Each Ameer,
moreover, was for the future to look upon the English government as
his suzerain, and procure his separate recognition at its hands. In the
meantime the Bengal division was descending the bank of the Sutledge to
unite with the Bombay army at Shikarpore, on the confines of Scinde
and Affghanistan. The whole army assembled at Shikarpore, with the
contingent of Sha