MILITARY SEEVICES 321 



upset Hooker's plans ; his brief share in the abortive campaign 

 appears in the following letter to his mother, dated January 

 31, 1850 : 



Before the time of the General and staff coming up here 

 I was asked repeatedly whether I would go into Sikkim 

 with the troops ; I always say I did not wish to nor want 

 to, but that if the General showed good cause for desiring 

 it I would think upon it. Volunteer I could not and would 

 not, being in another service and receiving pay from my 

 own Govt. for very different work. Tom and I both 

 went away from the station when the General was coming, 

 but he had not arrived a day before he wanted me and 

 sent the most urgent message through Campbell. I there- 

 fore returned about ten days ago, and found the old gentle- 

 man, Genl. Young, all in the clouds, as to carrying out 

 his orders of occupying Sikkim with a military force. Mean- 

 while 14,000 men, Sepoys and Europeans, had come up 

 with headquarters of one Eegt., guns, a whole staff of 

 officers, and nothing but the ' horrid din of arms ' was to 

 be heard. 



Genl. Young is a very nice old gentleman and greatly 

 obliged to me for my counsel, maps, and information, which 

 settled him to march as soon as possible and take the Eungeet 

 bridge. Both he and Mr. Lushington (the special Com- 

 missioner) begged me to conduct the troops which I refused 

 except they sent me a written request specifying the urgency 

 of the occasion, which I should forward to H.M. [Com- 

 missioners of] Woods, &c., and meanwhile take upon me the 

 responsibility of acting with heart and good will under 

 the General's orders. I objected on Thomson's account 

 who had corne so far to see me, and he was immediately 

 put into orders for medical duty in the detachment (advance 

 guard) with myself. This is a capital arrangement, for it 

 gives him time of service in India instead of leave which he 

 is now upon, and every hour taken off the time he will have 

 to spend in India on his return after furlough is so much 

 added to his life. 



I went down with the troops the other day and took 

 possession of the bridge over the Great Eungeet and camped 

 some 500 men in Sikkim. As no further advance was to be 



