458 A Sketch of the Mahomedan History of Cashmere. [No. 5. 



Shere Singh continued in the country as before following his favourite 

 pursuits. Kooshial Singh, fully aware that a cash remittance was 

 the most effectual method of convincing his master, old Kunjeet, of 

 his fitness for the commission entrusted to him, presently extorted 

 twenty lakhs of rupees, besides pushmeenah and horses, from the 

 already impoverished country: he was also a cruel man, and put 

 many innocent people to death ; happily for the country he departed 

 after six months, and Colonel Meean Singh was selected by the 

 Maharajah, on account of his humane character, as a fit governor 

 for the unhappy valley. That officer, accordingly (A. D. 1833), 

 proceeded towards Cashmere, but, finding that Prince Shere Singh 

 had not yet seen fit to surrender his government, halted at Bara- 

 moola a month. At length, that royal personage leisurely set out 

 on his return to Lahore, after having misruled the country upwards 

 of three years. Meean Singh then assumed the government, (A. D. 

 1833,) and set himself to work to repair the country, desolated by 

 famine and oppression. He seems in fact to have been a kind and 

 just man, who prevented his soldiers from oppressing the people. 

 He was raised to the rank of general in 1836 A. D. as a mark of 

 acknowledgment of his services. 



In the year 1838 A. D. great floods occurred, which forced the 

 people to take to their boats. In the following year A. D. 1839, 

 Kunjeet Singh died and was succeeded by Kurruck Singh, who fol- 

 lowed his father ten months after. jSToo Nihal Singh, Kunjeet's 

 grandson, was also killed by the fall of a gateway at Lahore : upon 

 which a state of anarchy ensued amongst the rival Sikh Sirdars, a 

 graphic picture of which has been portrayed by other hands, during 

 all which struggles for power, however, Meean Singh remained quiet 

 in his government of Cashmere ; till at length he fell, in a mutiny 

 of his troops, by the hand of one Jemadar Tellock Singh. (A. D. 

 1841). This mutiny was occasioned by that usual grievance 

 amongst Asiatic armies, arrears of pay. Tellock Singh, having 

 demanded payment of these arrears for his regiment, and being 

 refused by the governor, immediately, as preconcerted, drew his 

 tulwar, and calling upon Meean Singh to " go aloft" (that being the 

 slang for death amongst the Sikhs) killed him on the spot. Thus 

 perished the well meaning Meean Singh : intemperance and sen- 



