Letter No.596 of 1870 from Colonel Sir William Lockyer Merewether, The Commissioner in Sind, Commissioner's Office, Kurrachee [Karāchi] to His Excellency the Right Honorable Sir William Robert Seymour Vesey Fitzgerald, Governor and President in Council, Bombay [‎131r] (13/34)

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which would never have been entertained by
General Jacob, and which were certainly not
held by me, when I had the honor of succeeding
that distinguished Officer, and endeavoured to
carry out his intentions, with which from close
intimacy and serving under him for a great many
years, I was in a position to be thoroughly
acquainted with.
judicious interference in Khelat affairs was
exercised by the Political Officers on the border,
supported by the Commissioner in Sind, and
the Bombay Government—seeSirBartle Frere's,
Lord Elphinstone's, and Sir Henry and Major
Malcolm Greens' reports passive.
25. Taking up Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Moolla Mahomed's
case, and that of the other Chiefs, as promised
by Sir Henry Green, met with my entire appro
val. But when " they were forgiven, and al
lowed to return to their homes" in possession
of their hereditary estates, all that had been
promised, or was just to expect, had been per
formed, and by their refusal of the Khan's
favor, they rendered themselves unworthy of
further consideration, as well as showed that
they disregarded the terms under which Sir
Henry Green had consented to act. I deny
that there is anything to show that the Khan
"never meant to perform his promise, if he
could help it.'' On the contrary, his every act
since has gone to prove that he was sincere
when he made it. He gave the Mittree lands
back to Hybut Khan, the brother of Moolla
Mahomed, and has since received Alia DInna
Khoord into favor, on his presenting himself at
Khelat-
26. The statements in this para, that di
rectly Captain Harrison was appointed Political
Agent at Khelat in 1869, i( the Khelat Govern
ment took to its old habit of organising
treachery and secret thwarting,'" is mere suppo
sition on Colonel Phayre's part, and is not
borne out by the recorded facts. Colonel Phayre
chose to assume at the time, that such was the
case, and I immediately pointed out to him the
great impropriety of doing so, unless there was
^ clear proof to warrant such an assertion. There
was none, and I regret exceedingly to observe
that Colonel Phayre should again venture on
such a grave charge against the Khan and his
Government, as if he had just reason for doing
so. There was no manifest act of hostility
on the part of the Klian, and therefore, the Sir
dars were not justified in marching towards
25. On arrival, I, as already reported, at
once took up Sirdar Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. Moolla Mahomed's cause
and that of the other Chiefs, on my predecessor's
own arrangement, concurred in by the Khan
himself, " that it would be for his benefit and
" the well-being of his country, if they were
" forgiven and allowed to return to their homes.''
I beo- to draw special atten-
See para. 28. , • ji • « . • -m
tion to this fact 01 the Khan s
promise, because the sequel will show that he
never meant to perform it, if he could help it.
If lie had, he would have listened to what
I said long before I thought of sending the
Chiefs to Khelat.
26. It was eventually arranged in March
1869 that Captain Harrison, having been just
appointed Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Khelat, should
occupy the relative position that Sir Henry
Green did in 1858 "when maintaining the same
good cause. No sooner however was this de
cided, than the Khelat Government took to its
old habit of organising treachery and secret
thwarting, even at Jacobabad itself, where an
assassin entered the camp of the Sirdars Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. as a
guest, and accompanied them on their march
towards Khelat. This scoundrel ran a muck,
killino; one Chiefs son and wounding several.
o o
The principal Sirdars Leader of a tribe or a polity; also refers to a military rank or title given to a commander of an army or division. happily escaped. This
manifest art of hostility, which was quite in
keeping with the former experience of the Sir
dars, as Khelat history proves, drove them to
meet the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , accompanied by a