Darbár, to be attended by all the English residents, by the officers and men of the native regiments, and by all the native officials. The announced reason for the holding of the Darbár was the presentation to the native officer and non-commissioned officers and men, who had behaved with distinguished loyalty on the 3d of May, of honours to mark the sense entertained by the Government of their conduct.
The Darbár was held on the evening of the 12th of May. Sir Henry seized the occasion to make to the assembled natives, in their own language, an address which, if it had then been possible for words to affect the question, could scarcely have failed to produce great results. He began by alluding to the fears which had been expressed by the Hindus for their religion. Turning to them, he pointed out how, under the Muhammadan rule prior to Akbar, that religion had never been respected; how Hindus had been forcibly converted, and cruelly persecuted; how the third prince in succession to Akbar had reverted to a similar system. Turning then to the Muhammadans, he reminded them how the great sovereign who had founded the Sikh kingdom would never tolerate the exercise of the faith of Islám at Láhor. Speaking then to both sections, he asked them to contrast with such actions the action of the British rulers. He referred to the principle of toleration, acted upon for a century; to the manner in which Europeans and natives had worked together with a common purpose, sharing the same toils and the same dangers, and mutually congratulating one another when reaching the goal at which each had aimed. He then implored them not to allow themselves to be led away by the devices of men who were trying to entrap them, with the view of leading them, for their own selfish purposes, to assured destruction. Calling then to the
