sent into the Company's provinces, in this very month of January, 1850, with the knowledge of the whole army of the Punjab, and that there had not been the sign of movement of a man in favour or support of the mutinous regiment, thus punished and disarmed, the Commander-in-Chief having quitted Wazírábád and proceeded on his march to Pesháwar (sic).
'On the 16th of January he issued to the army a general order as follows: — "I have seen most of the armies in the world, and I have never seen one that is better cared for than the army of the East India Company. Neither have I ever seen a more obedient, more honourable army. I will not allow a few malignant, discontented scoundrels to disgrace their colours and their regiments, by an insolent attempt to dictate to their Government what pay that Government should give to soldiers towards whom it has always been both just and generous." Thus it appears that His Excellency did not conceal that insubordination existed, nor evade the mention of it, and that he characterised its nature and described its extent.'
I have reproduced the text of the Duke of Wellington's verdict for two reasons. First, because I believe that his words will now be read by the great majority of even the more exact students of Indian History for the first time. Second, because they place in a true light the foolish charges wafted about after the Mutiny in 1857, with reference to Lord Dalhousie's alleged neglect of the symptoms of Mutiny, seven years previously. I now leave those foolish charges to the fate they deserve, and shall set forth, as briefly
