broke down, and precipitated them into the river, which, in consequence of a sudden rise of seven inches, was scarcely fordable. Meantime the musketry and artillery continued to make fearful havoc among them. The loss of the Sikhs, in killed, wounded, and drowned, amounted to 10,000; that of the British to 2,383, in killed and wounded. Sixty-seven pieces of cannon and several standards were taken. Prince Waldemar of Prussia was present at the battle; he had also witnessed the battles of Moodkee and Ferozeshah.

1846 Feb. 20: The Maharajah of Lahore, having made his submission to the Governor-General of India, was conducted to his capital by the British troops under Sir H. Gough, who formally took possession of the citadel two days after.

1846 March 6: At a special meeting of the Court of Directors of the East India Company, in London, votes of thanks were unanimously passed to Sir H. Hardinge, Sir H. Gough, and the other officers and men of the army of the Sutlej.

1846 March 9: The treaty of Lahore signed by the Maharajah. 1846 April 6: At a special Court of Common Council of the city of London, the thanks of the court, and the freedom of the city, in gold boxes, each of 100 guineas value, was voted to Sir H. Hardinge, Sir H. Gough, and Sir H. G. Smith, with thanks to the other officers and men who had fought at Aliwal and Sobraon. The thanks of the Court, and the freedom of the city in a box of 100 guineas value, was also voted to Sir G. Pollock, for his distinguished services in Afghanistan. 1846 April 29: The Court of Directors of the East India Company, in London, passed resolutions conferring a pension of 5,000l. a year on Lord Hardinge, and 2,000l. a year on Lord Gough: these resolutions were subsequently confirmed at a meeting of the proprietors.

1847 Jan. The Vizier Lall Singh deposed from the government of Lahore, on a charge of treasonable correspondence with the Cashmeer insurgents. The period for the retirement of the British troops had arrived; but, at the request of the Sikhs, a force of 10,000 men was left at Lahore during the minority of the Maharajah, who was only seven years of age.

1847 Aug. 4: At a Court of Directors held at the India House, the Earl of Dalhousie was appointed Governor-General of India, and Sir H. Pottinger Governor of Madras.

1848 April 18: Mr. Vans Agnew and Lieut. Anderson, in company with Khan Singh, the newly appointed governor of Mooltan, reached the town of Mooltan, and were killed in a quarrel with the troops of the old governor, Dewan Moolraj. The new governor was wounded and taken prisoner.

1848 June 18: Lieut. Edwardes, having formed a junction with the forces of the Rajah of Bhawalpoor, engaged the army of Moolraj, which, after a sanguinary conflict of nine hours' duration, was completely defeated, with the loss of nearly all its artillery.

1848 Sept. 22: General Whish obliged to raise the siege of Mooltan, in consequence of the desertion of Shere Singh, with a force of 5,000 men. The general falls back upon a position three or four miles south-west from Mooltan, on the road to Soojahabad. A relieving army, commanded by Lord Gough, concentrating

about this time at Ferozepoor; and another large force concentrating at Roree in Upper Scinde.

1848 Oct. 9: Shere Singh separates himself from Moolraj, and by skilful manœuvres leads the whole of his force across the Ravee, and through the whole extent of Doab-i-Rechna, to the country north-west of Lahore, and south-east of Vyseerabad. Chuttur Singh shortly after takes up his position at the latter place.

1848 Nov. 21: It was found that Shere Singh was entrenched on the right bank of the Chenab, behind Ramnuggur, with nearly 40,000 men and 28 guns well placed: the Bunnoo troops under Rham Singh had joined him. A picket of two regiments was posted advantageously on the left bank. Lord Gough despatched Major-General Thackwell with thirteen infantry regiments, besides artillery and cavalry, to cross the river some miles up the stream, and operate on the enemy's flank. 1848 Nov. 2: Lord Gough personally led the attack on the advanced position. A surprise was attempted, unsuccessfully. Some of the British troops fell into ambush, suffered great slaughter, and lost a gun; but they eventually took up a very advanced position, and drove the enemy out of Ramnuggur.

1818 Nov. 23: The enemy withdrew wholly from the back of the river.

1848 Dec. 3: Major-General Thackwell, having crossed the Chenab at Vyseerabad, came down the right bank, and engaged the whole body of the enemy. The Sikhs attempted to outflank the British force, but the artillery of the latter broke their

centre.

1848 Dec. 4: The light troops, under General Thackwell, went in pursuit of the Sikhs, who had broken up during the night, and fled in the direction of Jailam.

1848 Dec. 18: News arrived that the army of Shere Singh had retreated 14 miles beyond General Thackwell's camp, and there entrenched itself in a position stronger than at Ramnuggur. Lord Gough had crossed the Chenab, and joined General Thackwell, and stopped all further engagement with the enemy until Mooltan should be taken.

1848 Dec. 21: The Bombay troops joined General Whish. The besieging army now amounted to 15,000 British troops; that of the allies to about 17,000; or 32,000 in all.

1848 Dec. 27: The troops advanced in four columns to the attack; and clearing the suburbs, and driving in the enemy on all sides, established themselves within 500 yards of the walls. 1848 Dec. 28: A terrific cannonade and bombardment commenced. 1848 Dec. 29: The besiegers had arrived so close to the walls that their heavy guns were breaching them at a distance of no more than 80 yards. Tremendous damage caused to the town; and in the fort a granary was set on fire, and several small magazines exploded.

1848 Dec. 30: The principal magazine of the fort blew up with a terrific explosion (nearly 800,000 pounds of powder were reported to have been stored in it). The Dewan's mother, and several of his relatives, with many of the Sirdars, and a great number of troops and people, were blown into the air; while mosques and houses, and huge masses of masonry, came tumbling down in destructive confusion.

1848 Dec. 31: The Mooltanees made a sortie from the south-west gate, and assailed the troops under Major Edwardes and Lieutenant Lake, when Sir H. Lawrence and Mr. M'Mahon (a volunteer) headed an attack, and beat them back with great loss. A large fire broke out in the fort, and continued blazing fiercely till the following morning.

1849 Jan. 2: Her Majesty's 32nd and 49th, and 72nd Native Infantry, pushed forward to a breach near the Delhi gate, but it proved impracticable. The troops then moved round to the opposite side of the town, where the entrance of the Bombay column had already been effected. The Fusileers entered first, and placed the standard on the city walls. The Bengal column followed, and the city, which was taken about 3 p.m., was before sunset filled with British troops.

1849 Jan. 3: Moolraj still continued to hold out in the fort; but the taking of the Dowlut gate, the last stronghold of the enemy, through the gallant conduct of Captain Young, completed the capture of the city.

1849 Jan. 11: Lord Gough suddenly altered his determination to await the coming up of the troops from Mooltan, and, with 22,000 men, and 125 or 130 guns, advanced towards the Jhelum. 1849 Jan. 13: Lord Gough came in front of the Sikh army, occupying a long line from Moong to Russool, intending to attack the latter place, and give his troops a day's rest. "A few shots, however, from the enemies' batteries, which were within range, happened now to fall close to the Commander-in-Chief," who altered his determination, and "without any preliminary reconnoissance," began a cannonade on the enemy's centre. This was kept up on both sides for an hour or two. Brigadier-General Campbell was then ordered to make a flank movement of infantry, which he did under a cross fire of batteries from the left, which had not previously been observed. In the course of the battle, a brigadier of cavalry having been ordered to charge, turned round and fled, through the ranks of its own horse artillery; 73 gunners were cut down by the pursuing Sikhs. The 14th regiment of Light Dragoons retreated in consequence of a misapprehension of orders. In another part of the field, the 5th Regiment of Bengal Cavalry turned and fled. Night put an end to the battle. The British force bivouacked a little in the rear of the field; the Sikhs withdrew to Nussort. The total British loss at the battle of Chillian wallah was 26 officers killed, 66 wounded; 731 men killed, 1,446 wounded. The Sikh force was computed at 3,000 killed, and 4,000 wounded. Lord Gough announced the result as an "entire defeat" of the Sikhs.

1849 Jan. 18: Lord Gifford and Sir H. Lawrence quitted the camp of Lord Gough, for that of the Governor-General.

1849 Jan. 22: Practicable breaches having been effected, the British troops were about to storm the citadel of Mooltan, when the Dewan Moolraj surrendered himself unconditionally, with his whole garrison.

Accounts from Bombay about this period stated that the fort of Attock had been surrendered to the Afghans. Lieut. Herbert made an attempt to escape down the Indus, but fell into the hands of Chuttur Singh. Captain Abbott was still at large; Major Lawrence and his family in the power of the enemy.

F

There had been an unpleasant little affair in the Baree Doab, where a British force had suffered somewhat severe loss in attempting to storm, and take a strong stockaded position, occupied by Ram Singh and a large body of Sikhs.

1849 Feb. 13: Sir Walter Gilbert, with a reconnoitering party from Lord Gough's army in Chillianwallah, discovered that Shere Singh had abandoned Rossool, and that the main body of his army, instead of crossing the Jhelum, were on their march to Lahore.

1849 Feb. 15: Lord Gough set out in pursuit of the enemy. General Whish had in the meantime arrived at Ramnuggur with a brigade of his force; learning immediately after his arrival of Shere Singh's approach to Vizierabad, he had despatched Col. Byrne, with a small force of men and guns, to prevent or delay a crossing of the river. Col. Byrne found a force of 6,009 men and six guns about to cross the river opposite Sodra, but they retired on his appearance, and the main body of the Sikh army immediately after encamped in the neighbourhood of Goojerat. 1849 Feb. 16: The force under General Whish increased by the arrival of the divisions under Brigadiers Markham and Hervey. 1849 Feb. 17: The greater portion of the force crossed the Chenab, and came into co-operation with Lord Gough's army. 1849 Feb. 21: Battle of Goojerat. Lord Gough, with 25,000 men and 100 guns, attacked the enemy, numbering 60,000 men with 59 guns. The Sikh chief was strongly posted between two river courses, which protected his flanks, and yet allowed him good manoeuvring space to retire either on the east or west side of the town of Goojerat, which afforded shelter and protection to his rear. The fight began at seven in the morning. The result of great gallantry on the part of the British army was, that by four o'clock the enemy had been driven from every post, and was in general retreat, which the field artillery and cavalry converted into a total rout and flight. They were pursued with great slaughter for about 15 miles, and next morning an adequate force took up the direct pursuit, and detachments were sent to the points where retreat could most effectually be cut off. The result was that 3 of the enemy's guns, and the whole of their ammunition and camp equipage, fell into the hands of the British. Shere Singh and his father escaped to the Salt Range Hills, with only 8,000 men. Goojerat was taken, and also Jailum and Rhotas. The loss on the British side was 100 killed and 900 wounded.

1849 March 7: Sir Charles Napier appointed commander-in-chief of the East India Company's forces, the term of Lord Gough's command having expired.

1849 March 8: Shere Singh came into the British camp and endea voured to secure an advantageous capitulation, but was sent back with a notification that nothing but an unconditional surrender would be accepted.

1849 March 14: The whole Sikh force laid down their arms, and surrendered unconditionally.

1849 March 21: Dost Mahomed and the remnant of the Afghans, closely pursued by Sir W. Gilbert, reach the mouth of the Khyber Pass, which they traversed unmolested.

1849 March 29: Proclamation issued by the Governor-General an

nouncing the formal annexation of the Punjaub to the British dominions.

1849 April 24: Thanks voted to the Indian army by both Houses of

Parliament.

1849 May 6: Sir C. Napier arrived at Calcutta. A rebellion occurred about this time in the Nizam's territory, headed by one Appa Sahib, a pretended heir to the throne of Nagpore, who, however, was captured, and his followers dispersed.

1849 June 25: News from Bombay of this date announces the arrival of Sir W. Gomm at Calcutta, with orders to supersede Lord Gough. He found Sir C. Napier, however, already in command. 1849 July: Moolraj found guilty, after a fifteen days' trial, of the murder of Mr. Agnew and Lieut. Anderson, and sentenced to death; but the execution of the sentence was suspended, and a recommendation to mercy sent to the Governor-General. 1849 August: The long-pending negotiations between the East India Company and the East India Railway Company brought to a conclusion. The railway to be commenced at Calcutta, or within ten miles of the city, and to take a direction towards the upper provinces; its execution to be under the direction and control of the East India Company.

1849. Sept.: Moolraj sentenced to be transported for life.

VI.-THE COAL TRADE OF LONDON.

THE recent opening of the New Coal Exchange (an architectural description of which is given in a later page of the Companion, p. 241), will render interesting a brief account of the commercial arrangements connected with the supply of coal to the metropolis; a supply which involves an expenditure of capital, and an amount of employment, such as few would suppose who have not investigated the subject. Although the colliery statistics of Northumberland and Durham belong to the country at large rather than to London alone, yet the enormous consumption in London renders it desirable to begin at the first great stage of the subject, and to follow the commercial history of a ton of coals from the pit's mouth to the cellar of the consumer.

It will assist us in this object, if we first give a rapid glance at the legislative enactments now in force respecting the London coal trade.

In 1831 an Act was passed (1 & 2 Will. 4, c. 76), which has been the basis of much of the subsequent legislation. It swept away most of the provisions of six former Acts of Parliament, which had long lost their working efficiency; and laid down others in their stead. By the clauses of this Act the land and buildings of the Coal Exchange, which had in 1807 been vested in the Corporation of London, were continued under the same trust. The Coal Exchange was to be made a free open market, to be called the "Coal Market." The Corporation was empowered to appoint and pay clerks and other officers of the Coal Market; to enlarge