“RANJIT Singh and the British, both seeking empire, chafed against each other along a temporary frontier. Here, diplomacy was a matter of delicacy, a sharp-eyed manoeuvring between contenders for the title. To the by-standers it was a meeting between the wolf and the lion (of the Punjab).”
This is how historian Michael Edwards describes the first contact between the British imperialist power ruling through its governor-general in Calcutta and the up-and-coming Sikh raja who had established a stable kingdom at Lahore, a kingdom that extended up to Kabul.
At the time, the governor-general was worried by a possible threat from the French. Just as in later years the British were involved in a game to prevent Russia from enlarging its influence over Afghanistan, and on to India, they were obsessed in the early l9th century with the fear of Napoleon invading the subcontinent by the land route. The French conqueror had already set up embassy-level relations with Tipu Sultan of Mysore.
The governor-general, Lord Minto, deputed Charles Metcalfe, a bright young officer on his staff, to lead a mission for talks with Ranjit Singh and prevail upon him to serve as a bulwark against the apprehended French incursion and also to adopt a more conciliatory attitude towards the cis-Sutlej Sikh rajas of Nabha, Jind, Patiala and Faridkot in eastern Punjab who enjoyed British protection.
The trouble with Minto and Metcalfe was that they took Ranjit Singh to be like other Sikh rulers, cruel and unscrupulous. Thus they had no idea how to deal with him. This Metcalfe gradually learnt at the cost of his peace of mind during the months that followed. As Edwards says, Ranjit Singh was no petty chieftain. He was a shrewd and altogether untypical Indian ruler of his time. Before he was 20 he had united the fiercely independent Sikh clans through an adroit mixture of force and diplomacy, and was now their acknowledged monarch — a maharajah. He disliked shedding blood even as judicial punishment. He dressed plainly, was tolerant of all religions, and was fond of guns and horses.
On one matter, Charles Metcalfe’s instructions were precise. Ranjit Singh was to be made aware of the French threat and induced to cooperate with the British to thwart it. On the matter of the cis-Sutlej states, the advice was vague and showed that the governor-general’s prime worry was Napoleon. Metcalfe left Delhi in August 1808 escorted by two army companies, three British officers and clerical staff. To his letter Ranjit Singh had already replied, welcoming the mission. At Patiala, Metcalfe received another letter, inviting him to Kasur, where Ranjit was encamped. A counsellor, Imamuddin, also arrived to escort him.
Without an overt show of hostility, both sides were highly suspicious of one another. Had this not been the case, the mission would not have dragged on and on. On Sept 10, the mission halted a mile short of the royal camp, and the time came to settle the protocol of Metcalfe’s reception. On his first visit on Sept 11, Ranjit Singh emerged from his private enclosure and embraced members of the mission. He gave them gifts, and small talk ensued. But Metcalfe was not happy. He later told his aides, “I am regarded as a dangerous enemy rather than as an envoy from a friendly state charged with the most amicable duties.”
Edwards says Ranjit Singh’s thinking needs to be appreciated. The mission had been virtually forced on him. Matters of great consequence were hinted at, but nothing had been disclosed. On Sept 16 he paid a return visit, received gifts, and, as Metcalfe wrote, “talked with great ease and affability.” Before Metcalfe could broach the subject of the French threat, he got a letter from Ranjit Singh which all but said good bye.
Finally, on Sept 22, Metcalfe called on Ranjit Singh, and after the usual courtesies revealed the real purpose of his visit — that the governor-general had authentic news that the French intended to seize Punjab. This revelation was so far-fetched that Ranjit Singh could barely keep from laughing. He didn’t say so but he appeared incredulous. It seemed to him that the mountain had rumbled and brought forth a mouse.
Ranjit Singh asked for time to think over the matter. For two days there was no response from him. On Sept 25, Metcalfe awoke to find Ranjit Singh’s army moving off. There was a message inviting him to accompany it. After some hesitation Metcalfe decided he must stay with Ranjit Singh. When the cis-Sutlej chiefs came to know of the movement they concluded that they had been abandoned by the British. This was precisely the impression that Ranjit Singh hoped to create. So they decided that “if the wolf declined to help they had better make friends with the lion.”
Metcalfe continued to trail behind Ranjit Singh for almost two months till they reached Amritsar. Metcalfe’s first interview with the ruler in Amritsar dissolved into a riotous party with alcohol and dancing girls. Interestingly, the governor-general’s latest letter for Ranjit Singh lay unopened on a side table during the party. On getting back to camp, Metcalfe wrote a blunt and angry letter. It was a trait with Ranjit Singh that he never lost his cool. On receiving the letter he invited Metcalfe to Lahore.
On Dec 21 they met in Lahore and Ranjit Singh insisted that the British had, by default, acknowledged his sovereignty over the cis-Sutlej states. Metcalfe denied this but Ranjit Singh cited Metcalfe’s coldness towards the Sikh rulers in evidence of the fact. Metcalfe was left a very angry young man. So angry indeed that the next day he started to air threats of a British invasion. On hearing this, Ranjit Singh withdrew, and mounted his favourite horse and went prancing around the courtyard.
At last Metcalfe had to admit that the French threat was no more and all that was left to discuss was a British presence on the Sutlej. Two more months passed by. Ultimately Lord Minto came to the conclusion that Ranjit Singh was no danger to the British. On April 25, a treaty was concluded. Ranjit Singh was to keep his earlier conquests up to the Sutlej.
