BATTICE, an Italian, who joined the Sikh service in 1843. He was employed in the ordnance factory at Lahore for manufacturing gunpowder and saltpetre. In 1844, the army Panchayats removed him from the service, along with some other European officers. He died at Lahore soon afterwards.

HOLMES, JOHN (d. 1848), a Eurasian soldier of fortune, who started his career as a trumpeter in tlic Bengal Horse Artillery. In September 1829, lie left the British, and joined Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s army as a gunner, eventually rising to the rank of colonel. He took part in the battle

VOCHUS, a Russian, who was, in 1823, employed in the gunpowder factory at Lahore, then under the Sikhs.

BENET, a Frenchma n, was one of the European physicians at the court of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. He arrived at Lahore in 1838, and was given employment as a personal physician to the Maharaja and surgeon general to the Khalsa army on a monthly salary of Rs 1,000. After

HOMMUS, a Spaniard, who joined the Khalsa Darbar`s service in 1842. He was employed in the gunpowder factory. Shortly afterwards lie fell ill and died at Lahore.

WEIR, a Russian, who served in the Khalsa army for some time in 1842. He married a Kashmir! Muslim woman and lived within the walled city of Lahore.

BOYLE, a French national, who, deserting the First European high Infantry, joined the Khalsa army in 1843. He was killed fighting against the British in the first AngIo Sikh war (1845-46).

HURELEEK, a Greek, who according to Alexander Gardner, Ranjit Singh and His While Officers, joined the Sikh infantry in 1841 during the reign of Maharaja Sher Singh.

DECCAN KHALSA DIWAN, a philanthropic organization of the Sikhs, now nonexistent, was formed in Bombay on the eve of Indian Independence (August 1947), with Partap Singh as president and Hari Singh Shergill as general secretary. The DIwan`s main object was to provide help for the rehabilitation of persons uprooted from

JAN SAHIB (as the name is recorded in Sikh documents), a Frenchman, originally employed by the Barakzai sarddrs of Kabul. He left them in 1824 and entered Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s service.

DEPUIS or DE LUST, a French soldier of fortune who came to Lahore in 1842, and was employed by the Sikh Darbar as a trainer of gunner recruits. Later, he was made commandant of a battalion, but, being found unfit for command, he was removed from service in 1844.

JONES, a deserter from the East India Company`s service, joined Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s army as a gunner. According to Charles Masson, the traveller, Jones participated in the final battle of Multan in 1818 and took charge of the guns, enabling the Akalis to storm the fort.