BENTINCK, LORD WILLIAM CAVENDISH (1774-1839), Governor General of India, son of William Henry, third duke of Portland, was born on 14 September 1774. In 1803, he was appointed governor of Madras, but recalled in 1807 in consequence of the sepoy mutiny at Vellore. In 1827, Bentinck succeeded Lord Amherst as Governor General of India in which capacity he served till 1835. Lord William Bentinck`s policy towards the Sikh kingdom was dictated by the steady growth of a supposed Russo Persian threat to India`s northwestern frontier. In face of it, the Government of India adopted certain extraordinary measures.
BURNES, SIR ALEXANDER (1805-1841), British traveller, explorer and writer, was born on 16 May 1805. He joined Bombay infantry in 1821. Upon his arrival in India, he devoted himself to the study of the local languages and was, while still an ensign, selected for the post of regimental interpreter. In 1829, he was transferred to the political department as assistant to the Political Resident in Cutch. In 1831, he was sent on a complimentary mission to Lahore, in charge of English horses, including a team of carthorses, four mares and a stallion, sent by the King of England as presents for Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Discover the relentless rebellion of Painda Khan in Darband against the Sikh government during the early 1800s and his dramatic clashes with the Lahore Darbar.
