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Second Anglo Sikh
War - The Fort Govindghue, from the cirty of Amritzir
The Illustrated London
News - We have been favoured by a Corresondent with the
Sketch of this important Fort, the capture which (until
the arrival of news this week) seemed little known. In a
letter from Indian, dated 18th January, 1849, the writer
says :
"I send you a view
of Govindghar, the strongest place in the Punjab ; the sketch
was taken by an officer at present garrisoning it. We took
the place by surprise, before the sikhs had made up their
minds what to do, or we should have had tough work to have
got it. The Sikhs are awfully disgusted at our having got
it, as they have a saying, 'Who gets Govindghar, wins.'"
It will seem, by the intelliegence just recieved, that the
above Fort is intended for the prison- house of Moolraj.
This fort is situated in Umritzir, or Amritzir, a city of
the Punjab, nearly half-way between the rivers Bees and
Ravee. According to Aron Van Hiigel, it is a larger place
than Lahore, and the wealthiest and most commercial place
in Northern India. The huge fortress, Goviindghur, is its
most striking object. It was built by Runjeet Singh, in
1809, ostensibly to protect the pilgrims to Amritzir, but
in reality to overawe their vast and dangerious assembly.
Its great neight and heavy batteries, rising one above the
other, give it a very imposing appearance. It contained,
at the time of Hiigel's visit, the treasure of Runjeet Singh
computed to amount to £30,000,000 sterling, a sum
which there is good reason to believe greatly exaggerated.
Here is also the mint of the Sikh Government. "
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