BROWN, JOHN, alias RICHARD POTTER, an Englishman, who, deserting the East Indian Company`s service in the Bengal artillery, came to Lahore and joined the Sikh artillery in 1826. He was later promoted colonel and placed in charge of the artillery depot at Lahore. During the first Anglo Sikh war, he acted as a British spy. Just before the battle of `Aliwal, he went to Ludhiana and offered his services to his countrymen.
GORDON (d. 1837), often miscalled Canon, an Anglo Indian, entered the service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1820 as an infantry instructor on a salary of Rs 500 per month. Later, he was put in command of a battalion of artillery. In July 1822, his battalion received approbation from Allard and Ventura and was ultimately incorporated in the FaujiKhas. Gordon was now charged with raising a new cavalry regiment to be called Akal Regiment.
BURN, LtCoL, who commanded British detachments at Deoband, now in Uttar Pradesh, led in 1804 an expedition against the cis Sutlej Sikh chiefs, Gurdit Singh ofLadva and Karnal, Sher Singh of Buna, Rai Singh of Jagadhri, Jodh Singh of Kalsia and Mahtab Singh of Thanesar, who had fought against the British in alliance with the Marathas in 1803. Burn`s troops joined hands with those of Birch and Skinner, and defeated the Sikhs at Saharanpur on 18 December 1804. The British commanderin chief granted amnesty to all the Sikhs except Gurdit Singh. Burn arrived at Karnal, and secured from him the surrender of the town.
DUBUIGNON, ROBERT WALTER, DE TALBOT (1809-1868), a French adventurer in the employ of Begam Samaru of Sardhana, who came to Lahore to seek better prospects. He obtained employment in the Sikh court through the good offices of General Ventura, and was assigned to General Allard as aide decamp. He left the service after about a year to go into business, exporting goods from Kashmir to France in exchange for French merchandise. He died at Ludhiana in 1868.
