ABDUL RASUL KASHMIRI, a native of Srinagar who was in trade at Amritsar as a shawl merchant, was for a time a close confidant of Maharaja Duleep Singh, the last Sikh King of the Punjab deposed by the British in 1849. Kashmir! acted as the deposed Maharaja`s liaison man with governments of Turkey and Egypt. In 1860, `Abdul Rasul moved from India to Egypt, and thence to London where he joined the Nile expeditionary force as an interpreter. Owing to his secret connection with the Mahdi, he was discharged from the service. He was again in England to seek redress when he met the deposed Maharaja Duleep Singh who employed
BUDDH SINGH MAN (d. 1856), son of Mana Singh, entered the service of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1816 as a khidmatgar (attendant). He rose to the command of 30 horse, and was given a.jagir worth 17,000 rupees. Later, he was promoted a colonel in General Court`s brigade. According to British records, he commanded four regiments of infantry, one regiment of cavalry, and two troops of artillery. He remained on active duty during Maharaja Sher Singh`s reign, but because of his relationship with Atar Singh Sandhanvalia, a confirmed opponent of the Maharaja, he was reduced in rank.
COURT, CLAUDE AUGUSTE (1793-1880), general in the Sikh army, honorary general of France, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, recipient of the Auspicious Order of the Punjab, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of England, and Member of several continental scientific and learned societies, was born at Saint Cezaire, France, on 24 September 1793. In 1813. he joined the French army. After Napoleon`s defeat at Waterloo in 1815 he was dismissed from service.
FANE, SIR HENRY (1778-1840), commander-in-chief of the British Indian army, who visited the Punjab in 1837 on the occasion of the marriage of Kanvar Nau Nihal Singh, Maharaja Ranjit Singh`s grandson. Sir Henry Fane`s visit to Ranjit Singh was an event of considerable interest. He was highly impressed by the extraordinary discipline of the Maharaja`s troops and the splendour of his court. In his several meetings with the British commander-in-chief, Ranjit Singh questioned him on the strength and composition of the British army, on the extent of Russian influence in Persia, and on the ability of the Shah of Persia to give effective aid to the Russians.
