lic. I considered it due to the people of Great
Britain that the press Correspondents should have every opportunity
for giving the fullest and most faithful accounts of what might happen
while the army was in the field, and I took special pains from the
first to treat the Correspondents with confidence, and give them such
information as it was in my power to afford. All I required from them
in return was that the operations should be truthfully reported, and
that any Correspondent who did not confine himself to the recording
of facts, and felt himself competent to criticize the conduct of the
campaign, should be careful to acquaint himself with the many and
varied reasons which a Commander must always have to consider before
deciding on any line of action.

What to my mind was so reprehensible in this Correspondent's conduct
was the publication, in time of war, and consequent excitement and
anxiety at home, of incorrect and sensational statements, founded on
information derived from irresponsible and uninformed sources, and
the alteration of telegrams after they had been countersigned by the
recognized authority, the result of which could only be to keep the
public in a state of apprehension regarding the force in the field,
and, what is even more to be deprecated, to weaken the confidence
of the troops in their Commander. It was satisfactory to me that my
action in the matter met with the fullest approval of the Viceroy.

About this time my column was strengthened by the arrival of the
Contingent provided by the Punjab Chiefs, under the command of
Brigadier General John Watson, my comrade of the Mutiny days. The
Contingent consisted of 868 Cavalry, and 2,685 Infantry with 13 guns,
which were placed in position along the line of communication, and
proved of great use in relieving the Regular army of escort duty.
The senior Native officer with the Punjabis was Bakshi Ganda Sing,
Commander-in-Chief of the Patiala army, a particularly handsome,
gentlemanly Sikh, with whom I have ever since been on terms of
friendly intercourse.

Towards the end of February I paid a visit to Kohat, where my wife met
me; we spent a week together, and I had the pleasure of welcoming to
the frontier that grand regiment, the 92nd Highlanders, which had
been sent up to be in readiness to join my column in the event of an
advance on Kabul becoming necessary.

[Footnote 1:

'FROM THE VICEROY, LAHORE, TO GENERAL ROBERTS.
'_6th Dece