manner by parties thrown forward by Major-General Sir Willoughby Cotton, of the 16th and 48th Bengal Native Infantry, and her Majesty’s 13th Light Infantry, under Brigadier Sale.  I ordered forward three troops of horse artillery, the camel battery, and one foot battery, to open upon the citadel and fortress, by throwing shrapnel shells, which was done in a masterly style under the direction of Brigadier Stephenson.  My object in this was to make the enemy shew their strength in guns, and in other respects, which completely succeeded, and our shells must have done great execution, and occasioned great consternation.  Being perfectly satisfied on the point of their strength in the course of half an hour, I ordered the fire to cease, and placed the troops in bivouac.  A close reconnoissance of the place all around was then undertaken by Captain Thomson, the chief engineer, and Captain Peat, of the Bombay Engineers, accompanied by Major Garden, the Deputy Quartermaster-General of the Bombay army, supported by a strong party of her Majesty’s 16th Lancers, and one from her Majesty’s 18th Light Infantry.  On this party a steady fire was kept up, and some casualties occurred.  Captain Thomson’s report was very clear, he found the fortifications equally strong all round; and, as my own opinion coincided with him, I did not hesitate a moment as to the manner in which our approach and attack upon the place should be made.  Notwithstanding the march the troops had performed in the morning, and then having been a considerable time engaged with the enemy, I ordered the whole to move across the river (which runs close under the fort wall) in columns, to the right and left of the town, and they were placed in opposition on the north side on more commanding ground, and securing the Cabool road.  I had information that a night attack upon the camp was intended from without.  Mahomed Ubzul Khan, the eldest son of Dost Mahomed Khan, had been sent by his father with a strong body of troops from Cabool to the brother’s assistance at Ghuzni, and was encamped outside the walls, but abandoned his position on our approach, keeping, however, at the distance of a few miles from us.  The two rebel chiefs of the Ghiljee tribe, men of great influence—­viz., Abdool Rhuman and Gool Mahomed Khan, had joined him with 1500 horse, and also a body of about 3000 Ghazees from Zeimat, under a mixture of chiefs and mollahs, carrying banners, and who had been assembled on the cry of a religious war.  In short, we were in all directions surrounded by enemies.  These last actually came down the hills on the 22nd, and attacked the part of the camp occupied by his Majesty Shah Shooja and his own troops, but were driven back with considerable loss, and banners taken.