ÿþ<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>POTTINGER SIR HENRY (1789-1856)</TITLE> <style type="text/css"> .BODY { background-color: #EAF1F7; background-image: url('images/gtbh.jpg'); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-attachment: fixed; background-position: center; color: #0066CC;} .C1{text-align: justify;color: #0066CC;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .BIB{text-align: center;color: #000099;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} .CONT{text-align: right;color: #FF0000;FONT-size: SMALL;FONT-family: Tahoma;} </style><META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="POTTINGER,SIR,HENRY,Person,Person"> <META http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></HEAD> <BODY class="BODY" oncontextmenu="return false" ondragstart="return false" onselectstart="return false"> <FONT ALIGN="JUSTIFY" FACE="Tahoma"> <p class="C1">&#65279POTTINGER, SIR HENRY (1789-1856), soldier and diplomat, son of Eldred Curwen Pottinger, was born on 3 Ocober 1789. He obtained a cadetship in the Indian army in 1804. During1809-11, he explored the country between Persia and India travelling incognito. He reported the results of his journey which were published in 1816 in book form in London under the title, <i>Travels in Beluchistan and Sinde</i>. In 1825, he was appointed resident in Cutch. In October 1831, Lord William Bentinck sent Henry Pottinger to Sindh on a "commercial" mission to persuade the Am&#299rs to participate in the Indus navigation scheme. The real objective of his mission, however, was to forestall the Sikh advance in the direction. The growing Russo-Persian threat to India's north- western borders had made Lord William Bentinck realize that not only the extension of Sikh power in the region had to be curbed but a closer union had to be forged with the countries along the whole course of the Indus.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; No intimation of the real object of Pottinger's mission was, however, given to anyone. At the Ropa&#7771 meeting in October 1831, Lord William Bentinck had given only evasive answers to the Mah&#257r&#257j&#257's insistence on a positive assurance of non interference in his projected conquest of Sindh. In 1836, Lord Auckland deputed Henry Pottinger to the Am&#299rs, to negotiate an offensive and defensive alliance with them without giving them protection against the Sikhs. Pottinger's manoeuvrings in Sindh yielded results. The Am&#299rs were forced to conclude a treaty with Pottinger on 20 April 1838. British diplomacy in Sindh had permanently thwarted Ra&#7751j&#299t Si&#7749gh's designs on that country. Pottinger, who remained political agent in Sindh from 1836-40, was created in 1840 a Baronet in recognition of his services. In 1843, he was appointed the first British governor of Hong Kong. He returned to England the following year and was made a privy councillor. From 1846-47, he was governor of the Cape of Good Hope and in 1847 was sent to India again, this time as governor of Madr&#257s.</p> <p class="C1">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pottinger died at Malta in 1856.</p> </font> <p class="BIB"> BIBLIOGRAPHY<p class="C1"><ol class="C1"><li class="C1"> Hasrat, Bikramajit <i>Anglo-Sikh Relations, 1799-1849</i>. Hoshiarpur, 1968<BR> <li class="C1"> Buckland, C.E., <i>Dictionary of lndian Biography</i>. London, 1906<BR> </ol><p class="CONT">B. J. Hasrat<br></p><BR> </font><img src="counter.aspx" width="1px" height="1px" alt=""></HTML></BODY>