Note 2 — A Halt in the Valley.
Reading edition
Cashmere seems to have been regarded for many ages merely as a source of wealth to its absentee lords or present governors, and to have suffered more than ever, since falling under the dominion of Hindoo rulers.
Of the first of this dynasty, who subdued and took possession of the valley in the year 1819, Vigne remarks, in his Travels, “Runjeet Singh assuredly well knew that the greater the prosperity of Kashmīr, the stronger would be the inducement to invasion by the East India Company. ‘Après moi le déluge’ has been his motto, and its ruin has been accelerated not less by his rapacity than by his political jealousy, which suggested to him at any cost the merciless removal of its wealth and the reckless havoc he has made in its resources.” ↑