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1/ What does the Bank of England have to do with the Sikh Empire?
2/ Well the following small extract from Joseph Wolff's 1861 work, Travels and adventures of the Rev. Joseph Wolff, page 372, highlights that the Bank of England was useful, to say the least, in the transition of wealth from the Sikh Empire.
3/ "But Wolff will here, at once, finish the history of Avitabile.
4/ When the English (in the years 1838 and 1839) marched into Affghanistan, Avitabile farnished them with all the provisions required in war—for which they gave him bills on England and thus he got all his money out of the country, and placed it in the Bank of England.
5/ And, besides this, he induced Sheer Singh, the suppositious son of Runjeet Singh, who suceeded to the throne of his adopted father after the murder of Karak Singh, to advance £500,000, and place it in his hands, of which sum Avitabile promised to give him account.
6/ But all the money advanced by Sheer Singh was placed in the Bank of England, in Avitabile’s name. Sheer Singh was murdered by Dehan Singh, his prime minister, and Dehan Singh was killed by the people.
7/ Then Avitabile left the Punjaub, came to England, tock possession of the whole property, went to Naples, married his own niece, with a dispensation from the Pope; built a beautiful country house near Naples, and there died after some years."
8/ 
1827, Bank of England
General Avitable's Residence, 1841, Wazirabad.
An interesting depiction of Maharajah Sher Singh, seated wearing armour and with two swords and a bowLahore, circa 1840
1827, Bank of England General Avitable's Residence, 1841, Wazirabad. An interesting depiction of Maharajah Sher Singh, seated wearing armour and with two swords and a bowLahore, circa 1840
The Bank of England inflation calculator states £0.5million in 1850 would be roughly £52million in today’s money.
