The service companies remained on duty at Gibraltar until March, 1834, when they proceeded to the island of Malta, where they remained during the year 1835; in October the depôt companies returned to Ireland. [Sidenote: 1836] In the summer of 1836 the service companies embarked at Malta for the Ionian Islands, and landed at Corfu in July. [Sidenote: 1840] After remaining nearly four years in the Ionian Islands, the service companies embarked at Corfu on the 28th of April, 1840, for England, and landed on the 9th of June at Plymouth, where they were joined by the depôt companies from Ireland. [Sidenote: 1841] The regiment remained at Plymouth until July, 1841, when it embarked for Scotland, and marching to Edinburgh, was stationed in the castle of that city during the year 1842. [Sidenote: 1843] In April, 1843, the regiment proceeded from Edinburgh to Ireland, and was stationed at Belfast until September, when it marched to Enniskillen. [Sidenote: 1844] The regiment marched from Enniskillen to Newry in January, 1844, and having been selected to proceed to India, the usual augmentation was made to its numbers. It proceeded to Manchester in July, and embarked at Liverpool for Bengal on the 20th of August under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Harry Shakespear Phillips, arriving at Calcutta on the 30th of December following. [Sidenote: 1845] On the 22nd of January, 1845, the regiment proceeded from Chinsurah to Cawnpore, where it arrived on the 19th of March; in October it marched to Agra, and on the 19th of December to Delhi, where it arrived and encamped on the 28th of December, 1845. [Sidenote: 1846] During the brief period which elapsed between the 11th and 23rd of December, 1845, the valley of the _Sutlej_ was the scene of active and interesting operations; the frontier of the Punjaub[11] (_punj_, five, and _aub_, waters) had been crossed by a numerous and well disciplined Sikh army; and the enemy had been repulsed in two sanguinary battles, at _Moodkee_ on the 18th of December, and at _Ferozeshah_ three days afterwards. After these successes, it was determined by the Commander-in-Chief in India to rest the main body of the army until strong reinforcements arrived, when a grand attack was to be made on the Sikhs, who had employed the interval in strengthening the position they had taken up on the British side of the river Sutlej, the boundary of the Punjaub from India.