By the indefatigable exertions of the troops, under the direction of Captain Broadfoot, garrison engineer, and Captain Abbott, commissary of ordnance, the works were brought into a state of defence against any Asiatic enemy not provided with siege-artillery; but the place was kept in a continual state of alarm by the occurrence of one hundred shocks of an earthquake in the course of a month, and on the 19th of February a tremendous shock occasioned the parapets to fall, injured the bastions, made a breach in the rampart, destroyed the guard-houses, reduced other portions of the works to ruins, and demolished one-third part of the town. With that unconquerable spirit of perseverance for which the troops had already been distinguished, they instantly turned to the repair of the works. Sirdar Mahomed Akbar Khan, Barukzye, the assassin of the late Envoy, and the treacherous destroyer of the Cabool force, flushed with success, approached with a numerous body of troops to overwhelm the little garrison of Jellalabad: he attacked the foraging parties on the 21st and 22nd of February; but was astonished at finding the works in a state of defence, and he established a rigorous blockade. From that time to the 7th of April, the reduced garrison was engaged in a succession of skirmishes, in which the THIRTEENTH Light Infantry had opportunities of distinguishing themselves; particularly detachments under Captains Pattisson and Fenwick, Lieutenants George Wade and W. Cox. On the 5th April, 1842, information was received that the force under Major-General Pollock had experienced reverses in the Khyber, and had retraced its steps towards Peshawur; and on the 6th a _feu-de-joie_ and salute of artillery were fired by Mahomed Akbar, which were stated to be in honour of the event. It was also reported that the Affghans were sending reinforcements to assist in defending their frontier passes. These reports were accompanied by others of a fresh revolution at Cabool, which was considered by some as the cause of the rejoicing; and it was also rumoured that the Ghazees had been defeated in Khyber, and that the Sirdar had retreated into Lughman. Major-General Sir Robert Sale resolved to anticipate the last-mentioned event, by a general attack on the Affghan camp, with the hope of relieving Jellalabad from blockade, and facilitating General Pollock’s advance to its succour. Directions were accordingly given to form three columns of infantry, the central consisting of the THIRTEENTH (mustering five hundred bayonets) under Colonel Dennie, C.B.; the left consisting of a similar number of the thirty-fifth native infantry under Lieut.-Colonel Monteath, C.B.; and the right composed of one company of the THIRTEENTH, one of the thirty-fifth native infantry, and the detachment of Sappers under the command of Lieutenant Orr (the severity of Captain Broadfoot’s wound still rendering him non-effective), amounting to three hundred and sixty men, was