The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-18 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

INDIA.

We have received our despatches from India
by the Overland Mail, of the dates given yes-
terday in our telegraphic summary of the news.
The following is the summary of the liontbaynmes
of Aug. 13:

The Banthal insurrection, the commencement of
which we noticed last mail, is still in progress ; but
we know as little now as we did a fortnight since of
the causes which led to it, or the catastrophe to
which it may yet lead. The insurgents in the field
are said to amount to 30,000—bands of them of from
600 to 2,000 strong are overrunning the country to the
south-eastward, spreading terror and desolation be-
fore and around them. Two hundred. villages are
already said to have been destroyed by them, and
several great towns have been brought into danger.
Wherever they have oome in contact with the regu-
lar troops they have of course been dispersed with
much slaughter, and they are not anywhere in a
position to offer effective resistance to the mast mode-
rate-sized detachments. Bo soon as we have a sufficient
force in the field they will be hunted down or driven
back to their fastnesses, but the mischief they are at
present occasioning is as lamentable as their appear-
ance in the field was unexpected. We must refer
the reader to our extracts for details, wh:ch, from
their diffusivenese and doubtful accuracy, we lied
ourselves unable to work up into a regular sum-
mary. To us the most important event is the
early retirement of the Marquis of Dalhousie from
supreme authority, and the deep disappointment
experienced that what we knew must neces-
sarily occur six months hence should be
anticipated by an hour. The public mind, betides,
had been made up for the appointment of Lord Elgin,
a man of such pre-eminent talent, so well trained and
severely tried in statesmanship, that we hoped to find
in him a successor worthy of the illustrious statesman
who now leaves us amidst the regrets of all India.
Lord Canning may tern out a able a governor as
Wellesley, Bentinck, or Dalhousie, but we should
have preferred a man with more conspicuous ante-
cedents; and should have regarded the cabinet that
gave us the late Governoe-General of Canada as a
viceroy much more likely to have been sincere in
the maxim they had laid down, " that India
to be well governed must be governed in
India," than that which placed the Postmaster-
General over an empire more than half as large as
Europe, to administer the affairs of 160,000,000 of
human beings. The interests of the British domi-
nions in the East seem so insignificant in the esti-
mation of Englishmen, that the first chance they
have of receiving the attention which is their due
will probably be when the Chancellor of England
calls for a few millions annually to meet their an-
nual charges. The Bombay government are pre-
pared to grant the Western India Irrigation Com-
pany the entire, profits of their improvements for 99
years, and speak on the subject in a tone of liberality
and qf cordial warmth such as commands universal
admiifition. One 'of the Peninsular and Oriental
Company's ships has just made the passage to Aden
by the northern route; it occupied 12 days in the
first attempt, or three less than the average. The
experiment was ordered by Mr. Ritchie, for 7 years
the able and indefatigable superintendent of the com-
pany here, who left for England by last mail, with
the best wishes of all who know him. At Bombay,
notwithstanding the' auspicious commencement of
the rains, we begin to be threatened with an alarm-
ing drought, being nearly a half short of our average
fall at the date at which the south-west monsoon is
usually considered over. The Madras Presidency,
under the administnition of Lord Harris, is at pre-
sent taking the lead in public improvement; a plan
as wise as vigorous of putting down torture promises
if persevered in to be successful. The affairs of the large
colleotorate of Malabar are so managed under the able
administration of Mr.Conolly, that the ryots who were
wont only to pay their taxes under a system of personal
violence are now clamorous for land on government
terms,. and as nager to pay rent Ruder the apprehea..l
shin of losing their land as government is to receive
it. This auspicious state of matters, which is rapidly
spreading over the Bombay Presideney under our
admilabb townie system, might at no distant chits
become universal were the *ample of, the Bombs/
Government and the Collector of Malabar rarely fol-
' loud oat. 41 system of museums for economic and

ednet,innstiorasea proceeding from a central one at
Maffei* *treading over every pad of the Pree:L-
dency---a 'Matter in which we in Bombay are 'be II
-
ginning nattily to oop7 the sister presidency. Thel
chief of these is.visited by some 20,000 natives
monthly, a third of mhom are females. Tba first trial''
trip was made on the Madras railway on the let
August. It ki nzprted to be opened in December:
the forty mike having been begun and finished in
two years. The Governor-General is still on the
Neilgherries. Lord Harris continues at Madras, and
has not, as was imagined, proceeded to join the Go-
vernor General at the hills. Lord Elphinstone and
the Commander-in-Chief continue in the Deccan
Trade is dull, freights low, and the money market
is easy.

CASUALTIES UT DEATH IN INDIA SINCE THE D AAAAA OEN
OP THI HAIL ON THE 30TH JOLT, 1866.
Her Majesty's Troopc—Lieutenant Frederick Gardner,
Aotiag Adjutant her Majesty's 86th Regiment, at Aden,
on the 26th Inly.
Bombay.—Lieutenant A. D. Lucas, Artillery, at Poona,
on the 9th August.
Madras.—Lientenant.Colonel M. Pool*, 6th Regiment
Native Infantry, at Itehapore, on the 10th July. Major
(Brevet Lieutenant) F L. Nicole,, 29th Regiment Native
Infantry, from bilious fever, at Ootacamund, on 9rd Aug.
Bengal.—Lieutenant T. Edwards, 49th Regiment Native
Infantry, a' Meean Meet, on the 18th July.,

CHINA.

We have news from China via Penang, dates 10th
July from Hong Kong, and Shanghai 28th June; the
screw steamer Lancefield had arrived. Prices of
opium at Hong Kong : Patna 3271, Beoares 335, and
Malwa 435. Rioe : Manilla 2.20 dole., Arracan
2 dole. Exchange on London 491 to 4.81, and on
Calcutta 220 to 218. At Shanghai, Patna opium
263; exchange on London 6.4 to 6-41, and Company's
accepted bile 297 per 100 dole.