The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-18 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MAIL

We have received our despatches in anticipation of
the Overland Mail. The dates arc : Bombay, May
30 ; Calcutta, June 3rd ; Colombo, June 11.
Our Bombay correspondent writes :
BOMBAY, 14!.tv 30.
_ .

Burnish news this mail takes precedence of all
others. The 13urmese commissioners on the 10th
inst. again visited Prome, and after three hours inter-
, view with our commissioners—General God% in and

Commodore Lambert—stated that they refused to
accept or sign the treaty offered them, tt hen they
were directed immediately to quit the city, and this
they did at once. We had offerel to withdraw our
boundary to within six miles of Prome north and six
miles north of Tonghoo ; but they said they would
not sign away any of their territory, which had been
seized owing to the bad conduct of the late King,
and for which the present ruler should not
and could not be made answerable. They
at first asked for thirty, then fur three
days further delay ; hut thii would not be
granted. As at first suspected would be the
case, our concessions to the Burmese in the
first instance has only ma3c them the more exacting
in their demands ; they imagine we are anxious to be
at peace, and will make any sacrifices to attain our
object. The ambassadors were told that we should
now act vigorously against them, and that Meanday,
now in our possession, would at once be annexed to
the province of Pcgu. The Medusa steamer left
• Prow fur Meanday on the 10th. The celebrated
robber chief Mesh Toon has escaped from l'egu to
Ava, where he has been most warmly received by the
Burmese authorities, and ere long he will doubtless
again be in the field against us at the head of the
lawless ruffians with which Ava is said to abound. It
was well known from the first that Meah Toon
was encouraged in his operations against us by
the Court of Ava. The advance on the capt-

till had been ordered, and active preparations
were in progress when last advises left ; the
river steatners were being fitted up for the reception
of troops, and a fleet of gun-bouts was being got
ready for service. But the health of her Majesty's
Nth and 80th was very bad, and the corps had been
obliged to be sent away out of Promo for change.
The officers and crew of the Sesostris steam frigate
were in a bad state of health, and many had teen
sent away sick: the oil boat had not been out of
the river since April, 1852. Captain Byng, of he
Ist Bengal Fusiliers, died on the 18th April. General
Steele reached Shuygeen about 20th April, on lin
way to Rangoon : the cantonments at this place wert
progressing rapidly—provisions for six months had
been stored for the troops both here and at Tongboo.
Captain Berdmore and his troops had reached. Be-
ling, which they found in flames, the robber chief
Moung-goon having fled on hearing of their near
approach. Nothing is said of any sickness at either
Rangoon or Maulmain. The weather was hot and
disagreeable. Further troops arc to be despatched
from Bengal without delay.
THE PUNJAUB.

Scarcely a word of news has been received from
any part of the Punjaub since my last. The weather
at Peshawur was cool and agreeable, and all alarm
of outrage on the frontier had again for a time sub-
sided. '1 he new ruler of Mooltan is said to be in
rather an unquiet state of mind, in consequence of
our government not as yet having recog.niscd his ac-
cession to the throne of his ancestors: internal ene-

mies were endeavouring to breed discord, and the
Nawaub had given offence to many of Lis former
supporters by the manner in which he dealt oat
equal justice to them in common with his other sub-
jects. A blacksmith at Lela seriously wounded Mr.
Jenkins on the 13th inst. : the gentleman is doing
well, the would-be murderer is to be imprisoned for
life.

whereby nearly every house in camp was damaged,
igsay being unroofed altogether. The huts of the
families of the isth Highlanders were nearly all
blown down,und the poor people were exposed to the
storm. Itail fell in large quantities,,and upwards of
2.25 inches of rain fell in an hour and a half. It is
041 that Ciisq.,.rat is to be alienated from the Bom-
bay Rod LIMN Mil to the Bengal presidency : and that
Colonel Outran' is to bo re-appointed resident, and
thus bring to i.e.,. what has been reported over and
over—that ht .BLS to be employed at Baroda under
the goverame.,t of India. Mr. Remington has
joined the Sudder Adawlut as judge, and
Mr. Le 0, yt has taken up the judgeship of Poona.
Dr. T. Buy t has been appointed deputy assay
master at l'ukutta, during Dr. O'Shaugnessy's
ah,ence. Mr. 1). C. Leighton is to act as assistant to
the commimiener at Sattara during Nil.. Lloyd's ab-
sence on sick Icave. Sir W. Yardley has returned
to Bombay II oni the hills, and the Hon. Mr. Bell
has gone on have to the Deccan. Dr. John Mills is
to be civil surgeen at Kurraebce.
Oriental Bank shares are down to 85, Agras up to
40. Commack:4 to 30, Bombay. to 30, and 50 for
Railway, per cent. prem. Freights arc at 21. 15s.
sad 2f. Ilis. to London and Liverpool. The harbour
is fast filling with vessels from Australia, and a
very large no über are on their way from Eng-
land for this isrt ; the Chieftain, from London, came
in yesterday. Money is plentiful, and rates uf
ch Inge tvtri, 2 11 to "; six months sight for credit
bill,, sad halt a farthing higher for documents.
IZAM'S DOMINIONS.

Our terms have been accepted so far, and we are
to take possession of so much of the country as pill
ensure pa) ml w of the contingent and our debt, any
Orel plus to tie placed to credit of Nizam's govern-
meat. As wine uproar may he made by the Arab
and other me reenary troops, who will now find them-
selves without occupation, the formation of what is
to l,c called " Ibe army of exercise," at Poina, may
have a whoksome influence oc many others who
would, perhai.s, be inclined to dispute our right to
annex any poi: ton of the Nixam's dominions.
BENGAL AND THE NORTH-WEST
PROVLNCES.
One of the C.dcutta papers is now strenuously
urging the rre.l of General Godwin from Iturmah,
and Sir W. G ,mm from the Indian command, and
very many persons think that both would be for the
benefit of the wintry. The same paper states that
no further ads sew will be made towards the Burman
capital if this can by any means be avoided. The
new Postage Act has been read a first time before
the Legislative Council of India. There is to be an
uniform penny postage ail over India on letters
weighing 1J grains, while newspapers are to be
charged 4d. es lien under an ouncu and a half in
weight. It is a tear that the circulation of news-
papers in India is wished to be kept down
as much as possible ; but the thing will
not do. English papers over three ounces will be
charged Sd. postage, so that very few, indeed, will
be able to take them in. By last opium sale at Ca-
milla upwards of 317,000!. was realised. Major
Ouselcy has been granted a captain's pension. Cul.
Low, the resident at the Nizam's capital, is men-
tioned as likely to succeed to the seat at the supreme
council board vacated by Sir W. Gilbert. Captain
Alexander Mackintosh, 52nd Native Infantry, super-
intendent at Neemuch, died there on the 20th May,
deeply regretted. The Seikh chiefs in confinement
at Fort AV itliam are to be allowed to drive out in
their carriage every evening in future, attended as
usual by their guard, instead of every third evening.
Col. Day will, it is thought, command at Dum Dum
when the head-quarters of the artillery are removed
to Meerut. There has been much fighting in the
Oudh territories, in which the King's troops have
been worsted, and anarchy is in the ascendant.

bURMAH.
The Calcutta Evils/ man of the 19th May, says :
All the territo-y now in possession of the British forcer is
to be held, but no advance beyond it to be made, unless
under the provocation of an attack, in which event it has
been decided to march at once upon Ava and dethrone tics

King.
The refusal of our Commissioners to grant the Burmese
even so short a time as three drqs shows their confidence in
Being able to enforce the terms already, proposed. Had the
points in dispute been unimportant, it may be concluded
that they would have been given up when the Governor.
General had already consented to the relinquiehmeat of a
portion of the conquered territory. Of course it is ins-
possible to jx.netrate the veil which diplomacy draws
over its proceedings; but, if we may hasard •
conjecture, it is that a Resident in Ava as stipu-
lated by the treaty of Taudaboo has been insisted
on, and that this ha. been the most distasteful of all.
A peace, without free intercourse with the interior, would
be of little use to either party ; and after the cap rience
we have had of the treatment of British subjects in Ran-
goon, when unprotected by any agent of their own gevern-
meat, they could hardly be safe at the capital without some
one to whom they could turn in any difficulty. It will of
course be the policy of our government to encourage all the
people of the interior, whether Burmese, Chieese, Sham,
or others, to come at leunre into our territories, with the
assurance of the same freedom and protection as our own
subjects enjoy; and, in return, we ought to have the same
right to hospitality within the dominions of the King of
Ave.
As both the ministers and the local government are de-
sirous of bringing the war tog conchnion, it may be inferred
that the latter are confident the Burmese cannot brine into
the field any force which would cost much effort or trouble to
defeat. If an advance on Ava is contemplated, it most take
place almost immediately, while the rivers are rising, or
be postponed for another twelvemonth, for it can hardly be
supposed that a march through the jungles is seriously con-
templated. If the Burmese leave our troops in undisturbed
possession of the places which they lately refused to cede, it
will still be necessary to keep a large force on the spot to
guard against attacks, and much of the expense end tail
of war must be incurred without any of its honours or
triumphs. It may, therefore, be fairly concluded that if
the expectation enterta ned of the Burmese yielding to the
conditions now offered be disappointed, preparations will
be made for an immediate advance to the capital, that the
war may not be suffered to linger on for another year with-
out either progress or object.
The following is another extract from a letter
from Prome, 10th May :
The British and Ava commissioners met again to-day,
the Governor-General's letter having arrived on Sunday the
Bth, the Burmese authorities definitively declined putting
their names to the treaty by which they were to sign away
Pcgu. It appears that at one time during the conference to-
day they seemed to be in such doubt, and so much inclined
to patch up matters, that our commissioner agreed to urge
them a ill further by offering to make the boundary six
miles north of Proms' which would give them Meeaday ;
" bet no," oar friendesaid, " they could not sign away any
portion of the Burmese dominions." So they were shortly
after dismissed with a hint to take themselves out of our
territories within twenty-four hoofs. So much fur the
hope of • present settlement of • state of war, if war it
can be salted. I think it may he possible that the king is
scarcely able enough, or sufficiently firm on bit thong
to hazard a measure of this kind, which would lao so
distasteful to most of his wavering friends. However that
may be, we are still, as ever, in a state of unenviable doubt
as to whether the war is to be prosecuted to Ava, or whe-
ther we are to lie upon our oars, and wait for aggressions
before making any (nerved movement. I doubt much now
if a move to Ma would be so effective us it would un-
doubtedly have been eight or ten months ago, unlefe,,indeed
our government is prepared to aunt x and occupy the whole
country.
The bled**, with two gun Mate, goes up immediately
after the departure of the commissioners to Meeeday, and
there lies to blockade the river. A terrible state of things
this, for the whole country ; cultivation will of course be
nearly out of the question, and great want will be felt by
the p pulafion, who are already very poorly o 8 for their
staple commotlify—rice. West the poor creatures will do
in August or September next, goodness knows.
COLOMBO.
Ile Colombo Observer of June 11 says :—ln the
interior heavy rains are faking and the prospects fur
next crop continue good. Only two vessels have
cleared since our last; one of them for Australia.
The disparity in the shipments of coffee is greater
than ever, amounting now to upwards of nO,OOO
cwts. The short shipments of cinnamon are ex-
plained by the approaching abolition of the duty.
Some small shipments have been made in the screw
steamers, but large stocks arc accumulati'g for the
3rd of July. The expo.rts of cocoanut oil are more
than 100,000 gallons in excess of last year. This
article bears a high price in the local market, and
the raw material, copporah, is scarce and dear.
The change in the N% cathca seems to have had an
injurious influence in a sanitory point of view.
Cholera which had nearly ceased has become more
violent at Colombo, and a European officer, Lieut.
Alexander P. Smith of the Ceylon ltifles, has fallen
before it in an attack of only fire hours duration.
Two ;privates of the same regiment died front the I
disease, one on the 25th, the other on the 30th of
May. Or. F. W. Willisford was attacked last eten-
ing in the Fort but we aro glad to learn that this
morning he is out of danger. A number of fatal
cases have occurred in the dirtier parts of the native
taws within the last week. At Trincomalic fever of
a severe type has attacked the European soldit ty.
Besides Lieut. Smith, the obituary contains the
min of Quarter Muter Imray a veteran soldier