The Express.
London, England, 1847-01-04 00:00:00

INDIA.

From the Overland Bombay Tines.
COLOURS TO 7 as FIRST BOMBAY FUSILIZILS.—We have
letters from Kul riche° dated the 6th Nov., which describe
the interesting, ceremony of the presentation of the colours
to the First F,ombay Fusiliers in the presence of the assem-
bled troop 'at Kurrachee, on the evening of the 4th instant.
Sir Charier, Napier presented the new colours. The scene
wee grand and imposing. Three battalions of British
Infantr three of Native, and five batteries of European
Artifir r 7., formed—in quarter distance columns—three sides
of ar pare, The Fusilier Regiment in line formed the fourth
aid.. The ceremony of a farewell salute to the old
er ,lours, and the consecration of the new, having been
gone through, the Veteran General, in presenting
to the Fusiliers their new standards, spoke to
them in terms that thrilled the heart of every soldier
present, and which—in the words of Col. Cumming, when
returning thanks—" would be remembered long after the
colours themselves had passed away." The old warrior's
voice rung out clear and distinct beyond the farthest ranks of
the dense muses of soldiery, who drank in his words with
avidity. I can convey but a poor idea of his speech; the old
general, his tone and address, and the whole scene, are re-
quired 2 ,
to give effect to his words, which wore nearly as

't So:iiers ! I have this avy the honour to present new
colours to t:.'e oldest regiment In :he service of the East India
Company, a regiment which amulet tread on a., part of
our eastern territory whose history has not been illus•
tasted by its glory and by its blood, tither in victory
or in defeat! Aye, in defeat! for thong ,h defeat nos
in the long course of age, (Alen at times, like a direful
vapour on the arms of England, and for a moment veiled
their brilliancy, still has the indomitable com-age of the Euro-
peans remained unbroken, and, es the auntie...en of its beams,
is be traced, though dimly, through a mark v mixtl
other
, so has
British valour been ever traced through detests
battles and better lcaling gave teeth victories oar ler".
To a young corps, unknown to history, I could spa largely
en the duties or soldiers to their colours; but to 7°°,
til
Fusilier', whose bayonets gleam with the splendour 0/ Indian
triumphs, whose standards are wreathed with the accum 'dated
Marna of ages, I have only to point out past exploi
to recall to your memories the battle-fields under Cs.iret
Laurence, Coote, Cornwallis, Smith—from Plasey ta
Beniboo Ali. Aye, and long before Plumy, including iunn •
seeable sieges and assaults, unsurpassed :n number and in
daring by any regiment in the world. Were I to dwell on
all the battles and stormings it would keep us till midnight ;
and I will, therefore, speak but of two, which appear to inc to
be among the most celebrated; I mean the capture of Ahme-
dabad and of Serintrapatam. At Ahmedabad the two in-
trepid men, Ensign Hiems and Sergeant Hugh Fridge, both
of your regiment, led their stormers to the walls, and,
sword in hand, they mounted the breach and won —lf iem"
his lieutenancy, and Fridge, the honour of carrying the co-
lours for which he had so bravely fought! A few years after,
the same courageous soldier, the same Ilugh Fridge (now
become Capt. Fridge, of the Bombay Eutopeans), mounted
the immortal breach of Seringapatam, close following the
more young, more active, and more renowned Serg, ant
James Graham, who there fell ! not the first bearing that ho-
noured name, distinguished by a glorious death in the ser-
vice of the British throne! Soldiers! it must rouse the
minds of military men to think of the exultation of your
regiment, as, in a dense column, it dashed up the breach
following the gallant Graham, and beheld the hero
waving the colours of England on the summit amidst the
flashing of dlysorean *clinkers, the fire, the smoke, and the
loud cheers of the stormers as the fiet rely won their bloody
footing aloft! Take your splendid colours, soldiers! reful-
gent with the glories of a hundred battles! Ye are as good
men, as brave men, and as strong men to do battle, as the
heroes who set rat before you, and the day will come when, in
future combats, you shall renovate your fame as you have
this day renovated your standards! "—Gentleman's Gazette,
Nov. 17.
Public expectation has been awakened lately regarding
the probability of a Sikh contingent being raised for ser-
vice at Lahore on the withdrawal of our troops ; how far
such expectation is likely to be realised it is not, at present,
in our power to state; it is probable, however, that the
rumours on this head have had their origin in the
matured determination of government to raise, as men-
tioned by us some time ago, one Sikh regiment The orders
for these may now be daily expected. The regiments are
intended for service in the Cis-anal Trans-Sutlej states, and
are to be paid for out of the commutation money of the con-
tingents of the Jagheerdan, which have been done away
with, now that military services are no longer required of the
chiefs. A battery of artillery is to be raised at the same
time, and else a company of guides. Captain Waterfield is
to have one of the corps of infantry, Captain Winter another,
and Lieutenant Olpherts will be appointed to command the
artillery. These officers severally belonged to the late Bun-
delkund Legion. We have heard, further, that Captain
Starkey has been appointed second in command to one of
the infantry corps.—Delhi Gazette, Nov. 11.
Casualties by death in the armies of India reported since
the departure of the mail of 16th Nov. :
H.M. Troops.—Assist: Surgeon W. Turnbull, 94th liege,
on board the Hindoostan, on her voyage to Ceylon, on the
14th Oct. ; Dr. F. Dill, colonial surgeon, at Hong Kong, on
the 30th Sept.
Bombay.—Lieut. T. B. Stanley, Artillery, at Kurrachee,
on the 24th Nov.
Madras.—Ensign H. E. M. Palmer, 41st Regt., at Wal-
tale, on the 9th Nov.
Bengal.—Brigadier E. J. Smith, C. 8., Engineers, at
Subathoo, on the 11th November • Captain J. Sutherland,
late of the 56th BRIO., at Itajcund, in Tirboot, on the Bth
October.
H.M. Navy.—Midshipman J. E. Grant, of the Agincourt,
off Ningpo, on the sth Oct.
(From the Overland Bengal Hurlaaru.)
The most interlining topic of discourse which the past ten
days have furnished to us of Calcutta, is the report of the
committee appointed by government to test the efficiency of
Dr. Esdaile's mesmeric operations. We believe that copies
of this report went home by the loot mail, but as it may not
have been made public in England before this arrives,
we give the moat important parts of it a place in our
columns. The principal results of the experiments performed
by Dr. Esdaile before the committee, as recorded in the
minutes of proceedings, are as follows. Often native patients
subjected to mesmeric manipulations, seven were reduced to
a state of corns ; the remaining three being dismissed ; one
for being drunk ; another because he had a chronic cough,
which interfered with the process; and the third, because
he resisted the mesmeric influence for eleven days, without
giving way to it.
The seven men reduced to a state of coma, were subjected
to surgical operations of considerable severity. In one of
them the result wan deemed inconclusive, from the patient
having subsequently, when in the natural state, home •
similar operation, without showing signs of pain. In three
cases apparent signs of pain were exhibited in the distortion
of features and writhing of the body,—"instructive move-
ment.," Dr. Esdaile called them,— but the patients
offered no resistance to the operator, did not re-
quire to be held, and, on awaking, declared them-
selves unconscious of what had been done to them, In
the remaining three not a symptom of feeling was displayed,
the inaeuibility to suffering being apparently most perfect,
It is remarked. and is a singular fact, that whereas in
the cases in which outward signs of pain were exhibited,
the pulse remained as before the operation began; in
those where total insensibility was manifested it was
greatly accelerated. These results are considered by
the public as completely establishing the pretensions of
Dr. Esdaile, and as proving the efficacy of the mesmeric
agency. The report of the committee, however, which is
considered as that of the medical members who formed the
majority, is generally considered to display much of jealousy
and prejudice against the new power. It has been much
criticised by the local press, which is unanimous in its con-
demnation. The committee, however, though evidently bear-
ing no good-will to the science, bar been constrained by the
facts elicited to recommend further investigation, and the
government has, as already mentioned, determined to place
Dr. Esdaile in charge of a small hospital, to which the pub-
lic is to be admitted to witness his operations.
No change has occurred in commercial matters to call for
particular notice. The money market is lively, and exchange
has risen slightly, being quoted at Is. Ilid. to Is. 114 d. for
good ten months' bills.
(From the Overland Englishman.)
Locally we have little more to report than a sudden burst
of legislative vigour. In the last few days no less than four
draft acts have made their appearance, to ripen into laws
when the Legislative Council is complete. The moot im-
portant of these is an act for municipal improvements, ap-
pointing a body of commisaionen to keep our streets in
order, to widen, light, and water them, and to open
new thoroughfares, and effect ornamental improvements.
As nothing can be awe without money, the good
people of Caleutta are to be taxed in their horses and their
carnage*, and even the labourer's car is not to escape. If the
money is well laid out, people will have little reason to
grumblb at the impost, for the present state of our municipal
affairs is disgraceful. Another act, which may be considered
supplementary to this, being for the survey anti assemment
of bads within the town, will bate the effect of a system of
registration, and will thereby lessen the expense of convey-
ance, which has hitherto been a most severe tax upon pro-
perty of small value.
The example of the Hindoo stodents, in seeking to com-
plete their education in England,hae not been lost upon other
Asiatics. The Armenian community, who are here respect-
able and thriving, are about to be represented in the schools
of London by a medical pupil from their own body. It is
to be hoped that he, as well as those who preceded him, may
be so succeasful as to induce many others to follow their