The Express.
London, England, 1848-07-31 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, MONDAY EVENING, JULY 31, 1848.

INDIA.

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

By the arrival of this mail we are pat in possession
of dates, from Calcutta to the 9th and Bombay to the
20th June Inclusive. The mails reached Malta by the
Ardent on the 24th instant, and were taken to Mar-
seilles by the Medusa.
The latest accounts from Litt:ore are dated the 4th
of June. The steps taken to punish intrigue and
disaffection, especially the removal of the Maharanee
Chunda, had been successful in preventing the anti-
cipated spread of disaffection beyond the Beeas and
the Sutlej. The only actual rising, if we may so call
it, had been that of a would-be holy man, named
Maharaj Singh, who raised the standard of sedi-
tion in the neighbourhood of I)eenanuggur and
Pathatik.te, between the llceas and the ltavee, and
assembled from 400 to 300 followers, ragamuffins of
the lowest class. A small force, consisting of Capt.
Skinner's Irregulars, and two guns of Capt. Mac-
kenzie's troop, h been ordered to the north-west,
with the view of dispersing the party, and, if posaible,
capturing the leader. Maharajah Goolab Singh was
at the same time requested to use his utmost endea-
vours to prevent his map., into the hills. Lieut.
Hodson aceompaned the detachment, as previously
stated, in the capacity of political officer. The attempt
made to e are the Maharnj did not, however, succeed.
With regard to his pursuit the Bombay Times says:

Tho arrangements mule, at the instance of the commie.
sioner of the trans-Sutlej states, for the capture of Mahe*
Singh, were good, and e uelit to have been successful. The
concentration of three dtflerent corps from Hoosheeerpoor,
under Lieu'. Pnilpotts; from Kenitra, under Lieut. Weßaca,
second in command of Major Ferris's corps, and from La-
hore, wrier Capt. Skinner, in the neighbourhood of Pathan-
hots end Deenanuggur, would have left the lender no
opportunity of escape, had he not had friends in all quarters,
land especially among the Kardars, the very people who
ought to have misted in his capture. These, by taking the
Lahore detachment over abominable roads, and, giving in-
formation of the movement of the troops to Maharaj Singh,
enabled him to escape across the Rave* with a considerable
number of his followers, some three or four hundred
According to the earlier accounts he had fled to the
neighbourhood (.1 Secalkot, taking especial care never
to remain • second day at any one place. The
next intelligence regarding this important personage
was that he had come from Seealkot to • place near Sheik-
hoopra, about thirty miles distant from Lahore, attended by
an increased train of followers, represented by some 6,000 at
least. The moment information of his vicinity reached the
capital (on the evening of the 31st) Mr. Cocks and Lieut.
Lun seen were detached with • squadron of 11.NL'e14th Light
Dragoons, and Wheeler's Irregulars, to see what could be
done with this disturber of the public peace. The rivet woe,
however, found to have vials no much that it took tie whole
night to cross the Irregulars. On the morning of the Ist
instant the dragoons returned, leaving Wheeler's corps on
the other side prepared for a move should one be determined
upon, and accordingly, on the evening of the same day, a
regiment of native infantry (73rd N. I.) and four horse
artillery guns (of Capt. Mackenzle's troop) being ordered
out to support the cavalry, home had been entertained that
success would attend the enterprize, but up to the latest
dates, though 5,000 rope. s had been offered for his capture,
the Maharej had effected his escape, either to Meultan or the
jungle of J ammo°.
The Maharanee Chunda reached Umballah on her
way to Ilenares on the Bth June, and was to leave
on the following day under escort.
The disaffection amongst our soldiery has been
found not to extend Ist.yond the limits already stated.
The Bombay Times' summary describes as follows
the state of the other parts of India:—
In Sciade everything is tranquil ; the people have given
themselves no concern w•th Moultan affairs. The subjects of
the Dewan on our side of the river, when summone.l to his
standard, declined hie summons, and, instead, pro-
ceeded to pay their respects to Major Jacob, command-
ing on the frontier. At Shikarpore the weather, which
had been oppressively hot, had become cool again ; the
troops were all in excellent health and spirits. The
pontoons anti haltering train at Sukkur were all ready
in case of being required higher up. The news of
the Moultan insurrection had been received with the
greatest unconcern at Cahoot. where various parties,
inimical to the rule of Bost Mohammed, are said to
he forming. The Candaltar Sinters are quarrelling
amongst themselves. Ki,liun di! Khan, having thought
p-iper to lord it over his brothers Mt-her and lteheem did
Khan, they demanded a partition of the lands and property
tOrmerly held in common. To this demand the former
would not listen. Hereupon a sep ,ration took place, Kohun
movir.g off with his party is the direction of Ghirisk, Meher
and Reheem towards Cabool. The former shortly after re-
turned and took p sseasion of Candahar, on hi acing which
the two latter also retraced their steps, and bleckaded their
brother in the city. Several skirmishes had occurred, and
by latest accounts the siege was being prosecuted with all
possible vigour. The MOnfinnn has sot in with sinusoid vio-
lence, in Western India. The Commander-in-Chief of Indi
continues at Simla. The Governor-General is at Calcutta, but
will proceed to the northwest provinces so soon setae tea-
son allows. The governor and commantler-in•chief of Bombay
are in the Deccan, where they will remain till the cold weather.
The markets are in a dull state, and very little business
doing. The affairs of the firm of Richmond and Co. are to
•he wound up by trustees. In the midst of so much com-
mercial laxity of principle in the cast, it ie proper to state
that no imputation whatever in this case rests on the in-
tegrity of any one. Ma lt:chmond, it is said, gees round to
Calcutta to become agent fur the Oriental Bank. Stock of
all kinds is extremely low—of many kinds altogether un-
saleable. Three vessels have been wrecked on the coasts of
India during the mouth, fortunately without loss of life—
the brig Montt hares, Capt. Budge, off Oaniam, on the 15th
of May; the shift John Fleming, Cept. Towle, twenty
miles south of Ponit Gurdeware, on the 21st of May;
and the French schooner Ingouville, of 400 tons, Capt.
Ilairon, five miles west of Akyab, on the 23rd of May. The I
iuhabitants of the Car Nicobar island have placed themselves
under Bs itish protection, and hoisted the British flag on the '
15th April, deputing a Captain Crisp to make known their
wishes to our government. The reason assigned by them for
this act is that they may "secore their customs and their
trade, which are in danger from the threatened invasion by
the Danes." Fighting still continues in the Oadh districts
betwixt the cultivators and the royal troops. A force had
been sent against a recusant rajah zemiodar, who fled in'o
the fort of Daoutlooor this wis assaulted and captured, the
assailing party havine two killed and nine wounded; the
besieged thirty-live killed and wounded. The fort was then
rased to the ground. Matters can scarcely be worse than at
present in the Lucknow dourini ins. From the Nizam's
territory little is now heard ; that little continues unsatis-
factory. A force, consisting of a wing of the 4th N. 1.,
four guns, and a squadron of cavalry, commanded
respectively by Mej. Parker, and Captains Eyre and Raikes,
was by latest accounts from Gwalior about to proceed
egainst a refractory Thsckoor some thirty miles off.
Trinquillity the most profound reigns throughout the
country; the people are bealtay, and just now most probs.
lily universally eneaged in agricultural operations. Her
Majesty's steam sloop Fury arrived in harbour from China on
the 27th. Her Majesty's frigate Vernon is still in port:
it la said she will leave for England in the course of
the month of July. Her hull is so rotten that she will
neither sail nor steer, and barely swims —at her
anchors, making about a foot of water daily. Accounts have
been received of her Majesty's brig Jumna which left
Bombay on the 12th April, flaying encountered a hurricane
near the Mauritius, in which she was nearly lost. She has
returned to Trincomalee to be refitted. A splendid collec-
tion of carved alabaster and marble antiquities from ancient
Nineveh was on board the Jumno, and, as these are easily
affected by water, it is feared many of them will have
been defaced or destroyed. When in Bombay every
exertion was made to have plaster casts taken of
them, to meet all risks at sea casts from a single
block were all that were allowed to be taken ; the
rest were not even exhibited to the public. Mr. John-
stone, head pattern maker in the dockyard, who was, six
months since, sent to survey the coal-fields in Maly's', has
returned from his duties. He gives a very favourable ac-
count of the mineral moducts of the country. The mercan-
tile c •mmunity has been ceprivcd of a much-esteemed
member in tl.o person of Mr. Young, of the firm of Martin,
Young—fornierly Mareto, M array—end Co. 11: died of dysei i •
tery at Poona, whith• r he had gone for change of air. At the
pening of the Grant Medics College, the munificent Par.
see Knight Sir Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy intimeted that he had
lodged with government the sum of 1,0001., on which inte-
rest at 6 per cent. would b allowed, or 001. or no, for the
purpose of assisting the alumni who had distinguished them-
e-lees in the purchase of books and instruments ; area 5001.
besides, which, at • like interest, would afford WI. a year,
for the purchase of prizes for the pupils while at college.
-

From Calcutta we have a report that Sir T. Tarten
was permitted to resume him practices in the Supreme
Court as a barrister. The Chief Justice, Sir L. l'eel,
has suspended Mr. Grant from his office of master in
Chancery, in consequence of his connexion with the
affairs of the Union Hank. Mr. Grant contended that
the court had no right to judge of his official character
by his extra-official acts. lie will probably appeal
to the Privy Council, a step which the Chiet Justice
anticipates, having, as he stated in his address,
had an eye to the possible reinstatement of the master
by that tribunal, when he suspended, instead of at
once dismissing him from office. Mr. W. Macpher-
son, who not long a4o was made official assignee, in
the room of O'Dowd, has been appointed to act in the
place of Mr. Grant. Mr. Gordon, a barrister, newly
arrived from Sydney, has succeeded Mr. Macpherson
in the assigneeship. The rule nisi for a writ of acire
facias, againzt Mr. Willis and other rich shareholders
of the Union Bank, has been made absolute.
The following is the postscript of our Bombay cor-
respondent's letter, dated June 19, 3 p.m.:
14 to this hour no pat has arrived from any part of the
up.couotry stations, neither was there any Calcutta dawk
yesterday. This is no doubt caused by the tremendous fall
of rain which has occurred since Saturday. Should it arrive
before 5, and contain any thing worth sending you, I will do so.
We annex a further communication from our cor-
respondent, dated Bombay, June 20, 9 a.m.: