The Express.
London, England, 1853-01-17 00:00:00

INDIA AND CHINA.

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

THE WAR IN BURMAII,
CAPTURE OF PEGU.
We have received our despatches and papers in
anticipation of the overland mail. The dates are—
Bombay, Dec. 17; Calcutta, Dec. 7; Madras, Dec.
13 ; Hong Kong, Nov. 29.
The following is the letter of our Bombay corre-
spondent :
BOMBAY. Dec. 17.
Pegn was re-captured on the 21st November by
the force under General Godwin, the departure of
which from Rangoon I mentioned in my last. It
consisted of Ist Bengal Fusiliers, Europeans, 300
men ; Ist Madras Fusiliers, Europeans, 300 men;
sth Madras Native Infantry, 400 men • Sappers and
Miners, 60 men ; Artillery, 30 men : total, 1,090 men
—with two howitzers. The expedition left Rangoon
in three small steamers and a number of gun-boats
from her Majesty's ships on the 18th, and reached its
destination on the night of the 20th November. On
the following day, Sunday, the 21st, the city fell into
our hands after some tolerable show of resistance, our
loss being as follows :—Killed-2 rank and tile Ben-
gal Fusiliers; 1 sergeant and 2 men sth Madras
Native Infantry. Wounded—Lieut. Cooke, sth
Madras Native Infantry, commissariat department;
Lieuts. Whitlock and Cloete, sth Madras Native In-
fantry; Bengal Fusiliers, 9 men ; Madras Fusiliers,
1 sergeant and 14 men ; sth Madras Native Infantry,
2 native officers, 2 sergeants, and 2 sepoys. Total
killed, 5 ; . wounded, 34. The first and last-
named officers were dangerously, and the second
severely wounded. General Godwin directed the
operations of the day in person. As usual, complaints
are made of bad arrangements, the troops were taken
too far up the river before being landed, and when
they did land they were close to the guns of the
stockade, and suffered severely. The best account of
the affair I have sees is given by a correspondent of
the Bombay Ames, which I subjoin :
Piga was gallantly captured on the 21st alining, with a
lose to us of five killed and 32 wounded, most of the latter
severely; the attacking force consisted of a wing of the
Bengal Fusiliers, a ditto Madras ditto, and 350 of the Ma
dna 6th Native Infantry, with two or three guns of light
calibre. This force left Rangoon in the river steamers and
boats of her Majesty's steamers Fox and Sphinx, on the
morning of the 18th; and on the morning of the 12th
reached Pegn. On the 20th they were landed during the
night, and after a sheep fir* from the stockade carried it at
the point of the bayonet. The Burmese resisted well so
long as the wooden barrier existed between them and the
invaders, but bolted the instant the head of the
column showed inside. Old Godwin, of coarse, commanded,
he not being inclined to allow any of his numerous divi-
sional and brigadier officers to reap the honours. Ths
enemy expected we should have attacked them at the fur
ther corner of the stockade, which they bad very strongly
fortified, all ready to give the troops a warm reception.
They had, however, fortunately for them, placed a boom,
or rather posts, across the river, which compelled the steam
vessels to anchor below the river. Our loss chiefly COIRSIPiI
of men of the bth Madras Native Infantry, who remained
at the corner of the stockade near the lauding place, keep-
ing up a fire on the Burmese to distract the attention of the
enemy from the Europeans, who were making a rapid ad-
vance along the face of the work, slightly sheltered from
observation by low grass and shrubs ; the ditch was found
to be quite impassable, being so muddy that a man sunk
nearly waist deep in it.
As a garrison for Pegu, 200 of the Madras Fusiliers
and as many of the sth Madras Native Infantry,
with some artillery, were left behine ; the remainder
of the force returned to Rangoon. The enemy from
Pegu fled in the direction of 'foonghoo, from whence
they would require to be frightened—beaten away
does not apply to such miserable warfare. An unfor-
tunate affair occurred near Proms on the 19th, in
which Captain Gardner and a sergeant of the 40th
Madras Native Infantry were killed and six sepoy.s
wounded. The following account of the mishap I'
given in the Rangoon letter of the Culotta Enylish-
man of the 2nd instant:
The evening before last news was brought down by a
gun-boat of a disastrous affair at Akoktoung, disastrou
because a small detachment of our troops there was re-
pulsed, being overpowered by numbers, and more especially
disastrous, as at the same time fell Captain Gardner of the
40th Regiment Bengal Native Infantry ; he was one of the
facet officers in the service. The following account of the
affair has been gathered from the report of the officer com-
manding the Enterprise steamer, stationed at Akoktoung.
A detachment of the ,nth Regiment Bengal Native In-
teeny, under Captain Gardner, was attached to the Enter-
prise, with instructions to visit the Akoktoung-hill onus
day. On the morning of the 18th the detachment landed, end
marched over the brow of the eastern part of the hill, whieh
Is separated by a creek from the western, without any moles-
tation, and without even seeing any one, although several
armed men were observed on both aides of the hill from
the Enterprise, whom a shell er two served to disperse. Oa
the morning of the 10th Captain Gardner determined to
land on the other hill, and he resolved to attempt its assent
from the village of Tomboo just above. There are two
white pagodas on the slope of the hill, surrounded by thick
jungle. The place selected for landing is a plain extending
from the jungle to the river. As soon as the troops ap-
proached the jungle a jingal was tired from the summit of
the hill as a signal evidently, as the troops were not wallas
range of it. The detachment soon eker entered the junlie

„.------
so,,a,a to, through which a pathway passes does to the two
.0.4 a pagodas on the ridge of the hill ; this road
i eo 'Arrow as not to admit two abreast. is very precipi-
ow in most places, and is skirted by thick brushwood.
The men did nut &armlet far before the Burmese opened
Sr,. on them from this jungle in which they were lying in
muss, Ade, and were informed of the approach of our troops
by the •:gliel gun. Captain Gardner, who was in front.
sro immediately shot dead by a jingal ball in the bead- •
ascotsr just behind him met with a similar fate. TM
statelier of Burmese, in this advantageous positidn, whence
glee could see the movements of our fellows from their
bilis,: plates, without themselves being seen, seemed very
emssidersble. The Subadar lefkin command of tbs party
WWI to have made a good attempt to posh his way, in-
asmuch as oil of his men were wounded—two danger-
. They were, however, so hard pressed as
Mender it impossible to bring away the body'
ef the fallen officer and of the havildar, which
Imre in consequence li ft in the hands of the Eurmese. I
Twre is no doubt both were killed on the spot. The
',pop retired t i the taste side, according to the testi-
any of thine who saw them, with perfect steadi-
ness and in good order. One is at once struck with
else straw impropriety of allowing so strong a place
as itkoltduag, with its commanding hill, to remain us-
prnsoned, a detachment of 40 men, Europeans or Natives,
was surely not sufficient to prevent 'the enemy from re-
;rig themselves of this commanding high ground.
bad the detachmeht b. ec located on :he eminence with
iastrucoune to hold their own, that would have been as
Each as could have been capec ed of them ; but to aced
Ell men under one European officer to scour ground, the
nature of which afforded concealment to considerable bodies
at the enemy, see m% unaccountably rub.
General Godwin returned to Rangoon on the 24th
Nov.. in the steamer Mahanuddy, the Nerbuddah
seemining at Pegu. Had this city been retained
when captured some months before, as it ought to
lave been, the present sacrifice of life would have
been avoided. A couple of Europeans are said to
have been cut off by cholera after the occupation of
the city. Nothing. particular has been heard from
Frame, where provisions arc said to be exceedingly
lam. e tut of 1,400 men who garrison hlartabao
870 Acre in hospital ; and an equal number of sick
were unfit for duty at Mauhuain in the early part et
November, the European company of artillery having
mile fifteen men in barracks. The detachments
posted at ]calla, Passendown, and Kemmendine, had
put a stop to the robberies and murders before se
common about these places, and everything Mlle
quiet. An expedition of gunboats started from lbw
goon on the night of the 24th to scour the Della
creeks. On the 26th Reid's battery, a portion al
H.M. 51st LI., and a number of the ltamghur ha-
tallion horse, started for Promo by steam ; and Ge-
mini Godwin was to follow shortly after. On his
arrival there, the stockade at Etheomen was
to be captured. Further than Proms it is believed
our force will not advance until forced. There seems
to be no doubt entertained of the annexation of the
country up to that city. A curious anecdote is told
of the commander or some one of the Moozuffer and
Oeneral Godwin. The steamer had just arrived
from Calcutta, when the little steamer Mahe-
/middy approached her and a staff officer naked what
news? The answer given is said to have been, that
• the old woman Godwin had been superseded, and
that General Cheape had been appointed to the
sommand in his room!” The staff officer was the
General himself! The story is too good to be true,
I fear. Just as the mail was leaving Rangoon a
steamer was discovered to be on fire : she had on
board a large quantity of ball-cartridge, and con-
Alembic alarm prevailed on board, when a sergeant
eof the 51st Foot I presume) courageously went
below, and at great personal risk succeeded in
quenching the flames. The subjoined are the Pegu
despatches:
THE PUNJAUB.
In my last I told you of the flight of the Khagur
chief, and the occupation of his fort by the irregular
troops under Major Abbott and Lieutenant Pearce.
Major Mackeson continued in the valley for some
time settling matters, and on the 19th Nov. the run-
away chief delivered himself up to him. Since then
his adherents have all followed his example, and
and quietness prevails throughout the Pen-
h From other par's of the provincethere is
to relate. Captain Marshall, 42nd Madras
Fltle
N. 1., captain of the Lahore police, has resigned. A
Mr. Feeney, of the salt department, is said to have
been poisoned at Kurrumpoor by his native officer
en the 3rd November, for the sake of the mouey he
had by him. The unfortunate man was under sus-'
pension for intemperance, and it is therefore quite
possible that in an evil hour he may have put an end
to his own existence. It is thought probable that
Bir H. Wheeler, is place of going home, will
be appointed to the divisional command at
Lahore, as Brigadier-General Yates is sup- ,
=to have declined it. A very good I
ption of black tea has been reared by
Dr. Jameson near Kangra, and the Chinese
saltinters seem to think the district will prove
imiisently favourable for . its cultivation; some
sent from Knutson in 1848 have attained a
bight of five and six feet, and have yielded this
mans several hundred pounds of tea and more than
bile ton of seed. Lieut. H. N. Miller has bass'
appointed a captain in the police, and been succeeded
in the Guide Corps by Lieut. G. N. Harding,.
Major D. Macpherson, 22nd N. 1., is to act as mili-
tary secretary to the Board of Administration at La-
hare. A convalescent station is about to be perma-
nentlyestablished in the Mures hills. The 15th N. 1.,
on their way to Peshawur, reached Rawul Pindee on
the 2nd inst., all welL Strange to say, not a line
of news from the former station has been published
during the fortnight, from which it may be inferred
that nothing particular has occurred. Sickness, at
the generality of the stations was decreasing, and
the weather was becoming cold and pleasant. Mr.
K Branton, C.S., deputy commissioner at Leia, has
gone away for change of air, having been unwell for
some time.
SCINDB.
Though considerably abated, sickness still con-
tinued very prevalent at Kurrachee, and I regret to
have to announce the death there, on the 29th alt,
of Assistant-Surgeon Bewes, of the 83rd Foot, of
fever. The health of the 83rd had improved, but not
so that of the wing of the 84th at Hydrabad. The
European Recruits left by steamer for Mooltan Des
the 24th, and the wing of the 2nd Grenadiers for
Bakker on the 26th. The &inde News office had
ben seized on by the military authorities, and the
eablicatiou of the paw suspended. Why or wistree_ .
lons is not stated. The measure seems one ei Ilhe
Muscat severity, and to my thinking is deserving a(
Iles condemnation of every freeman. The News me
emionally indulged in biting sarcasm, and, I as
Wry to add, unbecoming personalities; but this
&ems no valid resew why it should be suppressed.
Had Sir Charles Napier been the author of such a
proceeding, the Bombay press would have teemed
fora month at least with articles couched in the
most indignant language : as it. is, one paper seems
to insinuate that what has been done must be right,
and another merely calla attention to the arbitrary
set, se endangering the liberty of the press. Ma-
L'ilzY' a"ehY' brigade-major of theic. on Queen's troops at
a isn deputed ta
ejie-
aial duty—it supposed to inquire intotlzrachee
the
cause of the invalids having been despatched
to Bombay in boats not properly covered he by which
aspect the men suffered great inconvenience, and
nee died of coop de win' on the way down. Kr.
Nem, the commissioner, was on the 3rd still shwa
at Hydrabad. Owing to the absence of a couple of
the members, the court-martial on Major Shaw. had
not assembled. Dr. Rooke, superintending sarisalts
had gone ou his tour to Bhooj. Captain &lamb
is command of the Indus flotilla, was at K
mad was said to be rather unwell. Out of tie
alive boats on board which the 6th Native I=
hit Bombay for Kurrachee, only twelve had
their destination ; twelve Lave returned to Bosky.
awing to bad weather ; two are still miming.
Rowe, the headquarters of the Indus flotilla, bad
been nearly deserted, owing to the sickness which
bad followed the inundations. The weather on the
out was cool and agreeable, and it was believed the
elation of Kurrachee would soon regain its good name
he healthiness. The stalls in the house built for the
peat fair were being taken up slower than it had
Deep expected they would be; but there was still
plenty of time before the opening of the fair to enable
traders from afar to reach Kurrachee and take them
let. All transit duties on goods passing down
through Beide to Sonmeanee are suspended for three
years, by the Jam of the former place, at the request
el the Khan of Kelat.
BENGAL AND THE NORTH-WEST

is-
at
se
he

la-
pra
Is
0

to leave Simla for timbale on the 13 h inst.: he in-
tends visiting the Deyreh Dhoon and other districts
in February, and then returning to the hills. His
Excellency was in good health. Lady Comm was
ailing. The parties who recently defrauded the
Bank of Bengal, by means of forged cheques, have
been discovered—they are, or were, employes in the
establishment, as was suspected from the first: one
of them has turned Queen's evidence, although in-
formed he would gain nothing thereby. The Mar-
quis of Dalhousie proceeds shortly after New Year
on a tour through the eastern provinces, and
will be accompanied, among others, by Mr. C.
Beadon. The Darya-i-door diamond, said to be a
far purer gem than the celebrated Koh-i-
Noor, was sold at Calcutta on the 29th of
November for 5,9001. It formerly belonged to the
father of the present Prime Minister at Hyderabad,
who obtained it from the Mahratta princes fur
13,0001.: how it got into the possession of the late
Itunjeet Singh is not stated. A great number of
articles of value were also being disposed of by go-
vernment • amongst others the emerald armlets of
Nadir Shah and the state dress of Shere Singh. Mr.
W. Inglis, registrar to the board of customs, salt, and
opium, died at Calcutta of cholera on the 23rd of
November. Mr. Boldero, C.S., has resigned. It is
reported at Caleutta that the London Times has
offered Mr. Marshman, editor of the Friend of
India, who is about to return to England,
1,0001. a year as its Indian editor ; and a more
talented or fit person for the berth could not be
wished for, though Mr. Marehman has at times in
India been accused, and with much justice, of being
in many matters something of a toady to govern-
ment. Ensign White, 42nd N. 1., has been tried by
leourt-msrtial at Fort William, he having refused to
avail himself of the alternative of resigning the ser-
vice. The electric telegraph across the river has
been completely repaired ; it had been damaged by a
ship's anchor. The Saucer and Nerbuddah territo-
ries are to be placed under the government of the
north-west provinces. The Seikh birders nowcaptives
at Calcutta are to be allowed to drive about in a car-
riage three times a week, and are to be provided
with an establishment for that purpose at the expense
of their gaolers. The Calcutta papers usaure us that
Mr. C. R. M. Jackson, advocate-general, had received
the appointment of puisne judge at Bombay by last
mail. He is to be succeeded by Mr. C. R. Prinsep,
standing counsel to the East India Company, who is
to be succeeded by Mr. Hogg—a son of Sir James
tiegg's—who is nearly the youngest member of the
Calcutta bar. The latter appointment explains the
'whole matter. Captain Phayre was to leave Calcutta
in the Zenobia on the Bth : ho had been appointed
commissioner of the Pegu provinces, and on arriving
at Rangoon the annexation proclamation would be
published.
MADRAS.
The Presidency was visited by very heavy rain,
and it was feared that damage would be sustained
by the river embankments in the neighbourhood. It
is said that government intend placing steamers on
the large rivers, should they be found navigable
throughout the year, such as are now so extensively
employed in Bengal ; but it is feared the scheme will
not answer oa more than the Godavery. Mr. Bur-
gess
.has been re-appointed Sheriff of Madras for the
ensuing year—much, of course, to the annoyance of
the enemies of Sir H. Pottinger. There was no
truth whatever in the report that Colonel Vivian was
on the point of applying for sick leave to England,
he being in good -health, and merely wishing to
stay on the Neilgherries for a few months
for relaxation, and on private leave. The
Mysore commission is losing three of its members at
once : Dr. C. J. Smith has resigned medical charge,
Captain Kirby goes home, and Lieutenant Ramsay
to the Cape and Australia—the latter being sick.
Captain M. Galway, of the Madras army, goes home
on medical farloegh. The report of the Honourable
Mr. Elliott being about to retire from India turns
out incorrect—as indeed do one-half at least of the
rumours Which gain currency in the papers of that
presidency—the others being bat a shade better for
that matter. The European seamen at Madras are
said to have entered into a combination not to take,
service on boardOny `vessel under 3!. 109. per men-
sam at Bombay two-thirds this amount is con-
s4red a good salary.
NIZAM'S DOMINIONS.
General Fraser quits Hyderabad on the 31st inst.
he Madras, where he embarks for England, after
haying retired from the army. He has recently been
Left &large property at home, and, like a sensible
man, he means to try and enjoy it. It was not true,
it appears, that the general had resigned in a tiff at
something harsh being said to him by the Governor-
General. It is expected that Major Malcolm, of the
Bombay army (now political agent at Owalior), will
succeed to the Hyderabad residency, and a better
selection could not be made, for the major was for
several years assistant at the residency, and is well
acquainted with the people around the Nizam.
It is believed that annexation of the en-
tire province has been recommended to the
home authorities from India ; and the sooner
the recommendation is acted on the better. At
present the country harbours bands of lawless
rufilars—Rohillas and Arabs—many of whom are
said to have been hired by the Candeish malcontents,
and to be at this moment is the field in considerable
force against us. Surely then, if the Prince cannot
root them out from his dominions, or keep them from
annoying us, we ate quite justified in taking the law
into our own hands and preventing such annoyances
from again occurring to us. The state of the province
continues as bad as ever, and it is absurd if not cri-
minal in the British authorities to allow things to
continue in their present state when they could so
testy be mended. A correspondent of the Bombay
Mess the. addresses
instant r-
Your sedate la the Timm of the nth on the Nissai's Ta-
loaders is my 'undo sad entirely comet in every respect,
mops ass very essential op, which is, that in the late Ta-
;Widens fights, the applicants to the Minister did not, as
yes have pat it, ask permission. sad receive the reply you
have gives," that he (the Minister) interfered with no man's
stein, sad the parties might do as they pleased," but quite
the seatrary. in one of those small wars, that at Edlabed,
whale 473 sea were killed and wounded (I have this frees
Iles leaden) on both sides, the Minister bad given orders ia
lb emu writing for the engagement of Robins', or other
assereeries, by meth party, and, what is mate, bee to pay
To ms an expedition al obssirdasi he emplepd
OM separate parties and paid the to dispute in arms his
pre orders, and this wee dose with a ferocity which has so
parallel in regular warfare. To be sure he had taken ma
soy from both in advisees es the Telooka fir which the
fighting took place. It is hardly necessary to as that
the district has been utterly rained, and will eld little
or so revenue this year. What occurred at Edlabad is now
being repeated at a place called Wallooj, where two
Talookdars ars fighting for possession, one an Arab =done
a Robins : by the last account upwards of a hundred men
had been killed and wounded, and the war was still raging.
I dare say these examples will be followed by others, for
nothing sea 'seed the residelsame of the minister's pro-
ceedings. It is becoming a system with him to oust those
is pommies of Tatookas by taking advances from others,
leaving the two parties to fight the matter oat as beet they
can, not however on their ewe respoosibility but on his
given deliberately, as I have told you, by written orders,
or endorses's. upon the representations on either side.
Such papers are event, and are, or I am much mistaken,
knows officially to the resident, having come before him in
an investigation in regard to the stoppage of the regular
government Tapal at Edlabad and maltreatment of the
runners G I Fraser has not yet received a reply from
Calcutta about his resignation, but has made preparations
for his voyage home. I wish we could get Outrun, we
want a man who will not endure lies, and one to bring about
reforms, if that be possible.
BOMBAY.
Lord Fitsclarence left Bombay for Poona on the
sth instant., for the purpose of inspecting and re-
viewing the troops at Poona and Ahmednuggur. His
lordship took the good people at the former s ation
by surprise on the Bth, and the same day commenced
looking about him and seeing things as they are for
himself. Ho next day inspected the European
Fusileers ia their barracks, the weather being too
wet to admit of a parade out of doors. Some officers
of the corps in Poona are said to have been quite
nonplussed at the questions put to them by the
general as to the internal economy of their com-
panies--theyiumber of their men ;in hospital, &c.,
being apparently unknown to them. Many of the
soldiers whom his lordship fell in with were interro-
gated by him as• to several matters on which he
wished for information, and it is believed that some
radical changes are likely to follow his inquiries. He
was well pleased with the Fusiliers, and compli-
mented the 86th most highly on their discipline and
be sari, beheld a finer

-
PROVINCES. I ap; earanee--he had neier, ,
The Don. IL G. Campbell, civil service, goes home corps in, any country or service ; and his praise
Si medical leave. Sir John Littler was to leave for war certainly well deserved. After inspecting
England about the 9th or 10th; and Lady Dalhousie, all the regimeUts at Poona, Lord Fascia-
1t is said, proceeds home shortly. Tho Governor- rears started for Ahmednaggur on the 10th, but
General continues at Calcutta. Sir W. Gomm was was compelled to return, owing to the rivers being