The Express.
London, England, 1848-11-18 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

INDIA AND CHINA.

By the overland mail from India, we have accounts
from Hong-Kong to the 29th September • Calcutta
to the 7th, Madras the Bth, and Bombay the 17th of
October. _ _ _

The most important news communicated by the I
present mail is the announcement, apparently on ;
good authority, that the supreme government had
decided upon the permanent annexation of the Pun- ;
jaub to the British territories in India, and that, with
a view to the immediate occupation of the country,
order, had been issued for an augmentation of the
Bengal army, to the extent of 15,000 men. Troops
were moving from different quarters, es that Lord
Gough would find himself, before the close of the
present month, at the head of an army of 30,000 men,
with a force of 10,000 from Bombay, co-operating
along the line of the Indus.
The position of affairs at Moulton, and in the
Priejoub, bad not materially changed. There had
been no more fighting of consequence. Gen. Whish,
after two or three movements of his camp, had
secured a good position, where he awaited reinforce-
ments. It was reported that Dcwan Moolrej and Shere
Singh placed no confidence in each other, and that a
separation of their interests and their forces was by
no means improbable. Chittur Singh was at Hume-
pore ; Capt. Abbott, who expected an attack, was at
Nara • and Capt. Nicholson at Fettuh Jung. In
Pesh;wur, upto the 26th of September, there had been
no actual outbreak. The Noorpore rebel, Ram
Singh, had been totally defeated by a party
of Ferris's Hill-rowers. At Butmor, the Sikh
troops had mutinid. In Cashmere, warlike
preparations were sad to be going on, and the
Maharajah Golub Sing had assured the resi-
dent that his men were induced to desert by
the high rates of pay offered by the rebel chiefs ; and
that, however desirous of controlling them, he had
not the power to do so. At Lahore all remained
quiet, but Sir F. Currie refused to sanction
the withdrawal of any portion of the garrison.
The commander-in-chief, Lord Gough, was expected
to be at Ferozepore by the 2nd November. All the
arrangements had been made for the formation of a
Bombay force, to co-operate with that sent from the
Bengal provinces. The Bengal force would be
by the commander-in-chief.
Commercial affairs at Bombay were dull; but at'
;° Calcutta, business was rather better.
There is no political news from China. The troops
r at Hong Kong were in better health than they had
been for some time. At Hong Kong the import
market showed an upward tendency, particularly in
. cottons, but the export trade wu dull.
_The following Is the summary of the Bombay

Tames:
The statement given in our last that the army of Olin.
Whish had, on the 17th of Sept. made a second retrograde '
movement, and had encamped 18 miles from Mooltan, was
as erroneous one: the stores snd baggage referred to as
lost were lost on his first reirement on the 18th from the ,
walls. This was theomplished without loss of life : though
the enemy hovered on ear rank. and rear, they were afraid
to risk an engagement Several ekirthishes occurred betwixt
the 16th and 24th. On the latter day the heavy guns
and stores were removed to a second position about
two miles further back, end on the following day the force
shifted clamp. Their present position is betwixt four and
fin miles SSW. of the city, and about the same distance
east of the Chenaub. The front of the camp faces NNE. ;
Courtlandt's and Edwardes' tamp being half a mile to the
right. The heavy batteries on the left and right centre
command the approach to the camp in all directions.
The communication with Bahawulpore is kept open by
the Meerut Khan's men. The enemy had several
times threatened an attack, but had always drawn off
on perceiving that our troops were prepared for
their reception. Oa the tat of October, to which date our
intelligence extends, an escort had been sent down to the
river to guard a large amount of masers and ammunition
just arrived by the Napiee from Ferozepore into camp. The
jealousy and mistrust existing from the fort betwixt the
Hew= Moolraj and Rajah Shere Singh had been greatly
increased by a letter having been purposely allowed to fall
into the hands of the former, purporting to have been
written by General Whish to the latter, congratulating him
on the moms so far of their schemes, and the
approaching completion of the plot! A council was
called by Moolraj, and the fliellth chief taxed with
his supposed ethersy and treachery. He of course stoutly
denied the secusation, and declared lab determination to fight
sad annihilate to cat the first opportunity ! The Dew= had
bees joined by several chieh with their followen—ansong
the rest by Make Singh, whom we bad left in charge
of the bands in the river. These had been destroyed by
him, sad the kit* around the city eon more fiWdwtwith

water. The people in the town had begun to feel the want
of the preeiam element, when the triteoheryof another of our
silks relieved them. Daily rein'orcenteets were arriving at
Mooltan, and it was undentosd that the great day of the
Dusserah (7th October) had been flied on as the one
on which a grand attack ins to be made by the enemy
on our camp. Orr force was fully prepared for their re ep
Son, end eagerly looking forward to the opportunity this '
would afford them of avenging the death of their brave coin- I,
nations who had fallen before the walls. All the wounded
offieen and men, with the exception of Liente. Christopher,
IN., and Hellinsworth, 10th Foot, were doing well. 1. ery
little sickness prevailed in the camp, and the troops were in
high spirits. The fort of Soojaabad, twenty-five miles off,
bat been fixed on ea a depot for the sick and the
heavy guns and stores, which were in a few days ,
obe gent thither by boat'. Meanwhile en army of
about 25,000 men are assembling at Ferosepore, under the
superintendence of Lord Gough, and will probably break
ground by the middle of November. A force of 7,000 men !
hes been ordered to assemble at Rome, in Upper Beinde, on
the let November, under Major-General Auehmuty. It
will not be able to march much before the end of !
the month. There is no fear but General Whisk
will be able to hold his own till joined by the
Bengal force, about the second week in De
camber. Everything continued quiet at Lahore. The
Rajah Deena Nath had returned nom his fruitless mission
to Harareh. The 14th irregular cavalry had returned from
Govindshur, their place having been taken by the 53d N. I.
from the Jullundher bell force. Fiftv.two guns had been
found in the fort, and provisions sufficient for
Coked M'Sherry's force (two regiments of infantry) for
a couple of years. Mrs. Lawrence reached Lahore from
Peshawur on the 3rd of October.—All the Durber troops in
the districts of Burinoo had mutined on .the news of Shere
Singh's defection becoming known telthem. They consisted
of four regiments of infantry, 500 horse, 12 guns, and 50
zumbooruclui They had besieged the governor, Futteh
Khan Tawan.ab, in the fort of Dhuleepghur. Latest accounts
received at Lahore state that the mutiny had been subdued.
The Mai troops at Peshawar up to Sept. 26 had remained
true tons : how much longer they would remain so should
the Birder Chnttur Singh cross the Indus to he northwerit,
remains to be seen. The rebel chief had after the skirmish
is the Margolis Pus been prevented from joining the
Claudia brigade for some time, when the treachery coed
cowardice of the troops under Captain Abbott and Lieu-
tenant Nicholson enabled him to effect his object. He
was joined by them at Hansen. He was, by lest accoun a,
at Ilurrypoor, uncertain how to act. His move-
ments were closely watched by Captain Abbott from
Nana Lieut. Niehollion from Funds Jung, and Lieut.
Herbert: from Attock ; but they were too week to attempt
to molest him s indeed, the former' daily expected to be
attacked by him. The force ordered against Chuttur Singh
from Jullundhnr reached Tanda on the 213‘11, and prepara-
tions were making for crossing the Bans. The rebel Ram
Singh, who had lately caused a disturbance at Nampo',
narrowly escaped being captered in the jungle near Hurree-
poor, whither he had been traced by Ferris's Hill Rangers.
He was wounded, but managed to escape. Through-
out India at large the most profound tranquillity prevails.
The Governor General is on hi* way to the North-west. The

Commander in Chief in India will be at Ftrosepore by the
24 November. The Governor of Madras contemplates a
tour through the presidency over which he rules. The
Lieutenant Governor of the north-west provinces proeeeds to
meet Lord Dalhousie at Umbel's. The Governor and Com.
in-chief of Bombay have returned to the presidency. Gen.
Auchmuty has proceeded to &bide to take command of the
form forming at Roree for service at Mooltan. Brigadier
Dundee proceeds with his corps on service. Brigadier Capon
has been appointed to command the troops in Scinde. The
Bengal Infantry and irregular cavalry have been ordered to
be turcreesed—the former by 220 and the latter by about
100 to 'ciseh corps: or about 18,000 in true bill has
been found by the grand jury at Madras against Dr. Dau-
beney, for the murder of the infant child of the late Mrs.
Frere, which wog found concealed in • bee in that unfortunate
lady's house after her death.—The death of the Abyssinian
traveller, Sir W. C. Harris, has begat announced. Col. Out-
ram CB., resident at the court of his highness the Guicowar
of Baroda Li about proceeding on leave for a twelvemonth to
Egypt. He is to be succeeded by Capt. French, at present
town major at Bombay. Mr. R. N. C. Hamilton, resident
at the court of Indore, is said to be about shortly pro•
needing home, or being appointed to sante other berth.
Lieutenant Colonel Low, who, it will be remembered,
acted for General Frazer at Hyderabad dufng hie absence
on leave, has been appointed Governor General's
agent in the states of Rajpootana, in succession to the late
Colonel Sutherland. Mr. G. A. Bushby, secretary to the
Bengal Government, is to be appointed to the Owalior resi-
dency—Colonel Sieemm, the present incumbent, taking the
place of Colonel Richmond at the Court of Lucknow, the
latter gentleman being about to proceed home on leave.

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
Cassuilties by death in the armies of India, reported since
the departure of the mail, on the kd Oct :
H. M. Taoore. —Edgar S. Smut, Fag , late a lieutenant in the nod
Foot, at Bombay, on the led Ott.—Lieutenant W. Bennett, 15th
Ilorre, at Madre., on the 2711i5e%.
Bonsay.—Major Sir W. C. Hart, Kt., Engiseent, on route to the
Mahabalethwar Mlle, on the 9th Oat.—Enalgn W. Ouldie, 27th N. I ,
en route to Bombay, drowned In the Kutner river. near Benne,
below the Rem Obwat, on the Mb Oct.—Captain Henry Gibeme,
Artillery, at Hackney, orn the let Sept.
Mantua.—Ensign D. Morgan, 25th N. 1., at laulnah, on the 19th
Sept.—Lieutenant, W. A. 0. waken, Rh N. 1., at Secunderabad, on
the 2701 Sept.
BI.N.AL.—Dr. Grayling, 14th Irregular Horse, at Lahore, on the
26th Sept.