Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-12-12 00:00:00

to bear upon the enemy is sufficiently shown by
the Commander-in-Chief having left General

WINDHAM at Cawnpore, with a strong force to

cover a retreat across the Ganges, if necessary,
while Sir COLIN himself push forward with 1,500

,o the relief of Lucknow. From this it would

ppear that Cawnpore is to be the base of our

'uture operations, and that our General's im-

mediate object was to relieve Liicknow, and then

fall back on his reserve, and wait the arrival of

sufficient reinforcements to justify his taking the

field against an armed force of 50,000 men. Sir

COLIN' having crossed the Ganges on the 9th,
would probably have reached the neighbourhood
of Lucknow on the 15th of November. We

might, therefore, have had, under ordinary cir-

cumstances, some intelligence as to his subse-

quent movements via Agra, in the Bombay

espatch of the 17th.

Here we are assuming that the telegraph between

the two latter places was still at work; and in

this we are scarcely justified, as it appears to
have taken from the 9th to the 17th to convey

he intelligence we now hare from Cawnpore to

Bombay. It is encouraging, however, to hear
that so late as the 9th of November, that both

OUTILAM and HAVELOCK were holding out in the

'ace of their overwhelming enemies, and that the

mutineers had been defeated in several engage-

ments. Meanwhile the communication between

OUTRAM and llA.vaLocK—Lucknow and Cawn-

pore—were completely cut off; still we have
this assurance, that the position of our troops.in

;hose distant regions is now beginning to assume

a definite and intelligible character.

The Indian march, climate, scarcity of food,

and shelter are the most formidable enemies that

onr gallant soldiers have to dread. The Hindoo

may prefer death to returning to his allegiance
to his conqueror ; but he can never hope to
vanquish a British soldier in battle. Their

superior numbers, unless backed by a general

rising of the inhabitants, will not avail them

when opposed to the discipline and determination

of an European army. But there is still the

danger of our troops being cut up in detail
before any considerable force could have reached

Cawn pore. Generals HAVELOCK and OUTRAM'S

united forcef could not have exceeded 2,000

effective men, and the small force which Sir

COLIN CAMPBELL took with him to their aid

could render them but very little assistance,

while the large number left to guard Cawnpore

shows that that place must have been seriously

lreatened by the Dinapore and Gwalior

ca*Z.,....-.. Y. 4 -...-o a- c• r w.. 4 4.1....4. ........ tan.. • • 1..,1

e intelligence by this mail is more satisfactory

,han any we have received since the commence•

ment of the rebellion.

PARLIAMENT has barely assembled, when
the Indian Mutiny formed the subject of
debate. In the discussion which took place on
the address, in reply to the QUEEN'S speech,
Lord GRANVILLE in the Lords, and the Premier
in the House of Commons, managed with much
cunning and diplomatic quibbling, to parry off
the serious charges and inuendoes made against
the Governor• General, Lord CANNING. Never-
theless it is impossible to read the speeches re-
lating to his Lordship as the supreme ruler of our
Indian Empire, and not feel that no reply was
made to the serious complaints which have been
preferred against himself and his councillors.
But although what was said by Lord CANNING'S
opponents, amounted to nothing more than a
mere expression of dissatisfaction, we may rest
assured that had there not been an understanding
in both houses, that no decisive discussion on the
state of affairs in India be prematurely forced
upon the legislature, the ministry would have
needed all the power and ability they could com-
mand, to save them and then' pet colleague from
impeachments of a most unpleasant character.
For these reasons the real discussion is yet to
take place, and both Lords and Commons will
be called upon to give their verdict upon the
propriety of the late administration of India,
under circumstances, not only alarming, but
truly appalling. Looking at what has taken place
in India=the mutiny of such vast numbers of
native troops, the butcheries and brutalities
which the Sepoys have committed—the treachery
of princes pretended friendship—and the chaos
of confusion in which the whole territory has
been placed—it is evident that the great question
which parliament will have to solve, consists of
two grand divisions,—the expediency of contin-
uing the East India Company, and its govern-
ment, which has given incontrovertible proof of
its inability to regulate and control the vast
population of our extensive and expanding do-
minion in Asia, and the personal policy of the
men at the head of the Indian department. There
was a total absence of any declaration respecting
the East India Company. Neither Lord DERBY,
nor Mr. DISRAELI, ventured an attack ; they
seemed merely desirous of forcing an engagement.
At the same time Mr. VERNON SMITH and Lord
CANNING came in for no small amount of castiga-
tion, and no one can deny that the accusations
levelled against each, were not rebutted in any
one sense. Had Mr. SMITH less of vanity, and
not such strong faith in the power and influence