Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-26 00:00:00

GUNBOATS ON THE GANGES

Is it not s'range that ow government and the autho-
rities in India st.em to neglect the most obvieus means
for strengthening our fences? A few men-of-war stationed
before Calcutta would do more to prevent a rising in that
cty than all the tro,ps and volunteers in it. The men of
war wou'd have the town, especially the native portion of
it, completely at their mercy ; and part of their crews
night he farmed into naval brigades to do duty on shor,.
The crew of the Shannon, which has just arrived at Cal-
cutta, seems to have been rite a goiseni to the autho-
rities there. Our innumerable gunboats, built during the
last war, are almost everywhere lying idle: they would be
of incalculable use on the Ganges during the four rainy
months of July, August, September, and October. "1
luirynsesaye a corkesuogdent, " had some experience in the
n evigati in of the Glnges, end I can safely as,ert that in
these mor.ths the Ganges would, in the rainy se;son, be
navigable for gunboats up t, Allehahad, and in July and
August they might ascend even to Agra and Cawnpore.
Their presence on the river would have kept the entire
line of communication open, and we should have heard
nothing of the outbreaks and dis,sters at Dinapere, Alla-
hab ad, Benares, &c." There are several reaches in the
Gages, where for many miles the river is deep enoneh
to float gunboats drawing from five to twelve feet of water
at the driest season of the year. This is the case at
Benares, and generally opposi e most of the large towns ;
and the gunboats could be stationed at such places, if
recessary, all the year round. The steamers at present nil
the Ganges ore entirely unsuited for warlike operations.
They ate nearly all tags of a very light build. The pas-
sengei s and cargo are placed in a light barge towed by the
•steamer, called an acco.nolation boat. They would be
quite ineipahle of kerning open the communication, if the
rebels took up a fortified position anywhere oa the banks
of the river. England is strongest in her navy ; bat to
judge froth the way in which G.avernment is conducting
'hr war one would think that we had not a single frig etc
or gunboat to aid our scanty land force.

It is fhe intention of the inhabitants of Chipper, in
Somersashire, to rake 100 recruits for her Mjesty's
service, and present sine gentlemai of the neighbour-
hood wi;h a commission.

EYIGItATI N TO AU,TRAIIIA. gentleman from the
Australian colonies has visited the eastern coun,ics during
the last few days for the purpose of incluc;ng emigrants
to proe-ed to the son'hern continen,.
The Worcester Chronicle says: —" Lost week as the
Worcester end Hereford coach was proceeding, halfway
bst,veen Malvern aml this city, a s:m:ts-nan in a fi
adjoining the road shot at a a>vev of birds, and one of the
sh its 1 edged in the cheek of a lady on the coach."
Ira ths pub!ic room of the Caledonian Hotel, ()ban,
there is an anrique oak chair, wilt the following inse iption
n a silver pliate :—Tnis chair was sEnt by Lochiel to
Prince Charles Stuart, on the occasion when the 11,1a1
Standard was unfurld to claim the Crown cf his ancestors
at Wet.fianin, on the 19 h August, 1745."

ANOTHER RUSSIAN roWNIFS4.—A letter from Sim-
ferop rl in the Crimea, in the Austrian Gazette, sta`es
that a large fortress is be'ng construat-d by the Russian
government on the bill of Mithridattf s at Kitrtel, in order
to command the strai's of Jenikale, which go into the Sea
of Az W The expeas.?, the letter says, is estimatei at
12,000,000 silver roubles (4fr. e,ich); and it is added that
engineers have b'en sent from St. Petersburgh to superin-
tend the construction.
R P )RTED VISIT OF THE QUEEN TO NADU° HOUSE.—
The R al of Aberdeen posed across the country on Morday
from 1-laddo House, on his way to visit her Maj sty at
Balmoral. It is rumoured that there is a probability of
the Quart and Court removing fir a short titn3 from the
llghlands to Haddo House, and that the noble lord
(Haddo), the member fur the counts', and family, will
during her Majesty's stay, take up their residence at Mel-
drum House. Haddols between 50 and 60 miles distant
from B daloral, and abut 20 miles north of Aberdeen.—
Banffshire Journal
13.1:sxmo Iv GERMANY.—The Deutschland of Vienna
.ays:—We learn from good authority that the directors of
banks in Oen.tral Germany will shortly held a canference
in Frankfurt, in order to Came to an unlerstanding
nspecting the reprisals to be adopted against Prussia
for her prohibition of the circulation of their bank notes
within her terra ory. Up b the present moment, these
batiks have d, tided that ac long as the decree of the
Prusaian Minister of Commerce is in force, they will not
advance any moley for transac ions in the kingdom of
Prussia, and will even close the credits now open.
THE SILEvT SYSTEA.— M dile. Rachel has installed
herself in the house which has been prepared fur her near
Canner, and in which sbe is to pass the winter. A cele-
brated physic'an, whom she consulted at Paris before her
departure, has prescribed a: 'Omen for her which be
declares will infa libly restore her to health. One of the
rules laid down by him is that she is not to speak during
The Whole time of her treatment, and the patient is state I
to have accepted this condition, writing her questions atd
answers on a slate. In a letter which Mdlle. Rachel has
written to one of her friends, she declares b-r int.r ntion of
conforming to the preecription, and of not uttering a word
until the month of May next.--.-.Le Pays.