The Sun.
London, England, 1855-09-18 00:00:00

for two months, and that there is no reason for
fear.

The Military Gazette of Vienna learns that the
commanding officers of troops have received orders
to watch actively for those who are recruiting for
the foreign legions, as it is known that Colonel
Stutterheim has succeeded in gaining over soldiers
from various states for the British German Legion.

ENING, SEPTEMBER 18, 1858.

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

INDIA.

We have received our despatches from India by
the Overland Mail, of the dates given yesterday in
our telegraphic summary of the news.
The following is the summary of the Bombay
Times of Aug. 13 :
The Santhal insurrection, the commencement of
which we noticed last mail, is still in progress ; but
we know as little now as we did a fortnight since of
the causes which led to it, or the catastrophe to
which it may yet lead. The insurgents in the field
are said to amount to 30,000—bands of them from
500 to 2,000 strong are overrunning the country to
the south-eastward, spreading terror and desolation
before and around them. Two hundred villages are
already said to have been destroyed by them, and
several great towns have been brought into danger.
Wherever they have come in contact with the regu-
lar troops they have of course been dispersed with
much slaughter, and they are not anywhere in a
position to offer effective resistance to the most mo-
derate-sized detachments. So soon as we have a
sufficient force in the field they will be hunted or
driven back to their fastnesses, but the mischief
they are at present occasioning is as lamentable as
their appearance in the field was unexpected. We
must refer the reader to our extracts for details,
which, from their diffusiveness and doubtful accu-
racy, we find ourselves unable to work up into a
regular summary. To us the most important event
is the early retirement of the Marquis of Dalhousie
from supreme authority, and the deep disappoint-
ment experienced that what we knew must neces-
sarily occur six months hence should be anticipated
by an hour. The public mind, besides, has been
made up for the appointment of Lord Elgin, a man
of such pre-eminent talent, so well trained and se-
verely tried in statesmanship, that we hoped to find
in him a successor worthy of the illustrious statesman
who now leaves us amidst the regrets of all India.
Lord Canning may turn out as able a governor as
Wellesley, Bentinck, or Dalhousie, but we should
have preferred a man with more conspicuous ante-
cedents ; and should have regarded the Cabinet
that gave us the late Governor-General of Canada
as a viceroy much more likely to have been sincere
in the maxim they had laid down, " that India to
be well governed must be governed in India,"
than that which placed the Postmaster-General
over an empire more than half as large as Europe,
to administer the affairs of 150,000,000 of human
beings. The interests of the British dominions in
the East seem so significant in the estimation of
Englishmen, that the first chance they have of re-
ceiving the attention which is their due will
probably be when. the Chancellor of England
calls for a few millions annually to meet their an-
nual charges. The Bombay Government are pre-
pared to grant the Western India Irrigation Cow.'
pany the entire profits of their improvements for
99 years, and speak on the subject in a tone of li-
berality and of cordial warmth such as commands
universal admiration. One of the Peninsular and,
Oriental Company's ships has just made the pas-
sage to Aden by the northern route ; it occupied
12 days in the first attempt, or three less than the
average. The experiment ryas ordered by Mr.
Ritchie, for seven years the able and indefatigable
superintendent of the company here, who left for
England by last mail, with the best wishes of all
who know him. At Bombay, notwithstanding the
auspicious commencement of the rains, we begin to
be threatened with an alarming drought, being nearly
a half short of our average fall at the dabe at which i
the south-west monsoon is usually considered over.
The Madras Presidencyp under the administration
of Lord Harris, is at present taking the lead
in public improvement; a plan as wise as vigor-
ous of putting down torture promises if per-
severed in to be'successful. The affairs of the large
collectorate of Malabar are so managed under the
able administration of Mr. Conolly, that the ryots
who were wont only to pay their taxes under a sys-
tem of personal violence are now clamorous for
land on government terms, and as eager to pay
rent under, the apprehension of losing their land as
government is to receive it. This auspicious state
of matters, which is rapidly spreading over the
Bombay Presidency under one admissable revenue
system, might at no distant date become universal
were the example of the Bombay Government and
the Collector of Malabar fairly followed out. A
system of museums for economic and educational
purposes proceeding from a central one at Madras
is spreading over every part of the Presidency—a
matter in which we in Bombay are beginning tar-
dily to copy the sister presidency. The chief of
these is visited by some 20,000 natives monthly,
a third of whom are females. The first trial trip
was made on the Madras Railway on the Ist of
August. It is expected to be opened in December :
the forty Miles having been begun and finished in
two years. The Governor-General is still on the
Neilgherries. Lord Harris continues at Madras,
and has not, as was imagined, proceeded to join the
Governor-General at th hills. Lord Elphinstone
and the Commander-in-Chief continue in the Dec-
can. Trade is dull, freights low, and the money
market is easy.

Aurungabad and Pulse, or• Moheshpore, appear to me
to require troops being stationed in them, even if it is
only to restore confidence to the inhabitants, and lead
them to return to their deserted homes—villages now
being completely deserted and laid waste for a space of
upwards of 40 miles.
The very valuable assisttnce afforded by the Nawab
I cannot speak of too highly. Had it not been for the
thirty elephants supplied us by his Highness, our expedi-
tion would, in consequence of the difficult and almost
impassable country we are in, have been attended with
very different and unsatisfactory results.
The following is an extract from another letter of
the same gentleman, written when he had reached
the object of his further march. It is dated July 25:
I left Coochpara at about 6 a.m. yesterday, with the
troops en route to Barheyte and Bhugnadihee. After we
had marched aboatlthree miles, we entered a pass through
the hills, which led into a large valley in which is situate
many Santhal villages. We had not proceeded above a
mile when we observed a body of Santhals, about 200
strong, emerge from some villages, and advance in an
easterly direction towards us. Capt. Middleton, Mr.
Taylor and myself rode forward, and three guns were
fired at us, and the rebels came on, under Karroo, with
naked swords, and bows and arrows. A company ad-
vanced under Lieut. Parlby to the attack; but, although
several shots were fired, not one of the rebels appeared
to be hit, and they retreated in good order to the hills,
and concealed themselves in the jungle.
I deemed it advisable to call upon Lieut. Parlby to
burn the villages from which these rebels emerged, which
being these, we proceeded to Barheyte, and arrived at
about 1 p.m. We found the village totally deserted and
'plundered. Mr. Pontet's bungalow bad not been fired,
but there was not a vestige of anything remaining in it.
Here on ,the banks of a tank Captain Birch halted his
men, and Captain Middleton, Mr. Taylor, myself, and
a few of the Nizamut troops rode on to the village of
Bhugnadihee, about 12 miles distant, in a south-westerly
direction. We found the village totally deserted, and
in the compound of Kanoo's house, under a large cover
made of wicker work, the Thacoor, which consisted of a
circle of mud about two feet in diameter, raised some
two inches, but connected with the adjacent earth,
and having in the centre another small circle about
three inches in diameter, and similarly raised about two
inches. In fact, the Thacoor was exactly like one of the
solid wooden cart wheels used by these hill people : it
was cracked in two places, and report says, that when
milk was poured on it from its fissures it spouted up, and
other phenomena were seen. Around the Thacoor were
the heads of goats and two buffaloes, which animals
were early that morning offered as an oblation to the
deity, after which Kanoo led forth the men to attack us
in the valley. I have before mentioned leaving Sedu,
who was disabled, by his wrist being broken at the fight
at Moheshpore, to look after the Thacoor Baree, and
plunder ; but on hearing from some persons whom
Kanoo sent across the hills that we were marching on
Bhugnadihee, he deemed it prudent toelecamp with as
much of the plunder as he could, and consequently little
has fallen into our hands, except four elephants (the pro-
perty of the &minders of Pakour and the late Mr. Hen-
shawe), some howdahe, palkees, two guns and one rifle
(English), some brass pots, European clothes, and grain.
All the gold and silver ornaments had been carried off.
I am happy to say that in the Thacoor Baree I found
a tin box, and in it several of the papers and documents
of the ringleaders, the seals of the Darogahs of Thannah
Digee, who was murdered, some orders of the magistrate
of Bhaugulpore, Sedu's written orders ; copies of some
of which I send for your perusal. They are chiefly writ-
ten in the Itindee language. Those only written in
Bengali are sent.
From inquiries made by me last night of the adjacent
villages, I have learnt the following particulars :—This
rebellion has been instigated by four brothers, residents
the village of Bhugnadihee, by name Kanoo, Sedu,
Chand, and Bhyrub, all Manjhees, of whom Sedu and
Chand were at home, and the two others in the houses
of their father-in-law at Simulchap, Pergunnah not
known, in the district of Bhaugulpore, about ten miles
distant from the place. About two months ago Sedu
and Chand went about and told the Manjhees or Mun-
dles that a Thacoor had descended in their house,
and therefore all should bring a cupful of milk, and pre-
sent it as an offering. The villagers asked in what
form the Thacoor had appeared. They said in a flame
of fire. The two brothers also said that on Friday next
he would come again, and on that day all should be as-
sembled at their house. The villagers, in obedience to
the orders of Sedu and Kanoo, took milk every day to
their house, which was placed before the Thacoor, and it
was reported that the milk used w rise up, and was thus
a proof of the Thacoor's presence. Sometimes, when a
man was doubted his cup of milk was declared to be of
a bluish colour, and he was then pronounced to be un-
true to Thacoor, and the offering was refused. When
Friday came all the villagers went to see the Thacoor
at Sedu and Kanoo's house, and were told by the
brothers that the Thacoor had not come that day, but
would on the fifteenth day of the moon, which would be
about fifteen days hence. Sedu showed them two printed
books and two pieces. of paper and a small knife, and-
said these things were sent by the Thacoor, who had
said they should be King, that only one anna should be
paid for each oxen plough and two annas for a buffalo
plough, that their creditors should not be paid, and
that in future only one pica for rupee per annum should
be paid as interest; that the English were to be driven
out of the country, and water only would come out of
their guns, &c. Before the fifteenth day of the moon
came Sethi began to collect all the Santhals together in
his house at Bhugnadihee. They came with bows and
arrows, swords, axes, and drums. Sedu's other two bro-
thers, who-were at Simulehap, also collected men and
joined him at Bhugnadihee, and the force amounted to
about 10,000 men. The Darogah of Dighee having re-
ceived information of all this went with about eight or
ten Burkundauzes to Pauchkattea, which is three miles
distant from Bhugnadihee, and was met there by about
500 Santhals under Sedu; he sent for the Darogah, and
asked him why he bad not presented himself before, in
accordance with the perwannah which he had issued to
him. The Darogah replied that he was absent from
`his. Thannah: Sedu then ordered the Santhals to
surround the police, and with his own hands cut
off the head of the Darogah, and the Burkundauzes
were killed by his followers. He then proceeded to
murder all who would not follow him, and plunder and
burn their villages. Chand Manjee, it appears, remained
at home, whilst Sedu, Kanoo, and Bhyrub led the rebels.
At Moheshpore Sedu received a musket shot on the
wrist of his right hand, and Kanoo and Bhyrub received
a, shot in the abdomen and back respectively, but none
of these wounds are of a serious nature. Sedu was car-
ried away from Moheshpore on a charpoy, after the flight
at Moheshpore, and the four brothers returned the
Bhugnadihee with four elephants and a quantity of plun-
der, and have since remained at home. Yesterday,
hearing of the arrival of the troops, they sacrificed two
buffaloes and 10 goats, and Kanoo with 60 or 70 men
went forth to Rughonathpoor to fight the troops. About
12 o'clock in the day some of the Santhals came running
back to Bhugnadihee, and said that Kanoo was shot and
had died. Sedu and the other two brothers hearing of
this fled to the hills, taking with them as much as they
could of the plundered property. The following men
were in the gang, and warrants for their apprehension
have been issued—(Here followed a list_ of 35 per-
sons, with the names of their villages.) These villages
are under the charge of Mr. Pontet ; they belong to
the Thannahs of Ticree and Dighee, and Sedu and his
brothers 'are, common sort of men, much in debt, and
never paid their creditors,
I have burnt the village of Bhugnadihee, and with itt
the whole of the Thacoor Baree,.and issued the enclosed
proclamation ; it is reported we are to be attacked with

a large force tomorrow, but I don't believe'we shall be.
The four books which it is reported fell from heaven,
and in which the orders of the Thacoor were written,
and which Looks were read every day at the Thacoor
Baree, are translations of the Gospels of St. John into
Bengalee and other languages ; they were found on the
Verandah of Sedn's house, where he used to sit and dic-

- ---
tate his orders, and close to the verandah was the Tha-
-

coor. The books were wrapped up in a white cloth, and
tied round with a piece of gold string.
On the 7th of August Mr. Secretary Grey corn•
municated the following to the Calcutta Press :
Little information of importance has been received
from the disturbed districts for many days.
The Moorshedabad district is reported to be perfectly
cleared of the Santhals.

The accounts regarding the Beerbhoom districts are
conflicting. The most probable statement is that the
Santhals have retired from the south part of the district,
but that they are hovering about in large numbers in the
Pergunnahs north of the Mor, and threatening again to
cross that river to attack Nagore and other places. De-
tachments of troops are well posted foi the defence of
the country, but it is not thought practicable by the
civil officers for the force now in that district to adopt at
present any material measures of offence against the in-
surgents. Brigadier Bird left Raneegunge yesterday
morning for Source with a reinforcement of troops and
three 3-pounder guns.

Frons- the BloaUguipore district there has been an ab-
sence of information during the last few days. But the
troops in that district are now in great force, and some
active operations may be looked for from the directions
of Bhaugulpore, Colgong, and Rajmahal, aided as the
troops are there by the accurate local knowledge of Capt.
Sherwil I, Mr. Poutet, and Mr. Barnes, an indigo planter.
Mr. Bidwell has been directed to proceed to Rajmahal
as a special commissioner.
General Lloyd would, it is supposed, have reached
RAijusahal un the ist or 2d inst. •