The Sun.
London, England, 1852-04-01 00:00:00

72d year, and was very old of his age. The Com-
mander-in-Chiet o` Madras is expected to follow him
shortly.
" A locomotiv.l is now at work daily on the Bombay
railway, and crowds of na;ires as4crtahle to gaze and
wonder at the Arg Gharry,' or ' Fire Chariot,' as they
have christenPd it.

" General Manson, commanding the Scinde division
of the Bombay army, died on the 22d of Febt uary.
" The English mail express of the Bth of January
reached Lahore, vici Bombay, many hours before it
reached Calcutta.

" The Znobia steam-frigate, with the Southampton
mails of the 20th of January, is now nine days overdue.
Considerable apprehensions are entertained regarding
her absence."

(From the Overland Bombay Times.)
The crisis that. has overtaken us within the last fort-
night illustrates the maxim that India in the midst of
peace is at war—that we know not at any time what a
week or a month may bring forth. The Irrawaddy,
which now flows undisturbed and unoccupied to the sea,
will, bwore a month expires, bear a fleet of eight war
steamers, and an army of 3,000 men on its boom ; and
the cities of Rangoon and Manahan, now peaceful, fair,
and fleurishieg, will be heaps of smoking ruins, ;heir
inhabitants scattered, and the British flag 11 atieg,
where they now stand. We mentioned ie our lust the
extreme anxiety of the Governor-General to avoid con-
flict, and to accept of any arrangement that could be
made not inconsistent with our safety and dignity to
restore amicable relations with Burnish ; he was said
to have disapproved of the abduction of the Burmese
ship-of-war by Commodore Lambert, and to have effsred
to restore hn ; but he iusisted on justice being dene to
our injured merchants. The proposition was treated
with insolence, and replied to through the hands of
a common labourer, and it became quite clear that
all that was desired was to gain time —the Burmese
Sovereign had no intention to corrpiy in any way
with our behests. Our frontiers nearest to Burmah
were ordered to be watched, and arrangements were ac-
cordingly made to meet any sudden aegresaion that
might uri:e. Her Majesty's 18th Royal Irish were dis-
patched by the Precursor steamer from Calcutta to Moul-
mein, where they arrived in 73 hours; her Majesty's
80th, from Dinapore, taking their place in Fort William.
Iwo native corps, and three companies of artillery, were
to follow. A like force of anti!, ry and native infantry
its that ordered trom Calcutta were to be provided from
Nladras, loyi,:g in all two European (11th and 51st) and
four native (38th and 67th Bengal and 9th and 35;h Ma-
dras) corps, with four companies of artillery, mostly
Europeans, in addition to those on board the Bombay
1 steamers. The 49th and 26th Medrits Itifantry are
betwixt Moulmein and Mergui; they probably number
shout 1.200 men; so that in all we shall have about
10,300 fighting men, independent of the ship's crews
at our disposal. The entire force is to be com-
manded by Major-General Godwin, C. 8., of her
Majesty's army, who was present throughout the last
Burmese war Irons 1525 to 1827; with Brigadiers War-
ren and Elliott to command the Bengal and Madras
brigades respectively. Colonel Foetid, of the hlaciras
army, is to he in charge of the artillery, and Major
Frszer, of the Bengal army, of the engineers. On the
19:h February, orders were received at Bombay from
the Governor-General for dispatch for the Bay of Bengal
as speedily as possible, of all the steamers which could
be spared, and such is the high condition of the Indian
Navy, that on the 24th a squadron, under the command
of Captain Lynch, consisting of the Fereza, trans-
formed from a packet to a frigate, and the Moozuffer,
both 1,500 tons and 500 horse-power, and the Sesostri.,
frigate, with the troop steamer Berenice, of about 800
tons each, sailed from our harbour within five days'
time of their being aware that there was any chance of
being required. The Zenobia, was intended to follow,
had she arrived in time from Aden—the Queen now
takes her place; and this, with the M4tillSa iron
steamer, completes our armament. The steamers are,
as they were during the China war, supplied with Euro-
pean artillerymen to work their guns. The Semiramis,
a frigate of 1,200 tons and 300-horse ;roe er, from
China, and the laugh Lindsay from Madras, can be riis-
patched if required. From Calcutta, the Enterpreze, Fire
Queen, Tenasserim, and Phlegethon, with the iron
steamer Nemesis, are under orders. The vessels of the
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company,
capable of transporting 1,000 men each, are available as
troop-ships. While teen? mutters were being arranged,
dispatches were received from Burmah professing a de-
sire for peace; the first condition was, that Te should
change the channel of communication to Major Bogle,
the commissioner, instead of through Commodere Lam-
bert. The arrogance of dreaming of prescribing to us
now we should conduct our arrangements sutficit ntly in-
dicated the temper of the Monarch, so our preparations
were pushed ou. The squadron sails direct for Rangoon
ard Merteban, cities by the river side, of 30,000 and
10,000 inhabitants respectively; they are doomed to ho
destroyed, and as they are constructed chiefly of wood,
oar first fire will set them in a blaze. We have not
leisure for a regular campaign, and should matters not
be completely settled by the middle of May, the farce,
after doing as much mischief as possible, will return to
Bombay and Calcutta, to renew operations in October.
By some it is surmised that the river steamers will push
ou as far as draught of water will allow, it requisite con-
tinuing the war without interruption—the fleet remain-
ing at hand throughout the rains.
CALCUTTA, FEB. 21.—The following, says the Ben-
gal lily karu. is the substance of the intelligence brought
by the Fire QaCein, which arrived yesterday from Moul-
mein and Rangoon river.
The Fire Queen left the Sandheads on the 28th ult.,
and arrived off Rangoon river on the 30th idem at 10
r at. She went in the next day, and anchored ahead of
the Fox frigate at 2 Rat., and towed her up off the
Hasting's Sand, which is about four or five miles below
Rangoon. On going up the river, on passing the first
stockade, which is 10 or 15 miles from the entrance, the
steamer and frigate were fired upon, by which a man of
the Fox was so severely wounded that he afterwards
died of the wound. The fire was returned by the frigate
with shot and shell. The Tenasserim, in passing up
the following day was also fired upon, but without effect,
and the Fire Queen in passing down. The Fire Queen
called off the entrance of Rangoon River, coming back
on the morning of the sth instant. The Fox frigate
was then coming cut in tow of the Tenasserim. The
frigate was going on a cruise to Negrais for a week,
leaving the I'hlegethon and her Majesty's ship Hermes
to blockade the Rangoon river.
The same journal, in its general summary, under date
of Feb. 21, says:—
" The Governor-General has ' plucked up a spirit '
and resolved that the Burmese shall no longer bold
alone the power of deciding whether there is to be war
or no war. Ho has determined that there shall he war,
unless they render it absolutely impossible by a prompt
and unequivocal submission. Their intentions are not
yet perfectly known. They have again fired on our men-
of war when passing the stockades, • and killed one man
of the Fox frigate, but they still keep up a show of
negotiation, whether really to avert hostilities or
merely to gain time remains to be seen. The character
of the court of Ave, and the experience of the
former war, however, render the latter the more
probable hypothesis. The Burmese evidently do not
like Commodore Lambert. Apart from an offence in
having carried off their King's ship—a proceeding
pretty generally condemned—he is doubtless quite too
firm and straightforward to suit their peculiar ideas of
negotiation. They have opened a communication through
their Governor of Martaban and our Commissioner at
Moulmein, and the Governor-General having promised
that on their acceding to their moderate demands, he
would send down a high functionary to settle the terizs
of peace and friendship, they rcquest that this official
may be sent immediately. The request cannot, of counins.o!
be complied with, as any concession on our sidenwGele.
be attributed to fear. An answer to the Govoaare r
the 3d
t the Cisdr'l::::::letc; with the
nerai's letter was sent on board the Fox.. •
dirty
instant, by the hands of a low native,n
settlement.
canoe— a studied insult, of course,
indication of a desire for an aw_ _iicraebddite certainly
lAllPene Another
letter The missive was, nevertheless, foe
realoatta by the Fire
and a ire
and we believe brought up
"i General,
by the Phlegetho
st°,,'r:epriesinred as to the contents
Queen, which arrived here oi4
proper
from
for
mt the i
tliie isn, ga
arrived
tor i the
ve
liere
they have not silenced the
through Moulmein, where
had been raised before
11:0:11eho from Calcutta and Madras
the 15th last. Nothing
of these royal epistles, be.
. rf fru.-
3ee
scituyipa pSe
Ids. t
from
" note of preparation
be colyllecitthedtialinda
their arrival. Troops
as soon as they essabenee, and her
Majesty's 181ph
rgeladfesiLt c. t -r
y.
a_nd a siterolanggodesteavcehrmalenrtegoif
Ma
southern t
r r.
reisillia3, and thattrcavoer
eaty's 80th, now at Di-
meats of Nati"
wing down to relieve the 18th, in garrison
European artillery. tier Maj
nanore,
Ips'hiatshewrewllardas btyhoss
tee
af
mo r.
is Burmah, is to -
Gsaaterureiestaodwin , who served in the former Burmese war,
command in chief. Major Hugh Frazer, of the Ben-
gls
ineers, is to direct the:engineer department; and
3-isrt.°°Maogntgotnerie, garrison surgeon of Fort William, is
to superintend the medical staff. The arsenal here is a
scene of busy activity,
conveyance of Ships have been taken up for the
troops and stores, and steamers of the
Indian navy are ordered round from Bombay to Madras,
to_ aid in carrying the expedition across the bay. The
Burmese have, on their side, been actively engaged in
preparations for war. The old town of Rangoon,
lying on the banks of the river. has been cleared away
by fire, and the new one, a little inland, has been
strongly stockaded."

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
Casualties by death in the armies of India since the
departure of the mail on the 17th of February:—
H. M. Troops—Captain Henry Hugh MAKenzie
Fleming, H. M. 61st Regiment, at Goojranwallah, on
the 12th of February.
Bombay—Brigadier-General A. Manson, C. 8., Artil-
lery, at Bombay, on the 28d of February.
Madras—Lieutenant-Colonel D. A. Fenning, Ist Ca-
valry, at Bellary, on the 16J3 of February.
Bengal—Major C. F. Farmer, Invalid Establishment,
at Mussoorie, on the 4th of February.