The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-22 00:00:00

INDIA.

By the arrival of the Bombay mail we have
received advices from Bombay to Feb. 29, and from
Calcutta to Fob. 20.

Sir John Lawrence has been suffering from indis-
position. His Excellency has placed himself under
the treatment of Dr. Tonnerre, a homcensathist.
His Excellency gave his first public ball on the
15th of February, to which no natives of India were
invited. This exclusion had given great offence to
the native community. The Bombay Gazette thus
refers to this occurrence :

One of the earliest acts of Sir John Lawrence as Viceroy
and Governor-General has been to put a stop to the one-
sided social intercourse which has hitherto existed in India
between Europeans and natives, by omitting to invite any
native gentlemen to the first ball given him in Calcutta. It
appears that the leaders of the native community at Cal-
cutta lately offered a direct Insult to the Lieutenant-Gover-
nor of Bengal by sending prostitutes to the Agricultural
Exhibition on a day set apart for the reception of native
ladies there by the most distinguished Englishwomen of the
presidency. This alone was enough to provoke the indig-
nation of even the most tolerant of Englishmen; but, with-
out this, one who knows so much of India and Indian ways
of thinking as Sir John Lawrence is of course cognisant of
the opinions which the people of this as of all other Orien-
tal countries have on the subject of dancing, and must
therefore have been glad of the opportunity of letting all
India understand that henceforth natives who, in spite of
their loud professions of faith in the excellence of western
ideas about society, are ashamed to bring their own wives
and daughters to public assemblies, will be kept at a distance
instead of being courted by the English community.
His Excellency Sir Hugh Rose is stated to have
tendered his resignation, and it is added that his
resignation has been accepted, Other statements,
consequent on this, are made; that Sir Robert
Napier, K.C.8., is to succeed to the Command-in-
Chief of the Indian army ; and that his seat in the
Imperial Council will be filled by Colonel Elliot.
Sir Hugh Rose has issued an order providing that
in future the hospitals of European soldiers shall be
attended by European nurses instead of native ayahs.
The nurses are to be chosen from among the sol-
diers' wives of good character in each regiment, who
while finding useful occupations for themselves, will
be able to do much towards alleviating the unhappy
lot of the invalid European soldiers.

The Akhood of Swat has directed all his people
to arm, as he fears an attack from us in the spring.
The Bengal Chamber of Commerce has passed a
resolution in favour of a subsidiary gold currency
for India. The following are the terms in which it
worded :

That this meeting is of opinion that the introduction of
gold. as an auxiliary currency, into India would prove very
beneficial, and that the committee be instructed to address
the government of India on the subject, and pray for the
appointment of a committee to inquire into the best mode of
introducing such an auxiliary currency.
The Englishman, in referring to this meeting,
gat
Government merely to
ary currency to silver is
auxiliary
is na yt
rso pdr LI) oasne
weak enough, but it is a very doubtful question
whether the introduction of gold as a legal tender
will be of any material advantage. This question
was not discussed. Tho still more important question
of a paper currency was not even alluded t 0.."
Gen. Sir Neville Chamberlain has been compelled,
by the state of his health, to leave India for a time.
The cotton crop of Western India will, it is
feared, be short this year. Much more than the
ordinary extent of ground has been taken into cul-
tivation, but the yield per acre will, it is thought,
be small, the crops a.n Guzerat especially having
been blighted by the severe frost of an unusually
cold winter, or spoiled by unseasonable rains.
The north-eastern branch of the Great Indian
Peninsula Railway is blocked up, its single line and
small rolling stock being unequal to the conveyance
of the largely increased cotton traffic. The Bhoze
Ghaut Railway was to be opened for regular pas-
senger traffic on the 3d of March.
Mr. Maine has introduced in the Viceroy's Legis-
lative Council a bill providing that no Indian
labourer shall emigrate without the approval of the
magistrate of his district.
An important decision has been given in the Small
Cause Court of Bombay, recognising the exemption
of native princes from liability to the jurisdiction of
British courts, even when they are residing in Bri-
tish territory.
A turf club of Western India has been formed in
Bombay.
We read in the Times of India :

The resources cf India are gredurdly being developed. A
vein of coal or lignite (we have not heard whether it burns
wit 4 bituminous or empyrcumatiQ odour), said to be iiaL.x-