The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-28 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

EXTRAORDINARY EXPRESS.

INDIA.

We have just received by Extraordinary Express
our papers 'and letters from India and China, in
anticipation of the Overland Mail. We subjoin
extracts : •

(Prom the Overland Bombay Times of Sept. 28.)

GENERAL SIIMMARY.—During the past 17 days
very little has occurred to break the monotony of
Indian life, so that we have not much in the shape
of news to lay before our readers. Burmah
continues infested with Dacoits, whose atro-
cities, if not exaggerated, are of the most
cruel and barbarous nature, and it is the general
opinion that the Court at Ava, finding the hope-
lessness of contending with us in open warfare,
have simply changed the character of the war,
and that these Dacoits are nothing more or lessthan
the king's trocps, augmented of course by every
vagabond in the country, whose desire for plunder
induces him to join the marauders. The subjuga-
tion of Burmah isfar from complete, and an advance
as far as Ava, it is supposed, will eventually be in-
evitable. Captain D'Orgony, a Frenchman, is drill-
ing troops in Ava ; when he first entered Burmah,
he managed to convince General Godwin, that com-
mercial enterprise had alone induced him to do
so, but such seems to have been far from the
case. There has been so little rain in the north-
-west, that sickness, we regret to say, is very pre-
valent, and the crops have become so far blighted
that it is feared that no amount of rain would now
serve them ; hence a great scarcity of provisions
may be looked for by and bye ; indeed letters state
famine to be inevitable in some places. Several
shocks of earthquake have been felt in Peshawur ;
there were six distinct shocks experienced on the
27th ult., but happily no great amount of damage
has been sustained. We regret very much to re-
cord an attempt, and we fear a successful one, to
assassinate Col. Mackeson, Commissioner of the
Peshawur Division. On the 10th instant, a
religious fanatic from Koner, rushed into the
verandah where the colonel was sitting, and plunged
an Afreedie knife into the breast of his victim. He
was immediately seized, and is now in custody. He
denies having any accomplices, but strong grounds
exist for disbelieving his assertion, he confessed
his intention of murdering the Deputy Commis-
missioner, Captain James ; the motives which in-
stigated him, he alleged to be the report which
he had heard from some travellers of a mountain
train being organised for the invasion of Swat, in
which country he has many friends ; he added
that he thought the best way to stay the inva-
sion was to murder its projectors. The latest
accounts record the death of Colonel Mackeson,
but this requires confirmation. There had been a
fight at Goreer, a village in Shekwattee, between
the followers of the Thakoor of Soorujghur, and
the • retainers of the Ranee of Ketree. The
lady's troops were victorious, and after an ob-
stinate fight stormed the village. Her ladyship
has since fortified it, and built a fort for its
defence. From the Punjaub we learn that the
son of Azeem Khan, elder brother of Dost Ma-
homed, once Governor of Kashmere, and subse-
quently ruler of Kabul., died in great destitution
at Lahore. The Nuwab of Bhawulpoor pursues
his dissolute course, an d it is reported that the
Nuwab Eruam-ood-Deeli has been selected for
the post of British Agent at Bhawulpoor.—Mool-
tan and Derejat continue tranquil, the eldest
son of the Nuwab Surfaraz Khan, whom Run-
geet Sing dispossessed, having died at the former
station. Accounts from Lucknow still represent
the King as passing his days in debauchery and
riotous living. Colonel Sleeman, our resident at
that court, paid his majesty a state visit, and
pointed out the extreme impropriety' of his con-
duct; the monarch promised amendment, but is still
as bad as ever. His Majesty's debts now amount to
800.000/.lnCawnpoor and Benares sickness still con-
tinues, but is chiefly confined to the native popu-
lation. From the Nizam's territories in the Dec-
can, we learn that a fight had taken place, near
Aurungabad, on the 21st inst., between a detach-
ment of the Nizam's troops under Brigadier Mayne
and a body of Arabs, who had seized upon a fort
near Bajeepoor, the property of the Rajah of
Dewalgaum; the Arabs were of course defeated,
but not before numerous casualties had occurred on ;
both sides, and w e are concerned to add, that two 1
European officers have been killed, Captain Parker,
commanding the Nizam's 6th Regiment of Infantry,
and Ensign Bosworth, of the 26th Regimentßom-
bay 'Army—this latter, officer, who was on leave
from Alimednuggu-x, gallantly volunteered his ser-
vices and fell in the encounter.

The Governor an d Commander-in-Chief are still
at Dapoorie. It is the intention of the latter to
form a miltary camp at Poona during the cold
weather, after the fashion of the camp at Chobham,
and his lordship's announcement has been favour-
ably received by all parties. The market is rather
slack, and very little business has been done during
the past fortnight.