The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-24 00:00:00

new commander-in-chief in Hindostan, had—the
story has long since become a popular one—simply
written as se three : " Sir Charles Napier, Sir

Charles Napier, Sir Charles Napier." Well—we
all know the rest—Sir Charles Napier went. He.
went in spite of the animosity with which he
was regarded by the Company's Government.
He went not, as they had intended, with a de-
graded command, not shorn of his honours,
but, as he would alone consent to go, namely,
as one of the - Supreme Council, like all his
predecessors. . He • expected war on his ar-
rival. Instead . of that he found peace. His
energies were consequently directed, not to the
conduct of a perilous campaign, but to the reorga-
nisation of the forces entrusted to his management.
In these efforts he found himself—as ho had antici-
pated—everywhere thwarted by the petty spite
and the miserable calumnies of his many,antago-
nists—of those who were his bitter and implacable
foes, because he had never lent himself to connive
at the meanness, the injustice, and the rapacity of
the " Old Indian" system of misgovernment. So
far the evil was, we repeat, only precisely as he had
himself expected. But it went further than be
could at one period have reasonably conjectured—
it went further, inasmuch as events showed that

awakened in England to be dissipated in Hindostan
—that acknowledgment (p.151)—" Expecting war,
I felt strong enough to override opposition when
danger pressed. I found peace and a mean, malig-
nant jealousy, against which, when backed. by power,
honourable service is of no avail." The veteran
Captain adding briefly, but confidently, " Lo ! the
proof." Yea, proof, indeed, (literally) with a
vengeance. Proof damnatory of these heartless and
implacable assailants of the late Commander-in-
Chief of the British forces in Hindostan. Writing,
as he did, the record of his wrongs, on the eve
of his lamented demise, Sir Charles apier, never-
theless, infused into his narrative all the energy of
youth, all the fervour of truth, all the ardour of
enthusiasm. His style never displayed more ad-_
mirable or more soldierlike sententiousness than it
has done, here, throughout this noble contribution
to our Asiatic annals, in which the redemption of
the fortress of Goviiidahur is thus strikingly cele-
brated :

" Lieutenant-Colonel Bradford, an excellent officer of the
Bengal Army, returning to the old provinces with the Ist
Native Cava'ry, had accidentally encamped outside, and was
on the parade of the 66th, when their shout of mutiny arose.
Seeing the danger, he hasti'y rejoined his men, and led them
dismounted towards the gate ; whereupon the guard, hearing
the tramp of his approaching troops, ran with great tumult to
close the portals, saying the cavalry shocid not enter. Their
European officer remonstrated, was disregarded, and fin-
properly abandoned his post to make a report. At that mo-
ment Captain l‘Pllonald, a man of a different character,
arrived, and rushed, sword in band, upon the mutineers.
'They shrank from the sweep of his weapon, and he, grasping
the almost closed gate, drew it back just as Bradford came up
with his men. Thus was the place saved."
- -

Or in which occurs this picturesque and startling
d6cription of the heroic death of an A.ffreedee

".Some Affreedees had gathered on a sugar-loaf rock,
terminating a spur from the precipitous hill§ on our flank. 1
Being close to the road, it barred progress, and the column
halted. On the summit a warrior stood, like Fuzeli's pic-
Awe of Satan, with legs wide apart and arms high in the
air : raving a sword and shaking a shield, he shouted and
defied us ! A young artillery officer—Maister, or Delano
—laid his gun with a shell, and the flying death, whizzing
through the air, burst at the moment it struck the brave
Affreedee ! His head, his legs, his arms, flew like radii
from a centre in the air, and a shout of exultation burst
from the troops. The amusements of the battle-field are
grim. • Condemn not that shout. Life was played fot in
the rough ga,fue, and they who won naturally rejoiced.
It is, however, a painful remembrance."
Brilliant as this work is as a chapter of military
history, it is yet more brilliant as a posthumous
vindication. It is a volume worthy of having
been penned by the Conqueror of Scinde, and not
unworthy of having been edited by the annalist of
the Peninsula. It reminds one of the trophies piled
up over the honoured grave of a beloved and glo,
rious warrior—the dinted breastplate, :the un-
sheathed sword, the spotless but broken plume,
the banner riddled with bullets and blackened
with gunpowder, and above all, the proud and un-
sullied escutcheon.

MARKET NEWS-(THIS DAY.)

CORN EXCHANGE.

Fresh up to-day, the arrivals of English wheat, cost-
Wise and by land carriage, were on a very moderate scsle.
The show of samples was small, and the attendance of
buyers by no means numerous. Oa the whole, a steady
business was transacted in wheat of home 'produce, at
prices fully equal to those obtained on Monday. •
The imports of foreign wheat have amounted' to nearly
13,000 quarters. All descriptions moved off steadily, aid•
in some instances the quotations were the turn in favour
of sellers. . _

Floating cargoes were quite as dear as on Monday.
We were seasonably well supplied with barley, for wha
article the demand ruled steady, at full quotations
There ,was rather more inquiry for malt, at the Me
decline.

About an average business was doing in oats, at bill
currencies. _

Beans, peas, and flour realised former terms. The im-
poris of flour are large.

English ..
Irish .• ••

Foreign ..

Oats• I Florr

650 1,810
(1,670
1;,463 4,461 sks
20,7:0 brl

COURT CIRCULAR.

100
8

1100
100
all
all
all

50
40
25
25

812x1

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 24, 1854.

SHARE MARKETS.
(THIS DAY.)

BRITISH RAILWAYS.

RAILWAYS.

Closing Prices
yesterday.

Aberdeen
Ambg. Nottng. Bost
and Eastn. Junet

20 -20 i
48 - 51

Belfast & Ballymena.
Birming. Wolverh. &
Stour Valley
Birkenhd. Lancsh. (17
Cheshire Junet

8 - 9

11 9 disl

Do. Chesh. & Birk.,
£5O and £25 Cons.
Do., £20...............
Blyth &Tyne original
£25 (issd. at £45)
Bristol and Exeter...
Caledonian
Chester & Holyhead.
Cork and Bandon...'

17 19
Uci

Cork, Black, & Pass
Cornwall
Crieff Junction
Dublin&BelfastJunc
Dundee Perth &Aber
decn Junction

94 -- 96
55 -- 55
15i -- 16
13 -- 13.1

45 - 46

Do. New
East

74 -

-

13t5 - 134

... -

65 - 67
60 - 61

Business done
this day.

134 j

a

..• •••
93,3/4 r 94§
82 81
129 - 131.
99 - 101
82t - 834

94 34 4i
83 4, 4 2
130i.5. 30

92 95
12 I‘4p
12 13 p
67 674
6 -- 6idi

83 21

j 4

671 i

81
par 1 p
- 97
04 - 105
P
I
d
81. 83
9 8d
10i 9id

96 7
104 f 5 4i

81i 2i

22 --
i..i

63 - 64
36 - 38

64 31

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

COUNTY COURTS.
Lord BROUGHAM brought in a bill for the purpose
of extending the operation of what is called the " optional
clauses" in the County Courts Act, in order to extend
the jurisdiction of these courts over all actions, irrespec-
tive of the amount in dispute, or the nature of the
question involved. The bill was read a first time.
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD.
The Earl of DERBY desired to call the attention of
their lordships and of the Government in particular to a
short statement that he wished to make. He had no
intention of doing this until to-day, and he did so in

consequence of a conversation that had occurred last

night in another place with reference to the university
with which he had the honour of being connected. The
question that he was about to put might influence the
convocation to be held to-morrow ; he hoped, therefore,
the noble lord would excuse the shortness of the notice

he was obliged to give, inasmuch AS', if be were not to
put his question this day, it would be impossible that
any effect could be produced either by his (Earl Derby's)
question or his lordship's answer. He had perceived
that a declaration had been made by her Majesty's Go-

vernment, that it was not their intention to advise her
Majesty to assent to the petition that was to be sub-

mitted to convocation with reference to the proposed

alterations in the governing body of the university.
Their lordships were aware that the only mode by which
the Carojian statutes could be altered was by the special
license of the Crown. To effect this a petition must

be presented to the Crown, and, in the first place,
this petition must have received the assent of the uni-

versity at large ; by the university at large he meant—
convocation, which included all the members of the
university, whether they were resident or non-resident,

above the rank of a master of arts. Convocation conse-
quently included all ranks, classes, and denominations,
and therefore an expression of opinion coming from
it must be taken, if anything could be taken, as an ex-
pression of the voice and opinion of the university.
Shortly after the report of her Majesty's Commissioners
had appeared—he would not say anything on the mode
in which these commissioners had been appointed, or
offer any opinion as to the ex parte evidence that had
been submitted to them—but, shortly after the appear-
ance of the commissioners' report, her Majesty's Go-
vernment announced that they did not intend to pro-
ceed immediately upon it, as they were desirous to know
in the first instance, the course the university was pre-
pared to take, and should therefore postpone any attempt
at legislation until they received the opinion of the uni-
versity. The University of Oxford did not lose any time
in taking into consideration the very important questions
raised by the commissioners' report, for during the course
of last year they considered the whole of these questions
seriatim, and examined upon them viva voce, but chiefly
by written statements of questions and answers, some
of the most distinguished members of the university.