The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-28 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MA

BOMBAY, Nov. 28.
(From the Bombay Times.)
The past fortnight, like the previous six months,
has been nearly barren in events of importance,
and this state of universal peace, so auspicious for
the country, leaves a heavy task on the hands of a
newspaper writer. The intelligence from Cabul
states that Dost Mahomed, finding himself advanc-
ing in years, is anxious to make arrangements for
the succession of his son. Amongst a high-spirited
but factious people like the Affghans the succes-
sion will be determined by the sword, by which
the Dost himself cut his way to supremacy. The
Soodazye dynasty is extinct, but the Barukzayes
have no claim to dominion save the power
to maintain it ; and as Ghoolam Hyder Khan,
destined for the succession, is neither the oldest
nor most energetic of the Ameer's; sons, a contest is
certain to ensue, where British intervention is
likely to be asked for—and as this means supplies of
men or money, it will, it is hoped, be refused in a
country with which a subsidiary connection is so
undesirable. This probably explains the ground of
the Dost's recent overtures to our Government.
His brothers of Candahar, with whom he has for
twenty years been at feud, are said to have taken
the alarm, and applied to Persia to assist them
in extinguishing the supremacy of English in-
fluence—an application not very likely to be
attended to. The Russians are said to be
fostering these animosities, and to be promising
supplies of men and money, the chances of the
realisation of which will probably be more cor-
rectly estimated in Affghanistan when the accounts
of the operations in the Crimea reach them. Our
north-west frontier altogether seems so satisfactory
that even alarmists have ceased to prate of danger'
The electric telegraph is now so nearly completed
that messages have of late repeatedly been con-
veyed to A.gra, a distance of 800 miles, without re-
petition, and so on to Calcutta at an interval of a
few hours. The news received by the mail, which
left London on the 25th of Oct., and reached Bom-
bay on the 23d. November at 8 p.m., had been
received at Calcutta and at Lahore, distances
of 1,500 miles each, by two in the morning, and 12
hours after the despatch an acknowledgment of its
safe arrival was returned to Bombay—intelligence
being thus communicated from England to the re-
motest parts of India in 29 days, an interval which
would have been diminished to 27 but for the
storm in the Red Sea. The tidings despatched by
this day's steamer contain the Calcutta news of
yesterday, which will, in all likelihood, reach Lon-
don by Trieste, in the space of twenty-five days,
and this will be diminished by two as soon as the
Egyptian Railway is extended. We mentioned
in our last that the remains of the late Com-
mander-in-Chief bad been laid out in state in
the Castle where they were to remain for some
weeks, and to be afterwards sent home by the
Cape. After all the magnificence of preparation
that had taken place, a sudden change of plan was
adopted, and they were on the 22d forwarded to
Suez by the Ajdaha, which had been for some
weeks under orders to bring the Hon. Mr. Murray
and the Persian embassy round to Bushire,
on their way to Teheran. The Commander-in-
Chief of the Indian navy, Sir Henry Leeke,
proceeds next week to Calcutta, in the Assaye,
by desire of the Govcraor-General, to make
arrangements for the reconstruction of the
Indian navy, the head-quarters of which
will, it is understood, hereafter be in Bengal.
An action has been lately decided before the Su-
preme Court in Bombay, to the effect that the shop
and stall tax, which yields from 5,000/. to 6,0001.
a-year to the municipal fund, is illegal. Out of
from ten to fifteen thousand people who pay the
tax, allowed on all hands to be oppressive, Mr.
Co, non, editor of the Bombay Gazette, was the
only man who had the spirit to resist and carry
the matter into court, where he was triumphant.
We gave in our last an account of a violent
thunderstorm that had been experienced at Bom-
bay on the 29th and 30th of October, with
a furious hurricane which burst upon us on the
2d of November, and the present season altogether
promises to be one of the most singular in its
meteorological phenomena which we have for many
years experienced. On the 24th and 25th of Sep-
tember, and again on the 6th of October, violent
hurricanes prevailed in the China Seas, between
15 and 20 northern parallels, and the 100 and
120 meridian. At the latter date a hurricane oc-
curred in 6 S. and 62 E. simultaneously with that
raging 20 deg. to the northward, and 60 to the
eastward of it. A furious rain and thunder-storm
occurred in the desert between Caire and Suez
on the 20th of October, and rain was expe-
rienced all down the Red Sea at the end of the
month, two inches having been measured at Aden,
these regions being in general rainless. On the
7th of November a second storm of some severity
occurred in the lower part of the Red Sea, and after
several days of most intensely and disagreeably
dry weather, with every appearance of continuing
fair. Bombay: was on the afternoon of the 26th
visited with a heavy fall of rain from south-west,
the landscape for several hours looking exactly
as it is accustomed to do during the rainy season.
The barometer gave hardly any warning of the
change, and our fair weather showers almost
always come upon us from the east, and are pre-
ceded by thunder and squalls. The whole of the
trees which were injured by the hurricane have
burstout into leaf ; those which usually shed their
leaves in December or January, and renew them
in March or April, are at present thickly covered
with verdure, and botanists are watching with in-
tense curiosity the results that may ensue when
spring thus anticipated returns. A brilliant display
of meteors occurred at Kurrachee at daybreak
on the 14th of November. They first made their
appearance about 4 a.m., and for the next two
hours they continued to shoot without intermission
across the firmament until, indeed, daylight ob-
scured them. On the evening of the same day a
brilliant meteor was seen at Bombay, a little after
sunset. It was first visible near the zenith, and
seemed to rush north-easterly, leaving a long train
of sparks behind it, when it vanished behind a
thunder-cloud and seemed to explode, this last
fact being rendered uncertain by the lightning
then flashing incessantly. The Legislative Coun-
cil of India have agreed to throw open their
meetings to 'the public ; and the secrecy sys-
tem, like many other antiquated absurdities to
which the authorities have clung, begins to be aban-
doned. The Council itseoluf,
hiitsriestsuaid, is working
Peel, will, it iaenedffitrhele
affirmed, on
Justice,rnSitroLEanwgrleanncde,
make disclosures on the subject that will astonish
the community. The new Council is in mechanism
a miserable botch compared to the Legislative
Councils for the three Presidencies, proposed
by the Queen's Judge, in 1831,
time
d but
tblitshheend
in the blue books of the
it provides valuable civil service appoint-
m outs, and that is quite enough to cause the
hest
of measures to be transformed to the worst.
The embassy from Ava bad not at our latest dates
reached Calcutta. The Governor-General is at
Calcutta, and the Governors of Madras and Bombay
at their respective seats of authority. Lord Elphin-
stone has entirely recovered his recent indisposi-
tion. Lord Harris seems to be gaining golden
opinions at Madras from all sorts of people for
the perfect independence of his council, and the
decision and intrepidity of his measures. Sir
Henry Somerset arrived at Bombay on Thursday
the 16th instant, and immediately assumed the
command of the army ; he has since then gone to
Poonah on duty. A m vinificent launch took place
at Bombay on the 21st—the ship was the steamer
aprowbeurr,de the
n,
Punjaub, 1,800 tons andhCoo-li 600-horse
consort of the Assaye, a sip of similar
launched in March. The two were intended for
the packet line to Suez when the Court of Directors
resisted all entreaties to abandon the mail contract.
thea n Ori ei
an
ht ae l
navy
n avy
They will, now that it has been
con
conferred on the
qbP et ei:nte
espr
eul ol ayuife. d o
d Indian
Bn Company, it is supposed,
bl seidter,anasnfderrtehdetohecaat
cutta. Trade is dull, and there is greater stringency
in the money market than at the date of our last
summary.

COMMERCIAL.
CALCUTTA MARKETS.
Outing to native holidays and the arrival and depar-
ture of mails, we have had but a very moderate amount
of business transacted during the week in our produce
market. In indigo some sales have been reported, and
since the receipt of advices by the last mail, our market
has assumed a firmer appearance. Raw silk and piece
goods have attracted better attention, especially the
latter, for which the demand is very brisk. Sugar is not
much wanted, though prices for the different qualities
remain unaltered, stocks in the market not being heavy.
Saltpetre bas been in better demand, and a slight ad-
vance in prices established. Rice has experienced a fur-
ther improvement, though for want of supplies little
business has actually been done.
We have nothing new to report as regards our import
market ; the demand foe most. descriptions of British
cotton goods continues good, without, however, causing
any alteration in prices ; and considering that native
holidays have again jute, fered with the progress of busi-
ness, transactions have been to a fair extent.
Our Money Market has commenced to show signs of
tightness. Funds are not so abundant, and capitalists
do not seem inclined to meet the wants of borrowers on
such easy terms as for some time inst. There has
scu,plv been any change in the rates of Government
Securities.
Exel.ango has partially advanced, an 1 the following
are the ruling rates fur 6 months sight papers :—First-
class credits at I.s. 110. per Co.'s Rs.; ditto documents,
at Is. 11A.1. to ditto.
Freights.—There has not been any material alteration