The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-12 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

(From the Bombay Times, May 10.)

Our advices from Burmah are to the 20th ult.
The general state of affairs throughout the country
IS upon the whole satisfactory, although dacoity
still exists to a great extent. Gonna'''-Gee, one of
the leaders, still' heads a predatory band, and a
detachment of our troops has proceeded against
him, the primary object being to reach his strong-
holds, where his granaries are. A letter, dated
lienzada, 15th inst., states the Tharawaddie dis-
trict is still far from settled, and skirmishes are
continually occurring with Goung- Gee's men.
Three companies of the 10th Regiment N.I. have
been marching about in that district since Decem-
ber, and will be out for another month. They
have met with parties of Goung-Gee's people on
several occasions, and have both attacked his vil-
lages and been attacked by his followers repeatedly.
They are now marching along the base of the hills
on the eastern side, burning every village that fires
on them. An affair came off a few days ago, in
Which ten men of the Sikhs and Arracan battalion
were wounded ; the companies of the 10th, 250
strong, have had altogether three killed and 17
Wounded since December. Captain Phillott, who
commands the entire detachment, had a narrow
escape one day, his pony being shot under him,
and two balls through his solar—topee. A volley
Was fired from a jungle at the side of the road. A
company of her Majesty's 84th is here ; they accom-
panied Captain Sparks, the Deputy Commissioner
of Rangoon, up the Lyne river, and having left a
company of the 19th Native Infantry at Sanguay,
came over here to drop down to Rangoon by water.
Another company of the Madras 19th are to accom-
pany the wing of the Bth Irregulars up to Prome.
They are expected in four or five days. Goung-
Gee cannot be caught, and he is naturally reluctant
to abandon a district that has owned his sway for
Many years, and in which he is universally popular.
Another chief, Moung Shway Moung, is threaten-
ing the north of the Bassein district, but no dis-
turbance has occurred as yet. There is a report
that Meeaday has been burned, but it has not been
confirmed ; and it is hoped that the Governor-Ge-
neral will at once adopt measures for the effectual
suppression of dacoity. We have been in posses-
sion of the country long enough to have extermi-
nated these robber bands, and if they will not
follow some honest employment they must be
destroyed. So long as they are permitted to
exist they exercise a most damaging influence
over the minds of our new subjects, some of whom
imagine that we will eventually vacuate the country
when those who have submitted to our rule will be
signally punished. To the Delhi Gazette we are in-
debted for the following intelligence from Cabul
" There is a report from Heerat that 40 Russians,
having been associated with 40 Persian officers, have
gone to different places in Central Asia, and two had .
reached that city. They have engaged to strengthen
and occupy Heerat for a certain period of time ; and
the son of the late Vazeer Yar Mahomed Khan has
agreed to leave it and remain in Neeshapoor, a dis-
trict in Persian Khorasan. But he has not yet
started. It is also said that the same Russian and
Persian agents will come on to Candahar and Ca-
bool. Dost Mahomed Khan seems just at present
inclined for an alliance with the British Govern-
bent, while Sooltan Mahomed Khan leans towards
Persia. There is also a report that the Russians
have built and garrisoned a fort on the shores of the
sea (whether Caspian or Aral is not stated), five
Marches from Oorgunge, no water intervening.
Jafar Khan, on the part of Dost Mahomed Khau
and Meer Dad Khan from Sooltau Mahomed Khan,
who had gone as agents to Persia, have not yet re-
turned. Nawab Jubber Khan is really dead. Nazir
Khairoullah, who left Cabool some time ago, has
arrived at Peshawur, and mentions to the Ameer
his satisfactory interview with Aiwut Sahub'
(Major Edwarcles, of course), Bahadur. commissioner.
He has also spoken to that officer about his own
pecuniary aflairs, and, in reply, has been told that
the Chief Commissioner, who will shortly be at
Rawul Pindee, will take his case into consideration,
as that gentleman is Mookhtar Surkar, or Plenipo-
tentiary. Several letters, which Dost Mahomed
Khan has received from Heerat, kc., have been
sent to the Nizir to show to the Commissioner
Sahub. They are of course suited to his own pur-
poses, and therefore sent to Peshawur. Nazir
Xhairoullah, now deputed by Dost Mahomed Khan
to Peshawur, was originally Nazir or steward of
Ameer 001-moolk, the late uncle of the Dost. He
Was prosperous and wealthy ; and before or after
the death of his master he went to Bokhara,
Whence his trade spread as far as the rich markets
of Russia. The Ameer, like a true Afghan chief,
coveted his riches, and married his daughter, who
remained in Cabool, while the other members of
the Ameer's family were removed during the Bri-
tish occupation of Cabool. When the Dost surren-
dered his sword to the late Sir W. Macnaghten,
after the battle of Purwandurah, this lady, daughter
of the Nazir, was honourably brought forward by
Lady Macnaghten, and united with her exiled and
long-lost husband, the Ameer of Cabool. Such is
the account of the Nazir's relationship with the
Post. Nazir Khairoullah did great service to the.
unfortunate Colonels Stoddart and Connolly at
Bokhara, and at his own personal risk became the
Medium of the correspondence which those officers
carried on with the late Sir W. Macnaghten and
Sir Alex. Burnes. The brutal and savage King of
Bokhara, finding out that Nazir Khairoullah was
secretly attached to the British, plundered him of
his open and known property to a considerable
amount, and compelled him to throw himself again
on his covetous son-in-law the Afghan chief at Ca-
-1)001, saving his head at the sacrifice of his wealth.
his agent Ahmed Khan, in Berunj Farosh or
Mundeewal, by fabricating news-letters, like the
late Meer Hassun, of Cabool, and Taifoor Shah, of
Peshawur, gained the favour of Sir W. Macnaghten
and Sir A. Burnes, and through the:r influence got
possession of the rich estates of the Nazir, to the
amount of several lakhs. This man had lent more
than one lack of rupees of the Nazir's money to
feed the English wounded soldiers and prisoners
under Captain John Connolly, when the British
force abandoned the cantonment, and were massa-
cred on the road to Jelallabad. This Ahmed Khan
took away all the movable property and precious
stones of the Nazir from Cabool, and went with
General Pollock's force to India. There he was
paid in full all the money he had lent to feed the
British soldiers, and thus fraudulently making him-
self master of his chief's money, went to Cashmere
and refused to return to Cabool. Thus all the
wealth of the Nazir is now in the hands of the
family o. the treacherous Ahmed. The Nazir,
since his arrival at Cabool, has been inducing, by
money and promises of future presents, several
chiefs, such as the late Nawab Jubber Khan,
Gholam Mahomed Khan Mookhtar, and others,
to use their influence with the Ameer, and
instigate the latter to open communications for
contracting an alliance of peace with the British
Government. The Ameer was also told by the '
Nazir that his interference with the British would
facilitate the way for recovering his money from
his agent, which sum will be al ways at the dis-
posal of the Ameer. These preposals had been
long under the consideration of the Ameer, till
news arrived from Persia and Bokhara that the
Roosee and Roomee (Russians and Turks) were
fighting, and that the English would also join the
latter. Again the friends of the Nazir stirred up
the matter, and the cunning Ameer found a favour-
able opportunity offered to him to open negotiations
with the British through the agency of the Nazir.
It is his custom to play a double game, but he will
always try to get the effectual support of the Rus-
sian and Persian Governments, unless the British
give him at least the Peshawur territory, of which
he always talks. So the Nazir has done good ser-
vice to the British at Bokhara ; and having induced
the Ameer of Cabool to enter into his views, has
LOW to come as agent to negotiate a treaty of alli-
ance at Peshawur. Messengers have arrived in
Cabool with a report that the Russians and Hoor-
gunjees (or people of Khiva) have become one, and
will be joined by the King of Bokhara. The letter
Which the Dost has received from Persia has been
sent to Peshawur through Nazir Khairoullah, in
Which the King, it is said, has told him either to
stand by him or by the English. One of the sons of
the Candahar Chiefs has gone by express to the King
of Persia. The Ameer has also heard with jealousy
that his Candahar brothers are secretly correspond-
ing with the Sahub Commissioner of Sindh through
the Kohat Chief. Gholam Haidur Khan is at Jel-
lalabad, and amusing himself with drilling his
force, and Mahomed Azeem Khan is gone to collect
the revenue of the Koorum Province. He has
killed several refractory Maliks or head men of the
villages, and plundered their property and children,
both girls and boys, to the number of 200 persons
in all. Mahomed Shah Khan Ghilzaee has come on
a visit of consultation to the Akhooud of Sawat."

Mr. Gillespie, Quartermaster of H.M. 98th Re-
' gnnent, -who murdered his horse-keeper at Um-
baliah, has, it is said, been sentenced to transpor-
tation, but no official announcement has yet appear-
ed- From Calcutta and Madras we have no intelli-
gence of moment. General Sewell is, it is con-
fidently believed, to be confirmed as commander-
-11!-chief of the latter presidency. Lord Harris ar-
rived in Madras on Vie 28th ult. Sir Henry Pot-
tlnger had left a few days previous to Lord Har-
ris's arrival. The tornado which we mentioned in
our last summary as having visited Rungpoor in
~13erigal, and destroyed the inhabitants, appears
") 'lave travelled almost due south at a mode-
l'tte pace, for it was not until the evening
441' the 12th ultimo that we hear of it in Jessore.
i•herea fearful blast of wind came roaring through
the village, and carried away in an instant six