The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-20 00:00:00

OVERLAND MAIL

INDIA AND CHINA.
(From the Times.)

We have have received by express from Marseilles
our dispatches from India and China in anticipation
of the mail, which left-Bombay and Calcutta on the
21 of July, Madras on the 9th of the same month,
and Hong-Kong on the 24th of June.
The tranquillity of India bad only been disturbed
by an insurrectionary movement on a very small
scale in the Gwalior territory. Two or three of the
leading chiefs, encouraged, as it would seem, by the
absence of the usual amount of military force, bad
taken the field, but sufficient troops were soon col-
lected, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel
Graves, to destroy the principal stronghold of the
insurgents, and some minor forts which they endea-
voured to defend.

Rumours were, however, very current that an ex-
p Edition againstiGhoolab Singh would be undertaken
as soon as the approach of the cold season rendered
the movement of troops possible. The conduct of
this chief, it will be remembered, was extremely am-
biguous throughout the late struggle in the Punjaub.
Although he owed the possession of his territory to
the favour he received at the hands of Lord Hardinge,
he took no active part in the suppression of Shere
Singh's revolt,;and it is more than probable that in case
of a reverse he would have placed his army at the
disposal of that chief, and joined with him in his
attempt to drive the British from the Punjaub. He
has ever since continued to increase his army,
although professing the most friendly intentions.
These hostile preparations have, it is said, induced
Lord Dalhousie to require that he shall deliver rip
his artillery, consisting of no less than 150 pieces.
Ghoolab's reply is characteristic. lie declares his
own willingness to comply with the requisition, but
adds that his troops would not permit the guns to be
removed. So flimsy an excuse would not, of course,
be permitted to avail him, and if it is really true that
such a requisition has been made, we may expect to
see it enforced by Sir C. Napier. In the mean time,
large bodies of Seikhs are said to be flocking towards
Cashmere, prepared no doubt once more to try the
fortune of war if Ghoolab should be rash enough to
lead them against our troops. As if with some re-
ference to these rumours, the following orders has
been issued by Brigadier Dundas, commanding the
troops at Peshawur, on the 11th instant :
" Extract from Brigade Orders by Brigadier the Hon.
H. Dundas, C. 8., Commanding.
" Agreeably to orders received by Major-General Sir
Walter R. Gilbert,K.C.B., commanding Punjaub division,
the troops named in the margin will be formed into a
moveable column, and must be prepared to march at a
moment's notice. Marching establishments, including
carriages for the private baggage of officers and men, to
be agreeable to the scales laid down in G. G. 0., No.
360, of the 2d of December, 1824 :—Major Fordyce's
and Major Blood's troops of Horse Artillery, Captain
Turnbull's battery, a company of Sappers and Pioneers,
Ist Regiment of Light Cavalry, Sinde Irregular Horse, Her
Majesty's 60th Rifles, Her Majesty's 61st; 31st and 70th
Regiments of Bengal Native Infantry, 3d and 18th Bom-
bay Native Infantry."
A letter of the 15th of June from Wuzeerabad
also states that an order had been received there to
form the " 4th troop Ist brigade of Horse Artillery,
the sth Cavalry, her Majesty's 24th Foot, and the
25th and 60th Native Infantry," into a moveable
column, ready to start at a moment's notice.
Sir C. Napier arrived at Simla on the 16th of June,
and was expected to proceed almost immediately to
Lahore. The heat in all the stations of the Punjaub
is described as intense, and in Lahore especially the
troops had suffered severely.
Lord Dalhousie remained at Simla, and it was said
that he contemplated summoning the Supreme Court
from Calcutta to join him there, as much inconve-
nience was occasioned by their separation. The
measure has been long contemplated as a necessary,
result of the extension of our territory in the north-
west.

The trial of Moolraj was still proceeding at La-
hore, and excited much attention. The case for the
prosecution had just been completed, and was con-
sidered to establish his complicity in the murders of
Agnew and Anderson.

The 'Calcutta Englisirman makes the following
remarks upon the newly raised Seikh contingent, in
which we entirely concur :
_

" We confess ourselves extremely sceptical as to the
policy of confiding the keeping of any portion of the
Punjaub to the new Seikh contingent. The question is,
have we any adequate security that these regiments will
be faithful to the salt they have undertaken to eat? Our
deliberate opinion is, that we have not; and that, on the
contrary, all the probabilities are in favour of their be-
traying us. It is usual to say, Look at the native
army, and see how faithfully it has held the provinces
whicti have from time to time been added to the British
dominions. Why should not a similar result be antici-
pated in the present instance, and a Seikh contingent be
as ready to hold the Punjaub in subjection to us as a Hin-
doustanee contingent Hindoostan?' We deny;the truth of
the inference in tote. In the first place, although the as-
sertion may be startling, yet it is nevertheless the case,
that hitherto we have never held any conquered province
by troops raised entirely from that province. When we
conquered Bengal, our army was chiefly recruited from
the comparatively distant province of Behar. Let it not
be said that previous experience justifies the experi-
ment of depending on the fidelity of the Seikhs to pre-
serve the peace of the Punjaub. It is no such thing, and
it is of much importance that both Lord Dalhousie and
Sir C. Napier should thoroughly understand this, and
not be misled by the notion that the safety of each suc-
cessive conquest has hitherto been confided to troops
raised in the conquered districts. But even were this so,
the reasoning would not hold good in the present in-
stance. There is much more nationality among the
Seikhs than there has been among the several conquered
tribes of Hindoostan. The tribes of Hindoostan are
mongrels—llindoos and Alahommedans blended and
amalgamated together, until all nationality and almost
individuality have been lost. Conquered and recon-
quored,aeffnaeemelmaenmtolyngnatigomn.al TpehoopSlee,ikatinad,, onnottwheithcsoanntdrainryg, are
an the di,tinctions of race have been completely
tthh
kispiritg t
hoof n nationality
mspt roosne
dg
ouf p osnt
ci h emma. Tiaolsouirs
defeats they have experienced at our hands, have still
n
ter
not to be trusted with the task of preserving order and
quiet to the Punjaub. For what will be the probable
employment of such a force should it be called into the
field? Will it not be to check some outbreak of the
newly-subjected population, or to quash some chief, who,
having lost everything by our appropriation of the
country, desires to make a last effort to embarrass if he
cannot upset our rule?"
The affairs of the Nizam had at last called for the
interference of the Governor-General, his finances
appearing to be hopelessly embarrassed. The amount
of his debt tp the Indian Government is estimated at
54 lakhs of rupees, and either immediate payment or
a cessation of territory of equivalent value has been
demanded. It will be remembered that for several
successive mails mention has been made of some bands
of insurgent itohillas in the N izatn's territory, who at
first made the pretences of a false Appa Sahib the
pretest of their revolt. They have been defeated in
another smart encounter by Captain Howorth, of the
Nizam's infantry, who, however, died of apoplexy
from the intense heat shortly after the action. It is
strange that each of the skirmishes with these insur-
gents should have cost the life of the British officer in
command, Brigadier Onslow haying been killed by a
fall from his horse in the first encounter.
We have received by this mail advises from the
Mauritius to the 12th of June. The new Governor,
Sir W. Anderson, had arrived on the Bth, and had
been extremely well received. Public affairs are
said to wear a hopeful aspect, and the colonists were
endeavouring to accommodate themselves to the
change which the abolition of protection had pro-
duced.

(From the Overland Atha:mum)
The trial of Moolraj, ex-Nizam of Mooltan, for the
murder of Messrs. Van Agnew and, Anderson, forms the
most prominent item in this month a budget. The annals
of Indian history perhaps contain not the records of one
more interesting or important. It commenced on the
31st of May, the Court being composed of Mr. C. G.
cand Colonel
Penny, Mansell, of the Bengal Civil Service, the President; Mr.
R.
as
Montgomery,mem b
e r
salso
the l
a
of Brigadier Godby, whom illness prevented from attend-
ing. On the side of the prosecution is Mr. J. B. Bow-
ring, of the Civil Service, while the defence of the pri-
soner has been entrusted to Captain G.
i W. Hamilton.
latter officer ffier civilian;
acting in the place
The proceedings have naturally excited intense interest,
and the Court being very properly an open one, Lahore
has been thronged by persons from quarters both adja-
cent and remote to witness the imposing ceremony. Up
to the time of our present writing we have not been put
in possession even of the whole case for the prosecution,
which is to terminate with the evidence of Mr. John
Lawrence, but fully expect before we finally close the
present number to be able to bring down
our report to that point; the sequel must be
unavoidably deferred to next month. The facts
elicited in evidence furnish nothing additional to what
we have published in previous issues; it seems to be
clearly established that Moolraj was present when the
first attack was made on the politicals; that, instead of
interfering to check the outrage, he at once galloped off
with his sowars, abandoning the unhappy young men to
the tender mercies of the fanatic mob by whom they
were surrounded; and that he subsequently bestowed
substantial marks of his favour on the assassin that gave
the death blow to poor Agnew.
.His connivance at the
fruitless barbarities subsequently inflicted on thecorpses