The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-27 00:00:00

OVERLAND MAIL

INDIA AND CHINA.

We have received by the ordinary semimonthly
express from Marseilles dispatches in anticipation of
the mail from India which left Calcutta on the Bth,
and Madras on the 15th ult. We have received no
papers from Bombay.
Our intelligence from China is to the 30th of
August.

From India there is no news of great importance.
The most perfect tranquillity prevailed, and the
rumours of Sir C. Napier's retirement in the spring
of next year had accordingly acquired increased cir-
culation.

The sentence upon Moolraj had been commuted
from death to transportation, and the Court by which
he was tried had published a very able statement of
the grounds upon which they had arrived at the con-
clusion of his guilt.
' The only exception to the general tranquillity of
India had occurred in the Madras Presidency, usually
so pacific. It seems that a fanatical caste, called
Moplahs, after committing several depredations
upon being pursued by the police took post in a
strongly fortified temple, whence the police were
unable to dislodge them. Application was made for
military assistance, and a detachment of the 43d
Native Infantry, under Captain Waite, was sent to
disperse them, but, from some unknown reason, the
Sepoys, though bravely led by their officers, took to
flight, after one ineffectual discharge, leaving Ensign
%Vise and some few men who stood by him at the
mercy of the enemy. They were all, after a gallant
resistance, cut to pieces, and the Moplahs returned to
their stronghold. Their triumph was, however, of
short duration ; a requisition was immediately sent to
Cannanore, and a portion of the 94th Regiment was
promptly sent against them. The Moplahs were
completely routed, with the loss of 64 of their num-
ber, the 94th losing only 3 men.
The cholera had broken out at Bombay, and was
continuing its ravages in other parts of India.
A terrible loss of life had occurred at Trichinopoly.
At an idolatrous festival, held at the top of the high
rock, which was attended by an immense concourse
of people, a sudden panic occurred, and the multitude
from above pressing upon those below, upwards of
400 were suffocated or trodden to death.
Our correspondence from Hong-Kong is to the
30th of August. A most atrocious act of barbarity
had been committed at Macao on the 22d of that
month in the assassination of his Excellency the
Governor Signor do Amaral. While taking his cus-
tomary ride in the evening, accompanied by his aide-
de-camp, about half a mile from the fort, and 300
yards from the barrier gate, he was suddenly attacked
by eight Chinamen, and dragged from his horse,
when the murderers hacked off his head and hand,
and disappeared through the gate. The aide-de-
camp was also thrown from his horse and severely
wounded. It was well known that rewards had been
offered at Canton and elsewhere for the Governor's
head, and no doubt is entertained that the murder has
been instigated or connived at by the Chinese autho-
rities, to whom the late Governor had made himself
obnoxious. The Portuguese soldiers, impatient to
avenge the death of the Governor, had taken pos-
session of the barrier-gate, and beyond the gate had
destroyed a small fort, the fire from which molested
them. In effecting this seven Portuguese soldiers
were wounded, and, it is said, 74 Chinese killed. So
soon as the intelligence of the assassination of the
Governor reached Hong-Kong, her Majesty's ship
Amazon and steamer Medea left for Macao, for the
protection of British subjects, and by their presence
to give countenance and support to the Portuguese
authorities. A French and two American vessels of
war were at Macao for similar purposes. About
sixty British marines were stationed on shore and a
party had charge of the Francisco fort. Marines from
the American and French vessels had also landed.
It is to be feared, however, that on their removal
further outrages will be committed by the Chinese,
unless conciliatory measures are adopted by the
Portuguese.
Senhor Amaral's death had caused universal regret
among the foreign community. His vigour, eournaa,
and firmmness in dealing with the Chinese nation,
secured him the respect and admiration of all, but his
very eminence in this respect marked him out for
assassination.
We have no particular incident to report from
Canton. Some energetic measures had been adopted
by the Chinese authorities to put a stop to smug-
gling in the river, and from which foreigners had
not been exempted. A small schooner belonging
to a British subject had been seized by order of the
Consul.
Our accounts from Shanghae are to the 20th inst.
The rains had ceased and fine weather set in. It was
still expected, however, that the injury done to the
rice crops would produce much distress, and that
disturbances would arise during the winter. A con-
siderable quantity of foreign :grain had arrived, and
more was expected. The injury done to the cotton
crop is confirmed. It is reported that the mulberry
trees also had suffered severely, and that the supplies
of silk will be short, but this requires further con-
firmation.
Her Majesty's ship Hastings and steamer Fury
were shortly expected at Hong-Kong from the
Straits, with Admiral Sir F. Collier. The
Medea steamer was the only vessel in harbour. The Co-
lumbine was at Whampoa, Phlegethon at Canton,
the Mariner at Shanghae, Arab at Ningpo, and
Pilot at Amoy.
The latest dates received at Hong Kong were
from London, 25th June ; Calcutta, 17th July ;
Bombay, 18th July ; Madras, 10th July; Singapore,
9th August.

THE STATE OF INDIA.
(From the Madras Atheneum.)
Our stock of news this month is scanty and unim-
portant. General tranquillity prevails. The rumour
of a war with the Maharaja of Cashmere has turned
out unfounded, and the political horizon is every-
where so free from the least indications of disturb-
ances that Sir Charles Napier, it is said—and the
report wears every appearance of authenticity—pur-
poses resigning his high command and returning to
England in the early part of next year. This deter-
mination, if eventually carried out, will be much to
be regretted. His Excellency's tenure of the Com-
mander-in-Chiefship of the army of India was looked
to with many glowing hopes that it would prove an
era of long wished for, long needed military reform :
his acuteness in detecting abuses, his fearless indepen-
dence in correcting them ; his equal care for the
interests of all ranks and grades of the service, and
his unflinching resolution in requiring from every
member of the army, from the general of division down
to the regimental drummer, a punctual discharge of
his duties,— qualifications which his bitterest political
opponents have never denied him, where so many
guarantees for the fulfilment of the general expecta-
tion ; and that having just put his sickle into the
harvest, he should quit the field, is a contingency that
none to whom the military efficiency of this vast
empire is a thing of moment can contemplate without
keen disappointment.
THE PUNZAUB.—Since our last the commutation
of the sentence upon Dewan Moolr.ij has been offi-
cially made known. The Commission met at Lahore
on the 31st of July, and communicated to the prisoner
the Governor General's pleasure to substitute the
punishment of transportation for life for that of death.
Alack for Moolraj ! this exchange of penalties, so far
from being act of mercy, is an aggravation of
severity. With the peculiar prejudices and religious
feelings in which Hindoo humanity is imbedded, ten
thousand deaths are preferable to the doom of trans-
portation. The ex-Nizam received the intelligence of
his fate with evident distress, one as little anticipated
by him as it was by the Indian public generally, who,
as was intimated in our last" overland," looked forward
to his imprisonment for life in the fortress of Chunar.
The last document in connexion with Moolraj's
trial has made its appearance. It is what may
be termed the summing up of the Commissioners, and
is the production of Mr. Mansel, the president of the
court. The paper is one that does infinite credit to
the talents of the writer, containing a succinct account
of the connexion of .Moolraj with the Lahore Govern-
ment, a lucid history of the Mooltan disturbances,
and-a clearly reasoned exposition of the grounds of the
" Court's judgment in convicting Mcolraj of murder,
and passing sentence of death upon him." Conside-
rable light is thrown, by this able sifting of the real
facts of the case as they affect the question of the
prisoner's criminality, upon the verdict of the Court,
which, as we stated last month, seemed by apparent
inconsistency open to dispute. The Court deem the
ex-Dewan perfectly sincere in his intention to deliver
up the province ; perfectly innocent of any design
to injure the British officers previous to their
arrival at Moultan, and even guiltless of complicity
in the attack upon them as they were leaving the
fort after its formal rendition had been made;
but they consider him responsible for what-
over happened after his solemn investiture with the
" .ungna," or war-bracelet. This circumstance is of