The Sun.
London, England, 1838-01-06 00:00:00

been performed bet wren India and Suez ; thu,, whilst (making
al ,allovvance of four months for instructions being sent to
India', no le se than thirty monthly mails might have been T.•-
gularly transmitted, only four opportunities of forwarding
them by steam occurred on the Indian side of the Isthmus. or
Su: z. The Provisional Committee, therefore, feel themst Ives
justified in saying, that at the period of the connnencenn nt of
their labours, in the month of March 1,436, this country was
not only witliout any regular communication with India, but
labouring ender the greatest inconvenience from the corn n-
nioation t' zt had beenestalliste.l, as from i's great in eguarity
it was mix:: injurious to commerce than the old system, most
abunnuitly testified by the fact, that the mails for the months
of July, August, .September, October, November, and Decem-
ber, 1836, and that e.f the month of January, 1837, were all
detained at one time iii Egypt, in consequence of no proper
arrangement having been made to transmit them from Suez.
The Committee also found that, in point of the time con-
sumed in the transmission of the mails on the Indian side, the
arrangements were equally defective, an " ill-adapted steam-
ve-st 1, the Hugh Lindyay,"built to carry five-and a-half day's
coal at. Ler loaded draft, capable of performing at her !. reatest
speed only ,even miles an hour, had been employed ; but even
with the above incomplete arrangements letters had been re-
ceived by this route at Bombay in forty-four days ; at Madras
is fifty-three days ; and at Calcutta, in fifty-four days. The
Committee therefore trust they have shewn sufficient ground
for attempting to remedy such glaring evils.
It was quite clear that under such a system of gross
mistnanlgement, whether intentional or not, nothing
hut evil could result to the cause. In a Short time, it
is probab!e, the plan of steam communication with
India would have been given up as one of those
visionary schemes which captivate the minds of
theorists and enthusiasts, but which on trial had been
found totally impracticable. The friends of the under-
taking therefore thought it high time to interfere, and
to endeavour to do that by means of a private Com-
pany which there ,seemed so little chance of seeing
effectually accomplished by the public bodies who had
cstensibly taken upon themselves to perform it. A
Provisional Committee was formed which commenced
its operations in May 1836, and continued them with
indefatigable zeal during seventeen months—not a
week .passiing without a meeting, and no effort being
spared that could tend to promote the great object in
view. These laborious and persevering exertions were
at last crowned with success. When the Government
and the East India Company saw that the sympathies
of the principal London merchants, and of all the mer-
cantile Associations throughout the kingdom, were en-
listed in the cause ; that a large capital had been sub-
scribed, and was ready to be paid up in full ; that they
themselves, moreover, could not with credit, or even
with decency, evade the demand made upon them by
the Committee, to contribute towards the expellee of
an undertaking so pregnant with advantage both to
Great Britain and to her Indian possessions—they
made a merit of necessity, and wisely, though tardily
and reluctantly, agreed to take the matter into their own
hands. An arrangement was entered into, the terms
of which will be best understood from the following
dispatch sent out by the Court of Directors to the
GOVERNOR-GENERAL of India, dated 2d June,
1837, which we find, among many other interesting
documents, in the Appendix to the Report :-
1. We have the satisfaction to acquaint you, that we have
concluded an arrangement with his Majesty's Government for
the establishment of a monthly steam communication between
Great Britain and India, by way of the Red Sea. 2. His
Majesty's Government undertake the transmission of the
monthly mails between Great Britain and Alexandria, at the
sole charge of the public ; and we have undertaken the trans-
mission of these mails between Alexandria and Bombay, upon
condition that one-half of the expense which we may incur in
the purchase, equipment, maintenance, and navigation of steam
vessels (including the value of any which we may already pos-
sess, and which may be applied to this purpose), or on any
other account for the service, shall be repaid to us in London,
at the termination of each yea,-, we consenting to relinquish to
his Majesty's Government the whole of the postage between
London and Bombay. 3. It is our deire that this arrangement
take effect forthwith, and with that view we shall direct the
Government of Bombay to send the Hugh Lindsay to Mocha
for the purpose of her being rezularly employed in conveyine.
the mails between that place and Suez, and to despatch the
Atalanta and Berenice on alternate months to Mocha. 4.
We are aware that a fourth steamer will ultimately be neces-
sary, and we shall adopt measure s for providing one. 5. We
shall immediately contract for the purchase of a large quantity
of coals for consignment to Bombay and to Mocha respectively.
6. A pOition of those sent to Mocha may, if necessary, be ulti-
mately conveyed to Suez, but we intend to try the plan of
supplying that place with coals, via Alexandria.
The Provisional Committee having all along had fa
public object solely in view, and seeing that object
about to be realized in a more effectual manner than it
could have been by means of a private Company, as a
matter of course suspended its labours. We trust,
however, it will not be dissolved, until the steam com-
munication now established with Bombay' be exten led
to time other Presidencies of India, and eventually to
China.

We cannot close these remarks -without reminding
the public of the obligations they lie under to those
who have conducted this great enterprize to so success-
ful a termination: Here the first place is due to :Major
HEAD, who may justly be said to have been " instant
in season and out of season" in pressing forw•atd this
truly national design. Much valuable assistance was
also afforded by Mr. HuTT, the late Member for Hull,
in the intercourse which the Committee had with the
Government. Lord WILLIAM BENTINCK also warmly
espoused the cause of steam navigation to India, and
rendered the Committee essential service ; and it is
but justice to the President of the Board of Controul
to sav that he was from the first favourable to tl►e plan.
To enlarge upon the benefits that must accrue from
the establishment of steam navigation between Great
Britain and India, would be a work of supererogation,
if not a mere waste of time. When it is considered that
our oriental dominions contain a population of almost a
hundred millions, spread over -a territory possessing re-
ductive resources of incalculable extent ; and that this
immense population consists of various nations a►ul
races of men, speaking different languages, in Jiff; rent
stages of civilization, and separated from us by nearly
half the globe—every reflecting person must be sensible
that the advantages of a frequent, rapid, and regular
communication between the eastern and western por-
tions of the empire—whether regarded in a political,
moral, or commercial point of view—can scarcely be
too highly estimated.

-

Advices from Madrid, of the 27th ult., have reached
us this morning. They are wholly unimportant.
Everything appeired at a stand-still, awl no per Son
could undertake to say what movem2nt might he first
anticipated.. Ministers gave no indications of an ad-
vancing or a receding policy—probahly waiting for
the turn affairs might take in France. From the
North of Spain we hare no news upon which any
reliance can be placed. All is mere rumour and
surmise.

The French Journals of Thursday have all been re-
ceived, from which a condensed report of an important
debate in the Chamber of Peers, on the Address in
answer to the Royai Speech, is given in another part of
The Sun. Save the annexed extracts, we find nothing
else in these Papers worthy of notice :

The Journal de Paris gives the following as the latest in-
telligence from RtisEia
" The Russian army has been completely beaten by the
Circassians; and this defeat renders their situ ition in the
country very criticil, especially as the independent tribes aro
beating the Rusilans, en detail, in their fortified post, and in
a still morn important way in the general action% There is
no doubt that Russia will be soon forced to give up its m.ten-
SiOrIS to Cirem,ija.”

The Emperor of Russia is now subject to fits of intern.
perate passion, which excite fears among his family and fr;ends
of a complete mental derangement. The late events in
cassia, have hart so much influence upon his state of
mind and temper, that scarcely a day passes at Alo,cow that
he does not &amiss or recall from the service one or other of
the Generals and superior officers of his army. who are i,n_
—Messager. mediatelv re7ilaced by others." Cir.
. -.., , . - . .

(Private inta:mation from the (_o sestitutionnel.)
LEGRONO, DEC. 26.—The Carlist expedithat which was ad-
vancing into, the Encartaceones.bas turned back only on hear-
ing th.t Buerens with his n hole division was marching to meet
it. The farce of the Cur list expedition is estimated at 6,000
foot and 500 horse, in want of uniforms and shoes, and Is ivinb
nothing of the soldier but the arms. Espartero has concen-
trated twelve battalions and four squadrons at Vittoria, yes_
tcrday it was reported that the Carii:its had passed the lebro
and entered Castillo. We now know the source of this news ;
a detachment of Carlist cavalry, desired to revictual the fon