The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-05 00:00:00

INDIA.
(From the Overland Bombay Times, May 1.)
SUNDIARY.

We have rarely hid occasion to seed home a more
newsless summary than the present—though the next
two are likely to be no improvements. We can only ie-
tunate the arrival of Sir C. Napier in the Eastern waters;
he reached Alexandria on the Bth, proceeded straight
,hr, ugh Egypt, and sailed direct for Calcutta, on the
12th, having learnt on the way that tranquillity in the
eunjaub had been restored. He will have by this time
arrived, and been sworn in, and is probably on his way
to Simla for the season. The intelligence that railways
have been all but secured us, is probably the most im-
portant news that ever reached the shores of India ; we
borrow money without remorse to meet the charges of
a causeless and unprofitable war; for no purpose could
we borrow more wisely or securely than for the im•
provement of internal communication. The troops
at Peshewur are busy preparing themselves against
the hot season. They enjoy the highest health there
and at Moultan ; the climate to the middle of April
appears to have been delightful at both places.
The Sinde horse have had another brush with the
Nfurrees on the frontier, who of course got the worst
of it, having had 40 of their people killed, and
1,000 cattle, lifted from the low country, taken from
them. Stride continues healthy. General Achmuty
has arrived at Kurrachee. Sir W. Cotton, commander-
in chief of Bombay, has sent in his resignation, and re-
questedaar,eithtothheearionyeeavv,hirleegaitmeitastal.eoaf
1.
said tsrleidrnethba,
tp ;phuelraer
to be relieved after the rains; he has been ex-
t
added to the Bengal army; on the other hand it is as-
serted that irregulars, half horse and half foot, will be
raised to the extent of 10,000, without any addition of
officers. The hope of a substantial augmentation seems
to have been one great source of the clamour fur the
annexation of the Punjaub. The order issued some
months since raising the strength of each regiment by
200 men, must have added 18,000 men to our muster
roll; the occupation of the Saugor and Nerbudda terri-
tories by about 12,000 Madras troops, will be a virtual
addition to the army in Bengal to this extent, or a total
of 30,000; the expected augmentation, whether of regu-
lars or irregulars, will bring it up to 40,000; so much
for the first fruits of annexation. The expense of a I
native regiment, officers, arms, appointments, and 1
maintenance, costs somewhere about 40,0001. a year!
The charges of a couple of regiments would meet
the interest of all the money proposed to be
expended on railways. The Governor-General
is in the upper provinces. The commander in-
chief is at Simla, having taken a final leave of the army
on quitting the Punjaub. General Gilbert has also
taken leave of the division under lf.m, in a complimen-
tary general order, and the troops in reality richly de.
serve any compliment that can be paid them. Lieutenant
Miller, of her Mejesty's 22d Foot, a very meritorious
officer, raised from the ranks for good conduct, has just
been dismissed the service under circumstances of pecu-
liar hardship. Mr. Miller had charge of the canteen
funds, and on these being transferred from his to other
hands some errors were discovered, which led to charges
of his having instructed a native clerk to make false en-
tries in the books. The court seem to have at once got
carried away with the idea that erroneous entries by a
clerk implied a fraud on the part of his superior, and
decided accordingly. The books have been examined
by able and competent authorities—they turn out to
be full of errors—but bear no evidence of having been
tampered with by Mr. Miller. Like most soldiers, he is
little of a business man, and permitted a bad system to
go on as he found it, till a faithless clerk, when about to
be dismissed, based charges against him on his own
blunders. We have no doubt that on a revision it will
be found that he stands free of all blame, save that of
negligence, and that a very slight reprimand is punish-
ment enough for this.

SINDE.
By the Bombay Steam Navigation Company's
steamer Victoria, which arrived on Monday morning,
we have letters and papers from Kurrachee to the 26. h,
When the steamer Queen was signalled on Sunday
morning Sir C. Napier wss believed to be on board, and
the greatest excitement was expressed everywhere.
"Oh! then and there was hurrying to and fro,
The fiery squadron and the clattering car."
In fact never was such a bustle before,—every one
exclaiming, " the chief, he comes, he eJmes." His own
regiment were, as became them, in estate of pre eminent
excitement; when lo! and behold, when all was ready
for the reception, there was no one to be received.
The following extract fro:n the Kurrachee Advertiser
gives accounts of an affair betwixt the Murrees and the
iinde Horse, followed by the usual results. Sir C.
Napier left the two fighting, and he finds them fighting;
it is but fair to add that there has been nocase of collision
since Merewether's affair—now nearly two years old:
" We learn that another gallant affair has take plac.,
on the frontier, in which the Sinda Horse have again
distinguished themselves. Some days ago (we have not
heard the date), a detachment of the regiment above
mentioned was relieved at Kusmore by a party from
head-quarters; hardly,
.however, had the relieved party
left when the new detachment was attacked by a party
of 500 armed Murrees; a duffedar and four men were
killed, and several wounded. The party which had left
heard the firing, and returned in time to succour the'r
comrades, who would otherwise have been either de-
stroyed, or at least have suffered great loss. The whole
affair was so sudden that the pry, consisting of forty
men under a native ofli.:er, besides rescuing their cons •
rades, cut up about forty of the Murrees, and took up-
.yards o` 1,000 head of cattle, and obliged the robbers to
Ili to the hills. We have not heard all the particulars 0:
ttiii affair, but believe tli3 above to he correct in the main
pin's. It seems strange that the Murrces were able to
plan the tat!ttek without the officer in comm-tail
Lein
even aware of their approach; but we have no doub
that on this an inquiry has been instituted, and t xplan
tion afforded."
Much regret was expressed that the harbour should
remain in an unfinished state, and that the enormous
sums of money expended or, what the late ruler 0.
Young E4ypt expected to be the glory of New Alex.
audria should have 13:en sunk in vain. A very Hub
more would make the pier serviceable; at present it is
utterly useless.

THE PUNJAUB.
The country of the Five Rivers has been transformed
from a general battle fi 11 to a vast standing camp. Our
troops lately engaged in deadly strife have now no longer
any enemy to contend with, and are settling themselves
town in their cantonments, and preparing against the
heats of the approaching season. Chuttur and Shore
Singh have, it is said, been directed to proceed.te their
respective homes, and been assured that if they are ever
heard of without a limited circuit of the domiciles as-

signed them they will be visited with the punishmen
due to their past misdeeds, which have for the present
been passed over so gently. The troops at Peshawar
were reviewed on the Ist by General Gilbert, who took
an affectionate leave of them. He left on the 3d on his
way to Lahore, where he takes command; he was ac
companied by her Majesty's 14th Light Dragoons to
the capital, and her Majesty's 30th on their way to
Meerut. The site selected for the cantonments is near
the former residence of Major Lawrence, which was
burned by the Affghans, or where the Seikh can-
tonments formerly stood. Officers are to be allowed
to make their tents as comfortably as they can—
the expense of house building to be avoided as much
as possible for the present. The cultivation of rice is
forbidden in the neighbourhood, the irrigation required
by it engendering malarious damps. There is a small
force settled at Jamrood, and no traffic through the
Khyber Pass Is for the present permitted. At Bunnoo,
where General Cortlandt had established his head
quarters, the people were quiet and contented—glad, ap-
parently, that the strifC was over, and that they had
avoided the insurgent side. Kohat, and all the provinces
around, seemed well disposed. There are, it is said,
seven regiments of irregular horse to be raised from
amongst the disbanded Seikh soldiers, and eight or nine
regiments of foot: these to be officered from the Indian
army. There is another rumour that ten new regiments
are to be added to the strength of our forces. The late
redactions under Lord Hardinge left us some 50,000
more men and 830 more European officers than we pos-
sessed when the Affghan war was determined on in 1838
—within these ten months 18,000 men have been added
to the army; 12,000 are, it is believed, to be transferred
from Madras, where they are not, it seems, required to
do duty, in place of the Bengal troops in the Saugor and
Nerbudda territory. This in all affords a virtual addi-
tion of 30,000 to our strength on the north-western fron•
tier, or 40,000, if we add the regiments to be raised,
being 90,000 in all in excess of what we possessed ten
years ago, when India was last at peace, while the Pun-
jaub, Affghanistan, Sinde, and Gwalior had as yet not
felt the power of our sword.
The following letter from a trustworthy correspon-
dent
gives fuller explanation of the arrangements re-
specting.the new levies than anything we have as yet
seen published:—
" There are to be ten now regiments immediately
raised in and for the Punjaub—a sort of continent, in
fact—five cavalry and five infantry—to be recruited half
Seikhs, and the other half Poorbeas and Mussulmans.
The commandants and second in commands are already
appointed—the names of the following for the command
of the cavalry corps:—First: Neville Chamberlain, 16th
Grenadiers, and Stannus, sth Cavalry. Second: Cran-
ford Chamberlain, 28th Native Infantry, and Brown,
46th Native Infantry. Third: Biddulph, 45th Native
Infantry, with 3d Light Cavalry, and Weston, 36th Na-
tive Infantry. Fourth: Dowson, sth Native Infantry,
with 11th Light Cavalry, and Henderson, 45th Native
Infantry. Fifth: Fitzgerald, of Sinde Camel Corps,
which is to be done away with; second in command I do
not know. Infantry—First: Coke, 10th Native Infantry;
and Willan, 44th Native Infantry. Second: Knox, 43d
Light Infantry; and Brown, 16th Native Infantry. Third:
Morris, 20th Native Infantry; and Reid, 34th Native
Infantry. Fourth: Campbell, 30th Native Infantry; and
flastrell, 13th Native Infantry. Fifth: Not yet known,
I believe. The adjutants are all, it is said, to be taken
frora the Bombay and Madras service. 17‘,11 will
rerecive that the above list of commandants and seconds
in command is nearly all selected from pass,:d men. The
order limiting ab,cniees on staff employ to ti%e must now
ho done away with, and will not increase thee tliciency
of
the Bl weal army certainly; but no increase to the reviler
army will be grant,al now I much loan"
Another correspondent writes mill the same subject:—
''The augmetation advocated by 'h eErlel;idttenat
matoluinat,iorte,,)
and considered necessary
some five reiments:of irreg cavalry, half Seikhs half
Ilindostance, wholly useless,; and about the same number
of regiments of infantry of the same nondescript surf.
An officer was ordered to recruit for one of the cavalry
regiments from among such Seikhs as weie presented to
him for entertainment—Seikhs who have not borne arena
against us in the late campaign—and all he could find fit
for work was about two per cent.—the rest being mostly
venerable reechi sufed, grey beards, whose age alone, in
all probability, prevented them from bearing arms against
us. —Agra Messenger, April 21.
Major-General Sir Walter Gilbert and Brigadier
Campbell arrived at Rawull Pindee, from Attock, on the