The Sun.
London, England, 1825-03-24 00:00:00

prices, however, were rather better. The de-
pression was generally attributed to the docu-
ment on the finances of Mexico, which appeared
in The Morning Chronicle of yesterday. The
operators for a fall have attached more import-
ance to it, perhaps, than they ought to have done.
The influence of this document upon the Mexi-
can Mining Shares is equally marked, and more
reasonably, for if the Mexican Government
should renew the high duties imposed upon the
produce of the Mines, and which amounted, we
believe, to more than 2Q per cent., the injury
must be serious to the holders of shares. At pre-
sent, however, it is only a project of the Minis-
try, and the Mexican Congress may not think it
prudent or honourable suddenly to impose duties,
the absence of which formed a great inducement
to the projectors of the Mining Companies.—
Greek Scrip varied from 5 to 44- discount ; and
Spanish Bonds closed at 23i. All the Shares are
heavy. There is some speculation in the Pearl
and Coral Fishery Shares, which is now attri-
buted to local operations, and not to any cir-
cumstance connected with the merits of the un-
dertaking. The South Wales Mining Directors
have issued their Shares, leaving it to those to
whom they have allotted them, to take them, or
not, as they please. Other Schemes are an-
nounced, among them a Company for working
the Diamond Mines of Borneo.

INDIA.

LATE MUTINY AT BARRACKPORE.
GENERAL ORDER.

Fort William, Bengal, Nov. 4, 1824.

It is with much regret the Right Honourable the Governor..
General, in Council, feels himself called on to announce to the
Bengal Army the consequences of the most disgraceful mutiny
of the 47th regiment of Native Infantry, at Barrackpore, on
the Ist inst., in which the corps was joined by a number of
Sepoys, equal to about two companies, of the 62d, and perhaps
20 men of the 26th Native Regiment.
These corps had been under orders of march for some time,
and had experienced some difficulty in procuring carriage; this,
however, was immediately removed, on its being brought to
the notice of Government, by an ad►ance of cash to each corps,

to aid the Sepoys in procuring the necessary carriage cattle for
their baggage. As the event however proved, the difficulty
served but to cover a subterfuge. A bad spirit possessed the
troops, and 'when all difficulties were removed, and it was no
longer possible to practise evasion, they refused on the parade
to march, with the exception of about 180 men, and the non.
commissioned and commissioned native officers.

On the receipt of a report to this effect by the Commander-in-
Chief, his Excellency immediately adopted the necessary mea-
sures to bring those misguided men to a sense of their duty.
He instantly proceeded to Barrackpore, and on the following
morning, having made a disposition of the troops at the station,
and those which had arrived during the night, the Adjutant-
General and the Quarter-Master-General of the Army, with his
Excellency's Persian Interpreter, and the Officer commanding
the 47th Native Regiment, were deputed to make a last effort to
induce the mutineers, drawn up, loaded, and in regular parade
order, to lay down their arms, but without effect.
Nothing then remained but to inflict the punishment so justly
merited. The Commander-in-Chief gave the pre-concerted
signal for an attack by a part of the force ; the mutineers in-
stantly broke and betook themselves to flight, under the fire of
the troops who attacked them ; and such an example was made
on the spot as the necessity of the case and the infamy of the
regiment merited—the most guilty of those who were made
prisoners having been subsequently executed by the sentence
of a Court Martial.

That a transaction so unnatural in, and disgraceful to this
army, could have been pi•aned and carried into execution with-
out the knowledge, not to say the participation of the native com-
missioned and non-commissioned officers of the corps, is not for
a moment to be credited, composed as the native regiments are
in Bengal: Connected by relationship, and living as the native
officers and Sepoys do, almost under e same roof, it is not to
be believed for a moment that the grossest neglect of the duty
which the former owed to the State has not been shown by the
parties in question. The Governor-General in Council conse-
quently considers the 47th Regiment Native Infantry, includ-
mg its native commissioned and non-commissioned officers, to
be disgraced—directs that No. 47 be struck out of the Army
List, the native commissioned and non-commissioned officers to
be instantly discharged the service as totally unworthy the con-
fidence of Government, or the name of soldiers ; and that a
new regiment, to be numbered 69, to which the European of-
ficers of the late 47th will be appointed, be immediately raised
in its stead for general service, agreeably with the detail as laid
down in General Orders of the 11th July, 1823, No. 65.
To the native commissioned and non-commissioned officers
of the Bengal army, the Governor-General, in Council, now
more particularly addresses himself. He is perfectly satisfied
that no instance of insubordination can take place in a corps
without such coming to their early knowledge. He hereby de-
mands from them a rigid execution of their duty, and observes,
that even on the rumour of any discontent in a corps, it is their
particular duty to communicate it instantly to then:European
officers, and to exert their utmost endeavours to put down in
the first instance any appearance of combination. His Lord-
ship, in Council, further desires it to be distinctly understood,
that, in failure of that line of conduct which is expected from
the native commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the
Bengal army, they will be held personally and collectivelyre-
sponsible for any misbehaviour of the men, who are more im-
mediately under their eye and command in the lines than they
can be under those of the European officers ; and that the most
dupt dismissal from the service will be the inevitable conse-
ce of any want of exertion and zeal, or any abandonment
ty. In short, he warns them to profit by the example of
the 47th, who have drawn down on themselves a punishment

they most justly merited.
The Governor-General in Council, in order to make known
the sentiments of Government to the Native Army as fully and
correctly as possible, is pleased to direct that this Order shall
be translated into the Ilindoostanee language, and printed in
the Nagree characters, for the purpose of transmission to corps
respectively, through the Adjutant-General of the Army, under
the orders of the Commander-in-Chief, who will be pleased to
issue such subsidiary Orders as his Excellency may consider
necessary, draughting the privates of the late 47th, whose fide-
lity remained unshaken, into such regiments as may appear
most expedient.

THE SEPOYS.
The first battalion of Sepoys ever raised in Bengal was that
called the Lai Pultan, or Red Battalion, which distinguished
itself in the battle of Plassey and on other great occasions; but
in 1764 it mutinied, on the pretext of some promises that were
made to it having been broken. It was easily reduced to obe.
dience ; but Sir Hector Munro, who then commanded the army,
thought a severe example necessary, and twenty-eight of the
most guilty were tried by a Drum-head Court Martial, and
sentenced to death. Eight of these were directed to be imme-
diately blown away from the guns of the force then at Cho rah
Pg
As they were on the point of executing the sentence, three re.
nadiers, who happened to be amongst them, stepped forth and
claimed the privilege of being blown from the right hand
" They had always fought on the right," they said, "andgtuhnes;
hoped they would be permitted to die at that post of honour."
Their request was granted, and they were the first
executed.
There was not a dry eye among Europeans or Asiatics
death of these line fellows ; but no disturbance whateveries at the
sued. The battalion next raised was called Alatthews,s en-
Bette-
lion. In 1759 it shewed equal gallantry with
the English
soldiers, in storming the strong fortress of Masulipatam, de-
fended by a French garrison. This battalion
was one of three
which mutinied in 1762, under an apprehension of
for foreign service. The mutiny was suppressed,
bein em-
barked as
the
battalion broken, and drafted into other •
native officers and one or two Sepoys were sentenced
and two
by being blown away front the mouth sentenced to death,
tence was carried into execution in th a cannon. The sen.
which had mutinied, and of one othere presence of those troops
was effected without the smallest regiment only ; and it
opposition
mur-
mur. The same battalion had also or even a
soon recalled at that time to its duty,mutinied in 1763, but was
we shall mention is, the too celebra The last instance that
the native garrison of that fortress Itediad one at Vellore. After
state of open mutiny, the I.lladras placed themselves in a
regiment of English dragoons were sent
cavalry and the 19th
r
gates of the fortress were blown Open' and the native cavalry
e sent against them; and the
acted with quite as much decision
their misguided countrymen,
themselves. as did the English soldiers