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

THE PUNJAUB.

The country of the Five Rivers has been transformed
from a general battle-field 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
down in their cantonments, and preparing against the
heats of the approaching season. Chuttur and Shere
Singh have, it is said, been directed to proceed to 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 permiteed. At Bunnoo,
where General Cortlandt had established his head-
quarters, the people were quiet and contented—glad, ap-
parently, that the strife 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
reductions under Lord liardinge left. us some 50,000
more men and 830 more European officers than we pos-
sessed when the Affghan war was determined on in 1833
—within these ten months 18,000 men have been added
to the uriny; 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 90,00 when'l in excess of what we possessed ten
years ago, lndia was last at peace, while the Pun-
jaub, Affgh3nistan, Sinde, and G walior 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 bo ten new 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 Poerbeas 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: Crau-
ford Chamberlain, 28th Native lefantry, 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' Na
tive
Infantry. N
Infantry. Fifth: Fitzgerald, of Sinde
Camel Corps,aive
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
Gastrell, 13th Native Infantry. Fifth: Not yet known,
I believe. The adjutants are all, it is said, to be taken
from the Bombay and Madras service. You will
perceive that the above list of commandants and seconds
in command is nearly all selected from p3ssd men. The
order limiting absentees on staff employ to five must nbw
bo done away with, and will not increase the efficiency of
the Bengal army certainly; but no increase to the regular
army will be granted us now I much
thef ear.
Another correspondent writes onsame subject:—
"The auernetation advocated by the resident at Lahore,
and considered necessary by Mr. Elliott,amounts to
some five regiments-of irregular cavalry, half Seik..s half
Hindostanee, wholly useless, the about
the
nondescript sort.
An officer was ordered to recruit for ono of the cavalry
regiments from among such teikhha as were presented to
not barite arms
him for entertainment—
late campaign—andSelk-w all he could find fit
against us in the
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
as,"—Agra Messenger, April 21.
Major-General Sir Walter Gilbert and Brigadier
Campbell arrived at %wall Vindee, from Attock, on the