The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-05 00:00:00

WHO IS i''6-BE COMMANDER-IN-

C LIIEF IN INDIA ?
(From the Times.)
The anxiety, verging upon impatience, which the
public has long felt upon Indian affairs will be worked
up to a species of paroxysm by the last deplorable intel-
ligence. Ever since the bloody " reconnaissance "at
Ramnuggur, and the bloodless " triumph" on the oppo-
site bank of the Chenaub, everybody has been asking
his neighbour by what mysterious law or fatality Lord
Gough is still Commander-in-Chief—who is to succeed
him—what is the manner of the appointment—and with
whom is 'vested this fearful responsibility. We never
remember a subject of such high importance on which
there have been more rumours, and more announce-
ments pretending to a degree of authority. At one time
it bad been intimated, so it was said, to Lord Gough,
that, his period of service having expired, he might
retire with honour and propriety. The result of this
would have been that Major-General Gilbert or Thack-
well would have taken his place. We need scarcely
say how often the hero of Sinde has been
mentioned as the man for the crisis. Since that
seemed impossible, his brother, Sir George Napier, was
brought in to fill up the gap, and the public were po-
sively told that, though an invalid at Nice, an offer of
the command had been sent to him. The last report
was that Sir W. Gomm, now at the Mauritius, had
been actually appointed to supersede Lord Gough. The
fact, the only fact, we believe to be as follows:—Sir
W. Gomm has been directed to hold himself in readi-
ness, in case of his being wanted. It is almost un-
necessary to remind those who aro acquainted
with the geography of the Eastern Hemisphere, that a
resident at Mauritius might be wanted very long before
he could be forthcoming; and that no rapidity of intel-
ligence, no celerity of operation, no fortune of war,
could possibly give the army of the Punjaub Sir W.
Gomm's services before the long interval of half a year,
dated from the late slaughter on the banks of the
Jhelum. So, even if we had nothing more to say on
this subject, the only fact we are able to mention would
be no great relief to the public.
But Sir C. Napier is the man to whom all eyes have
been most anxiously turned, and to whom all suffrages,
excepting those most to the purpose, have been most
freely rendered. Of his capacity there is no doubt in
any quarter. His very name is as good as five thousand
men, and, were he appointed, we confidently believe
that Government might countermand the two regiments
ordered for India immediately on the receipt of this
disastrous news. His daring, his coolness, his skill, his
science, and his success, have rendered him the greatest
of all the great Napiers. Then why not send out such
a man? Unhappily for the East India Company, Sir
Charles, in common with others of his name, possesses
a tongue and a pen as sharp and as reckless as his
sword. His indignation once aroused, justly or un-
justly, knows neither friend nor foe. Were it the
point of his sword we had to encounter, we would
rather not be an Ameer of Sinde. Were it a contro-
versy of words, we would rather not be his employers.
The Napiers are all sons of Zeruiah, and Sir Charles is
the Joab of the family. He is loved by the Directors of
the East India Company much as Joab was loved by his
master. He will have both his way and his say, and
there is no holding him in. Our own columns could
furnish a recent example of his bearing to the greatest
notabilities, when he feels himself aggrieved. The au-
gust Senate of Leadenhall.atreet, after deliberately
weighing the two alternatives of losing the must splen-
did dominion under the sun, and saving it through the
instrumentality of Sir Charles Napier, have come to the
conclusion that, after the usage they bad received from
him, they would rather lose the Indian empire than em-
ploy him again. So, at least, says report, but we hope
untruly.
If idle rumours and impertinent gossip seemed to sa.
tisfy the public till the day before yesterday, it was only
because it was probable that the present campaign would
soon some to a natural end, and the interval would give
time for a deliberate choice. Now, however, it is
felt that the man whom we send out to the Punjaub, or
whom we may select from those now in the field, instead
of having half a year to prepare for his future cam-
paign, may possibly be called on at once to turn back
the tide of Seikh invasion from the very gates of Delhi.
The credit and the prosperity of the British empire are
too deeply concerned to permit any trifling with so ter-
rible a crisis. Wby are the destinies of
India, why is so much British blood and
treasure, at the mercy of a man whose sole qualifica-
tion for that trust is mere animal courage?
It is not for want of warning. Three years ago all mili-
tary men, both here and in India, and all who knew any-
thing of military affairs,
were aghast at the reckless pre-
cipitation of Lord Gough's attacks. Battles they were
not, but rather the rude onslaughts of valiant but despe-
rate men. It seemed a mere rush at the enemy, as if all
tactics and all proper application of the several arms of
the service had disappeared before the brutish instinct of
personal combat. The British animal showed the more
" pluck," and proved the stronger of the two. At an
awful sacrifice of very precious blood we pushed the Seikhs
over the Sutlej and right through Lahore into their own
country. Gough was well seconded, by better men than
himself, and, as the victory was followed by a peace, and
the Commander-in-Chief rewarded with a peerage, he
might have been removed from the actual command of
the army with honour.
But no sooner had the Seikhs shown a disposition to
repeat the game of the Affghans than Lord Gough's pe-
culiar manner of fighting became a subject of painful
recollection. The army of Runjeet Singh had recovered
from its surprise, and measured the strength of its con-
queror. For months there was an evident want of a
ruling mind in the Punjaub. There bad been no fore-
thought or preparation, se it was now found we had to
re-conquer the country, and could do so but slowly.
The climax of a series of disappointments was, that the
Commander-in-Chief sacrificed some of the best officers
in his army in a hasty attempt to ford a river where it
could not be forded, in the face of an overpower-
ing force, where, also, he did not even allege that he
wished to efect a passage; and that he subsequently
succeeded in lotting the enemy escape without damage.
Of the feelings excited by that intelligence it is enough
to say, that Saturday's Indian mail does little more than
realise a melancholy apprehension. Then what has been
done to rescue India from the fell grasp of such head-
strong temerity? Why is not a successor appointed?
The difficulty is soon told. Government nominates
the Commander-in-Chief. The directors approve him.
The former very naturally hesitates to select from the
whole British army without official assistance. There is
Ithe rub. At the Horse GuarsJs seniority is excellence.
The venerable Commander-in-Chief knows not age,
except as a recommendation for service. The Duke was