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

various services of the army. And when we are informed
that the position or the Seilehs exit nded over a front of
tree miles in extent, was dotted with batteries
at most irregular intervals, tied th,t in many
places the jungle wss so thick n s to separate and
interfere with the order of the advancing columns, we
can be at no loss to understand that the battle was
fought under circumstances in the highest degree dis-
eavantageous to the assailants. When the daylight
was expended both armies retired to their original en-
campments; and although it is true that the Seikhs have
subsequently taken up a position neare.e. the Jecium, it
cannot be that their strength is in any. essential.
respect impaired by the action of the 13th of January.
They lot,t but twelve of their own guns, and they cape
cured four of curs; and it is at best but deubtful whether
i
the casualties in their camp are heavier than those n
our own. Lord Gough remains at the head of an army
of 20,000 men, and he has before him an enemy of
40,000 or 45,000 men, every way prepared to dispute
his possession of the country. The final occupation of
Afoultan will set at liberty a force of 17,000 men, after
baving 3.000 vie a garrison; and, proceedieg up the
right bank of the Jhelum, this extensive reinforcement
may perhaps reach the neighbourhood of Pind Dadeen
Khali by a three weeks' march. But the future conduct
of the war, any more than the past is net a question of
numbers. It is a question of generalship. Reverses the
most severe are perfectly inseparable ;rumthe supreme
command of a man who is so utterly incepab!e of rea-
soning from cause to effect as to undertake a general
i action suddenly at the close of a day, n the midst of an im-
practicable country—against an unknown enemy—and
1 with arrangements in the highest degree imperfect. The
opinion we ventured to express on the reported arrival
of an Affghan force, with hostile intentions, upon the
northern boundary of Sinde, is confirmed by the more
recent and precise intelligence. The expedition has
been ascertained to consist of only a few hundred ma-
rauders from Candahar, sent out to raise a tribute—not
less real, because it is irregular—upon the more peace-
able tribes wno inhabit the southern extremity of the
Bolan Pass. The presence, however, of Dost Alahomed
in Peshawur is removed beyond all doubt; and the sur-
render, at length, of the fortress of Attock by Lieutenant
Herbert, may possibly, by the course of events, become
an important feature in the progress of the war upon the
Upper Indus.

TO THE SECRETARY OF THE
METROPOLITAN REFORM ASSOCIATION.
Sir,—On Wednesday 28th Feb. there was a weary
debate on the Public Roads Bill, ending in the Bill
being withdrawn.
On Thursday came on Lord Ashley's motion for an
address to appoint a Commission " to inquire into the
practicability and mode of subdividing, into distinct and
independent parishes, for all ecclesiastical purposes, all
the densely peopled parishes in England and Wales, in
such manner that the population of each, except in par-
ticular cases at the discretion of the Commissioners, shall
not exceed four thousand souls."
It would appear from Mr. Hume's attempt at an
amendment, that an effort was made to probe into the
question, whether the terms of the motion meant to
acknowledge or to ignore the existence of the genus
Dissenter. But the motion for inserting words with
that effect, was made so entirely pro forma and so
rapidly negatived, that, to say the truth, though there
on the benches, I was not aware of the fact till I saw it
in the Votes. Another amendment proposed, for in-
cluding the uniting as well as the dislocation of parishes,
had virtually little more success, for it was only sup-
ported by 18 against 111.
This is one of the efforts which the retrograding:Church
fst iblishinent is making to assist in her journey to-
wards Rowe. There is to be a better distribution of
the influence;, which are to carry us back to all manner
of what the Art,cles of the original Church denomi-
nett d " fond things saltily invented." Nuns " black,
white, and grey, with ati their trumpery," are to be
brought back on us by rehegacte• bishops, and the coun-
try is to be split up itdo neat suberi.YISIODS in aid of the
measure. The opposition was only ss-eakly conducted
by such of the organs of the Dissenters as have speech
in the house ; and after the last abur ive amendment,
the main question was agreed to.
One part of the mover's exposition, was that no money
would be asked for. Which means that no money
would be asked for now ; for nobody surmises that
when the Establishment has increased its influence in
the mode contemplated, it will not ask fur what it likes,
and have what it asks for.
On the order for the Committee on Poor-Laws (Ire-
land) being read, a very odd amendment was moved,
to the purport that it was " unconstitutional and unjust
to impose on Ireland separate national taxation for the
wants of particular localities, so lung as the public ge--
neral revenue of Ireland is paid into an Imperial Trea-
sury, and placed at the disposal of an Imperial Legisla-
ture, fur the general purposes of the United Kingdom."
It was so clear that there was a mis-reading, and that
the intention must have been to say " so long as Ireland
pays into the Imperial Treasury only half of her rate-
able proportion," that it only obtained the support of
15 Members against 139. The question for going into
Committee was afterwards carried by 195 against 96,
and the Government's proposal was announced, which
was " That in each of the next two years there shall be
paid by every Union in Ireland a sum equal; to a rate of
sixpence in the pound on each electoral division in such
Union, towards a general fund for tho relief of the poor
in Ireland."
On Friday the Bill for dividing the living of Rich-
mond and Kingston-upon-Thames was moved to be
read a second time. Nobody seemed to know much
about the Bill, either on one side or the other; but it
had very much the appearance of another move eccle-
siastic, like that in %Vhitechapel. The end was, that
the second reading was carried by 36 against 27. A
Member amused the House by declaring that he thought
he had been voting for the Henley Waterworks, and
should have voted against the Bill; so the numbers
ought to have been 35 against 28.
Afterwards came on in Committee the Government
proposal of the sixpenny rate for Ireland. Among Irish
Members there was exhibited the most extraordinary
mixture of menace, asking for money, and assurances
that they would never pay. One remarkable fallacy
ran through most of their arguments. They were con-
tinually harping upon the principle, established they
said at the Union, that Ireland was not lobe taxed beyond
her capacity; their idea of a measure of capacity, being
not that it meant paying according to a given rate upon
their means as displayed by their expenditure or other-
wise, but that it meant having a rate of their own; or in such
cases as they liked, no rate at all. A Conservative
Member tried to represent to the Irish, that the English
agriculturists would be quite glad to close with their de-
sire to receive money under a declaration that they would
never return it, if the agriculturists were not suffering
under the recent loss of their resources from the pockets
of the manufacturers. But the Irish in general had
the air of being too well-grown birds to be so taken.
At midnight the debate was adjourned till Monday; it
being settled that the Navigation Laws should give way.
Will nobody ask the Government in Parliament
whether it is their intention to annex the Punjaub?
I am, Sir, Your oJedient servant,
AN OLD REFORMER.
London, March 5, 1849.