The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-04 00:00:00

SIN DE.

We have numerous letters from Kurrachee down to
the 26th of November, and from other parts of Sinde
of corresponding dates. There seems scarcely anything
at present stirring on the banks of the Indus. There is
a feeling universally prevalent amongst our troops, that
minute inquiries are impending, which will anything
but redound to the credit or advantage of the ruler of
the country ; and changes close at hand which are only
the first of a series likely to terminate in the abandon-
ment of a possession whose maintenance has been as
mischievous to us as its conquest is discreditable. The
rumour formerly alluded to of an immediate reduction of
the force on the Indus, proves well grounded—the 3d
Light Cavalry, four companies of European, and one of
Native Artillery, with six regiments of Infantry—i. e.,
her Majesty's 17th, 60th, and 86th, the 12th, 13th, and
17th Native Infantry ; in all about 7,000, are to be with-
drawn from the country. It is a mistake, however, to
imagine that the expenses of its maintenance will be re-
duced by this below the million sterling by which, ac-
cording to the Parliamentary returns, these exceeded
the income in 1844.45. Since then, it is true,
8,000 of the Bengal troops have been returned to
their own provinces ; but, to make up for this, above
9,000 have been introduced from Bombay the
Sinde Horse and Delooch battalion have been
nearly doubled—the camel and baggage corps
and the police force, if we mistake not, so
strengthened, that the army, at this moment, under Sir
C. Napier, amounts to neary 24,000 mon, and will after its
reduction still be as numerous as at the time to which
the Parliamentary returns were made up, nearly 17,000
men. During the past year the charges of the country
must have exceeded its income by more than a million
and a half—they will now fall back to the moderate sum
of a million sterling. One result has been the opening
of a five per cent. loan,; which is being subscribed to
so slowly that one of six per cent. is talked of as about
to be opened by Government. It is said, indeed, that
the retirement of Sir Charles Napier is definitely fixed
for an early day—some say in December, some January,
others March. It is known that a majority of the Court
of Directors are anxious for the restoration of the
Ameers, and it is believed that views similar to those
held in Leadenhall-street were entertained by the Cabinet
of Sir Robert Peel. The authority of the Duke of Wel-
lington with both the present and past Administration is
understood to be such, that while he insists on supporting
the Ellenborough policy in every particular, nothing but
an appeal to Parliament will be of any avail. This, it is
understood, is only waited for until Lord Ilardinge shall
have decided on the matter submitted to him by the
Court ; should he concur with them in opinion, every-
thing will be plain ; should he avoid giving a decision
—that he will give an unfavourable one is scarcely
conceivable—then the directors will most probably take
the responsibility on themselves. Meanwhile the ac-
curacy of the rumours current at the dispatch of our
last in reference to some most extraordinary proceedings
on the part of the Governor of Sinde have been con-
firmed. It is now beyond dispute that the messengers
of the mother of the Meer Shandad, to whom Sir C.
Napier had given a safe conduct to Surat, whither they
were about to proceed with letters to the captive ex-
Ameer, were directed to be intercepted, and were de-
tained and searched by order of Government—this, as
is supposed, with some view of prying into the papers of
which they were the bearers, or getting up fresh charges
against the ex-Ameers ! The indignation excited by
the revelation of this has probably surpassed that occa-
sioned by the disclosures of Colonel Outram. Circulars
have just been sent round to the various collectors, full of
the most humane and philanthrophic instructions for
their guidance, just as their occupation is all but gone.
These, it is supposed, are intended to be pro-
duced when the kingdom shall have departed
from the hands of the modern Pharaoh, as evidences
of the wisdom and excellence of his rule. All that
is required to make them take at home is, to omit the
date, and leave it •to be supposed that such were the
mandates issued at the commencement, instead of the
conclusion, of a career which will shortly stand sorely in
need of defence. The sadly erroneous statements of the
letter addressed by Lord Ellenborough to Captain Na-
pier—published in the Times of Sept. 27th—have,
wherever the late Governor-General's eccentricities
were best known, occasioned much surprise. His Lord-
ship states that Sir C. Napier moved 15,000 men with
100 guns on Mooltan, where he must have known that
the force moved on Bahawulpore, a friendly state,
amounted to under 14,000 with 30 guns. He adds that
this was an evidence of the great tranquillity of Sinde,
omitting to notice the circumstance that 9,000 men
were dispatched from Bombay to supply the place of
those who had left, so as to leave a garrison of above
15,000 in the country ! An expedition of 6,000 men,
destined to last sixteen days, and which occupied part
of three months to coerce a few hill men afterwards
brought over by negotiations, he pronounces more
meritorious, in a military point of view, than the
battles of Dubba and Meeanee !—Sir C. Napier himself
virtually admitting it to be a failure when he directed
a cordon of 3,000 men to be established to protect
the frontier against the very men that were assumed to
have been disabled ! The actual news from Sindo
amounts to next to nothing. A promising young officer,
Lieutenant Stanley, had died at Kurrachee on the 24th
from the effects of fever caught on a shooting excursion.
Courts-martial had been of very frequent occurrence,
one on a lieutenant of infantry had just closed, when three
more were expected to begin. The climate on the sea-
coast was cool and agreeable. Hydrabad continued
healthy, but at Sukkur a good deal of sietness pre-
vailed. Sir C. Napier and family were about to visit
the field of Meeanee and Dubba, and were, it was un-
derstood, making preparations to retire from Sinde in
March.
The following is an extract from one of our latest
letters :
" KURRACEIEE, Nov. 25.—Lieutenant Stanley,f of the
artillery, died last evening from the effectbtseonfuebvberi,ziovoenr-.
tracted while on a shooting excursion to
The steamer Comet lett the Bunder on the 15th for
Sukkur, with a regular chow chow cargo. It consisted
of piece goods, silk, dates, sugar, copra,battans, mats,
brandy, cheroots, and soda-water. Another steamer is
mentioned to start on the Ist. There is considerable
competition among the Sindees for tonnage."