The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-05 00:00:00

OVER LAND MAIL

INDIA.
(From the Herald.)
We have received by extraordinary express, in anti•
cipation of the Overland Mail, our files of papers from
Bombay, April 1; Calcutta, March 23; Delhi, March
22. No later dates from China. We subjoin ex-
tracts:—

(From the Bombay Times of April 1.)

SUMMARY.—The only news worth noticing that has
reached us from the Punjaub is corrective of the errors
into which our north-western and eastern brethren had
fallen in reference to the state of Seikh affairs in general,
and the conduct of the Resident in particular. No at-
tempt on the life of Tej Singh seems to have been in-
tended to have been made. The Ihizsreh people have
never resisted the government of Ghoolah Singh; they
took up arms, on the other hand, against the Seikhs of
the plains, and had all but vanquished them when rein-
forcements were sent from Lahore a twelvemonth since,
just before the transfer of the country to Jamoo. Mr.
P. Vans Agnew and Lieutenant Lumsden had been sent
to make peace, not to maintain war—to use arguments,
not force. Ghoolab Singh does not seem a worse or more
unpopular ruler than the bulk of the chiefs around him.
Since our connexion with him began we have had no fault
whatever to find with him. He has at our suggestion
cleared his dungeons of state prisoners, restored lands un-
justly escheated, and abolished suttee and female in-
fanticide. No attempt to prevent the Durbar meeting
on Sunday had been made, or to restrain the movements
of the Queen-Mother or her son. No commemoration
of any of our victories had occurred in the Seikh capital.
Everything throughout the country was tranquil; trade
and cultivation were everywhere advancing as the
public confidence increased ; and a stern system of in-
quiry into the state of the finances of the country had
been entered on with a view to retrenchment. In Shade
the hot weather advances apace, but the country con-
tinues healthy and tranquil. A good deal of marauding
had occurred just beyond the frontier, where the robbers
had on one occasion the worst of it ; having been taken
by surprise by their intended victims, from five to six
hundred were left dead or severely wounded on the field.
Two hundred and fifty horses formed portion of the
spoil. The remainder of them are hemmed in by Jacob's
Irregular Horse, and will, it is supposed, be starved
into submission. It is now admitted by the Government
official, that the Indus—formerly proclaimed open
to the trade of all nations—will not admit of the
navigation of vessels drawing so much as three feet
of water. Shifting sand-banks, violent eddies, and
rapid currents, make the progress of these tardy and
perilous! So severe continues the pressure in the
money market that discounts have been raised by the
banks to from eleven to twelve per cent. About three
millions sterling have been raised by the Five per Cent.
Loan, which will, it is understood, be kept open for at
least twelve months to come. Our expenditure for the
past seven years has exceeded our income by above a
million and a quarter annually; at this moment the sum
just named is yearly absorbed by Sinde. From four to
five millions are at present understood to be required by
Government. To meet this we have the revenues of the
lately-acquired Seikh states, half a million sterling—the
saving by the reduction of our armies, about 300,0001.—
increased duty on opium, 100,0001.—and the indemnity
promised by the Seikh Government during our occu-
pation of the Punjaub, 220,0001.; to which we must
add a saving of about 120,0001. from the improve-
ment of the customs produced by the suppression
of smuggling on our new frontier; this will give a
grand total of 1,240,0001., leaving a deficit to be pro-
vided for by future retrenchments of 210,0001. a
year. The death of Akbar Khan, of Caubul, has
been confirmed. It was at first stated that he had
died of delirium tremens; it is now asserted that he has
been poisoned at the instigation of his father, Dost Ma-
homed! The Governor-General and Commander-in-
Chief have by this time reached Simla. The disturb-
ances in the Goomsoor districts, and disorders in the
Nizam's dominions, continue as formerly. With these
exceptions, India in general continues tranquil. The
Criminal Session in the Supreme Court of Bombay
terminated on Tuesday last; it occupied eight days, and
was the heaviest, both as to the number of prisoners
and nature of the crimes, ever known in Bombay. The
Parsee, who so cruelly murdered a Hindoo lad for the
sake of his ornaments a couple of months since, has
been ordered for execution on Saturday next. The
seaman Cole, after having been tried by a navy court-
martial at Bushire for the murder of an Arab, and found
guilty of manslaughter only, was indicted the second
time for murder on Monday last, but owing to an omis-
sion in the indictment the trial was quashed by Sir E.
Perry, and the man set at liberty. He had been in con-
finement nearly eighteen months. The case of Lieu-
tenant E. Bowles, of the 23d Bombay Native Infantry,
who was tried for an aggravated assault on a native
policeman in the execution of his duty, and sentenced
to three months' imprisonment in- the common gaol,
and to pay a fine of 501., has given rise to a considerable
amount of discussion—the sentence of the Court
being universally condemned as unnecessarily sever•.
The ship Mars, bound for Dundee, was totally destroyed
by fire in the Calcutta river on the 19th ult. Within
the past month nearly 6,500/. have been subscribed in
the Bombay presidency for the relief of the destitute
Scotch and Irish; 2,4001. were sent home by last mail,
and that of to-day takes 3,0001. more. Sir J. Jejeeblioy
has given a second donation of 5001. The Calcutta sub-
scription, opened about the same time, amounts to
5,0001, 4,0001. of which have been transmitted home.
At Madras the amount subscribed has reached the sum
of nearly 2,0001. By May 1, it is probable not less than
20,0001. will have been sent home from India. The
Mussoorie Asylum for the reception of the children of
European soldiers, which owes its existence to the Resi-
dent at Lahore, has met with the most cordial counte-
nance and support from the Court of Directors. Its
founder has contributed to it 1,0001. as an original sub-
scription, and gives 2001. a year as a donation—a
princely sum for a Major of Bengal artillery. The
steamer Queen,- with the London mails of the 24th
February arrived yesterday afternoon; she has been
eleven days, on her passage from Aden. The Victoria
with intelligence to the Bth March, is expected this day
week.