The Sun.
London, England, 1841-02-08 00:00:00

THE BRILLIANT AFFAIR OF KOTRA.

We have just received full particulars from Kotra of
the brilliant action between our troops under Colonel
Marshall and the Brahoc army of Nusseer Khan. Cap-
tain Smith, Aide-de-Camp to General Brooks, having
received his instructions, left Sukkur, and in 3S hours
effected the journey to Kotra, a distance of 130 miles.
Having delivered his instructions, the force, composed
of the 25th regimen:C[o'o companies of the 21st, two
companies of the 'id Grenadiers, and 90 of the Poonah
horse, at half past eight on the Morning of the Ist of
December, tn2,de a chtipao 'On the rebel camp in two
parties, one under Colonel Marshall with two guns,
350 men, and 50 boric ; and the other under Captain
Teasdak of the 25th, with 500 men. Captain Teas-
lale's party went round by the pass of Pen Chuttur, a
iistance of 21 miles, and Colonel Marshall advanced
about six miles in a direct line between two-irregularly
formed bills, which were covered by the
,Brahoes in
!ines, their heads and shoulders just appearing above
the ridges. The rebels were estimated at 3,000,
1,500 being their best warriors, the rest followers
of the camp. The position they had taken up
was extremely strong, but the sepoys fought nobly, ex-
posing themselves in the most fearless way, and cheering
each other on with the watchword of Lieutenant Love-
lay's fate. The enemy at length were driven up a steep
hill to the right, and proceeded to crown it, waving
their flags. Here the brunt of the affair fell upon Cap-
tain Ennis, but, by the gallant condtict of our sepoys
and their leaders, the rebels, notwithstanding; their ail-.
vantage of position on the summit of a bill broken by
gullies, ravines, and scarps, were compelled to put their
Korans on their heads and cry for quarter, when 132
were taken prisoners, among whom were four of the
most influential chiefs. Nussecr Khan with two fol-
lowers unfortunately escaped, climbing over the summit
of a lofty hill, where he was seen followed by a small
mountain pony ; it is supposed Gool Mahomed was of
the party. Our own loss consisted of one officer, (Mr.
Lodge, of the 25th, who was shot through the leg, and
bled to death in a few minutes,) eight sepoys, and one
horseman. The wounded were from 00 to 40 men,
with one or two officers slightly hurt by spent balls.
It would be injustice to pass over this ;Hair without
remarking strongly on the energy and real bravery dis-
played throughout the action by our sepoys. The
enemy made a strong defence, but were driven fromt heir
posts, where they evidently considered we should not
dare to follow them, by the firmest and most undaunted
courage, and numbers alone prevented the total an-
nihilation of the whole of the Khan's forces.—Bombay
limes.

AFFGHANISTAN.
(From the Bombay Times of Jan. 1.)
CABUL AND KOIIISTAN.

We were, at the date of our last overland summary, I
merely able to give a few fragmentary announcements of
the results of the fight of Purwan Durrah, which occurred
on the 2d of November, the flight and surrender of Dost
Mahowed, the death of Dr. Lord, and Licuts. Crispin
and Broad foot. We are naw prepared to give from
the columns of our north-west contemporaries a full 1
account of all the unhappy particulars conhined in the
communication of correspondents on the spot or the
official despatches of Sir Robert Sale. Information
having been received by Sir Robert on the Ist of No-
vember that Dost Mahomed had removed to Purwan
Durrah, a small valley, through which runs a clear
rapid stream of water, it was resolved to proceed im-
mediately to meet him. A detachment was accord-
ingly pushed out in advance, consisting of four com-
panies of her Majesty's 13th, two 6-pounder guns ff
under Lieutenant Warburton, the flank companies of
the 37th Native Infantry, under Lieut. Mind, two
squadrons of the 2d Bengal Cavalry, and the 2d Affghan
Horse, the whole being under the command of Lieut.-
.Colonel Salter, 2d Bengal Cavalry. Having marched
at daybreak, the detachment reached the Goorbund
river, about eight o'clock, and had considerable diffi-
culty in taking the guns across.
.The cavalry having
advanced, crossed the river where it issues through the
Purwan pass, and ascended the opposite bank, from the
summit of which they beheld Dost Mahomed at the
head of an army of some 4,000 men, commencing his
advance. A movemeni; made at the suggestion of Dr.
Lord, who fell as it was being put in execution, took
the enemy in flank, and the Affghan horse directed a
smart charge on the 2d Bengal Cavalry. Here a scene
ensued whiett has no parallel in Anglo-Indian warfare
—the officers of the cavalry ordered to charge, and
themselves led gallantly and fearlessly on towards the
thickest of the enemy's troops. Their own men first
wavered, then refused to follow their leaders, and then
fairly•took to their heels and fled from the fight. The
officers, with a mere handful of men, were left alone to
fight the best way they could. Dr. Lord, Lieutenants
Broadfoot and Crispin were killed, and Captains Fra-
zer and Ponsonby escaped very narrowly, after having
been severely wounded. On the part of the rest of the
detachment the battle was gallantly fought, and the
enemy dispersed and cut to pieces. After the fight
Dost Mahomed himself was nowhere to be seen.
Having found the fate of the day, on which he had ha-
zarded his all, irremediably against him, and his fortunes
irretrievably ruined, he fled from the fight, and next
day surrendered himself to Sir W. H. M'Naghten at
Cabal.
There is so much romance in the events connected

I with the c•osing scenes of the exertions and sufferings
of the ex-Monarch of Cabul, and these are so graphi-
cally described by the correspondents of our Cotempo-
raries, that we have given them as large a place amongst
our extracts as our limits would possibly permit. Dost
7.llalionaed having been very courteously taken charge of
by Sir \V. M4Naghten, was ten days afterwards de-
spatched under a strong escort for Loodianah, so long
the place of retirement of the Schell Sooiali, his prede-
cessor and successor on the throne. His ultimate des-
tination is as yet unknown to us. It will probably be
somewhere more remote from his farmer dominions,
where his name is still popular amongst the subjects of
his worthless rival, the Loodianah. The 2d Cavalry,
meantime, have been dismounted and disarmed, and arc
at present on their march towards Bengal. The sepoy is
remarkable for his fidelity a❑d attachment to his officers,
and there is scarcely a case on record where his courage
it, the field has ever been held doubtful. Hitherto specula-
tion and surmise have been equally active and et fault in
their endeavours to account for the dastardly scene at
Purwan Durrah. In defect of this, violent and angry
discussion has been stirred up afresh in reference to the
death (the murder it has been unhesitatingly called) of
one of their troopers in the Affghan campaign, with
which the name of Lord Keane has been all along in
some shape connected. It has been matter of astonish-
ment to every one, considering the surmises thrown out
at the time of its occurrence, that for the satisfaction of
the army, and for the sake of the character of the late
Commander-in-Chief and his staff', no official investiga-
tion was ever entered into on the subject.
An was quiet around Herat at our latest dates, the
turn of sirs have taken in Cabul rendering loyalty to the
India Government a prudent virtue in these parts for the
present. Our Persian Gulf letters mention theta large
force had been sent to Goran with a view of attacking
Herat. Our Scinde correspondents speak as if General
Brooks had intentions of sending troops in the same
direction, so that we hare rumours of wars on both
sides. From Quottah our letters come down to the
'2sth November, at which all was quiet. Sickness was
then very prevalent, and Captain Bean continued to
suffer severely. Mr. Masson was still under arrest.
There is nothing new from Kbiva. A letter from
Lieutenant Shakspeare, who, it will be recollected, was
left in charge of the liberated Russian slaves, mentions
that he had reached Duskt Kalla, on the borders of
the Caspian Sea, before the 13th of September ; and
that he had been able to convey 415 persons under his
charge safe to that fortress, " without the loss of man,
woman, or child." The distance they have had to
travel seems, according to the map, to be about 400
The Russian authorities were at a loss to ex-
press their gratitude to him for the restoration of their
captured countrymen. There seems to be nothing stir-
ring around Khelat since it fell without resistance into
the hands of General Nott, on the 3d of November. It
is now strongly garriso❑ed—what may be its ultimate
fate, remains to be determined. It will probably he
annexed as an integral portion to the kingdom of Cabul,
by which it was formerly held, by a very light and easy
tenure, as a dependency ; and will be a very valuable
addition to the Doorance Empire.

Lord Jocelyn arrived here this morning from China ;
he came with despatches from Macao, which port be
left on the 31st of October. Having arrived in the
Clarissa at Singapore he embarked in the Lady Clarke,
which, luckily for his Lordship, arrived here in time for
him to go to Egypt by the Victoria steamer, which
starts this evening.

The contents of his despatches are already public ;
those which he takes from Chusan ate to the 24th of
October.

The Governor, Sir J. R. Carnac, is stated to be se-
riously i!I since last night.
Lord Jocelyn is anxious to arrive in London before
the meeting of Parliament.

SHEIKH, or PUNJAUB.

(From the Bomban Overland Courier, of Jan. 1841.)
The critical state of the kingdom of Lahore demands
the most serious consideration. The succession to Nao
Nebel Singh is unsettled : at first his uncle Shere Singh
was supposed to hare established his right to the throne,
but now we observe that the widow of the monarch of a
day ( Nao Nebel) has gained her object, and placed her-
self on the musnud. How long she will retain her po-
sition cannot be known, for she holds it by right of an
infant as yet unborn.
The Supreme Government appears to be making ef-
fective preparations for some extraordinary events in
that direction. The arrangement of the Bombay army
west of the Indus, and the urgent demands for addi-
tional troops, which, as we understand, hare been
lately made by the political agent at Sukkur, prove
that the affairs of the north-west are likely soon to ex-
cite the most lively interest.—Agra Ukltbar.
The late " melancholy events" at Lahore are, by all
accounts, not likely to turn out " natural events," hut
one of those tragedies which we occasionally see got
up at native Courts for the furtherance of private ends,
and the gratification of private feelings. The author-
ship in this case is ascribed to Deean Singh, who has
proved himself a" dead hand" at his work, in conjunc-
tion with the widow of Nao Nehal ; for, like the tra-
gedies of Beaumont and Fletcher, the present was a
double authorship. By them was effected the murder
of Kurruk Singh by the old-fashioned means of poison,
and of his son Nao Nehal by the somewhat ingenious
expedient of a beam adjusted so as to tall upon him at
a given sign. The next net was to open with Shore
Singh, as Rajah, and Deean Singh, as " May or
of the Palace," the Shere being more inanag,eable than
the two who were put out of the way, and having lit-
tle of the lion in him beyond the name.
The Governor-General is, we are given to under-
stand, in possession of information showing that Deean
Singh poisoned Kurruk Singh, and afterwards effected
the murder of Vac son by some other means, the story of
• the beam being much questioned. The version given
to the public was supplied by Decan Singh, who gave it
the peculiarly innocent aspect it wears. Murder will,
however, out ; and in this case, we understand, the re-
crimination or quarrels about the spoil between the cri-
minals led to the disclosure of—even for a native court
—a scene of complicated and sanguinary villainy.—
Agra Ulchbar, Dcc. 17.