The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-25 00:00:00

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OVER LAND MAIL

INDIA AND CHINA.

(From the Morning Post.)
BOMBAY, AUG. 2.
I write you on this occasion by way of Ceylon,
tier favour of the steamer Braganza, which will in all
probability arrive in perfect time to meet the Pre-
cursor from Calcutta, on her way to Suez. After
all, there is nothing of importance to write you about.
The English mails of the 24th ult. reached this on
the afternoon of the 23d July.
India throughout may be said to be perfectly tran-
quil. An abundant supply of rain appears to have
fallen everywhere. The prospects of the ryots are
highly promising, and general contentment and quiet
seem to prevail through the length and breadth of the
Company's dominions.
From the Punjaub there is next to nothing to corn-
municate. The affairs of the country seem to be
settling down to a state of general quiet, while the
most rigid economy is being exercised, and no doubt
is entertained but that the young Maharpja will find,
on attaining his majority, a considerable surplus in
his coffers. The French officer Gene ral Cowitolane,
who, it will be remembered, was refused employment
lately by the Lahore authorities, and who had been
subsequently taken into the service of the Jamoo
King, has at length been taken into favour again, and
had conferred on him the governorship of the whole
of the Trans-Indus territory belonging to the Lahore
state—the same extending from the boundary of
Kohat (the estate of Sultan Mahomed Khan, brother
of Post Mahomed), as far down as Dhara Ghazee
Khan at Mooltan.

Local magistrates have likewise been appointed for
every district, and these again have had placed over
them Nazims to look after the impartial administra-

tion of justice—thus affording a much less expensive
and speedier means of obtaining redress to the poor in-
habitants than that of being compelled to resort to the
capital. This measure, of course, judicious as it is, is
purely English, and does credit to the administration
of affairs by Colonel Lawrence. Even our system of
capital punishment, that of hanging, has been patro-
nised by the Siekhs. Not less than eight murderers
were dispatched at once by this means on the morning
of the 14th ult. ; be it remarked, however, that these
were punished for no political offence, nor conspiracy
against the powers that be ; and the better to ensure
their being doubly dead, they were to hang suspended,
by orders of the Durbar, for three days together.
Our Resident, Colonel Lawrence, is, I am happy to
say, rapidly recovering from the effects of his late
ailment, which had arrived at such a pitch at one time
that his speedy removal to Simla was considered ab-
solutely indispensable.
Lahore, as a residence, is now, since the completion
of the improvements lately made by us, much co-
veted, and the term "filthy city," applied to it when
first entered by us, turns out now to be a complete
misnomer. It has been thoroughly gutted and
drained ; abominable lanes converted into airy and
handsome streets, and all the filthiness with which
thoroughfares in the east usually abound, confined,
where it ought to be, underground.
The intelligence from Sinde is still scanty and of
no great interest. The navigation of the Indus by
steamers appears to absorb the whole attention of the
natives along its banks , the river itself has fallen
about two feet within three days. Between Shikar-
pore and Kussmoor a considerable body of freebooters
have their abode, and every now and then we hear
of some little dashing affair, which, in the present in-
stance, seems worth recording. Information was
given to the police at Shikarpore that a band of these
marauders were then a few miles distant from Kuss-
moor. Lieutenant Younghusband, in command of the
police, set out at daybreak one morning and came up
with the robbers a short time after ; these, after a

tough encounter, he seems to have completely routed
chasing them as far as the Seikh territory, having
killed 29 of them and taken about 25 prisoners. Very
few of the Shikarpore police were killed, and on the
whole the matter appears to have been much thought
of at head-quarters. The accounts from Sukkur and
Hyderabad are every way satisfactory. Those from
Kurrachee are equally so. Lady Napier, whose
health was so much impaired, so much so indeed,
as to induce the Governor to apply to the Governor-
General for an express steamer to convey her to
Europe about September next, has now much im-
proved, and there is considerable doubt entertained
that either Sir, C. Napier or his amiable partner
will even then quit Kurrachee ; they will not, at all
events, till after that month has expired, from the
nature of the weather at this season.
Matters begin every day to get more gloomy in the
Goomsor territory, and the immense sacrifice of
human life occasioned by the existence of the Meriah
sacrifice appears to be but little abated. Several
tribes, which have hitherto stood aloof, have, from
fear or otherwise, joined the standard of revolt,
headed by Chokra Bisshye; so much dreaded, in-
deed, has this chief become among them, that an
order from him to stay all agricultural and other ne-
cessary operations, to follow his standard, is with
them enough; no one dare dispute, none dare
grumble at, the behest of their master. The rebel
chief is everywhere well seconded both with men and
money, and on no occasion has the sympathies of the
heathen been better appealed to on the occasion of a
religious war (though this is one on a small scale),
than has this under the leadership of Chokra
Bisshye. That there was something rotten in the
manner our local authorities there have hitherto pro-
ceeded, a short time must show, and from the
character given of the new agent, Mr. Grant, you
may rest assured of a searching inquiry being in-
stituted, and the veil drawn up which has so long hid
in mystery the real cause of the insuccess which
has hitherto attended the humane efforts of our
Government to stem the sacrifice of human life. We
hear of nothing satisfactory in any of our movements
in this quarter ; nothing, in fact, saving the daring and
successful exploits and defying threatenings of the
rebel chief—a village or two burned here, another
there—occasionally sacrifices at one spot, and rob
beries at another—and all under the very nose of our
sentries. Strange that affairs such as these should
not long ago have been finally subdued.
Dhoonghur Singh, the Wizard of the West, as he
may justly be termed, is still at large, driving a
splendid trade by the levying of black-mail on every
village he comes across. Poor Colonel Sutherland,
our President in the Rajpootana States, with all his
aids and strategems, cannot, by any possibility, over-
take the rogue. He is not, be it remembered, reduced
to the necessity of bolting from the approach of our
troops. His resources are large, and his private in-
fluence extensive, and would not at all hesitate, when
he can catch an opportunity, of hinting to Colonel
Sutherland, when the latter little expected him, "that
Doongee was here," and backed with a force, too,
sufficient to swallow up, so far as numbers were con-
cerned, the straggling detachments sent against him.
Already has the Colonel lost all patience with him, and
no wonder. Information is brought in that on such a
day he will be found at Nusserabad—a party is sent off
instanter—when, lo ! the wizard is then found to be
quietly located at
pe Harrowtee, very far byond reac
it
h
from that quarter. As matters are too bfe,ehhisowceavtru,re.
is to be hoped ou will soon hear
Instructions have y
been issued to all officers in com-
mand of detached parties of our troops to march on
withoutits w
throughoutai tin g fo or
tohred ei
nr sd e frompend e superior pne ra
native
ea us
states
ahtoersi ty.
no
traveller can pass the roads ; life and property every-
where are alike at stake.
The intelligence from other parts is unireportitnt.
Our local news is chiefly absorbed by the investi-
gation pending in the coal conspiracy case—several
other parties appear to be deeply implicated, and
Government seems to have been robbed in this de-
partment alone to a most alarming extent.
The intelligence from China is in !portant thus far,
that the rumour of another attack by the Chinese on
foreigners turns out to be without foundation. By
latest accounts all was quiet at Canton, though busi-
ness was at a complete stand still. Governor Davis
appears to be completely forgetting himself, he
seems to have fallen into disrepute with every one—
even the Chinese themselves have lost all confidence
in him as the powerful representative of the barbarian

THE SUN,