The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-03 00:00:00

again forward on the stage on which he had figured
,before. Lord Ellenborough, hail, by this time, come to
his decision on the charge; preferred against the
Ameers by Coionvl Outram: that decision was in ac-
cordance with the views the Colonel had expressed, ad-
verse to them, and with some modifications, rather in
favour than otherwise of these princes. Ms Lordship
determined to impose on them as a punishment for their
treason the penalties Colonel Outram had proposed in
the treaty which be bad drawn up, and submitted to his
Lordship or in defanit to treat them as that officer said
they deserved to be treated as enemies who had most
jastly incurred the forfeiture of their thrones.
This secured to Sir Charles Napier an opportunity for
the exercise of h's kindly Soling to Colonel Outran, too
favourable for him to pass over. Being alloived to select
a commissioner to carry on the negociations, he named
Colonel Outram ; and though Lord Ellenborough dis-
tinctly warned him of the dangerous nature of the man
as a political connexion, he, all unsuspecting honesty,
and believing Colonel Outram to be the same, still
pressed the appointment, and his claim was without fur-
ther difficulty allowed. Little could the Governor then
fresco all the long train ef evils this act of generosity
was to bring down upon him, but like the poisoned shirt
of the Centaur, Colonel Outram seems destined to be a
source of acute repentance to every one connected, with
him in affairs, whether the person be Sir John Keane,
Lord Ellenborough, or Sir Charles Napier.
Such was the manner in which Colonel Outram re-
turned to Scinde—not to guide Sir Charles in his politi-
cats, much less in his military arrangements ; for Sir
Charles is not a man who either requires, or seeks for
guidance : and had he been so, the political functions to
be executed by the commissioner were so excessively
narrow, that, as Lord Ellenborough had remarked, one
of the Aides-de-Camp, or any other officer of the force,
might have easily performed them. In fact, for all but
politeness sake, a puttawalla (a messenger) might have
discharged tl.em, for they considered in nothing but
carrying a treaty to the Ameers for signature, and tel-
ling them, in as few words as the occasion required, that
they would subject themselves to a worse fate. The
reason therefore that Colonel Outram was employed was
solely a kindly attempt on the part of Sir Charles Na-
pier to open a path again to him for political employ,
and to a return of favour on the part of the Governor-
General.

Colonel Outram accepted, and apparently with thank-
fulness, the aprointment, but it was not long before it
appeared that his views were very foreign to the views
of those who had employed him, Sir Charles Napier and
the Governor General. He appeared anxious to re-open
questions which had all eady been decided, and decided
on his own statements ; instead of following the plain
and simple course laid down, he appeared de-
irous of leading the Governor into the shoal of
Sindian diplomacy where he would necessarily be
the guide, and it was nothing but the firmness
(d. Sir Charles which prevented his succeeding
-a firmness which Colonel Outram has since construed
as a settled purptAe, whatever happened, to put an end
to the reign of the Ameers. The Council of India has,
however, negatived the interpretation, and allowed that,
had the Governor followed in the path the Colonel
beckoned him to, the arms of Sinde would have been
lost, and India, perhaps, at this moment in a state of
rebellion. Toe view the Council have taken is con-
firmed by subsequent conversations with the chiefs of
Sinde, and no rational man who takes the trouble to
go into the case can for a moment doubt it to be the
correct one.

The rest of the account of Colonel Outram's diplo-
macy is very short. The Ameers held out every in-
ducement to obtain delay ; it was now two days, now
three days, now a halt here, and then another there, that
was asked for. Had the proposed delays been to give
time ter reference to the Governor-General there might
have been some shadow of reason in them, though re-
ferences were needless a subject which had been so
maturely weighed before decided on ; but the delay of
two or three days could be for no earthly purpose, but
for procrastinating matters till the hot weather came
on, or at least till the Ameers could assemble their
forces. The General had his orders to execute, and
had no power of deviating from them ; what purpose,
therefore, could delay serve, but an adverse one. If the
treaty was to be signed' without a recurrence to force, it
might just as well have been signed at first as at last.
But the great point is it never was signed, or rather it
never was signed with any purp-ise of adhering to it, for
it was torn up and trampled on by the signers almost
immediately. It was signed, in short, as is now known
to all, with no intention of holding to it, but simply in
the hopes by the last stratagem, of obtaining a delay
sufficient to give the Ameers time to collect an army,
with which in a few days more they would have been
capable of putting to the sword every Briton, and every
British soldier, sepoy, and follower in Sinde.
The attack on the Residency immediately followed
their tearing up the treaty ; an attack which is now as-
certained was planned by Nusseer Khan himself. That
such is the fact is undoubted. Meer Bijjar, and Meer
Ghnolam Shah have testified to it, and Meer Khan
Mahomed, Ghoolmn Mahomed Coombri 'Wallah, and all
the chiefs in Sinde, can vouch for its truth. This
alone would prove the gross delusion in which
Colonel Outram lay. Some of his friends I
know will persist that this was a false attack merely
intended to frighten the party away ; but if this
be true what becomes of Colonel Outram's dis-
patch describing the fight—his acceptance of the
General's thanks for a battle, which Sir Charles at least
assuredly thought real—his permitting an inscription in
honour of the event to be put upon a sword given him by
the public—and a Lieutenant-Colonelcy, and C.B. ship
to be granted for the same service by the Crown. They
who would make out the attack on the Presidency as
merely a feint, make out a far worse case for Colonel
Outram than his wor. t opponents. The latter only
charge him with a want of sagacity to manage a negocia-
tion in which failure entailed no dishonour; the latter
would save his character for wisdom at the expense of
every thin.' men'hold dear.
After the battle of Meeanee, as is well known, Co-
lonel Outram proceeded to Bombay, and there pro-
fessing ad the time the greatest devotion and gratitude
to SirCh,rles, commenced that fierce struggle that has
been since maintained by him to upset the policy pur-
sued in Sinde, and to ruin the commander. What share
Colonel Outram took in the newspaper part of the busi-
ness he only can tell; but the statements that appeared
day after day in the Bombay Times were so similar to
those attributed to Colonel Outram in society, that if he
had no connexion with the press, it was almost impos-
sible to disbelieve that those in his confidence had—and
were the authors of the libels.

Colonel Outram shortly after went home, avowedly
for the purpose of procuring a condemnation of the
policy;and consequent political ruin of his commander;
who had, from motives of the purest generosity, placed
him in the confidential situation which alone gave
power to his efforts. The extraordinary spectacle was
thus exhibited of Sir Charles Napier's late commis..
stoner making use of confidential communications,
and of knowledge obtained under circumstances
which most mon consider render secrecy in-
violable, to aid the violent endeavours of an
adverse faction, and upset his late chief ; and
strange to say, for the sole crime of carrying out the
very measure he had himself, when resident, proposed
to Lord Ellenborough, and which measure had been
adopted entirely on his own suggestion. Put Colonel
Outram and Sir Charles Napier for the moment out of
the question, and let us ask what would be thought of
any other man who acted thus ? To change sides is not
often viewed in a favourable light in politics ; but to
carry off when doing so all that had been confiden-
tially entrusted to one in the enemy's camp, would, in
English political circles at least, put a man utterly be-
yond the pale of employment by any party whatever.,
Imagine then the astonishment with which Sir Charles
Napier received notice from the Governor-General that
certain communications had been made to the court of
directors by Colonel Outran], which. were so worded,
andStihreChreasrulels
and turned as to give a most
to a portion of Sir Charles extrerorsdlncoanrydna:tpeaarnance
ap-
pearanceafforded
rdd a
in , perfectly
st satirsofancttroar7
explanation,oNtahPe reality.
' was n most complimentary letter from the Supreme Go-
vernment ; he came pure as
i snow from the ordeal, and
the only effect was to confirm! n the minds of the Go-
vernor-Gsensta,rgaalcita3n.d
anCdountch ,re
iel the conviction
wantviction of Sir
iiaehleshad been displayed by Colonel Outrun 0f it,
Charles thus stood unharmed by Colonel
Cl
Sir lutrarn's
attack ; but he determined, and determined
rightly, there
should be an immediate end to all semblance of friend-
ship for one who had used him so ungenerously, and not
till after this was Colonel Outram attacked in return ;
an attack which under the circumstance was justified on
every principle of self-defence. The Bombay Times was
pouringinvective upon invective against Sir Charles, and
daily prophesying the effect of Colonel Outram's efforts
in London, The Colonel on the other hand was moving
heaven and earth in those circles, to which, from his
recently having been so mixed up with Sinde affairs, he
had access ; and there, as has been seen, he used weapons
to effect his object hitherto most scrupulously eschewed
by all public men of any pretensions to the world's
respect, he had thus declared open and most ungenerous
war upon his late commander, and in return could expect
no favour at his hands.

The first result of Colonel Outram's conduct, was a
belief on the part of General William Napier, that the
man who could act as Colonel Outram had done would
not hesitate to halloo on an unscrupulous paper to the
hunting down his brother ; and under that impression,
he called upon him for a distinct avowal or denial of any
connexion with the false statements and seurilities of the
Bombay Times. Scurrilities which appeared to be
written with but one object, and that one the Colonel
was himself, in a manner contrary to all tho rules of
party warfare, pursuing, namely, the destruction.
of Sir Charles Napier's character, and the elevation
of his own upon the ruin. The Colonel, in reply,
declined avowing either connexion, or disconnexion with
that point; said he was not answerable for what ap-
peared in tro papers ; and failed to give what therie, wits
an opportunity of giving with grace, and what, in mopinion, the circumstances of the case imperatively
1 on Sir
de-
manded, an assurance that he beheld the
Charles, which had appeared in the Titnes,
himself. Had he
disgust as General Williara Napi,c,erl__withh
as great
well —his single error
the
stating,
irst at
attack,
and 'even it they had not
done this all might have still bcnedn
might have been forgotten ;
- :mild never have stood irk
the position of Coloneln
reality, and not with General W.
remained friends, Sir C
ohwaubrtlarentanl:eetn,onulty.by
to the second
of having made f
point on
proceede
Sinde has been misrepresented.
Napier,
ia. I,
iv,
itecrruobsiaort
shall
iit hors!,:ernvt:i.):;,s,o,hinr::nox.ivunft s
and I s
which the
In treating this subject, I shall, as the Colonel pro-
poses doing, abstain from disclosing
official secrets, for
the best possible reason, thatl have been made the de-
pository of none. I have no access to exclusive infor-
mation ; I merely repeat facts well-known to all those: who have noted with attention the occurrences of to
last three years in reference to Sinde.

(TQ be coniinued).