The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-01 00:00:00

OVERLAND MAIL

7:fretl—. INDIA.
We have received journals and advices from India,
from Bombay to the Ist of April, .and Calcutta to
the 22d.
The London mail of the 7th February, via Bombay,
reached Madras on the 16th, Delhi and Meerut on
the 17th, Calcutta on the 19th, and Benares on the
20th March. That of the 24th February reached
Bombay on the morning of the 30th March, by the
steam-frigate Moozuffer.
The following is a list of the names of the passen-
gers proceeding to Suez thir evening by the steamer
Ajdaha.
Mrs. G. A. Leckie, and three children, with a Euro-
pean female servant; Mrs. Stevens, and three children,
with two native servants; Mrs. Sandys, and two chil-
dren, with a native servant; Mrs. Showell; Mrs.
Waugh, and a child, with a European female servant;
birs. Grimes, and two children, with ditto; Miss Gray;
Lieutenant-Colonel B. Seton, 6th 8.N.1.; Major W. RI.
Cogblan, 80. Arty.; J. Don, Esq., M.D., 80. Army;
0. Ketterer, Esq., Be. Supreme Court; W. Frith,
Esq., merchant; Captain E. J. Stanley, Nizam's Army; G. Colquhoun, jun., Esq., merchant; Charles Forbes,
Eso ; Lieutenant W. F. Marriott, 80. Engineers; W.
1).
right, Esq.; E. H. Longden, Esq.; Dr. W. G.
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Nh a. rid., ;
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aLsElinds.
Lieutenant
Madras Army;
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Greenbergonui
enery,
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A. Dunbar, ,
Burt, 13th 8.N.1. Second class—Messrs.
. Jose Miguel Sanches de Aguila.
BOMBAY, Arun. 1.
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It is a new thing for oriental journalists to be able
to set down an event in the annals of commerce as the
most important item of intelligence India supplies,
and to entertain besides the hope that such is its im-
portance that it will at home receive an amount of
attention reserved in general for the notice of a battle,
the tidings of a victory, or intimation of a conquest.
We have just received the felicitations of our Eng-
lish brethren on the abolition of the duties on cotton
by the late Governor-General : we have now to in-
form them of the entire abrogation of the navigation-
laws, so far as India is concerned, by a measure
already in force, designed by Lord Hardinge, but
enacted by Lord Dalhousie, that after the 25th of
March distinctive duties should cease, that vessels
of all nations employed in the carrying trade
should, so far as the Company's dominions were con-
cerned, be on a footing of perfect equality, and that
no duty whatever should be leviable on goods passing
from one port to another in British India. Compre-
hensive as this enactment was obviously designed to
be, its operation ,will be more sweeping than is be-
lieved to have
_been intended. At Singapore there is
no custom-house : the port is in the Company's terri-
tories, on the highway betwixt India and the China
seas, and all goods exported as if from Singapore will
in India be duty free. This may at once be made
to .include the whole produce of China and the
eastern seas, which may be sent to Singapore for
exportation to India. The law was enacted at
once, and brought into force almost instantane-
ously, the standing orders of the Legislative Council
having been suspended on purpose. Intelligence
reached Bombay on the 22d ultimo of the loss
of the ship General Wood, with Chinese convicts
from Hong-Kong to Penang and Bombay. There
were ninety-four prisoners on board. The prison
was very insecure, and the guard consisted of
twelve of the crew. The prisoners had, from the
kindness of the captain, been allowed much more
liberty than prudence warranted After leaving
Singapore 'they broke loose in the course of
the night, wounded several of the crew, and so
cruelly beat, cut, and wounded the captain (Stokoe)
and officers (Quintom, Tummony, and Gill), that
they jumped overboard and were drowned.
_The con-
victs having obtained entire possession of the ship,
spared the passengers and others on board, with the
exception of Lieutenant Seymour, of the Bombay
Cavalry, whom they severely wounded, and a
European named Green, who was working his way
round to Bombay, whom they killed. The General
Wood drifted about for a fortnight, and then struck
off the Malayan coast, when nearly all landed in
safety. The people showed every attention to the
passengers, and seventeen of the convicts were
secured. Her Majesty's sloop Ringdove, and the
Honourable Company's steam-frigate Auckland
had been dispatched from Singapore in search of
those who had escaped. Captain Stokoe has left a
widow and family at Bombay, almost wholly unP ro-
vided for.--A considerable cargo of coal is on its way
from Malwa to Bombay, by the river Nurbudda ; it
can be had at the pit's mouth for less than two shil-
lings per ton, and may, it is hoped, when the cost of
transport can be a little reduced, be brought to Bom-
bay so as to compete with English coal, which never
can be had for less than eight shillings. One of the
largest and most respectably attended public meetings
ever known in Bombay, took place in the Town-hall
on the evening of the 27th ultimo, for the purpose of
testify enabling the public to their respect for Mr.
Clerk, and their deep
office, of Governor. The
public speakers werem r
.Erskine Perry, Chief-
Justice; Mr. Le
Durier, Advocate- General ;
and Colonel Havelocko,feseputy Adjutant-General
Queen's troops—one
hisf the heroes of Jellalabad.
Major-General Barr, and staff, arrived
from Porebunder on the 24arethiluylt. He leaves this
forenoon for Belgaum, having,on the retirement of
General Hughes, exchanged han
gedthe command of the
northern for that of the southern division of the
t
army. Her Majesty'sships Vernon and Cambrian,
which for the last five
days had been cruizing off the
harbour, returned to port yesterday afternoon, the
,former vessel having
taken her guns on board again
without:going into dock. It is now said, that instead
iof being broken up here, she will proceed home, pro-
vided she can be pronounced likely to bear the voy-
!fage. Her timbers are completely gone. During the
ortnight we have lost one of our most distinguished
;Portuguese citiaens—Sir Roger de Faria, almost the
!only one of his race who took a share in public
!affairs, or occupied a . position in society. Mr.
iCrookshank, anensign in. the sixth Madras native
infantry, died from
the st-nil; of a scorpion while on
his way to Bombay from
allarY• The munificent
sum of one hundred pounds has been subscribed by
Sir Erskine Perry
wieh
he to the funds of the hlechinics' In-
stitution, of is president. Dr. C. Kane,
Surgeon-General, retires from the Medical Board on
the 15th instant
board, and promo; this
tesD brings Dr. J. Tawse into the
Of au •
permtending r. A. Montgomery to the rank
consist of Dr. J. surgeon. The board will then
R
Wight, Glen,surgeon-general physician-general;
DjT D.
sr.
o.
tor-general of hospitals. Anand
order hasalBbleeninissued
for the distribution of the
prize booty captured at
Ghuznee in 1839. The sums to be divided amount
to 25,0001. The Commander-in-Chief's share is
3,0001.; major-generals receive 410/. ; colonels
..165/.; lieutenant-colonels 99/., &c. Sir T. H.
maddock, of the Supreme Council at Calcutta,
has been re-appointed by the Governor-General to
continue in council another twelvemonth—his term
of five years having expired. Sir Herbert is a man
°rripe experience in Indian affairs, and the value of
his advice would seem to have been duly appreciated
by Lord Dalhousie. The results of three somewhat
singular courts-martial have been made known in the
course of the past fortnight. Lieutenant E. W. C.
Plowden, of the 6th Bengal cavalry, has been dis-
missed the service for accepting a bribe to lose a
game at billiards, and for various prevarications on
the subject. Ensign R. Pack, of the 13th Bengal
native infantry, for falsehood, drunkenness, and un-
gentlemanly conduct, has suffered the same p unish-
ent. Lieutenant W. H. Walton, of the 29th Bom-
bay native infantry, having married one woman of
bad fame—believed to be drowned in the hurri-
cane of April last—was about to marry another
Whose
.husband was alive. Having sworn that he
believed there was no impediment to his marriage,
he
his_was tried for perjury, but escaped on the plea of
supposing the marriage invalid.
His
Excellency the Commander-in-Chief proceeds
today
to the hills on a tour of inspection attended by
his staff.
Sir John Peter Grant has been compelled by sick-
nass to retire from the Chief Justiceship of Calcutta.
Lord Dalhousie is understood to be favourable to
the re-establishment of a mesmeric hospital at Cal-
cutta. He has appointed Dr. Ebdaile presidency sur-
geon, though youngest on the list, in evidence of the
estimation of the services performed by him.
Lieutenant-General Sir G. Berkeley, G.C.8., the
new Commander-in-Chief of the Madras army,
reached Madras from the Cape on. the 12th ultimo,