The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-27 00:00:00

SU N9 OCTOBER 27, 1848.7'

Sir Henry Pottinger, Governor of Madras, seems
to be gaining daily in the good-will of those over
whom he rules. His condescension and urbanity,
and the impartiality of his administration of the
patronage which lies in his hands, are alike new
and soothing to the good people at Madras, the late
Governor having been remarkable for anything but
suavity or disinterestedness in the bestowal of his
patronage. The court-martial on Surgeon Mouat,
of her Majesty's 15th Hussars, has concluded its
investigation. The prosecution occupied fifteen days,
when the prisoner read his defence, which is said to
be a most triumphant one. The finding of the
court has not yet been published, but a verdict of
honourable acquittal of all the charges preferred
against Dr. Melia is confidently looked for. Bri•
gadier D. Macleod, of the 2d Madras Cavalry, at
present commanding at Jaulnah, has been appointed
to the command of the Nagpore subsidiary force, vice
Brigadier Perry, whose tour on the staff expires on
the 20th inst. ; and Colonel J. Tennant, of the Ben-
gal Artillery, has been nominated a first class briga-
dier to command the Meywar field force, vice
Stacy deceased. Three companies of the 51st Madras
Native Infantry have been dispatched to Labuan as
a garrison for that settlement. The investigations
into the recent disgraceful affair of destroying or
injuring the Catholic chapel at Secunderabad by a
few soldiers of that persuasion of her Majesty's 84th
Foot, at the instigation, it was said, of an European
Ipriest named M'Sweeny, have been brought to a
close, but their report has not yet been made public.
There cannot be the smallest doubt of the complicity
of the reverend gentleman and his son in the outrage
complained of. The extent to which they were so
has no doubt been represented to Government,
who will deal with them according to their
deserts. Great blame has at the same
time been attached to the brigadier commanding at
Secunderabad for the want of courtesy exhibited by
him towards the Catholic clergy before and after the
occurrence of the recent disgraceful proceedings. A
number of the soldiers have been punished for the
share they took in the outrage—the non-commis-
sioned officers being reduced to the ranks. Dr. Dau-
beny, somehow or other implicated in the death of
Mrs. Frere on the Neilgherry hills, has been escorted
to Madras to undergo an examination before the civil
power. It is expected the unfortunate lady's native
female servant will turn Queen's evidence ; if so, the
truth of the matter will be arrived at, as there can be
no doubt that she is fully acquainted with the whole
circumstances of the case. Dr. G. H. Harding has been
elected in the room of Mr. J. Ouchterlony as a
director of the Bank of Madras.
Lord Falkland returns to Bombay about the 15th
of October. Sir W. Cotton is just about to leave
Poona on a tour of inspection into Goozerat, and will
not probably return to the presidency before Decem-
ber. Goozerat and the districts adjoining have not,
we believe, been visited by the head of the Bombay
army for above twenty years. Some disturbances
have of late made their appearance in some of the
regiments in this quarter, which his Excellency
thinks it well to inquire into in person. The Lord
Bishop was last heard from in the southern Mahratta
country, whither he had proceeded on a tour of visi-
tation. His Lordship returns to Bombay about the
beginning of November by way of Sholapore and
Sattara. Surgeon-General John MiLennan leaves
for Europe by to-day's steamer on three
years' furlough, carrying with him the respect
and hearty good wishes of the society of the Pre-
sidency, amonst whom he has been a resident for
upwards of ten years. His temporary retirement has
brought Dr. James Burnes, K.H.—also a
favourite with the residents at the Presidency—into
the medical hoard, as Inspector •General of Hospitals
Colonel J. Outram, resident at Baroda, has just

arrived amongst us 'on sick leave ; he has been for
some time indisposed, and has been recommended to
avoid the heats in the interior about this period of
the year. The share list of the Bombay Railway
has been filled up to the point required by the
committee before the guarantee of the court could
be made available. The 30,000 shares have been
Subscribed for, and the list will this day be trar,s-
witted to the ome Committee. Commodore Haw-

kin's commission, as temporary Commander-in-
Chief of the Indian Navy, has been published by
Government ; together with a warrant from her
Majesty's Lords of the Admiralty, authorising
the officer at the head of the Indian navy
to hoist the broad pennant of a Commo-
dore—red, with a yellow cross and a lion in the
upper corner next the staff. Her Majesty's ship
Hercules is to carry home a further batch of sculp-
tures received from the Euphrates by the sloop Clive.
"..L.'he French frigate La Reine Blanche, Commodore
Page, is now in harbour. Mr. R. Richmond, of
the late firm of Richmond and Co., has been ap-
pointed manager of the Steam Navigation Company.
The weather at Bombay has again undergone a con-
siderable change. Up to Tuesday evening it had
been fair and hot; about ten o'clock the wind became
violent, the rain descended in grand style, and has
continued off and on up to the present time. Up-
wards of 73 inches have fallen during the season, and
at least six or seven more may be expected, which
will bring the monsoon up to the average of the last
twenty years. The tanks and wells are all full, and
no apprehensions need be entertained of a scarcity of
water during the ensuing hot season. Very little
sickness prevails either at the Presidency or in the
interior, and the state of the crops all over the country
promises well for an abundant harvest.
(From the Delhi Gazette Extraordinary, Sept. 7.)
We regret much to announce that Sirdar Chuttur
Singh having, on the night of the 26th of August,
attacked Captain Abbott, with about 1,500 country
people under him, that officer, having no guns to op-
pose to those of the irdar, was compelled to fall back
on Hussun Abdall, and it is the opinion of the British
officers that they will have to throw themselves into
the fort of Attok. We are assured that Captain Ab-
bott has proofs of Maharaja Ghoolab Singh's com-
plicity. A requisition left Lahore for Simlah, on the
Ist, for a large force to proceed towards the disturbed
country, and on the 23 inst. her Majesty's 61st, the
53d, and 3d Regiments of Native Infantry, and the 2d
Irregular Cavalry, with a proportion of artillery, were
ordered to hold themselves in readiness at Jullundhur
to march at a moment's warning. On the 30th of
August General Whish ordered Shere Singh to move
off to a distance of 36 miles from Moultan. His rea-
sons may easily be guessed.
We have also this morning received the following
communication from our Bahawulpoor correspondent,
dated the 3d of September
" On Friday, the Ist of September, about seven
o'clock in the morning, the troops of the Dewan
came out of the fort to oppose the British troops,
who had advanced from their camp at Mareeseethul
towards the town, and taken up a position at match-
lock distance from the walls. An engagement oc-
curred, which lasted for some time, when the Moul-
tanese being beaten back with great loss, took refuge
in a ravine known as Sheedee Lal ka Karewa,'
close to the walls of the town. Nothing occurred
during the night. You shall receive further infor-
mation the moment I hear."

MOULTAN.
(From the Overland Bombay Times.)

In our last summary we traced the advance of the
two columns moving on Moultan close to the place
of their destination, their progress up till then having
been uniformly auspicious. We now resume the
narrative at the point where it was a fortnight since
broken off. The head-quarter column, under General
Whish, had proceeded from Lahore direct, and de-
scended the Ravee and Chenaub. It consisted of her
Majesty's 10th, and a troop of artillery—the former
of these having been conveyed in boats—the 7th Irre-
gular Horse, and the Bth and s`2d Native Infantry,
marching by the left bank of the river. By the 12th
of August they had got within six marches of
Moultan. The camp was attacked on the 16th
while sixteen miles from Moultan. About ten at night
heavy firing was heard in the direction of the fortress.
About midnight the Quartermaster-General rode
into the camp of her Majesty's 10th, and told the
commanding officer to be prepared for an
attack. The tents were struck in a moment, and at
two in the morning the enemy opened their fire.
Finding themselves in front of the cavalry and artil.
lery, they boldly advanced on the flank companies of
the infantry thrown out to receive them. They were
saluted by a heavy fire of musketry, when they re-
tired. The skirmish lasted about an hour and a half.
The insurgent force was understood to amount to be-
twixt 1,000 and 2,000 ; they carried off their
wounded, but left 18 dead and some prisoners be-
hind them. They appear to have expected to catch
us off our guard or with our hands full preparing for
the march. It was a bold adventure of the Moolraj
to send a detachment of this size to his rear, with
20,000 of his opponents on his front and on his flank.
The light companies of her Majesty's 10th and the
Bth Native Infantry were the only troops on our
side engaged ; we had seven or eight wounded, but
no one killed. The column now moved on, and
in two days more reached their encamping ground
near to Moultan, where on the 19th they were
joined by the leading detachment of the Ferozepore
brigade. Turning for a little from this to the march
of the other troops. The Ferozepore columnn,con-
sisting of the battering train of 30 heavy guns, her
Majesty's 32d Foot—both of which proceeded by
water—A troop of liorse Artillery, the 1101

-.4

J,

and 11th Irregular Cavalry, the 49th, 61st, and 72d
Native Infantry, got nearly as far down as Bahawul-
pore, by about the 12th of August, and took the
route direct for Moultan. On this latter date they
were encamped at a place called Kurrumpore. Cap-
tain Master, commanding the Irregular Horse, here
received orders to move with three troops and a wing
of the 49th Naive Infantry to a landing-place near
by, to stop the fleet of boats with her Mejesty's 32d ;
the remainder of the brigade was desired to move di-
rect on to Moultan, then five marches distant. The
other wing of the 49th and the residue of the hone
were ordered to the landing-place lower down, oppo-
site Bahawulpore, to escort the train, ordnance stores,
and heavy baggage. Hitherto all had gone on well,
but shortly after the heat became tremendous—tl e
thermometer in an hospital tent attempted to be
cooled by wet blankets stood at 127 deg. ; in hill
tents it could not be reduced lower than 118 deg.
As already stated the body of the force reached Moul-
tan on the 19th, and joined the Lahore column ; her
Majesty's 32d, with the wing of the 49th and 11th
Irregular Horse escorting them, were five days
behind. On the 24th August the European corps
lost from the heat 15 men, and sent 200 into hospital,
where there had on the preceding day been only 10
sick. The battering-train had reached its landing-
place on the 19th; 10 days were occupied in prepara-
tions for the march, and they moved on the 28th.
The guns would reach their destination in six
days, and active operations be commenced im-
mediately. The country round Moultan owes its
fertility entirely to artificial irrigation, the water
being conducted by canals from the Chenaub,
and distributed in little rills over the fields—wells
are abundant everywhere. On the occasion of the
engagement of the Ist of July these had formed
the chief strongholds of the enemy ; and as the river
was pow near the period of flood, it was feared the
country might be inundated. To prevent this, a
party of 100 workmen were detached from the main
column on the 14th, and placed on board the steamer
Conqueror, with an abundant supply of entrenching
tools, An escort of 1,000 Sikh soldiers, with two
guns, commanded by Mallee Singh, accompanied
them, and were directed to establish themselves near
the mouths of the canals. Opposite one of these the
steamer achored in five feet water, and directed her
heavy guns on the banks. The party of the Sikh
commander threw up a strong entrenchment of about
400 yards long from one canal to another, and placed
their heavy 26-pounders in battery so as to prevent
the consequences of surprise. An embankment across
the canal was commenced by sinking a boat loaded
with faggots and earth, but the banks being of sand,
the. force of thelwater quickly carried the whole away.
Another was now begun at the mouth of the large
canal. The current here was very violent, carrying
off the earth almost as rapidly as it:was thrown in, so
that it was necessary to labour night and day. It
was hoped that in a short time the cutting off the
water by all the canals would be successfully corn
pleted. It was against the embanking party that the
detachment which attempted the surprise on the 16th
was understood to be directed, but finding them in a
position where there was no hope of attacking them
with success, they directed their efforts against the
main column. With preparations so overwhelming
on every side of him, it is wonderful with what
determination the Moolraj holds out—with how much
constancy his men adhere to him. He is said to have
10,000 in all under his command ; of these 8,000 are
outside, and 2,000 chosen heroes within the walls,
who are determined to sell their lives as dearly as
possible, and to fight to the last.

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS

FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.
CHRONICLE.—Mr. Hudson's reply to the address
of the Liverpool shareholders, in the Midland Railway
Company, has probably ere this, been read and com-
mented on in every tavern and counting-house, in
every place where men congregate, and newspapers
are read, between the Channel and the Tweed. At a
moment like this, of extraordinary panic and confu-
sion, Mr. Hudson stands appropriately forward, as
the champion of those potent bodies. When the
Railway King speaks of the affairs of his own realm
it is worth everybody's while to listen. And, amidst
the agitation and terror which now prevails through.
out every province of his kingdom, it is hardly need-
, ful for us to call the attention of his distracted subjects
with any prolixity of comment to the speech from
the throne. Mr. Hudson writes with the air of a
a than whose character for integrity has been as-
sailed by imputations which his conscience tells him
are unfounded. W e cannot say that he is in the
wrong. It is true that, in the administration of the
affairs of those great companies, cases may not un-
frequently occur where a defect of judgment may
lead a perfectly upright man into mistakes, which
those who suffer from the consequences of the
error may not be slow to stigmatize as
crimes. The lines ;which separate legitimate
speculation from gambling, become here, and
there, too fine and faint for the eye of conscience
to pursue; and imprudence, viewed in some lights,
looks more like improbity than it really is. But,
until we are furnished with some satisfactory reasons
for believing that the directors of the Midland Rail
way have been guilty of either the one or the other,
we cannot censure Mr. Hudson for assuming a tone
which the facts of the case may justify to the fullest
extent. Of some among the points urged by the
Liverpool shareholders, Mr. Hudson disposes unan
swerably. To others, which involve, in his opinion,
an undue meddling with the directional functions, he
responds by a wave of his sceptre, " Stand off, gentle-
men ; you are trespassing on the province over which
our discretionary powers extend. Within these
limits we admit of no interference." On this head
we shall merely say, that the latitude of authority to
which he lays claim is not, in our judgment, un•
reasonably large. He demands, and he has a right
to demand, the particularization of specific instances
of dishonest management. He has a right to demand
it, we say, because the memorialists _have chosen to
put themselves in the wrong by hazarding imputations
which, if supported, must damage their directors'
characters it' unsupported, their own. But the
general body of shareholders, on their side, have a
right to be put in possession of 'the data by which
alone these charges, if true, can possibly be substan-
tiated. Into the general remarks on the depreciation
of railway property with which he concludes his
reply, we shall not now enter. Here he quits his
vantage-ground, repudiates all responsibility, and
disclaims all authority, save that which attaches to
his individual sagacity and experience. The duty of
a body of directors, he says, is "to obtain all the
traffic they can, and pay the shareholders good divi-
dends." The value of the definition depends on the
sense in which it is practically understood. If it be
extended so as to include a long-sighted regard to
future contingencies, and a due precaution against
the temptation to sacrifice future to present income,
it is true enough. The director has nothing to do
with the speculative value of the stock of his
railway ; his business is to make the property
itself, the railway and its appurtenances counting
amongst them the opportunities of possible profit
which it opens up, so far as those opportunities
have an appreciable value—as valuable a property as
possible. His business is not with the share-list,
but among the books of his company. For ourselves,
we have but one word to say on a subject on which a
vast deal too much has been said already. We, who
are not blinded by the panic ourselves, and have no
inducement to throw dust in the eyes of others, can
see abundant reasors, and good ones, to account for
the depreciation which railway property has under-
gone, without assuming that the whole system is a
mass of rottenness, and the governing bodies so many
juntas of unscrupulous speculators, who have gambled
away their shareholders' money for their own ad-
vantage. Railway stock, like all other stock, is a com-
modity the value of which must fluctuate with the
rise and fall of public confidence, and the ebb and
flow of the money market. Like other stock, too, it
represents in itself merely the chances of profits to
arise from a substratum which may possess more or
less of a permanent money-value. The sub-
stratum of a railway share may turn out
to be so many thousand acres of stone and
g ravel, and so many thousand tons of old iron,
or it may be a frequented highway returning a hand-
some profit to carriers and toll-proprietors. The
traffic returns of the current year are the only test we
have to guide our judgment; and they are encourag-
ing. Still there is the element of uncertainty, and,
in a time of panic, that is enough. There is, too, a
general belief that the money which remains to be
laid out, and which is now in the shareholders'
pockets, will not augment the aggregate traffic of the
country in the same ratio, or produce, in proportion
to its amount, as remunerative a return as that which
has been already called up. The value of this proba-
bility can only be estimated by a comprehensive re-
view of the different projects which remain to be pro-
ceeded with. Lastly, railway stock has been gambled
with to an extent of which we have had no precedent
in England since the days of the South Sea Scheme.
The consequence is, that a vast quantity of it has got
into the hands of persons unprepared to meet the
liabilities which it entails on the holders of it. An
enormous proportion of the shares which have lately
been thrown into the market has been sold, as every
banker knows, either to enable the holders to pay calls
on their remaining shares, or by mortgagees driven
to realise their securities by the fall in price which