The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-28 00:00:00

OVERLAND MAIL

INDIA AN D CHIN A.
Dispatches in anticipation of the overland mail,
which left Bombay on the 16th ult., have been re-
ceived.

They contain no remarkable facts.
The news from the kingdom of Lahore, and the
new kingdom of Jammoo, represent them as both
propped up by British trcops. In Jammoo there are
four armies besides the troops of the numerous moun-
tain Rajas. The four armies are, first, that of Ghoolab
Singh, who is struggling to obtain possession of his
purchased sovereignty, composed, as it is, of the most
discordant materials; second, the army (the strength
of which is unknown) of the Sheikh Emaum-ood-
Deen, who, secure in the vale of Cashmere, refuses to
submit to Ghoolab; third, the force under the Lahore
general, Tej Sing, which has gone on the (to them)
most repugnant mission of fighting for the traitor
Ghoolab; and fourth, the two British divisions com-
manded by Generals Littler and Wheeler, who are
in possession of Jammoo, the capital, which they have
undertaken to protect for Ghoolab, while he himself
is engaged in the field.
The position of Ghoolab is ludicrously critical.
He has no right or title to the sovereignty of the
Hazarah (or hill country), save that he bought it
from the British, who were never in possession of it ;
and as he is looked upon as a traitor by the Seikhs,
and as an infidel by the Mahommedans, he can have
no hope, except through his money (the spoil of
Runjeet Singh's treasury), and through the protec-
tion of the British. He has bought and paid for
the Government, but the hill tribes, who are Mahom-
medan, refuse allegiance to him. The British autho-
rities cannot waste blood and treasure in putting
him in possession of mountain districts which he will
not be able to hold. He is becoming daily more and
mere embarrassed and indebted, and will have to
yield the rule of his newly-acquired country to other
petty soverigns, who may, perhaps, pay him tribute
for a few seasons.
Sheikh Emaum-ood-Deen, whose resources appear
not to be understood, has contrived, by various shifts,
to put off the day of surrender until the snow fell
in November. The latest news from Sir John
Littler's force, which was encamped at Bukreewallah
Ghat, on one side of the Cohenab, and Brigadier
Wheeler's on the other, is to the effect that they
were all disappointed at the non-surrender of the
Sheik, which ought to have been effected before the
30th, but had not taken place. The united Lahore
and British forces were delayed several days by
heavy rains.
The Governor-General left Simla for Loodiana on
the 2(it of October. He has much to do in regu-
lating the affairs of the Punjaub.

Lall Singh, who is Vizier at Lahore by the per-
mission of the British, lately succeeded in bringing
to that capital the Nizam of Moulin, whom he
squeezed to the effect of obtaining promissory notes
to a large amount; he then bestowed various honours
on the Nizam, and gave him leave to go home, where
it is probable he will speedily contrive some means of
avoiding the payment of the notes.

The presence of the British troops can alone pre-
serve the kingdom of Lahore from breaking into
many little states, such as existed forty years ago,
before old Runjeet, the Lion of Lahore, subjugated
them.

From Sinde there is no news of importance. Sir
Charles Napier was at Kurrachee, where the climate
was pleasant. Preparations are going forward for the
removal of five native regiments from Sinde in the
course of January or February next, unless their
presence should be required by any disturbance with-
out the frontiers. It will speak volumes for the
system of Sir C. Napier, when after the settlement
of the Punjaub such a large force can be removed
from Sinde without any disturbance being created
there. Sir Charles presented colours on the 4th of
November to the Ist Bombay Fusiliers. His address
was most effective.

In the interior of India tranquillity prevails. The
Nizam's Government is undergoing a favourable
change. He has at length named as Dewan, or
Minister, the native nobleman whom the British
Resident had previously proposed, but to whom the
Nizam ,had refused to grant powers. The new
Minister is Sooraj-001-Moolk, and is described as
being possessed of great administrative qualities.
The subscriptions to the new loan in Bombay are
said to amount to ten lacs; but the sums subscribed
in the interior are not known. They are supposed
to be, at least, equal to the former amount.
The Governor-General left .the hills at the end of
last month,: to pay a visit to the Jullundur Doab.

He has a splendid force in and about the Punjaub,
capable, if needs be, to put down the most formidable

outbreak, should any occur—though the unsettled

state of Afghanistan affords little probability of any
hostile demonstration from that quarter., The safety
of Lords Elphinstone and Arthur Hay, the Hon.
Captain aardinge, and other gentlemen who were

supposed to have been seized and murdered by the

Cashmerees,. has been proved by their return to
Simla after an unmolested and interesting tour
among the hills and valleys of that beautiful region.
From China the news is interesting. A conflict
had taken place between the Chinese and Portuguese
at Macao, in relation to fiscal and general regula-
tions, in the course of which several of the Chinese
" fast-boats" had been burned and sunk. Order had
been restored in consequence of the firmness of the

Portuguese governor. The correspondence in refer-
_ . _

ence to British trade with the celestial empire, which
we copy from the Chinese papers, will he read with

eagerness.

(From the Bombay Times.)',
To hope in these times to make a summary interesting
to our readers—in so far as exciting intelligence might
be regarded of greater interest than instruction—we
ought to draw on the columns of the English, not the
Indian, journals for material ; or what migh,p perhaps
serve equally well, and be simpler, without tending one
whit more to mislead, draw on our imagination for our
facts altogether. Of the alarm to be entertained from
the avenging sword of Ukbar Khan when he (ascends
the Musnud—the calamities to arise from Caubul being
made the centre of Persian and Russian intrigue—we
gain all our intelligence from the Globe. The Morning
Chronicle enlightens us on the importance of Sinde as a
new frontier —of the insecurity of the position of
Ghoolab Singh. and the indispensableness of appropri-
ating the Punjaub. We, on the spot, know no-
thing of these things. To have appropriated a
country which swallows up a million sterling, and
sacrifices five regiments a year—which places our
own strongholds in our rear, those of our enemy in our
front, seems to us here rather to damage than improve
our frontier—to impoverish rather than increase our
strength. We care nothing for Caubul as the centre of
intrigue, and despise the idea of an attack from beyond
the passes. We must first see the Barukzyes able to
maintain their authority amongst their own people before
we apprehend a descent on our own territories. We do
not recognise the soundness of the measures on which
we are assured that the millions of India will be bane-
fitted by wasting the fruits of their exertions on the
conquests of other millions, or that we shall improve our
position by going forth from our strongholds into the
open fields, that the enemy may have the advantage of
attacking us from their fastnesses when driven by our
advance to resistance. The signs of war the times afford
to us in India are derived from the submission of the
Cashmere insurgents; the consolidation of Seikh authority;
the reduction, by 7,000, of the army of Sinde, and the
general spread of peace and contentment In this is
the general summary of our news comprised. The
Governor-General left Simla for Loodiana on the 26th
ult. ; the Commander-in-Chief would remain till the
beginning of December. Some curious instances of
leniency towards offending officers tried by court-martial
have lately become the subjects of general comment.
Some months back Lieutenant kfacdougal, of her Ma-
jesty's 2§th Foot, was tried on the charge of living at
the most extravagant rate for weeks at a tavern, and
running up a bill of 150/. when he knew he had no means

of meeting it, and finally proposing to settle it by order
on an agent with whom he had no funds. The Court
were unanimous in finding him guilty on the evidence of
written documents—the receipts, acknowledgments,
orders, and bills ; and sentenced him to be cashiered,
without any recommendation to mercy or consideration.
The Commander-in-Chief of India reversed the sentence,
on the mere plea that he considered the evidence 'insuffi-
cient, and without explanation or reference to the Court,
restored Mr. Macdougal to his regiment. Lieutenant
Hall, of the 25th Bombay Native Infantry, having been
tried for ungentlemanly conduct at mess—for habitual
indulgence in obscene, abusive, and brutal language to-
wards a brother officer at table,—was in like manner sen-
tenced to be cashired, when the Commander-in-Chief of
Bombay reversed the sentence and restored him to the
service. Two cases of mercy more undeserved—of leni-
ency more subversive of discipline—cannot be conceived.

SINDE.
The intimation that two European and five Native re.
giments, with nearly the whule of the regular cavalry
and artillery, are in the course of a few months to he
withdrawn from the Indus, is the principal item of in-
elligence with which Sinde supplies us. As .our fron-