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

INDIAN NEWS.

(From the Overland Bombay Time I, Sept. 15.)
on the 18th and 19th of August. Het
Suaimaar.—Nearly the whole of the Lahore and
Ferozepore columns, advancing by the Sutlej and
Chenaub on the seat of insurrection, reached Moultan
with three troops of the Irregular Hoise, and a wing
of the 49th Native Infantry, sent as an escort, arrived
in the camp on the 24th. The battering train of 30
Maje).ty's 32d,
heavy gun/ reached the landing place opposite Baha-
wulpore on the 19th ; ten days were found necessary
to make preparations for the march; :hey marched
for the scene of action on the 28th, and were expected
to arrive about the 3d or 4th of Sep:ember ; three
troops of the 11th Irregulars, with a wing of the 49th
Native Infantry, escorting them. Active operations
were to be commenced immediately on their arrival.
The whole expedition bad so far proceeded auspi-
ciously; some of the troops had suffered just before
the conclusion of the journey from tba intensity of
the heat, with the thermometer
standing in the
hospital at 127 deg. In one day he 'Majesty's 32d
lost 16 men and had 100 sent to the hospital. The
sickness was expected to stow-or disappear vi hen
the troops got fairly established. About the 14th a
detachment bad been sent out' from the Lahore
column to close up the communication of the canals
with the river, and prevent the risk of the country
being laid under water. They immediately en-
trenched themselves, and baying taken every pre-
caution against surprise, set to weak day and night.
The insurgents detatched a party of about 1,500:
with a view of attacking or destroying them, but
finding any attempt upon the works likely to prove
disastrous, they endeavoured to take the head-quarter
column by surprise by a night attack. They pushed
lon to meet them, and, keeping clear of the artillery
and irregular horse, threw themselves with great
spirit on the flank companies of her Majesty's 10th
and the Bth Native Infantry. After an hour's
skirmishing they were repulsed in all directions.
Eighteen dead and some prisoners were left on the
field—the wounded were carried off. The army
now around Moultan consists of about 28,000 men,
With- thirty pieces of heavy ordnance and nearly
as many light guhi: Of these 0,000 are British troops,
the rest Seikhs, Beloochees, and Dsudpoutras, &c.,
mostly powerful, hardy, and determined men,
though ill-disciplined, and like most irregulars, not
quite to be depended on in extremity. The army'
of the Moolraj is said at present to amount to
10,000 men, with about 20 guns in all; of these,
2,000 selected men hold the citadel, determined, it is
said, to resist to the last. The rest await our ad-
vance under the guns of the outer fortress. The
Punjaub continues tranquil, though there are rumours
of some of the chiefs playing us false. The leader of
the mutiny amongst the Seikh artillery in the Ha-
zareh country is said to be determined, now that he
has committed himself, to fight it out ; and it seems
not improbable that a brigade will be required in this
quarter so soon as the Moultan business is disposed
of. These disturbances originated entirely amongst
the soldiers of the old army, who find their im-
portance now altogether gone, and are ready to
brave any danger, or incur any risk, to be revenged
upon the authors of their annihilation, or in the hope
of recovering so much of their position. With these
inconsiderable exceptions, tranquillity reigns through-
out the vast expanse of the Company's dominions.
The usual irregularities seem to prevail through-
out Affghanistan—a rebellious chief here refusing to
pay tribute, a vindictive one there bent on taking the
law into his own hands—with the usual circumstances
for which so close a parallel is found in Scotland
during the reign of the Stuarts. Details of these
things reach us exclusively through native news-
writers, proverbial for colouring their narratives of
the hue likely to prove agreeable to those for whom
they are meant. _ _

Kandian rebellion is said to bare been designed befure
Li Ceylon everything
the imposition of the new and obnoxious taxes was
made known, and appears to be tranquil The
to have had no concern with the
finance measures of Lord Torrington. The adminis-
tration in the Cinnamon Isle seems at the same time
(
to be at present remarlable for its weakness and in.
capacity.
The Prime Minister at Gwalior, like his co-frere
at Hyderabad, seems to be in bad odour—not, it is
said, however, from really bad actions of his own, but
from his want of tact in carrying on the duties of his
office. A noted bad character had been deported from
the state, and it was expected others of his gang, then
under trial, would share the same fate. A Court of
Appeal bad been opened at Gyrelior, but its members
were said to have shown themselves ignorant of the
duties required of them, and incompetent to their
performance even had they known them. Colonel
Sleeman, our resident, was labouring in his usual
way fur the good of the state, and had no intention of
abandoning his post till he had reaped the fruits of
his toil.
An interview took place
between the Nizam of Hy-
deraised and our Resident, at which the former com-
plained moat bitterly of the incompetency of his
Prime Minister, and his failure in fulfilling any single
thing promised by him on his nomination to office by
us. The reply of General Frazer was to the effect
that the Minister's want of success was in a great
measure due to the manner in which he had
been treated by the Niaatn, whose open and avowed
dislike towards him had lowered him in the eyes of
the public, and so rendered him incapable of reducing
the expenditure or clearing off the debts of the state.
The result of the interview was that the Minister was
so far again admitted into favour as to be allowed to.,
present a gift to his Royal master, a concession such
as had not been granted to him during General
Fraser's absence 1

- The King of Oude, tired apparently
few cares of royalty ho had reserved
t to
ho of evenelf, t
hash the
now delegated whole power of majesty to his
favourite,s',ellf
ori
ihoiims t
ethe
that
Minister,
whilesu eh
should be the case. The
h
-
he indulges in all manner of
pleasures in his palace undisturbed, and probably it
is
Minister is said to be a clever man, and has set about
accomplishing that which his Royal raster never
could achieva--the collection of the revenues and re-
plenishment of the royal treasuries. So long as he
furnishes the King with money to keep up his de-
baucheries he will retain his premiership; once let
him
fic es against
having
willfbaeilhuled from he,pnn
inrsupplyintgtheilaYle s ,and means, and he
of eminence he has
now attained.
The celebrated Chokra Bisshye has again been '
fhreissh operationssacri
heard of in the Boad hills, where he awaits the return
of
us. the A
cold
taken place in Boad has again been put forward in
the columns of the admirers of the former Goomsoor
susual,
the
r t
report
ort renew
a
agency. The missionaries at Berhampore are said
to have had made over to them fifty of the lately
rescued Meriahs.
Lord Dalhousie positively proceeds to the north-
west about the middle of next month, and all the
arrangements consequent on his intended journey
are said to have been completed. his Lordship
proceeds by steamer to Allahabad, from whence he
will travel by dawk to Umballa, where his camp is
to be formed. Lord Gough is said to have been re-
appointed Commander-in-Chief of India, and his
Lordship intends remaining at his post fora couple
of years longer. The refusal of the Court of Di.
rectors to accept of Sir Charles Napier as a suc-
cessor to Lord Gough is alleged as the reason of the
extension of command to the latter, as the Duke of
Wellington is raid to be determined on ultimately
appointing the former to the Indian Commander-in-
Chiefship. The Hon. Messrs. Frederick Millett and
J. E. D. Bethune were, on the 13th of August, ap-
pointed Indian law commissioners; and Mr. J. p.
Grant, of the Civil Service, secretary to the commis.
%ion. The Right Rev. Dr. Wilson, metropolitan of
India, is about to pay a visit to Madras, Colombo,
and Bombay, a steamer being placed at his Lord-
ship's disposal by Government. He will be accom-
panied by Dr. A. Webb as medical attendant. The
death of Mr. M. Tierney, judge of Allyghur, on the
26th August, is reported. It is affirmed that Sir
Dudley Hill, who commands the Barrackpore divi-
sion of the Bengal army, is about to exchange with
Sir Walter Gilbert, who commands the Sirhind
division. Colonel Benson, stipendiary member of
the Military Board, is said to be about shortly
returning home. The ship Kandiana, lade, with
coals from Newcastle, foundered in the Iloogley on
the 20th August. The Hon. Mr. Bethune has been
elected curator to the Calcutta Public Library, con-
sequent on the departure of Mr. W. P. Grant to
Europe. A vote of thanks has been passed to the
latter gentleman, for his valuable services during;
the long period he held the curatorship of the
institution.