The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-31 00:00:00

TnE

OVEIMAND MAIL

INDIA.
We have received by express our dispatches in anti.
cipation of the overland mail front India. The dates
are, Bombay, October 3 ; Calcutta, September 20.
Our Bombay correspondent writes :
BOMBAY, OCT. 3.
The principal item of news for the past fortnight
is the reported determination of the Governor-
General to seize on a portiou of the territory of the
Ameer Dost Mahomed, of Caubul—it being well
situated for establishing a post to watch and overawe
the Afreedees, Wuzeerees, &c., around: Peshawur.
The rumour emanates from the Delhi Gazette, who
does not write es one without authority un the
matter. He says— '
"News of the gravest import has reached us from the
north-west. In itself, perhaps, it is not much, but
in the consequences that may ensue, even a dimly
prophetic eye may discern further coequests, it may
be, further disasters. If our readers will glance
at the map belonging to Major Edwardes' Year on
the Punjaub Frontier,' they will see the valley of
Dour conspicuously marked beyond the mountain
range that forms the western boundary of the
district of the Wuzeerees. This valley lies
within the territories of Dost Mahomed. This
valley has been annexed. We know not if the
Ameer has consented to this arrangement. We know
not if he has been even consulted on the subject. Its
annexation bas been pronounced expedient, and it is
annexed accordingly. As soon as the troops can be
moved—for sickness stands in no awe of discipline—
possession will be formally taken of the district, and
a strong outpost probably established at the head of
the Koorum river, so as to command the supply of
water to the Bunnoo valleys. Setting aside the moral
—or rather the immoral—view of the question, there
can be no doubt as to the desirable nature of the ac-
quisition. It lies exactly in the rear of the Wuzeerees,
the Afreedees, and the other hill tribes, who can only
be brought under a wholesome degree of restraint by
main force. They are too insolent, too ignorant, too
confident in the natural advantages of their position,.
to learn from the experience of their neighbours.
Thus again are we irresistibly driven on in our career
of conquest ; to pause is to retrograde ; to prevent
aggression we must ourselves become the assailants;
and preaching peace, Christianity, and mutual for-
bearance, we are compelled to exterminate all who
oppose our progress or molest our present position.
" It is easy enough to appropriate any portion of any
territory on which we choose to set our desires, and
say we are compelled to follow our destiny—the diffi-
culty lies in maintaining it afterwards. This same
valley of Dour will not be long in our occupation in
peace. Already has Dust Mahomed collected a large
force at Caubul for service below the Khyber, and
paid the Khy berries to allow him free passage through
the defiles. Next year will probably again see the
flames of war lighted on our frontier, to extinguish
which probably thousands of lives and millions of
money will require to be sacrificed. One of the
hitherto greatest opposers of annexation in any shape
or under any plea, the Bombay Times, now.telle us
that Dost Mahomed deserves no mercy at our hands ;
thereby meaning, of course, that the appropriation of
his territory is all quite just and correct.
" The sickness formerly mentioned as prevalent
throughout the Punjaub continues as virulent as ever,
and numbers of deaths were occurring at every sta-
tion, more particularly the capital. At Wuzeerabad
the strength of the European troops (3d Dragoons,
10th and 24th Foot) was 2,075, of whom 250
were sick. At Sealcote, out of 372 there
were 43 in hospital. At Lahore the strength was
7,500, of whom 1,600 were on the doctor's books.
At Moultan and Peshawar matters were gloomy and
disheartening, but an appearance of some abatement
was perceptible. At Leia all the European officers
(Captain Ross, Captain Hollings, Lieutenant WNeile,
and Mr. Henderson, C.S.) were suffering—especially
the first and last. Coming down the Indus, we learn
that Sukkur and Shikarpore were still extremely un-
healthy. At Hyderabad, her Majesty's 64th were
losing numbers of men, women, and children. As-
sistant-Surgeon Shortt had also fallen a victim to the
prevailing fever—and it was feared the fate of the
_Highlanders would overtake the wing if not speedily
removed from the station. Although Kurrachee is
not exactly as healthy as is its wont, still it has little
to complain of. Mr. Frere, the Commissioner, seems
to be generally well liked; be is mentioned as fre-
quently entertaining the society of the place at
Government House, and thus doing his best to keep
them in good humour with themselves and those
around them, and therein be shows a good deal of
sense. The people of Kurrachee are actually begin-
ning to talk of a railroad to Gharra, and this while
such a thing as a good cart-road from one station to
another *is never thought of.
" The Nizarn's affairs are again being canvassed by
the journals; he is said to have contributed 60,0001.
as a loan to his minister of the 400,0001. paid to our
resident, and to be now dunning the unfortunate offi-
cial for its repayment, as if the debt were not his own.
The country is overrun with mercenary troops kept
up by him for the purpose of awing the unfortunate
cultivators and others into paying any demands, how-
ever exorbitant, made upon them.
",,Colonel, or Gen. Steinbach, returns home by this
evening's steamer, having resigned the service of the
Cashmere ruler for good and all. He has, it is be-
lieved, accumulated what will keep his nose front
freezing during the remainder of his days, even were
he to settle at the North Pole. The only intelligence
recently received from Cashmere is to the effect that
the Maharaja was still very unwell, and that the
fort of Chelas still held out against his troops as
stoutly as ever—that succour for the besieged was on
the way from Gilghit, and that it was expected the
besiegers would have to retire from before the fort.
"M. Manse], of the Lahore Board of Administration,
is to be Resident at Nagpore, to which Major Du
rand has been temporarily appointed. Sir R. Shake-
speare had gone a considerable way on route to
Joudpore to take up his new and inferior appointment,
when he was overtaken by an express from the
Governor-General directing him to return to Gwalior.
I presume from this that the Gallant Knight's spon-
taneous and noble conduct in publicly acknowledging
his error and apologising to Captain Close has induced
Lord Dalhousie to cancel the punishment inflicted on
hint fur his conduct towards that officer. Something
serious is said to have occurred in the Gwalior Lush-
kur, in which the Maharaja is reported to be impli-
cated. Treachery and intrigue of course against us
must have been discovered; but that is nothing un-
usuel. The artillery portion of the King of Oude's
army has mutinied—arrears of wages being the
cause. The sooner this puppet of a king, with his
brother puppet of Hyderabad, are pensioned, the
better for their subjects, and probably for our-
selves also.—The manner in which the trial of
Jotee Pereaud was conducted has, it is believed,
brought forth a heavy rebuke front the Court of
Directors, and one member of the military board in
particular, said to be Colonel Mactier, has come in
for a large share of the displeasure. Sir R. Barlow,
of the Calcutta Adawbut, has been deputed as a
special commissioner to Agra, to inquire into and pre-
pare a report on the subject, for transmission home to
the Court.—The ship Lascar, Captain Errington,
from Hull to Calcutta, with coals, was wrecked
near Sangor, on the 17th ult. ' • all hands saved but
two seamen.—The American ship Saxon Maid, bound
for Aden with coals, was wrecked in the
on the August.—Lord Falkland and Sir John Mozambique
Grey have gone to Mahabuleshwany—they will, it
is said, be in Bombay by the Bth prox.—Captain C.
M. Nixon, 6th NJ., is now being tried at Bombay on
charges of misappropriating 2201. odd of regimental
money, he being paymaster of his corps.—On the
night of 25th ult., we had a terrific thunderstorm at
Bombay, during which an immense fire-ball, the
noise of which, rushing through the air, terrified
hundreds of people, fell into the sea, near the outer
light-ship. A magnificent meteor fell at Calcutta on
the night of the 19th.—The salt department is to be
placed under charge of the Collector of Customs at
the presidency. Trade has been exceedingly dull in
exports, owing to bad markets at home and the high
prices asked by dealers for their cotton.
the" fr.ol.lwSo.—i
n
Tghe items pa
:mr. H. 11. Bell, g
papersreceived this
ionrdni inog
psupplyyr,
died at Agra on the 21st ult. A public dinner is to
be. given at Madras to Sir G. H. Berkeley, Com-
mander-in-Chief, previous to his departure, as a mark
of respect from society. The Madras Sepoys who fled
from before the Moplahs are to be tried by general
court-martial. Brevet Ceptain Gordon, 59th Bengal
Nolo is being tried at Fort William. A floating light
on the North Sand, in the Straits of Malmo, has
sanctioned.steamer, gets
the
En
Captainon ble tst,of the Pbleg eth on
month; Cap-
tain Goodwin, of the Nemesis, the Phlegethon. Mr.
li,rary,
ddiellas been elected curator of the Public Li-
brary, vice Bethune. Captain Wright, of the barque
Success, died suddenly at Calcutta on the 22d. ult.
fne ringleaders in the artillery mutiny at Gwalior,
have been released by the Dudhar, E 0 I pre2lllllo it
was not deserving of the name of mutiny.

Casualties by death in the armies of India sicce the
departure of the mail on the 17th Sept.
S ortt
11. M.'s Troops— rantAssi6 Surg‘on a -II he
64th Foot, at Hydrabad, Snide, on the 13th SePtell"-,-hi,
n.'
—Lieutenant Dickson, 80th Foot, Dinspore, 01:1
6th Sept.—Captain W. Minchin, Ceylon Bilks, at Co'
ombo, on the 11th Sept.
Thmbay—L'entenant L. Ileathhorn, Artillery, in
England, on the 22d Auz.ust.
Aludras—C,ptain T. W. Warre, 9th N. 1., attached to
Nizsm's Infantry, at Pr urrungut
—Lieut. 11. Seroggc, 50th N. at con e• th 15,1iiktl•
, on the 15th Sept.
gush—Lieut. J. S. Brock; 32d N, 1., at Naive© iul, (11
the 26th 4ugurit.