The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-31 00:00:00

THE OVERLAND ROUT.E.

ADEN, MARCH 12.
Before this reaches London you will have doubt-
less hoard more than one account of the late dis-
agreeable affair at Suez, connected with the despatch
of a detachment of her Majesty's 92d Highlanders,
under Col. Mackenzie, to Bombay. That any such
" fracas " should have occurred on the overland
route is very much tobe regretted, and ibis to be
hoped that a sitting inquiry will be instituted in
.oerfler edlOm' either_

Thoagli not present on the °ocean,

thought that a plain statement of the facts, rte re-
lated to me by three of -the passengers who were
en board the Pottinger at the time, and who have
no connection whatever with either party, ;night
be useful in enabling the public at home to form a
correct judgment of what actually transpired.
It appears, then, that the Pottinger; having been
ordered to convey a detachment of troops to Bom-
bay, teok in at Suez sufficient provisions for 320
mea for 28 days. The detachment had not reached
Suez on the 27th, and the commander, it appears,
foreseeing that the men would tot be comfortable
if permitted to come on board while the expected
c tr go was being taken in, suggested to the authori-
ties at Suez the propriety Of their being embarked
en board the hulk Zenobia (where ample acco.nmo-
datiou was provided) until the steamer was quite
ready to receive therei For sci ate reason, however,
this prudent suggestion wes overruled, and the
men were embarked on board the Pottiliget late
that evening. Grog was immediately served.out to
them, but the n en had no beds, it having been re-
ported to the captain that the men'ti bedding would
be sent with them. Some disagreeableness is said to
have arisen at this early Stage between the purser
of the vessel and the celonel, the latter being very
much chagrined that an entire cabin had not been
reserved for him, instead of his being made to
occupy a cabin- with Oslonel Anderson, one of the
passengers. During the night the cargo arrived,
and one Can easily conceive that the men were not
comfortable • einder such oircumstenees, without
bed,', as they were, and a cold wind blowing.
Next day a complaint" was made about the bis-
cuit, Arid it turned out that a cask whicih had been
on le.,a,rd for two or three•months had been served
out: -This was soon rectified, and no further
complaints imde: on thit•heade
Shortly after noon the cdoeel and several of the
officers attended by some Of the men carrying a
plate of pork, complained to thecapta'n that it was
bad,. rotten, . and unfit for use. *The captain, we
hear; declated that it was perfectly sound • but the
colonel maintained the,contrary, and further, that
he would not allow his men to go to sea with the
prospect of being fed on such rations. An order
was then given by the mail agent to detain the
ship until a committee was held on the stores. Four
casks were immediately hoisted up, during which
operation it appears that an ensign of the regiment
applied a most offensive epithet to the officer super-
intending the opetetions, who was otherwise sub-
jected to the muttered.abuse of the soldiers. From
all I can learn, the verdict of the officers forming
the committee was notennatimons ; but the general
opinion appears to have been that the colonel was
sati-fled. My informants did not speak with cer-
tainty on this point, and were themselves divided
in opinion about the %milky of the provisions. It
seems, however, that the conduct of the men dur-
ire:, the inquiry was familiar in the extreme towards
their own officers.

Matters being so far settled, the order was given
to prepare for sea, whoa the hitherto muttered dis-
content of the men broke out into open insubordi-
nation. The Lascara who attempted to weigh the
anchor were thrown off the forecastle, and the offi-
cers on duty abused and threatened by the men,
who armed themselves with bars, bolts, and what-
ever they could lay hands on, swearing that they
would take the c ibins, and burn the ship, &c. The
colonel went forward, but it does not appear that
his visit effected any good. What was next to be
done ? I hear that it was proposed for 100 of the
men to be left behind in the hulk, and to come on
by the next steamer, but the colonel would not
assent to that arrangement. Finally, during the
night the men were taken from the Pottinger, and
embarked on board the Columbian, bound first for
Alen and. Gall-_,. Immediately after the mail agent
ordered the captain of the Pottinger to start with
the mails, when a requisition was brought off by
the Transit steamer fur the provisons to be sent on
board the CL.lumbi:in (the provisions which had
been condemned pre% rous!y), but the captain was
not authorised to wait, and, knowing that stores
of the sane kind were procnrablo in abundance at
Suez, the Pottinger sailed at ones for Aden.
The foregoing is a brief outline of this sad affair,
and it is sincerely to be hoped that such measures
will be taken in this case as will effec' ually prevent
a recurrence of anything so disgraceful. A great
error was made at the outset by those who disre-
garded the advice of Captain Stead of the Pottin-
ger, that the men should be lodged for the night in
the Hulk. If lam not mistaken, the Pottinger,
under Capt. Stead, was considered a pattern
trooper, and was quite a favourite with the Euro-
peans during the Persian war, when she must have
carried many more men than there were in the de-
tachment of the 921. Of course, it is impracticable
that on board a mail and passenger boat men can
have the same accommodation as on board a troop-
ship ; but whatever accommodation there was must
have appeared less, and have been far less available
at night-time, and while the ship's decks were being
encumbered ' with cargo, &c. Hitherto, indeed,
nothing could have gone on more smoothly than
the trooping to India by this route, even in vessels
of less tonnage than the Pottinger ; and it is very
much to be deplored that any such contretemps as
this should have taken place. Of course, if it is
found, after due inquiry, that the provisions were
bad, the Peninsular and Oriental Company should
be severely dealt with ; but even if that at present
debateable point is proved against them, such a
result writ in no way exculpate the insubordinate
conduct of the men, and the reported insouciance
of their officers in repressing it. On these latter
points the evidence appears concurrent and unani-
mous—so much so, indeed, that when the Pottin-
ger reached Aden several of the passengers had de-
cided to. remain here should the Columbian reach
before she left, and the troops
be ordered to re-era-
bark in her.