The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-06 00:00:00

TANTIA TOPEE.

We mentioned in our last that, after his succes.
sive defeats on his flight from Jalra Puttun, Tan.

tia Topee had made for the direction of Bhopal, no
man knowing, however, whitherward he proposed
to proceed. He speedily struck off to the eastward,
making for Seronge, an old Pindaree stronghold,
built by the famous freebooter, Ameer Khan, at the
foot of the Ghauts. On one side only was the
place of any strength, on three it was singularly
accessible. Thitherward from Goonah a portion of
Smith's brigade proceeded without loss of time. The
six companies
of
detachment consisted of a squadron of the Bth
Hussars,
Hill's a
,15vti
hn
with
thethf
olusrtLancers,ight
guns. General
Michel meanwhile was to cover Bhopal, and advance
on Seronge from the westward. As in the case of
Jalra-Puttun, the rebels considered it best not to
await the arrival of our troops. As we approached
they plundered the place, and withdrew on Chun-
daree, a ruined fort held by a portion of Scindia's
men, captured by Brigadier Steuart in March, sub-
sequently re• occupied by the enemy, and taken pos-
session of once more by Brigadier Smith in May,
and made over to a native garrison, as we could
not afford to leave a detachment behind us. Tantia
Topee is said to have some 15,000 men along with
him. The Gwalior treasure and jewels in his hands
are guarded by a regiment of rebel cavalry. He
has still four of the Jalra Puttun guns, but these
form all his train.
MISCELLANEOUS.

Direct telegraphic communication has been
opened betwixt Bombay and Kurrachec, as well as
betwixt Ceylon and the mainland. We have thus
the electric wire stretching in one unbroken series
of lines from lat. 6 to 32 N., and from long. 44 to
97 E.

Last mail gave particulars of floods of unprece-
dented violence on the Indus, and an earthquake
in Bengal. We have now the appearance of a
comet of surpassing size and brilliancy to chronicle.
The dry season has now fairly set in ; for the
last three nights we have been threatened with the
squall from the east known as the Elephanta, and
which generally divides the south-west from the
north-west monsoon—the west from the fair sea-
son, but even this has died away. The rainy sea-
son thus far has been favourable throughout, our
later rains being still expected. Trade has been
less active during the fortnight, and freights ex-
tremely low. The Governor-General and Com-
mander-in-Chief continue at Allahabad, the Gover-
nor and Commander-in-Chief of Madras at the
Neilgherries, those of Bombay in the Deccan.

The Bombay Times thinks that little will de done
for the re-establishment of order in Oude until
operations, now completely suspended, are resumed
in the cold weather. " The plans of Lord Clyde
seem to be to force the insurgent bodies which now
traverse the province across the Gogra into the
Khairabad and Byraitch districts ; and by a chain
of communication on the military right bank of
that river, shut all access to the province against
them. Should he succeed in doing this, the deadly
character of the districts themselves, and the im-
possibility of their maintaining so large a body of
men, will force the rebels either to enter Nepaul,
or open negotiations with ourselves ; and there will
be an end of the campaign in either case. The
rebels seem to be improving the leisure afforded by
our inactivity to strengthen themselves, and are
emboldened to ravage the country almost to the
very walls of Lucknow. Fever and dysentery are
unfortunately prevalent amongst the troops, and
we must be content to await the opening of the cold
season for any effective measures of repression."