The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-23 00:00:00

INDIA.

By extraordinary express, in anticipation of the
Overland Mail, we have received our letters and
papers from Bombay to the 26th ult. The follow-
ing is from the Bombay Gazette of that date :
" The news from China has come almost to a
dead lock ; and expectation for the time takes the
place of ascertained facts. The latest papers that

we have received notice the arrival of the 67th

Regiment from Calcutta, and the 3d Buffs were
daily expected. Various are the rumours which
have come to us from the North-West as to troops
being held in readiness for China, but nothing de-
finite has yet reached us. The receipt of 'cue dis-
patches from the home Government regarding the
enlistment of the discharged soldiers for service in
China was followed by a general order, in which the
Governor-General stated that he had 'received au-
thority from her Majesty's Government to grant the
boon of two years' service to those men of the local
army who had not taken their discharge under the
General Order, No. 883, of the 20th of June last,'
and that his Excellency had also received authority
to permit 'such men as have taken their discharge,
and are not compromised by part taken in any act
of insubordination connected with the question of
discharge, to enlist for service in China in any of
her Majesty's regiments of the line, or her Majesty's
artillery or marines, which may be now in China,
or proceeding thither ; soldiers so enlisting will re-
ceive a bounty of 50 rupees, upon the condition
that they enlist for ten years' service.' This order
means a great deal more than the words imply. It
means, in fact, that the men have just claims for
bounty, and it may in time to come be a source of
embarrassment to the authorities should the
example of the discharged soldiers be followed by
others for the purpose of obtaining the redress of
grievances, whether real or imaginary.
"If a war with China should be decided on, it
would not, perhaps, be prudent to enter on it with
a force numbering under 15,000 men. We have no
doubt the feelings of the people in England must
be averse to again entering into a new war, after
all the exertions made in the Crimean campaign, the
suppression of the Indian rebellion, and the expen-
diture of money and life which both entailed. But
admitting that we have not committed our-
selves to a contest out of which we could not retreat
until our objects were attained, it is a question if
the Chinese Government will be brought to terms
and be induced to carry out the conditions of the
treaty by any other means than by force of arms.
" The actual state of the rebel army in Nepaul can
perhaps be better estimated by a calculation of what
it must be, than by our reports. The rumours are
perfectly contradictory; it is now stated that the
Nana intends to maintain his position—then that
he intends to retreat. One report is that he
is dead, another that there was a consultation
in his camp, and that the several leaders
agreed" 'tte)" unite their forces and place them
under his orders. Side by side with these
reports are details of the dispersion of the Nana's
followers in all directions, and the miserable plight
to which they are reduced for want of food and
clothing. One thing is certain—that our troops
have taken the field against the rebels ; the 54th
Queen's have proceeded to the Goruckpoor fron-
tier, and one or two engagements have already
taken place, in which as usual the rebels retired,
betaking themselves to jungles and out-of-the-way
places. It is now stated that Jung Bahadoor is
going to assist us in expelling the rebels from his
territories. About eight or ten thousand Goorkha
troops, wi th 40 guns, have already marched down
the hills, and Jung will join the army at Bootwal.
If this be the case, the discomfiture of the rebels
will be a quick and easy work.
" According to a letter to the Englishman
from the Nepaul frontier, it is believed that the
rebel force in that quarter consists of about
6,000 of all kinds, of which about 1,000 are
so wars ; this number includes also camp fol-
lowers, women, and children, so perhaps besides
the sowers, only 3,000 sepoys remain. The
I greater number of these are encamped in the
Dhang and Dukur valleys, over the first range of
hills, but still small bodies are dotted about at the
edge of the Terai jungle all along the Nepaul fron-
tier. They have still remaining with them about
two elephants' load of Government ammunition.
The sepoys have had no regular pay from their
chiefs since they left Lucknow, but until Nana
Rao's death they were always regularly fed. A few
Christian drummers from the mutinous regiments
are said to be with the rebels, but they have turned
Mahomedans and live with the sepoys. Some re-
ports state that there is a European sergeant with
them, who also has turned Mussulman, but this has
not been corroborated. From further inquiries
which have been made, there is no reason at present
to believe that there is any European man or wo-
man now alive in the rebels' hands, as some papers
have stated.

" In Central India, it is feared that it will be
necessary to carry on the war in the jungle. A
body of rebels, under the notorious Bhagojee
Naik, lately found their way to a village about 12
miles from Nassick. About 100 of the Ahmednug-
gur and Nassick police, led by Mr. Souter, went
after them, and succeeded in capturing the leader,
who was hanged on the spot where he killed Capt.
Henry a year ago, and in killing another chief and
51 men. Minor insurrections are going forward in
other parts of India. The hill tribes in the Deccan
are giving some trouble ; and a party of Rohillas
have been creating disturbances near Hingolee.
Troops were sent after them, and they were sur-
prised in a ravine a few miles from the cantonment
of Hingolee. Fifteen of them were killed, includ-
ing their leader, the Rohilla Jemader Shered Khan.
The Rohillas have also advanced on some ♦illages
near Hyderabad, and we fear that their move-.
,rants will not be checked without considerable
bloodshed.

"At last the official papers on the subject of the
claims to compensation for losses sustained during
the mutiny have been published. The following
scale is to be adopted in the case of those claimants
who have sustained losses in buildings, factories, and
crops, including merchandi-e and stock in trade .
If the claim do not exceed 2,000 rupees, the sum
awarded will be half the loss proved. If it exceed
2,000 rupees, the stun awarded will be half the first
2,000 rupees and one-third of the rest. The other
class includes cash and jewels, and articles of per-
sonalty, with respect to which the compensation is
limited to one-third of the admitted loss, the largest
amount in the case of any single claimant being
fixed at 5,000 rupees.'
"The 1 enaltie4 War are comina• out in new

' financial demands. Taxes and loans are followed by
plans which the Government has in contemplation to
reduce its expenditure. Such measures are urgently
needed. The revision of the salaries of civil servants
and reduction of military charges havebeen talked of
for some time, and in all probability will be carried
out. The question of the reduction of the native
army has been referred to England, and until the
home authorities have decided this point we must be
content to wait. But there is no doubt the military
department is capable of considerable abridgment;
and if its expenditure be not reduced we have no
hopes of any restoration of the balance between the
revenue and expenditure in India. We may then
expect a permanent deficit of about eight millions
sterling annually, with increase of interest on the
capital borrowed to supply the deficiency.
" It is satisfactory to see that the British army in
our presidency is in an excellent state of health.
The latest returns show a considerable diminution
of hospital cases. It is also satisfactory to find that
the Government is giving attention to the establish-
ment of barracks in the hill Sanatoria of Northern
India. Amid all our discords and conflicts, it is
balm to the vexed spirit that one touch of genuine
unaltered nature makes us all kin, and brings us all
to join in the same work. The families of our
soldiers have long been uncared-for—have been left
to struggle unassisted with the necessities of their
position in this country. We ore now raising asy-
lums for them on elevated hill stations, and esta
blishing schools for the education of their children.',
The Bombay Standard says :—" A powerful force
of artillery is to leave England early in the year
for Egypt, the transport of which from Suez
be entrusted, we are told, to the Indian Navy. We
believe that this artillery force will consi PA of close
upon 1,000 men. The accounts are do conflicting
that, perhaps, least said the soonest mended. There
is a decided turning of the tide hero in favour of
keeping quiet if we can. honourably do so. We
seem, however, to he pretty deeply committed to
do something, the following General Order having
appeared in the Calcutta Government Gazette of the
12th inst. :

" CAMP BUNTEERAII, Oct. 29.
" No. 7.---" With reference to the General Order by
his F_;xcellency the Governor-General, dated the
I:2th October, 1859, it is hereby announced, that the
option of enlistment for her Majesty's troops in
China, or proceeding there, is to be allowed to the
men of the local forces who have taken their dis-
charge, without reference to their having applied
for discharge before or after the issue of the General
Order, No. 883, of the 20th June, 1858. Only those
are to be excluded from enlistment who have com-
mitted any act of insubordination connected with
the subject of discharge.

" The bounty of 50r. to men enlisting for 10 years'
service in her Majesty's corps in China, or proceed-
ing thither, is to be paid on their enlistment, and a
fresh kit will be issued to them.

"Discharged men of the local forces re-enlisting
as above will not be allowed to reckon their former
services in the local forces.

" Time-expired men of her Majesty's regiments
serving in India who have taken their discharge,
and men who have obtained discharge by indulgence,
are invited to re-enlist, according to the terms of
the Act of Parliament of 1847, for limiting the time
of service in the army as respects their service in her
Majesty's Infantry Regiments, or Artillery or Ma-
rines serving in China, or proceeding there; and they
will, on so re-enlisting, receive a bounty of 50 ru-
pees. They will reckon their former service if they
claim it on re-enlistment, and each man will receive
a fresh kit.

It is hereby notified for general information, that
the rate of bounty now offered to time-expired and
other discharged men of the Line, is offered to them
under the special circumstances of the service in
China now about to take place; and that the grant
of this rate will not in any way affect the rate
issuable to men who may hereafter renew their ser-
vice under ordinary circumstances in her Majesty's
army.

The number of men availing themselves of this
offer is very insignificant. It is pretty clear that
only those men who can do nothing else will volun-
teer. The great mass of those who have taken
their discharge seem to have had enough of " sol•
dieriAg."