The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-31 00:00:00

THE INDIAN COMMISSARMT.

(EXTRACT FROM A PRIVATE LETTER.)
CSLCUTTA, SEPT. 24.
In Calcutta we have at last done something, the
results of thp establishment of the India Reform
League. .
The China force is gradually coming in at last.
Her Majesty's screw ship Sanspareil, 80 guns; with
300 of the Royal Artillery ; the transport steamers
Cleopatra, with 400 of the 23d Royal Welsh Fusi-
lit ra - Adventurer, with 300 more of the same regi-
ment, and 270 of the 82d Foot ; and the Mauritius,
with 700 of the 93d Highlands ; her Majesty's ship
Bslleisle, with 350 more of the latter corps; her
Majesty's steamer Penelope, with Horse Artillery
and horses from the Cape, having all arrived since
last week. Besides 58 of the Royal Engineers who
came up in the Lightaing steamer from Singapore,
we ought soon to be favoured with some of the
troops coming to India round the Cape. It is now
more than ninety days since the first of the trans-
ports left Portsmouth ; but they may as well have
the benefit of the sea air a little longer, for nothing
is ready for them here. The same miserable inca-
pacity, tee same i ed-tape imbecility, that killed our
poor soldiers iu the Crimea, are rampant. hero.
Though these troops have been sighed for and ex-
pected these last two months, though every English
soldier who can be added to Havelock's force is
equal to 100 of the enemy, though our poor be-
leaguered countrymen at Lucknow and elsewhere
are hourly praying for help, 2,000 of our noble
soldiers, Fusiliers and Highlanders, are kept
kicking "their heels for days on board trans-
ports or in the fort, because there are no
means ready for conveying them up the country,
and those that are detained on board the trans-
ports are kept there because there are no quarters
ready for them on shore. The authorities well
know that a ship crowded with men, moored by
the bank in September (the worst month in the
year) is about the best encouragement to cholera
that can be devised. They know .it so well that
out of the crew of H.M.S. Sanspariel they have
sent 400 men into the fort. But Highlanders and
Fusiliers, who came out to save India, our women
and children from torture and death, are better on
board ship with malaria around them, than in
wholesome quarters or on the river on their way to
the rescue. Sometimes English soldiers in Cal-
cutta are forgotten altogether. Witness the case
of the detachment of her Majesty's 53d Foot,-sta-
tioned at. the Normal School during the Mohur-..
ruin, who were kept literally forty-eight hours
without food. If English soldiers are thus for-
, gotten when they are so few, what in the name of
goodness will be the result when the reinforcements
come pouring in and are detained here ? Two or
three regiments will bo forgotten then, and as Gene-
ral Red Tape won't allow them to buy food for
themselves they must starde. The 260 men of the
Military Train or Land Transport, who arrived
here a month ago, were immediately mounted on
the horses of the Madras Cavalry Regiment, which
refused to embark for Bengal. The horses arrived
about the same time. This fine body of well-
mounted troopers only left Calcutta three days
ago. Had they been sent as soon as they ought to
have been after their arrival, they might have joined
Havelock by this time. Such wicked mismanage-
ment speaks for itself. If it be laid that the Mad-
ras horses were too much ' out of condition
after 'the sea voyage (which could hardly
in -the south-west monsoon have . been more

then ten ---(14-y-sY, -I
say that they
might have picked up condition sufficiently during
their trip up the rivhr to enable them to be of ser-
vice when disembarked at Allahabad ; but, whether
these were ready or not, there were the splendid
horses (the 'finest troop horses in India) of the
Governor-General's body-guard. Had these been
handed over to our English troopers directly the
the
latter arrived a body of cavalry might h
sent up to, and ere this joined, Havelocka've sforce,
which would now be of incalculable service to
him.
t
If Lord and Lady Canning must have their
armed black troopers to ride behind them in their
evening canter, surely twenty.five horses would be
enough for that purpose ; the rest might be spared
:to share in the uninteresting work of saving my
lady's countrywomen from death. It makes one's
blood boil to write about it.
And now another difficulty has arisen in refer-
ence to these troops, and simply because (really it
is the case) there is no one here connected with
this goveremeet who knows his business. When
her Majesty's ship the Belleisle was at Sandheads
the Underwriter, an American steam-tug, ran down'
to her to take her in tow, and demanded 2,500r5.
(2501.) This sum was refused, and the Underwriter
would not tow the ship to Calcutta for less, and
steamed away from her. low, be it remarked' that
the price demanded was the ruling price paid
by large merchant vessels. The Panther, an
American ship, paid, I believe, 3,00015. Aiatiy
circumstances have lately combined to make steam
towage far more expensive than before. It is suffi-
cient to say that the price demanded was the ruling
price. But because the Uuderwiters refused to tow
the Belleiele to Calcutta for less, the marine au-
thorities have in consequence interdicted all their

NEW SPAPEg

pilots from bringing iin any 44....,,,. t. --.
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unlbrwriter. The consequen e p=t4t, i :1L.41 ' "('
I
must have a Government p" ot Ni
;fir
writet's occupation is gone: --Tite-'l:',,e ", ... 'MT' ',...".
it
chants in Calcutta are in such` .' ... _ . ._ ',at.; .. ~.,, '
that they have caused the Engllsh'Oir. :7"-. " ~.. ..
tugs to take the matter up, and I Asiderstind • ' . t
the latter have given directions to the commanders
of all their tvgs not to take any Government vessel
in tow, or any vessel having Government troops on
looird. The Government interests, the public inte-
rests, must suffer from the imbecility of the marine
authorities.
The state of the money-market here is something
irightful, for not merely the merchants but the banks
. . . Merchants vainly sought loans on their com-
pany's paper. The Bag& of Bengal could not ad-
vance money even on Mint certificates. . . . It
refused cheques drawn against them. . . . The
Government was tnen applied to, and adxanced a
large sum on Mint certificates. . . . Unless money
comes from England a terrible financial crisis must
overwhelm Calcutta. .. _

The arrival of the few troops that have already
come has had the effect of slightly raising the value
of Government stock, which as the troops pour in
may probably resume something like its forcher
value, unless indeed a loan at 7 per cent. or some
higher figure be raised out hers, or an imperial loan
be raised at 4
.or 5 per cent. Then where will be the
4 or 5 per cent. East India Company's paper ?
The Bank of Bengal, a month or two ago, through
their Government direction, bout 230,0001. of
Government paper as a speculation. In the pre-
sent dearth of money, which will last some time yet,
they must sell out, and they will be fortunate if
they do so with a loss of 30 per cent. However,
with the advent of the whole of the troops every-
thing will improve.
We had a grand field day the other day with the
infantry volunteers. We mustered 500 men, and
were reviewed by Lord Canning and Sir Colin
Campbell. We really went through our evolutions
and marched remarkably well. Our commandant,
Major Davies, deserves great credit for the way in
which he has drilled us. Both Lord Canning and
Sir Cohn seemed much pleased with us. We were
told by the former that Lady Canning would take
an early opportunity of presenting the regiment
with colours. Talk of the English not being a
military nation. I defy any one of the great powers
to turn out, in so short a time, a body of volun-
teers, oavalry, artillery, and infantry, as well dis-
ciplined, as well drilled and as effective in' every
respect, as we exiled Anglo-Saxons have done iu
Calcutta. The cavalrybave already got themselves
a small band, and we of the infantry have made ar-
rangements to buy the band of- the disbanded (I
can't help the pun) 10th Native Infantry,. which wo
shall lake over directly the Government sanction
the allowance for musicians.

The Royal Artillery (300), brought by the Sans-
pareil, leave for the Upper Provinces to-morrow by
river. The 93d Highlanders and the Sappers and
Miners proceed along the Grand Trunk road at once
by bullock train, 100 men per day. The Esplanade
of an evening presents a very different appearance

to tits old htrn-drum course of Calcutta. Two line-
of-battle ships, the Sanspareil and Belleisle, the
stile t: did screw frigate the Shannon, with the Pearl,
are mooted off the Esplanade.
_•Numerous large
transports, the monster Himalaya, and then of war
of the Indian navy are at 'anchor in the stream.
Sbvvral bands play afloat and on shore, and military
and naval uniforms of every description. are 'seen
everywhere. .Highlanders and sailors, artillery-
mtn and marines, yedmanry cavalry and men of the
mounted laud transport corps, fraternise in little
groups, or walk up and down together. The great
guns of the men-of-war, the 500 or 600 tars on
board each of them, have given the natives of Cal-
cutta a more practical notion of Englani's strength
titan they have ever had before. •