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

LONDON, SATURDAY, OCT. 310857.

Red-tapism is rampant in Calcutta. Unless
care be taken, we shall have a repetition of the
Crimean tragedy, and our gallant soldiers deci-
mated through official incompetence and neglect.
The troops intercepted en route to Coins, are
already arriving at C deutta ; but no preparation
had been made for their reception or transmission
to the disturbed dietries. Tne men, whose s:r-
vices are of such vital consequence, are kept either
on board the ships in which they arrived, or in
the fort, because there are no quarters ready on
shore, or means of sending them up the country ! !
We hear that "Her MAJESTY'S screw-ship
Sanspareil, 70 guns, with 300 of the Royal Ar-
tillery ; the transport steamers Cleopatra, with
400 of the 23d Royal Welsh Fusiliers ; Adven-
ture, with 300 more of the same regiment, and
270 of the 82d Foot ; and the Mauritius, with
700 of the 93d Highlanders ; her MAJESTY'S ship
Belleisle, with 350 more of the latter corps ; her
Mann-es steamer Penelope, with Horse Artillery
and hones from the Cape, have all arrived since
the last ad "
re-
ception place But what has been their re-
ef having every comfort pro-
vided, so urgently required after a protracted
voyage, they were kept for days in the crowded
transports on the river's banks. If the
object had been to invite disease and death,
it could not have been • more effectually
aimed at. The Governor-General and his Council were too busily occupied in striving
to thwart and cast discredit on the military
authorities, or in seeking a character for peewit)_
philanthropy, to attend to such trifling matters
as the care of some 2,000 British soldiers, or its
rendering their services available. It is even said
that H.M. 53d Regiment, when on guard at Cd
watt% and Barrackpore, during the iVlohurrum,
were left for 48 hours without food or refresh-
ment of any description. The excuse a deftc
tive commissariat. But Surely if that be sopltinij
perceptible at head-quarters, the evils must be f,r
greater when they arrive at the scene of action
and are brought face to face with the enemy, or

engaged in pursuing them from place to Owe.

It is said that HAVELOCK, notwithstanding inces-
sant fighting for six weeks against enormous odds,

suffered more from the want of an efficient commis

sariat than at the hands of the enemy. And as
the reinforcements from England are landed, we
must naturally anticipate that the mischief will

increase in a duplicate ratio.
Now these rainforcements may" be daily looked
fur. It is three months since the first detach-

ment sailed from Portsmouth, and the transports,

albeit transmitted via the Cape, may be regarded
as almost due. The authorities had some months'
notice of the troops from the Chinese expedition,
but nothing was done; and the same apathy
may reasonably be anticipated with regard to
the troops direct from England. Those already
on the spot have neither sufficient food,
shelter, nor medical assistance.
What will be the
fate of the new corners ? Are they to be detained
in listless inaction at Calcutta, or forwarded in
miserable driblets, to endure all the annoyance and
inconvenience, aye, and the losses of a campaign,
without even being brought face to face with the
rebels ? This would, indeed, be a most untoward
result. One that would disgust the sufferers and
eaasperate the nation !—which would probably
lead to another investigation before a Select
Committee of the House of Commons, in which
the system would be condemned, but all the
offenders exonerated, or possibly some miserable
subordinate selected as a scapegoat to expiat, the
sins of his more guilty superiors.

There can, however, be no possible excuse for
such criminal negligence. The Council had
fall notice of the efforts made in England
to dispatch the much required aid. They well
knew that England woul I do its part, and they
should have been prepared to do theirs. But it
would seem as if these men had been wholly un-
expected, as if their arrival fell on the officials
ike a thunder-clap. They have been more intent
on the strict observance of routine than on the
efficient discharge of their important duties.
Provided Lord and Lady CANNING have the re-
quisite body-guard, it is a matter of supreme in-

difference whether HAVELOCK be sustained, or i
Luoknow and Agra be relieved. The military train
was delayed nearly a month in Calcutta for want
of horses, while the horses of the disarmed guard
have remained idle ! The great want at this
moment is of a number of light Dragoons to
scour the country, and cut off .the rebels
►nd fugitive mutineers in detail. But these
are kept back that Lady CANNING may hays a
handsome escort whenever she thinks proper to
!rive through the streets of the "City of Palaces."
this culpable mismanagement must not be t.)1:-
rated. As we have already pointed out, the im-
mediate recal of Lord CANNING is necessary to
the pacification of India, and if it be deferred the
Yams will not rest merely on the heads of the
magnates of L3adenhall-street, or even of Mr.
SMITE, of Cannon-row, but of L)rd PA.LAIERSTON
and the other Cabinet Ministers, who, having the
power in their own hands, neglected to exercise
it in the manner which the exigencies of the case
imperatively required.
It may be said that funds are wanting to enter
into the necessary arrangements at Calcutta,
chat there is a monetary crisis, and that the most
essential of all the sinews of war cannot he ob-
tained. But this is no excuse, for months ago
we pointed out the necessity of providing sufficient
pecuniary means for the contest. Bat Mr. SMITH
assured Parliament that the Company bad ample
resources to carry on the contest until the meeting
of Parliament in February next. The inaccuracy
(we shall not use a harsher phrase) of these asser-
tions has been already proved. The Company
have borrowed from the Bank of England, from
the London and Westminster Bank, and from
(other sources. They have, in fact, boon seeking
discount in every quarter, and thus interfering
with and forestalling the legitimate dtimands of
the commercial and manufacturing interests—and
still they are left in the lurch. The necessary ar-
rangements for crushing the rebeltion and consoli-
dating the resources of India, cannot be carried
out for want of sufficient funds ins the Company's

Treasury.
There is another point that will require
explanation on the meeting of Parliament.
We find that the Bombay mail was detained at
Malta for some 38 hours, at a time when the na-
tional anxiety was raised to the highest pitch. It
was known that it was due, but the steam-vessels
that ought to be available were engaged in other
services or laid up in dockyard. For this the
parties responsible must be scugizt nearer home.
They may possib'y be discovered in the vicinity
of Whitehall. Bat surely the British Navy must
be reduced to a very low point, when a vessel
could not be provided for more than a day and
a-half to forward the Indian mails from Malt to
Cagliari. Truly, Parliament will have ample
weak when it assembles, in inquiring int) all these
matters, and the sooner that assembly takes place
the better for the British nation, and more par-
ticularly for the Anglc-Indian Empire.

The returns for the week ending the 24th inst.,
show a decrease of 154,684/. in bullion, but
an increase in the reserve of notes of 268,6551.
since the previous accounts. Tho pressure of the
screw is evidenced by the reductiofl of the active
circulation by 416,9807., and the decrease in
other securities of 134,9681. This state of affairs
is by no means unfavourable to the Bask itielf,
looking merely to its position. But it is very much
so to the community at large, who are suffering
from a deficiency of the circulating medium, a
stagnation of the very " life-blood of industry,"
that must be productive of very injurious come-

quences.
The Directors, seeing the necessity of some
concessions, have offered some infinitesimal
measure of reform, one that is good enough
in its way, and which had been loudly
demanded at their hands, but which can
give no relief during the existing emergency.
It is, however, perhaps as much as they can do
without the assistance and co-operation of the
Government ; and trifling as it is, it may_ be re-
garded as a step in the right direction. Many
complaints had been preferred respecting the dila
tory nature of the bank returns, and the manner
in which information was suffered, or supposed to
be suffered, to leak out, by means whereof certain
favoured speculators were alleged to obtain
great advantages over their competitors. It was
reasonably asked, why a week should elapse, in
these days of ra!lreads and electric telegraple,
before the publication of the accounts. Two days
were asserted to be amply sufficient for every prac-
tical purpose,
and the Governor, Mr. WEGUELIN,
in his evidence before the Committee of the House
of Commons,reasonablecl: expressed haginalisnesl ft iii
the favourao
advan-
tage vathne.
tage alleged to be given to some.v speculators over
others. Henceforward this g
re-
medied. The next publication
is t
heGaozebe
tteofFriday, the 6th Nov., will Contain not only the
accounts up to the 30th inst., but, in addition,
those to Wednesday the 4th Nov. ; and every
succeeding publication (which, as heretofore, will
1
be made on Fridays) will give the returns t) th 9
previous Wednesdays. This is as it should be.