The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-28 00:00:00

PRE Est SP INDIA CO2IIPANY AND THE
TRANSMISSION OF TROOPS TO INDIA.

The following statement contains a succinct but
perfectly reliable recapitulation of facts connected
with the sendi©g of troops round the Cape to India :
On the morning of the 29th of June, the public
were startled by an announcement in the journals
of the day, to the effect that a mutiny of a serious
and disastrous character had broken out at Meerut;
that a large body of the mutineers had escaped to
Delhi, and that the imperial city was in the possession
of the rebels. On that same Saturday morning the
Chairman of the East India Company summoned
a special Court of Directors, by circular missives
to his several colleagues, and, at this Court held

soon after noon, a letter was formally passed,
making a requisition for four additional Queen's
regiments to be despatched immediately to India.
The requisition was complied with ; and on the fol-
lowing Monday—that is, on the next official day—.
advertisements were issued calling for tenders of
screw-steamers and clipper-sailing vessels to con-
vey these troops to India. The Court of Directors
were of opinion that a portion, at least, of these
troops might be conveyed to India on board her
Majesty's steam-frigates, but they were informed,
through their Chairman, in a private or demi-
official manner, that the Admiralty had no steamers
at their disposal for such a purpose. They went,
therefore, as we have said to the public, and by the
Bth of*July, the required tenders had been received.
From the vessels then offered to the Company were
selected six screw steamers (including the Thebes,
Carthage, Caledonia, and United Kingdom), and
eleven reputedly fast-sailing vessels (including the
Whirlwind, William Hammond, and Alnwick
Castle), without reference to price fixed upon the
accommodation, or any other consideration than
that of the rapidity with which they might reason-
ably be expected to convey the troops to India. At
this time, it should be stated, serious doubts were
entertained regarding the existance, at the different
depots, of a sufficiency of coal for any large num-
ber
of steamers proceeding at the same time to
India, round the Cape, and the best authorities
wore of opinion that in the absence of a sufficiency
of coal, the sailing vessels must assuredly beat the
screws. For the first batch of reinforcements,
therefore, as we have said, six steamers and eleven
sailing vessels were taken up by the East India
Company.
On the 13th of July the public papers contained
a telegraphic announcement, to the effect that,
although there had been some further mutinous
proceedings in India, "the crisis was looked upon
as past." On the 14th, however, a special Court
of Directors was held, and a further requisition was
made for six additional regiments and eight com-
panies of Royal Artillery. On the requisition
being complied with, advertisements were imme-
diately pot forth calling for tenders, and on the
21st of July six more screw steamers (including the
Golden Fleece and the Australian) and five fast
sailing vessels (one of which was the James Baines)
were engaged. On the 3,1 August, at a special
Court of Directors (further advices of the spread of
the mutiny having been received), the Court made
a further requisition for two regiments of Dragoons
and four regiments of Infantry • and on the 7th,
still pursuing the same system dengaging a mixed
fleet of screw steamers and sailing vessels, accom-
modation was taken up for these reinforcements,
one of the vessels then engaged being the Light-
ning. On the 2d of September, the Court applied
for further reinforcements, which were sent in the
same manner—but it is useless to enter into fur-
ther details. The vessels taken up were, in all
cases, the best, or they were believed to be the
best that could be obtained for the purpose. It is
true that more screw steamers and fewer sailing
vessels might have been engaged ; but this policy
would have been dangerous in the extreme, in the
absence of any certainty regarding the existence of
a sufficiency of coal for the requirements of so large
a fleet. And apart from this, it may be stated that
judged by past performances the relative speed of
screw steamers and clipper vessels starting from
England, in the summer months, was but little in
favour of the former.
It is admitted that the sailing vessels were un-
lucky. They started in the most favourable season
of the year, when good vessels often make the pas-
sage in 90 days, but were, in some cases, detained
by long calms on the Line. We are told that the
Golden Fleece steamer made the passage in less than
80 days ; and that although it " sailed more than
sevea weeks after the Areta, arrived at Calcutta
before her, beating the Bucephalus also by more
than five weeks. And then we come upon the ex-
clamation—" Now, the event has been fortunate,
but if had been otherwise, what would the world
have thought of an arrangement which produced
so intolerable a delay ! Seven weeks Now,
what will the world think, when they are informed
that these vessels, the Areta and the Bucephalus,
were taken up for the conveyance of ordinary re-
liefs, some time before intelligence of the mutiny
reached England, and had really nothing whatever
to do with that event? All that these vessels were
required to do, when they were engaged, was to
convey troops to India by the commencement of
the cold weather, before which time they were, at
the period of despatch, not desired to arrive. Again,
we are told that although the Carthage and United
Kingdom had reached Madras, before the despatch
of the last advices, no sailing vessel had reached
that port. And why ? Because none had b.en
despatched to Madras which could by any possibility
have arrived, even if they had been much faster
than the steamers. And it is upon evidence of this
kind—evidence which breaks down at every point
when it is examined—that a great governing body
is declared to be imbecile and incapable, and de-
serving only of summary extinction.
We have not, in these statements, touched upon
the subject of the delay that has taken place in the
despatch of troops to India, by what is commonly
called the Overland route. It is scarcely necessary
to state, that whatever amount of culpability in
this respect there may be, it does not lie at the
door of the East India Company. In such a matter
as this, involving important considerat ens of Euro-
pean policy, the Company are utterly powerless.
All that they can do iu such a case is to suggest ; and
had their suggestions beenatteuded to, troops would
have been despatched by the Isthmus of Suez at a
much earlier date than that which has actually seen
them consigned to the care of the Peninsular and
Oriental Company. The charge, however,
against the Company is, not that they did not
dispatch troops through Egypt, but that they sent
them round the Cape on slow-sailing vessels like
the Areta and Bucephalus, instead of ou fast screw-
steamers like the Golden Fleece. We think that
we have sufficiently disposed of this charge, whilst
we have shown at the same time that the Court of
Directors did not lose an hour, after the arrival of
the first tidings of the mutiny, in dispatching rein-
forcements to the seat of danger, in such manner
as seemed most likely to secure their speediest arri-
val.—Daily News.

THE LEVIATHAN STEAM-SHIP.

The preparations for another attempt to launch
the Leviathan have ever since the late failure
been carried on with the utmost rapidity. During
the whole of the week some 250 or 300 men have
been employed in driving successive rows of piles
between the fulcrums of the rams, in such numbers
and of such strength as to render the chances of
their giving way under almost any pressure very
small indeed. Some idea of their solidity may be
gained from a comparison with the fulcrum first
used. The first supports for she rams consisted of
three rows of three 10-inch piles, placed a few feet
apart, and strengthened by wooden supports. This
fulcrum was (as mentioned in our report at the
time) crushed up as if the beams had been straws.
The present base from which the rams will act is
formed of five successive rows placed about ten feet
apart, each row consisting of seven 17 and 12-inch
piles driven 30 feet into the ground. Each row is
backed up with solid balks of timber, and behind
the last row of each fulcrum is placed about 50
tons of iron ballast. The whole of these net-
works of massive timbers is so wedged and bolted
together successively, as to form almost one solid
piece. The delay which has taken place has been
productive of good in one respect—it has allowed
the engineers thoroughly to test every part of the
apparatus, which they undoubtedly had not time to
do before. The resisting power of the drums has
been weighed to withina few pounds. The strength
and firmness of the cradles and ponderous chains
have all been accurately ascertained, so that the
operations when they are carried out will partake
less of the character of hazardous experiments than
they did previously. During yesterday Mr.
Jacomb, one of the assistant engineers, was engaged
in testing the durability of the lower portions of the
launching ways which are washed by the tide. For
this purpose a small cradle, resembling in every
respect that on which the ship rests, was placedon
the lower part of the ways, and then loaded with
iron ballast until the pressure exceeded ono ton to
the square foot. The loaded oradle was pushed up
and down the ways for the purpose of ascertaining
friction, Stc. The experiments are stated to have
been very satisfactory in their results.

MINING NEAR THE SUMMIT OF SNOWDON,—The
Cwmdyle mine, near the summit of Snowdon, which has
for several years been unsuccessfully worked by a com-
pany who were obliged to wind up, and which has lately
been purchased by a company of local shareholders, is
now likely to turn out a profitable speculation, a lode
of copper of several feet in thickness having been dis-
covered, and working to advantage, and the engineers
being satisfied that a similar lode extends in another
direction,—North Man Chronicle.