The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-02 00:00:00

SINDE.

Our intelligence from Sinde extends from the 4th
July to the 14th August, having been brought down
to the former date on the 19th ult. We must
discard the consideration of that dispatched by
the Sesostris cn the 31st of July, as at that date
it was not in our power to make up a systematic
precis of intelligence. It is of a somewhat mixed
complexion, but on the whole eminently satisfactory.
The health of the troops throughout was excellent.
Her Majesty's 86th had lost altogether 60 men since
their arrival at Hyderabad, and two of its most popular
officers Captain Halliday and Dr. Stewart. Captain
Brett's company of Foot Artillery had also suffered
severely, and dysentery prevailed to such an extent
in Captain Rowland's troop that it had been ordered
down to Kurrachee. The casualties, however, were
not numerous. We gave in our last a short notice of
the mutiny of the 64th, down to the time when it
was marched frem Shikarpore to Sukkur, and at the
last place disarmed, 39 of the ringleaders having been
given up. The regiment, though now disarmed and
coerced into this act of obedience, still continued to
manifest symptoms of insubordination and discon-
tent. Having been desired to surrender some of the
minor defaulters, and to supply evidence against the
chief mutineers, they refused• compliance, and the
colours were directed to be taken from them and
lodged in the fort of Sukkur. The painful task of
carrying this into effect was, on the 13th July, en-
trusted to a company of her Majesty's 13th. On
the day the 64th were deprived of their colours,
the regiment was wheeled into a hollow square,
the European company fronting the colours, when
Captain Shortreed, who had been in command of
the corps since the arrest of Captain Burt, explained
the station orders, and the colours were taken out
of the square and delivered over to the officer
commanding the party. The scene is said, and we
should think truly so, to have been most humiliating.
A general order was issued by Sir C. Napier on the
24th, highly applauding the conduct of General .
Hunter and his officers, who was, with justice, said
to have saved the regiment from dismissal ; had the
misconduct of the Sepoys gone a single step further,
the whole would have been disbanded—power to this
extent having been vested in the hands of the Go-
vernor of Sinde. General Hunter was directed "to
extract from the regiment the native officers, com-
missioned and non-commissioned, and private soldiers,
whose conduct had been such as to deserve a less se-
vere punishment than that which is expected to de-
scend on the ringleaders now in confinement—to
have them immediately dismissed from the regiment,
and ordered off from the cantonments." Colonel
Moseley having demanded a court of inquiry on his
conduct, as concerning the late mutiny, the demand
was complied with, and Colonel Waddington, of the
Bombay Engineers, appointed president of the court.
The conduct of the European officers, and state of
discipline of the regiment, have been severely cen-
sured by nearly the whole of our Upper Sinde cor-
respondents, and appear to have deserved the severest
condemnation. The following is the disposition of
the troops in Sinde :—At Sukkur are her Ma-
jesty's 13th Light Infantry, Nos. 1 and 5 Field
Batteries, Captain Forster's (European) Light
Field Battery (Bombay), 4th and 64th Regi-
ments Native Infantry. Shikarpore-4th troop Ist
brigade Horse Artillery, 7th Light Cavalry, 69th
Regiment Native Infantry, Col. Norton command-
ing. Kanghur—A detachment of Artillery (3 guns),
6th Irregular Cavalry, and two ressalabs 9th Irre-
gular ditto, and also a company of the 69th Native
Infantry, Captain Mackenzie commanding. At
Larkanah there is one ressalah of the 9th Irregular
Cavalry, with the Camel Corps. At Hyderabad the
86th alone art• quartered in the fort ; the entrenched
camp is occupied by the '2d Cavalry, and two com-
panies of the 6th Native Infantry. The remainder of
this last corps, with the Bth, 17th, and 18th, together