The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-03 00:00:00

VERLAND MAIL

INDIA,
(From the Chronicle.)
We have received by extraordinary express advices
'om Bombay to April 3, and Calcu!ta to March 22.

BOMB A.Y, Aran, 3.
FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
If my letter for the past fortnight does not chronicle
any events of great importance, it will at least be
found to contain, on the whole, a good deal of inte.
resting information. _

In my last letter I informed you of the doubtful
success which had attended the expedition under-
taken by Sir Charles Napier for the purpose of
punishing the refractory Afreedees ; and I expressed
my belief that another and a more formidable body
of troops would have to be sent, in order to quell
the disturbances occasioned by this turbulent and
warlike tribe. That this belief was well grounded,
and is still generally entertained, the following will
show :

" Late accounts from Peshawur (says the Delhi
Gazette) tend to show that the Kohat expedition has
not bad the effect of lessening in the slightest degree
the system of plunder in and about the encampments.
Robberiee are of nightly occurrence, and since the
breach with the Afreedees the robbers are said to
have become even more numerous and. daring than
they were before."
The same paper gives the following letter:—
" PESHA.WUR, FEB. 28.—You have no doubt had full
accounts of what has been done up here in regard to the
Kohat business, so I will not repeat what has, Isuppose,
been communicated to you. • The success seems to have
been of a questionable kind after all. The Irregular
Cavalry and Infantry, it is true, went on to Kohat, but
the communication through the pass is still very in-
secure, and we must be at them again. * * We sae
the gleam of the long Khaiberea knife that put an end
to young Sitwell's life, without being able to assist him.
The 31st behaved very well, and the 23d also. Young
Templer, of that corpe, is a very plucky fellow. Three
times he was driven back, and three times he took a hill
with only a dozen men. His conduct ought to have beep
noticed in orders."
The following is from the Lahore Chronicle, dated
March 9th and 13th :
The surmises on which we ventured, only a few days
ago, as to the probability of a second expedition being
necessary to put down the Khaiberees, in the neighbour-
hood of the late scene of the operations, have, we regret
to say, been amply borne out by recent events.
"The pais connecting Peshawur and Kohat winds
through the range of hills separating the two valleys for
some twelve or fifteen miles; it is in some places broader
than in others, and admits of cultivation almost all
through. At the southern extremity the gorge is
' brought up' by a hill of considerable elevation, over
which it is necessary to pass in . order to get into the
valley of Kohat. On the summit of this bill is a owe!
which, to a certain extent, commands the„ ,44d
ar
Which should protect the aommrication,
" When'elldernies Bir.Cono;Cerie.pbell'.4, lane eXtSeditton
under: the eye of eSiteCherles iifiee',4ts6-IsiTireeue-,
lar Caveliy- (bialy's), and the lsteVunclinkel'iritatairy
(Coke's), were pushed on to reinforce Kehat, a detach-
ment of the latter corps was placed in charge of this
tower (we do not know the strength of the party), ane
remained there undisturbed till the 28th February.
" We mentioned that the bill tribes bad held consul-
tations, subsequent to the attack on their villages, to
consider what was to be done in their extremity. Thy
determination seems to have been against peaceful mea-
sures, for on the 28th February the pest we have de -
scribed was attacked by the tribes in force. Intimation
of the hostile demonstration having been communicated
to Captain Coke, who commands Kohat as senior
officer, he hastened to the relief of his post with a con-
siderable detachment, and succeeded, after some fighting.
in which he lost ten men killed and thirteen wounded, in
effecting his object..
" The tribes were, however, according to the latest
advices we have received from Peshawur, dated 4th
March, in sufficient strength to render it a doubtful
matter whether the post could be held much longer, on
account, it is said, of the want of water. Ammunition
too was becoming so scarce that it was determined at
Peshawur to send a supply round by Kalabagh, and the
propriety of organizing another expedition into the hills
was under serious contemplation. Some were for carry-
lug out the plans proposed at once, others for deferring
them till the season for cutting the crops should be suf-
ficiently advanced.
"111 the meantime the direct communication between
Peshawar and Kohate which had been previously only
uncertain, was completely closed, and we shall not be
surprised' to learn that the tribes who originated the dis-
turbance have succeeded in enlisting friends and neigh-
bours in their cause—a consummation that must induce
the most active measures against the whole body of
Klaatberees, and 'ultimately lead to an expedition, as we
hinted fornarly must be the case, against the chief
haunts of these plunderers at Teera, Choora, c.
" The Afreedees seem determined on giving us as
much trouble as they possibly can, in the direction of
Kohat. It was recorded in our last that Captain Coke
had succeeded in relieving the garrison of the tower, men-
tioned in our latest letter, which isfrom 300 to 400 strong.
Subsequent information is to the effect that, having
effected this very necessary piece of duty, he retaroed to
Kohat on the 2d of March. The coast was no sooner
clear than the Afreedees again assembled to the number
.of about 2,000 men, under the leadership of the.
Dereea Khan, whom we have already noticed as the
instigator of the late hostile proceedings. He ad-
.vanced towards the tower under cover of regular breast-
works, erected step by step, approached to within a
few yards of the tower walls, and again cut off their
supply of water from tee garrison, who had only a single
tank, outside' the tower, to depend upon. Captain Coke,
taking into consideration the scantiness of his ammuni
tion, the apparent difficulty of obtaining more from
P cshawur, and the constant liability of the garrison to
be cut off from the tank, determined on withdrawing
them. This he effected on the 3d of March, through
negotiations opened by men of some friendly tribe who
accompanied him from Ruhat. The tower evacuated,
and the object for which they had assembled gained, the
Afreedees again dispersed, not a little elated, however,
at the 'success which had attended their undertaking.
Nothing had been decided upon as to the second expedi-
tion, but one must be undertaken, though opinions still
differed as to the proper time for punishing these mono-
tain banditti. The great difficulty, and one that will in-
crease every day till the setting in of the rains is, that
troops progressing up the valley must depend. entirely
on a few tanks for a supply of water, and these are all
situated close under the hills by which they are, of course,
commanded. • There is not a single well in the whole
valley. The communication by letter is now more open
than it was a few days before, but that is entirely by
the auffelince of the Affreedees, who may close the line
whenever they please in the present state of affairs."
I teke the following from the Delhi Gazette of the
20th March
The Commander-in-Chief re-crossed the Chenab on
the morning of the 13th instant, and encamped about
midway between the town of Wuzeerabad and the Can-
tonments. -Ths Excellency marched by the Korie Pass
from Jhelum. On the morning of the 13th, the troops
inspectee, and on the morning of
at Wuzeerabad were
the 14th, Head Quarters Camp moved to Sembereal, ex-
pecting to be at Sealkot next day.
e A letter frem Loodiauah mentions that the dis-
banded 66th passed through that station on the 14th.
They are said to present a miserable appearance, 'sans
tents, sans arms, sans everything. Our correspondent
says, e 1 fancy they have never roughed .it in this style
betore. ,
" A letter from Lahore says there is not the slightest
truth in the report put forth by the Englishman of cap-
taia Voyle having been assassinated; a letter has been
received from Captain Voyles ,dated the.loth iustann at
which time he was quite well.'
Our letters from Peshawur are up to the 12th in-
stant, but they contain little of immediate interest.
Another expedition against the
.Afreedies is talked of
expected, but nothing is yet finally Beetled
and fully
about the plan to be pursued towards.bringing our Lieu-
blesome enemies to subjection. It is said that a strong
party will he sent against them absent a month hence,: and
be employed ' 111 driving I.
that the military willu tem away,'
.
while the civil authorities burn their crops. , Much, op--
position is expected, as the Afreedee tribes he the neigh-
bourhood of Kohat are quite elated ,at their, success in
having compelled us to withdraw our detachment from
the Pass. We hear that no less than 13 Ot Coke's men
have been killed and wounded since the late; expedition;
returned to Peshawur on the 14th ult."e e
With regard to the last paragraph. of the extract
• given above,- rcannot but express my apprehensions,
that if another expedition be undertaken " a month'
hence" (i. e. about the middle of April), our loss in
men will, owing to the intense heats-wbede prevails a"
this season of the year, be as greatsif not greateri,''
than that which may be expected to be occasioned by
the hostile operations of the enemy. .
The following, from the Delhi Gazette, which'
came to hand last night, is the latest., intelligenc.
received from the Poisub i't ,
" We have letters from various Part& Of, the Punjauh,
from which we regret to learn taste tee:late affair
Kohat has had the effect of rendering .many localities
hitherto considered safe the very reverse; several places:
being overrun with Afreedees' who do not actuple to boast
of their intention to kill every European they may meet
with. In the passes we are informed -the h t.t e moun-
taineers have collected to a dangerous extent, and they
have become so daring that the stations in, the plains
are threatened. We do not vouch for the correctness,
of these reports; we hope they may prove -erroneous;
especially as we glean from the same source that the
Government have seen the necessity of Tlbtvering the"'
tax levied on the salt of those parts from.two rupees Et.
mound to eight annas!"
. ,
Amongst the domestic events of the last fortnight
Nava, with much regret,
to record the death Of Mr.
Thomas Harold, an assistant-engineer of the Great`'
Indian Peninsular Railway, Company. He was at;
tacked with fever whilst surveying, in' the Tan 4
Water, and expired on the evening.of:
.lednesday.
last. The loss of his services will .be greatly felt, by.
those engaged in constructing our local rallWay. He
was much beloved by all who knew him.
gard to the railway itself, .I may mention . that the,`
survey is progressing, and I believe
1-ai.the Chief
engineer expects very shortly to have his report
completed on the different lines which. have been pro-
jetted. „ .;