The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-03 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 3, 1845,

murders in Sinde. A large kaplah of 300 camels
was lately plundered near Lehwan, but upon the
whole the country is quiet. The troops at Kurra-
chee and Hyderabad are comparatively healthy. At
the former station great improvements in every way
have of late been going on. The revenues of the
country are in the main turning out better than was
anticipated; and altogether a considerable share of
prosperity is exhibited. The total collection will in
the present year probably amount to half a million
sterling; the civil charges, including those of collec-
tion, to between 300,0001. and 400,0001. sterling.
But then we have an army of 12,000 men to support
of whom about 9,000 were raised avowedly for Sinde,
these, consisting of ten men added to each company
of each of the Native Infantry Regiments of the
Bengal and Bombay army, not on field service in
February, 1843, and of a newly-raised regiment
of Irregular Horse. The cost of the mili-
tary establishment in Sinde, in fact, will alone
absorb more than its revenues—the civil charges
falling on the general treasury of India.
The expense of a large steam flotilla on the
Indus not required for mercantile purposes, and of
three or four steamers belonging to the Indian navy,
chiefly employed in plying between Bombay and
Kurrachee, is itself no trifle. Your views and mine,
however, differ on these matters, so I shall say no
more about them. Sir Charles Napier, with his staff,
left Kurrachee for the upper country on the 15th. It
was said that he intended to have an expedition sent
into the Warree country, to avenge our mishap at
Poolajee, had there been a sufficiency of troops at
Sukkur or Shikarpore. This, unfortunately, there
is not, both posts being disabled at present by sick-
ness. At Khanghur, our extreme outposts, about
two-thirds of the men are ill of fever. At Shikar-
pore of itself about one thousand men, belonging to
the 6th Native Infantry and 7th Cavalry, between
seven hundred and eight hundred are in hospital.
About three-fourths of the Horse Artillery are unfit
for duty. At Sukkur the 78th Highlanders are
about seven hundred in hospital, and about seventy
fit for duty. It is scarcely four months since it left
Kurrachee—not yet a twelvemonth since it quitted
Bombay in the highest health. It will be
the third European regiment sent back from
Sinde in the course of a twelvemonth so
utterly disorganised by disease as to be ren-
dered, for a long period after its return, unservice-
able. The native infantry at Sukkur are also begin-
ning to suffer, though they have hitherto in a great
measure escaped. Curiously, the European officers
hare, throughout the season, been exempt from sick-
ness, as have also the natives of the country.
The following letter from Shikarpore, which has
I just been published in the Delhi Gazette, gives a still
more deplorable picture of the state of matters than
any which has reached Bombay direct. It is the
more valuable as coming from the pen of a Bengal
nfficer, generally believed more in favour with the
conquest of Sinde than those of the minor presidency,
who are more intimately acquainted with the country
" Shikarpore, Nov. 12, 1844.
" Dear Mr. Editor,—My dawk-book reminds me I
have not written to you since the 23d ultimo, and I re-
gret I cannot give you now a much more flattering state
of our salubrity than in ray last. I saw the remains of
the 69th Regiment on parade two days since, under
their adjutant, without arms, being too weak to carry
them, and on inquiry found they mustered 75 file. The
7th Cavalry manage to get two troops out for walking
exercise every morning, but I observe the proportion
of troopers among the riders is but small, and I am
told they could not turn out an efficient troop if one
were required ; and moreover, that men of theirs who
had escaped fever for 12 days, were again going into
hospital. The horse artillery troop are the only ones
that seem to be improving, for the day before yesterday
I observed they had three guns out; one would have
been their maximum last month. At Khanghur the
sickness continues unabated; Captain Smith, of the Ar-
tillery, who has just returned from thence, is a daily
sufferer from fever; Captain Tait, too, who has just left
us, had it up to the moment of his starting. At Sukkur,
however, they seem to be still worse off than ourselves,
for the accounts from there are quite appaling, 700 of
the Highlanders are in hospital, and men dying daily,
and 500 of each of the native corps, both of which are
weak in strength, are also sick. Mr. Assistant-Surgeon
Cannon is, we hear, again in arrest. Now the natives
of the surrounding country unanimously declare this
season to have been the most healthy one they have had
for many years, so that we have a cheerful prospect in
looking forward to aextAugust, September, and October,
which will in all probability annihilate the remains of the
different corps here; bat perhaps that was the object of
our paternal Government in sending all the mutineer
regimemta to Sinde? and yet the 64th are to go to Agra
this year!,! Oh, wise and judicious arrangement, thus to
offer a premium for mutiny by withdrawing a corps
which has three times been guilty of it from this detested
province, to the preference of other corps that have be-
haved as quietly, respectfully, and orderly as ever
since the general strike, and who I am sure are heartily
ashamed they ever listened to the tempters that drew
them fur a short time from their allegiance. Sir Charles
is still expected up here to destroy Poolajee, but he will
have to bring his troops with him, I rather think. I will
write again _at the end of the month, and until than,
yours sincerely, " BO PEEP."
A singular change has taken place in the politics
of the Punjaub; the leaders of the opposing parties,
the Minister Raja Hera Singh on the one side, and
Goillab Singh,. Lord of Jumboo, on the other, who
have been at deadly feud for a twelvemonth past, have
become reconciled to each other, and. are now living
together in amity. Two causes are assigned for this.
This year the general relief of the regiments of the
north-west provinces has been carried into effect
sonaewhat differently from the usual practice, the re-
lieving regiments having been directed to be all
brought nit before those to be relieved were permit-
ted to march. s The last apparent accumulation of
troops on the frontier pccasioned great alarm ; this
was fortuitously increased by the permission reluc-
tantly granted to the Commander-in-Chief to inspect
the troops at Loodianah, Balla, and Ferozepore. Sir
H. Gough is very well known to be nest anxious for
a brush with the Seikhs ; he has, in fact, omitted no
opportunity of expressing himself on this point,-dnd
his opinions are known at the Lahore durbar. His
progress along the frontier river from the hills to Fe-
rozepore, and in many instances through the posses-
sions of the Seikhs on this aide of the Sutledge will, of
course, increase the alarm, so that it will not be won-
derful were tke army now at Lahore to advance under
the united chiefs to the banks of the Sutledge to be
ready in case of emergency. The fear, therefore, of
an immediate invasion from British India made the
two Singhs reflect that in fighting together they were
doing the very thing we most desired—flying at
each other's throats, that we might have an apology
to step in and settle the quarrel by seizing the coun-
try. Another reason is said to have been the ex-
haustion of the treasury at Lahore, where, it is said,
the Minister will seemly be able to muster funds
enough 'to pay the troops their arrears. This has
been occasioned by the unbounded lavishness of
Heera Singh from the first moment of his last year's
triumph, and especially to the foolish facility with
which he suffered the treasures of the State to be
seized on by. Goolab Singh on his visit to Lahore in
September. The Lord of Jumboo is said to have
8,000,0001. sterling ;of accumulated wealth in his
,
hands, and can, ,byAhia means, readily command the
services of a rabble, ands mercenary army.

The apprehension expressed that the unpaid sol-
diers would revolt and threaten the British frontier
seems groundless. 'Whatever may be Heera Singh's
difficulties in the case, Goolab Singh is perfectly
aware that were disturbance such as to incommode
us to make its appearance, the Punjaub, with Jurn-
boo and its treasures, would at once be seized. on.
The two chiefs may quarrel or arrange matters with
each other as they best can ; they will . furnish us
with no apology for attacking them which they can
avoid. Sir H. Hardinge has given such unequivocal
proofs of his determination to avoid war
where it is possible, without dishonour, to
preserve the peace, that there is no fear of
US seeking for excuses for attacking any one. All
doubts on this point which might have been
entertained by those desirous of winning laurels have
been dispelled. by the extent to which leave on
" private affairs" has been granted to military officers.
For four years this indulgence has been in a great
measure withheld,and the result is that officers are
now taking advantage of the privilege accorded them
to an unprecedented extent—an extent which never I
would have been permitted bad Government had the
most remote idea of a campaign in the course of the
year. You may assure the
.military journals who
are constantly arming the public with Ilse cry of war
in the Punjaub, that war there will be none with any
foreign enemy on our borders before this time next
year, if Sir H. Hardinge is spared. Iu Affghanistan,
as well as in the Punjaub, matters appear to be as-
suming more tranquillity. Dont Mahomed is mani-
festly both able and willing to keep the peace ; there
has beenjsome fighting in Kohistan, in which 'the
Ameer's son, Akram Khan, has been successful.