The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 5, 1842

Bolak on the 21st, since which they have been collect.
ing grain, &c., and the chiefs have agreed to pay
back the 30,000 rupees which Captain Ferris had
abandoned. He had buried it some feet under
ground before his departure, with some private
cash, but it was found out soon after the
flight of the garrison. The natives are extremely
civil ; they have no wish now to oppose us,
it being their good old rule to side with the
strongest party. A letter from the brigade says. here
is the old system again, this taking of forts, Which,
however, is a practice that hurts or injures no one, nor
I may say benefits any. The inhabitants are our beat
friends. Just imagine, twenty-one forts garrisoned.
by two companies! The Ist cavalry are encampol
on fair ground, but the infantry are in the bed of a
rugged nullah. Plenty of wood, and grain and other
articles of: food much cheaper here, but I fancy that
is because there are_ none of our blood-suckers,' the
Commissariat baboos, within call. The lost .gun
which was at a place called Duysurruk, has been
brought in, and we expect to get much of the plun-
dered property back during our stay, which will be
four or fire days ; our further movements are not
known, except to our Brigadier, who, if he be em-
powered to act, will do the thing well and neatly.
"At five o'clock on the evening of the 22d, Ge-
neral Golaub Singh paid a visit to our General, under
a salute of eleven guns from the battery, and during
their conference we had a very sharp shock of an
earthquake, caused I fancy by the meeting of two
such great potentates, whilst settling the future des-
tinies of Afghanistan.
" Captain Lawrence started at ten o'clock to-day
for Peshawur on a raft, accompanied by Captain Lip •
trott of the 3d Irregulars, for Lallpoorah, Mr. Adams,
3d Dragoons, for Meerut, and one. private. Captain
Liptrott fully expected to be fired at, but from what
I hear no individual cares leas for these messengers of
death than he does.

" The Sikhs are nearly all across the river ; they
only brought up one month's supplies. I heard they
solicited our Commissariat to supply them, but the
request was civilly declined.
" The two resallahs of Tait's horse hare just come
in from Lallpoorah, having been relieved by two re-
sallahs from this.

" An accident, which might have been serious, oc-
curred in the 3d Dragoons—the roof of one of those
taekhanas, belonging to Captain White and Cornet
Roche, fell in. Fortunately both officers escaped,
Captain \V hite being a little bruised on the back, the
other getting off free.
"A few days ago a letter was received from a
young lady (a daughter of a Mr. Wynn, at Kurnaul),
stating she was in a village about eight miles off, that
after her husband was murdered she wandered on and
was taken a prisoner, that since then her occupa-
tion has been to fetch water, &c., and that no insult
has ever been offered to her. The apothecaries here
are sending out clothes, and I hope the politicals
will exert themselves to procure her release. Alas
for the gallantry of our country ! Three thousand
soldiers within eight miles of the poor creature and
none dare move to the rescue for fear of offending our
devoted friexids and political gentlemen.
" Nothing more from Caubul or from our pri-
soners. Akbar is in full possession of the Balla His-
sax. , and the natives say Futteh Jung will not let him
out. If such be true, great changes will take place.
A supply of beer has just arrived, price sixty rupees
per dozen. But most of us are followers of Father
Mathew—our poverty, and not our will consenting
thereto."—lbid.

CANDARAR.
DEFEAT OF AN AFFGHAN FORCE.
This month furnishes us with the most important
items of intelligence we have to present to our
readers. We gave in the postscript to our last, parti-
culars of the victory gained by the garrison of Kelat-
i-Ghilzie over the insurgents, while endeavouring to
storm the town on the 21st May; and the official
account of this affair will be found extracted from the
Calcutta Government Gazette in our present issue.
Colonel Wymer's force reached, as was expected, on
the 26th, and preparations were immediately made
for the withdrawal of the garrison, and dismantle-
ment of the fortifications. The former consisted of a
wing of the Bengal 38th N. I. (450), the Shah's 3d
cavalry (500), with two 18-pounders and two
6-pounders, and half a company of artillerymen (70)
—in all 1,020 men. The fortifications had been com-
menced by us on a very extensive scale early in 1841,
Kelat-i-Ghilzie having been originally fixed upon
by Lord Keane as furnishing one of the best
places of defence in Western Affghanistan. They
were only in part completed 'when the insurrec-
tion broke out in October, and they have now
been entirely destroyed. Colonel Wymer, with the
garrison under escort, reached Candahar on the 7th
of June without having experienced loss or en-
countered opposition on the way. Meanwhile. Prince
Suftur Jung, the youngest son of the late Shah
Soojah, had resolved to carry his threat into execu-
tion, of beating up the quarters of General Nott
during the absence of Colonel Wymer with more than
a third of the whole force. The enemy on the morn-
ing of the 29th—the day intimated by them a fort-
night before—approached the cantonments, about a
mile from the town, with a force computed at about
6,000 men, mostly cavalry. Colonel Stacey was de-
spatched with the 42d and 43d Bengal N. 1., and four
guns to reconnoitre the ground; these were quickly
followed by her Majesty's 41st, together with eight
guns and about 300 irregular horse. About one
o'clock the heights on which 'the enemy were
posted were stormed under a heavy fire of artil-
lery. The Affghans were speedily driven from
their ground and dispersed in every direction. They
were hotly pursued by the irregular horse under
Lieut. Chamberlain (16th Bengal N. I.), who dashed
in and did great execution amongst the retreat-
ing infantry. This part of the action was scarcely
over when the hills just beyond appeared covered with
large masses of the enemy. These were quickly at-
tacked and beaten • they retired with precipitation
into the Baba Wullee Pass: Here the flight of the
enemy was in part cut off by a field-work intended
to prevent our advance, and heavy carnage ensued.
We had in all 42 wounded, including Lieutenants
Chamberlain and Travers, with six other Europeans.
The enemy's loss is estimated at about 400. The
Dooranees having fled to their camp beyond Urghun-
dab, were next day followed by Colonel Stacey, when
they broke up and fled on our approach. An order
had meanwhile been issued for the preparation of a
large force, consisting of Leslie's horse artillery and
Blood's battery, nine guns in all; detachments of
Skinner's and Christie's horse, and 3d cavalry, with
the 16th and 38th Bengal N. 1., and light battalion
Bombay N. I.—in all about 1,000 cavalry and 2,000
infantry, to hold themselves in readiness to join
Colonel Wymer on his return, and proceed on an
expedition requiring fifteen days' provisions to
be taken along with them—the destination being
kept secret till after the march. • Colonel Wymer
having returned on the 7th, the force just named
moved out to join him beyond the walls, and pro-
ceeded on their march on the 11th or 13th. They
wsre to destroy the strongholds of the insurgent
chiefs around, and proceed to relieve Ghirisk, a
fortress on the Helmund, about 80 miles to the west-
ward, which had been held for nearly a twelvemonth
by Bulwunt Singh and 100 sepoys. How they came
to have been left so long in a post of so much danger,
whose maintenance was wholly useless, it appears
difficult to imagine. Of the proceedings of this force
no particulars of note have as yet reached us. On
the morning of the 19th June Prince Suftur Jung,
with a number of the insurgent chiefs, surrendered
themselves to General Nott, hinting pretty intelligibly
that they hoped this act of submission on their part
would meet the gracious consideration of the Govern-
ment. This Prince is the youngest, the favourite,
and the most worthless of the sons of the late
Shah Soojah. His dissipation was formerly of
that brutal cast at which even the • dissolute
were scandalized. He resided* at Candahar, along
with his brother, Tfimour Shah, the nominal
governor, till the begin-nine of January last,
when he left the city, and joined the insurgent chief
Atta Mahomed, then in arms against us. Jellalabad
letters inform us that a despatch had been sent by
General Pollock immediately on receipt of Lord
Ellenborough's permission to remain through the hot
season beyond the Khyber Pass, directing General
Nott to continue at Candahar for the present. This
would reach him about the 26th, six days before
Colonel Wymer's brigade returned from Ghirisk.
This seems a prudent precautionary measure. It sup-
plies no proof of any intention on the part of Govern-
ment to remain longer in the country than was sup-
posed ; and should the enemy threaten to march in
force on Jellalabad, a demonstration on the part of
Genera! Nott in the direction of Ghuznee or Caubul
would find them occupation at home. The Candahar
force of nearly 12,000 men, with 26 guns and abun-
dance of carriage, commissariat, and treasure, is in
all respects equal to that with which Sir John Keane
moved on Ghuznee, in July, 1839. They are equal to
any operation, had they a few more cavalry, in the
open country, which a regular army would desire to
take in hand in any part of Asia.

CAUBUL.
(From the Bombay Times, of July 19.)
Akbar Khan, after suffering from all the fluctua-
tions of fortune attendant on the movements of an
energetic insurgent chief, has at length succeeded in
establishing himself in the citadel of Caubul, and gain-
ing, as it appears, virtual ascendancy in the Govern-
ment. We have, since November last, seen this man
a fugitive in the wilds of Kohistan or Tranoxania.
Next we find him appear in Caubul (November 25),
when the insurrection was at its wildest, expected to
mediate between the insurgents and the garrison ;
then we see him in active negotiation with the Envoy
for the betrayal, it is said, of his brother sirdars ; then
he is affirmed to be the murderer, and, as it turns out,
apparently the slayer, because the intended victim
of Sir W. Macnaghten. The officers escorting the

Envoy at the time of his death fall into his hands,
and he returns them to their friends unransomed and
unharmed. He maintains a close and friendly inter-
course with Capt. Sl:i nner,whom he protects. The ladies
accompanying the army are withdrawn by him from
the dangers which must have been fatal to them, and
conveyed in all honour to a place of safety. He res-
cues with his own hands a child of one of.our officers
of which the 3hilzies had got possession, and returns
it to its mother.. Meanwhile the destruction of
..th
Caubul army is consummated, and Akbar Khan is
again in the mountains without followers or influ-
ence.. Once more we have him organising the tribes
in. the passes to oppose us. By the 6th April he has
6,000 men under his command, when the brilliant
success of Sir Robert Sale sends him again to the
wilds wounded and helpless. He now resumes charge
of the prisoners, and gives up his litter, disabled as he
was, to a lady who had been sick He sends Captain
MaLerizie twice in 'on" his Parole to negotiate with us,
and returns to us the dead body of General Elphin-
stone, with his official papers. We again hear that
he is deserted and without a party of any power :
when he manages to capture the Balla Hisser, in his
father's capital, keeps Futteh Jung, son of the late
Shah Soojah, nominally on the Throne, and claims
for himself no more than the place of Prime Minister
or Vizier. We speak of all these things as ascer-
tained facts fully admitted by all parties ; the atro-
cities ascribed to him are, so far as it appears from
direct evidence, purely hypothetical!
The ferocious threats and denunciations hurled
against him are so in defiance, in many cases, in
cases in defect, of anything like proof of
_guilt. We
have very conflicting accounts of Akbar Khan's pre •
sent position and influence at Caubul.. Futteh Jung,
in applying to us for assistance, writes, it is said, that
the Sirdar has not 600 followers on whom he could
rely; and that, should we make our appearance, he
might easily be turned adrift by the Prince himself.
If this be true that Futteh Jung could so easily.turn
him out of the Balla Hissar, the question arises how he
ever allowed him to get in. We suspect that the prin-
ciple of possession forming nine points of the law holds
good at Caubul as much as it does elsewhere. Other
authorities affirm that the Barukzye influence is at
present paramount. We have heard but little of the
prisoners of late : they were reported to have been
carried away beyond Hindoo Khoosh, but this
proves untrue. Lady Macnaghten and Colonel Shelton ,
were met on the 13th June by some of the sepoys
of the 27th N. 1., who had escaped from Ghuznee.
They were within a few miles of Caubul, where are
all our people ; some few privates at Futtabad alone
excepted. It may be some consolation to them to be
once more together in their captivity ; and they are
likely to enjoy more comforts, and suffer from fewer
privations in the capital than in the mountain holds of
the chiefs. There seems but little chance of their
release until we finally leave the country; as they
can any day be, put beyond our reach in kohistan or
Transoxania, should we threaten to remove them.
They appear to have been all along detained as host-
ages for our removal. They were allowed every in-
dulgence,—no restraint whatever, further than was
necessary for their safe detention, having been at any
time imposed on them.

object of the expedition is the tranquillisation of the
country, but we very much doubt its success. The
Boondelas will offer no resistance, and yield wherever
the force appears, but with its disappearance and the
return of the hot weather they will again break out
into their annual insurrection. The appointment of a
military commissioner possessed of abilities and
pvier will alone ensure the tranquillity of this exten-
sive district.—Agra Ukhbar, July 9.