The Sun.
London, England, 1842-12-05 00:00:00

the plaireineirfl.Ur( U s d neatly from.the left to
the right of the enemy's posiiiiiii:--o-a-not troops and
guns reprtvsai the,,owasional attacks pf theirgezadchees
from' the igatAins4 vijio were numerdis and audacious ;
but When the*golffnif arrived in front of th 6 village Is-
rnillah, I. resolved to make a combined attack on this
point. Brigadier Tulloch's brigade assailed its left, and
Brigadier Stacey, making a longer detour, attacked the
right.
I cannot express in adequate•terms my admiration of
the style in which the former column, covered by sldr-
mishers,rushed upon the gardens filled with bold skilful
marksmen. Her Majesty's 9th Foot, the 26th Native
Infantry, and Captain Broadfoot's Sappers, vied with
each other in steady courage, and their rapid and un-
hesitating advance soon left the enemy no resource but
flight; very shortly after this assault the three light cora-
-1 'panics of her Majesty's 41st, the 42d, and 43d Native
'lnfantry, covering their own column, got into action,
and on their side stormed the village and vineyard with
distinguished gallantry; the combination was steadily
persevered in, and, though I had few opportunities of
using the artillery with effect, I had soon the gratifica-
tion of seeing the enclosures, forts, heights, suburbs,
and town successively won by the two columns. The
enemy were driven from them, and pursued with a ra-
pidity which left no time to rally, and a singular spec-
' tacle was then presented in the escape up the mountain
side of the women and children from the places to which
no interception was offered ; but as detached parties of
the - beaten Atighans still occupied some very lofty
heights, the mountain train ascended them by a dizzy
pathway, and dispersed the fugitives by itsieffective fire.
Our reserve was now established on the lower heights,
and the whole of the place, filled with property of
every description, much of it plundered from our army
in 1841, was in the hands of our force ; two guns,
brass field-pieces, were -also taken, and one of them was
seized with such promptitude that its captor, Lieute-
nant Elmherst, her Majesty's 9th Foot, turned its fire
upon the fugitives with some effect, I directed the town
to be set on fire in several places, after taking out various
supplies which might. be useful to. our troops, and the
work of demolition is still proceeding under the direction
of Major Saunders, of the Engineers. Our loss has been
trifling, for the advance of our officers and men was too
rapid and decisive to .allOw of the sharp fire of the enemy
telling much upon thein, and, deceived by the direction
of the reconnaissance of the 28th, the Affghans had ex-
pected the attack on their left, and posted their guns and
the elite of their force in that quarter. I have now the
pleasing task of expressing the amount of my obligations
for thew exertions- in the field to Brigadiers Tulloch
and Stacey. commanding brigades and columns ; to-Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Taylor, K.H., her Majesty's 9th Foot .;
and Captain Broadfoot, of the Sappers, commanding the
corps on the right, which bore the brunt of the action;
to Major Simonds, her Majesty's 41st Foot, commanding
the reserve ; to Captain 13ackhouse, commanding the
mountain train ; and to Captain Blood, commanding the
battery of 9-pounders ; the last was ably aided by
Lieutenant Terry. I have received valuable assistance
throughout our operations from Major Pottinger, C. 8.,
and Major Saunders, engineers, and yesterday from
Captain Mackenzie and Lieutenant Airy, her -Majesty's
3d Buffs, and Lieutenant Webb, 30th regiment of Madras
Native Infantry, temporarily attached to me, and since
we marched from Caubul, as on, former occasions, from
my own staff, departmental and personal, viz., Captain
Havelock, Deputy Assistant-Adjutant-General; Lieut.
Mayne, Deputy Assistant-Quartermaster- General ;
Lieutenant Pollock, Artillery, Aide-de-Camp to the
Major-General,who volunteered his services with me; and
to Lieut. Bethune, her Majesty's 9th Foot, my own Aid-
de-Camp. Regarding the last mentioned officer, I take
this opportunity of rectifying an oversight on my part ;
I Ought especially to have reported to Major- General
Pollock Lieut. Bethune's valuable services in the recent
affair at the Huft Kotul, in which I was intrusted with
the command of the main column. Brigadier Tulloch
reports in very strong terms on the good conduct on the
present occasion of Capt. Smith, her Majesty's 9th Foot,
his Brigade-:Major. I inclose a return of the killed and
wounded, and two of the guns captured.—l have, &c.,
JOHN WCASKILL; Major-General,
• Commanding the force in Kohistan.
(True copy.)
G. PONSONBY, Captain,
Assistant Adjutant-General.

Return of killed and wounded of the troops under the
command of Major-General K.H.
Camp Istalif, Sept. 30, 1842.
Killed—Men, 6 ; horses, 2.
Wounded—Men, 45 ; horses, 3.
Names of officers killed.
Lieut. Evans, her Msjesty's 41st Foot.
'Wounded. ,

Lieut. Richardson, Horse Artillery, slightly ; Lieut.
and Adjutant Spencer, 26th Native Infantry, ditto ;
Lieut. Lister. her Majesty's 9th ditto ; Capt. Broadfoot,
Sappers, ditto ; Lieutenant and Adjutant Orr's charger
wounded.
11. HAVELOCK, Captain,
Deputy-Assistant Adjutant-General, Infantry division.

THE

ESCAPE OF 'TIE LAST OF
PRISONERS.
GENERAL ORDERS.
EV THE RIGHT HON. THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF INDIA
Simla, Secret Department, Oct. 17, 1842.
In continuation the public notification of the sth
inst., announcing the safety of all the European prisoners
except Captain I3ygrare, t'he Governor:General has now
received intelligence in the folloWing leve; from Major-
General Pollock, C. 8., dated the 27th ult., of the arrival
of that °Ricer in the British camp.
By order of the Right Hon. the Governor-General
of India,
T. 11. MADDOCK,
Secretary to the Government of India, with
the Governor-General. '

FROM MAJOR-GENERAL POLLOCK, C. 8., COMMANDING IN
AFFGIIANISTAN, TO T. IL MADDOCK, ESQ., SECRETARY
TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA.
Camp Caubul, Sept. 27, 1842.
Sir —I have much satisfaction in reporting, for the
information of the Right Hon. the Governor-General,
the arrival in camp this morning of Captain Bygrave, the
only person who remained in the hands of Mohamed
Akbar Khan. It appears that Captain Bygrave was al-
lowed to join my camp by Mahomed Akbar, who has
sent a letter to my address, copy and translation of which
shall be forwarded by the next opportunity.
I have, &e.,
GEORGE POLLOCK,
Major-General commanding in Affghanistan.
.(True copies.)
T. H. MADDOCK, Secretary to the
Government of India, with the Governor-General.
(True copies.)
J. P. WILLOUGHBY, Secretary to Government.

_
DREADFUL ACCIDENT AT CALCUTTA.
One of the most dreadful accidents that has ever been
known in Calcutta occurred in the old China Bazaar, on
last Friday evening. Betweenthe hours of four and five
that evening, Mr. Hudson, son of Mr. N. Hudson, of the
Supreme Court, had gone to a shop in the old China
Bazaar; a little beyond the place where hats are sold,
and just at' the north- west angle of the road which runs
into lloomtollah, for the purchase of gunpowder. Mr.
Hudson was in a buggy, accompanied by two other gen-
tlemen, who remained in the vehicle at the shop door,
while Mr. Hudson entered to bargain for the article. The
only surviving witness of the transaction is a boy belong-
ing to an opposite • shop, who could from his position
look into the shop where Mr. Hudson was, and who
saw some powder shown to him by the powder-vender.
He next observed Mr. Hudson thrust his hand into
what he believes to have been an open barrel of gun-
powder, and take out a handful of the contents. Mr.
Hudson was then seen to raise his hand, as if to examine
what he had taken out, and immediately after the boy
saw a small blaze, produced, no doubt, by the ignition
of the powder in Mr. Hudson's hand by contact
with the lighted end of a cigar which he was smoking.
It is believed, that as the powder in his hand blazed,
Mr. Hudson jerked his hand instinctively, and thui
communicated the fire to the barrel which stood
near him. In an instant more the entire shop, with one
or two other shops on each side adjoining, was blown up
into the air, and masses of masonry, rubbish, and tim-
bers, flew in all directions. All the inmates in the shop
were buried in the ruins, together with a number of pas-
sengers in the street, who were seriously, and many of
them mortally, injured, and have since died. • Mr.
Hudson perished among the rest, and from the place and
position in which he was found, which was just near the
entrance of the ill-fated shop, his body being completely
doubled up, with his face on his boots,. it is believed,
that notwithstanding the blast from the powder, he
made an effort to gain the street, but was intercepted by
the fall of the ruins over hint. The unfortunate young
man's apparel was almost all destroyed by the blaze,
and the only things found whole on him were his boots, a
Prayer-book, which was in one of his pantaloon pockets,
and a penknife and keys. The parts of his person which
escaped disfigurement were his face and feet. The
remains of Mr. Hudson were interred on Saturday

morning by his friends, though much to the subse
quent displeasure of the Coroner, whose warrant for
removal had not been .obtained. Immediately after
the occurrence the police, headed by Constables
Alsop and Macannah, were on the spot, and, with the
assistance of Coolies and some European seamen, suc-
ceeded in clearing away a great portion of the ruins, and
extricating several bodies. There were no less than 35
persons injured by this most, dreadful occurrence,
.12
of whom were found dead on the spot. There was one
poor native found buried alive among the ruins with
only his head above. He was extricated and removed
to the hospital, and is expected to survive. A native
woman, who was passing the street at the time, got her
leg so seriously fractured by one of the timbers thrown
up ,by the explosion as to require the amputation of
that limb. The majority of those injured were scorched
by the blaze. Of these no less than 22, inclusive of Mr.
Hudson, are dead, and among the remaining 13 out of
35 in the hospital, several were in a precarious state up
to Saturday evening. The agonies of some of these un•
fortunate creatures, almost all over scorched, were
,pitiful indeed ; to many of them death has indeed been
a deliverance from pain. A lady and child who were
passing that way at the time are said to have
been thrown out of their palanquin by the shock,
and are believed to have suffered serious injury ; but
we have been unable to learn who they were, or the ex-
tent of their injury. The shock produced by the explo-
sion was so great., as not Only to have been felt in all the
surrounding buildings, but in many at a distance. Some
'pf the large houses in Rada Bazaar and Clive-street
Ghat are said to have experienced it very severely. It
ought to be stated, that the companions of Mr. Hudson
most providentially escaped. • The buggy horse at the
first flash of the powder took fright and ran away, and
thus put those in the .buggy beyond the danger, which
otherwise they must have shared. An inquest was held
by the Coroner on Saturday evening, which has been
Adjourned to this day at eleven, o'clock, The jury re-
paired to the Medical College tO inspect the bodies, and