The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-29 00:00:00

THE CAUBITL PRISONERS.

The following letter has been addressed to the
Editor of a Morning Contemporary : •
Dublin, Sept. 23.
SlR,—The;.Morning Chronicle, and other news-
papers in the service and pay of the late Government,
have been endeavouring to prove the cruelty and lack
of honour on the part of the Government, and also of
the British troops, hampered in Affghanistan, in not
advancing (without means of transport) to the rescue
of our unhappy countrymen and ladies now in the
hands of Akbar Khan and the other Affghan sirdars.
It will, perhaps, be as well to' state, on the very
best authority, that, on the first advance of the Bri-
tish army into Affghanistan, the most peremptory or-
ders were issued by the late Commander-in-Chief,
jorbidding ladies, or women of any description, to
oin the troops in active service in the field.
As long as the Commander-in-Chief, General Sir
Henry Fane, was with the army this order was pro-
bably obeyed; but long before he quitted India
ladies and multitudes of women hastened to Caubul
and other places then in our possession, released from
all military obligations by civil authority.
They arc all prisoners, and it will be seen that these
very unfortunates will be the means of further dis-
grace and dishonour to the British arms.
It will he the women that would alone prevent any
advance on our part (even supposing that our troops
were perfectly equipped for a forward movement on
Caubul.)
Akbar Khan, at the first intimation of a move on
his capital, will send in such a message as this :
" Move at your peril : I have hitherto treated your
ladies and prisoners kindly, but the first move towards
Caubul I shall consider myself released from all obli-
gations towards them and you."
I believe such a message (and such an one will
most assuredly be sent) would even puzzle the writer.
of the Indian articles in the Morning Chronicle.
Let the writer only inquire what treatment Chris-
tian ladies and women might undergo in the hands of
furious and bigoted Mahometans ; if he did, he would
learn that which might in common charity (leaving
the defence of Whig policy aside) deter him from
urging measures which would only lead to outrages
upon our unhappy women a hundred times worse
than death itself.

lIENRY PANE, Lieutenant-Colonel,
Aide-de-Camp to the late Commander-
in-Chief in India.

LORD LvivEnocu.—We are glad to notice the gal-
lant and veteran Lord Lynedoch—who hurried from
the Continent on learning the contemplated Royal
visit to Scotland, but who was unfortunately prevented
from paying his respects personally to her Majesty by
a sudden attack of indisposition—driving through the
town the other day, looking hale and hearty, and ap-
parently quite recovered from the illness that denied
to him the pleasure of welcoming the Sovereign in
the manner that his Lordship so anxiously desired.
Although more than ninety winters have passed over
Lord Lynedoch, the spirit that shone so bravely out
in " the gallant Graham," in the stirring years of his
military life, has defied the assaults of age, and is
strong and fresh as ever.— Perth raper.
EXTRAORDINARY DEATH.-1. esterday afternoon,
Mr. Baker, the,Coroner for the Eastern Division of
Middlesex, received information through Mr. Hart,
the summoning officer of Spitalfield's district, that a
man, named William Curtis, who resided at No. 4,
Fashion-street, Brick-lane, Whitechapel, had come
by his death under the following extraordinary cir-
cumstances :—The deceased professed himself to be a
strict observer of the "total abstinence system," and was
an active member of one of the branch" societies. He
was by trade a carpenter, awl in the employ of -Mr.
Downsey, an extensive bedstead manufacturer in
Flower and Deane-streets, Spitalfields. On Monday
evening Mr. Downsey gave a supper at the Queen's
Head public-house, in Fashion-street, to his workmen.
The deceased, who was known to have an enormous
appetite, was remarked to eat very heartily. Directly
after supper, as he did not drink any spirituous
liquors, he withdrew and went to his home, where he
shortly afterwards became exceedingly ill, and at
length the attendance of Mr. Hart, of Union-street,
Spitalfields, surgeon, was obliged to be procured. He
continued in great agony throughout the night, and
on Tuesday morning, between nine and ten o'clock
(Mr. Bart having remained with him the whole of
the time), he expired. Mr. Hart has since opened
the body, and found that death was caused by the
stomach having actually burst to the extent of be-
tween three or four inches from the over-quantity of
food taken into it. The Coroner issued his warrant
for -holding an in guest on the., body this, day. 'l'he
deceased was 33 years of age, and has left a widow
and four children.