The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-06 00:00:00

mot e threatened to be traversed. The European soldiers, on
the otl*sr hand, were conducting themselves with the utmost
order, and manifesting the greatest gallantry whenever op-
portuaities occurred for its display. The brigade imme-
diately ahead of this entered the Punjaub on the 21st of Feb-
ruary, and is said by our latest accounts, dated the 9th ult., to
have got 150 miles on their way. It consists of her Majesty's
3,1 Dragoons, Ist Light Cavalry, 33d, and two companies 6th
Native Infantry, with artillery, and 3,000 camels. They had
been in various ways unfortunate in their movements ; the
pontoon bridge over the Sutledge came down with them at the
commencement of their march. On arriving at the river
Havee, fifty miles in advance, they found it fourteen feet deep
at the ford, with only a single beat. They had to search about
fur a inure favourable crossing place, and at length found one
where five boats were procurable. Seven days were consumed
in getting over the Itavee. On the Bth of March, the Chenaub,
6U miles farther on, and by consequence one-third of the way
to 114.shawur, was reached. The river was wide and deep,
and rapidly increasing from the inciting snows of the
Ilimalayas—the sources of all the chief streams in the Pun-
jaub. It was considered impossible that, by any effort,
they could reach General Pollock before the lst of April. A
letur received last night from Kaman', of the 19th, intimates
that an express had reached the camp of Colonel White, or-
dering him to proce,d with all dispatch with the dragoons and
artillery, leaving the 33d and 6th Native Infantry to follow as
they could. This looks as if some emergency had arisen, and
requiring the pass to be forced. The writer states that the
Khyberres had refused longer to treat for the advance. Some
of the sepoy regiments are said to be averse to move towards
Jellalabad.

We have stated that the detachment which quitted Penne-
pore un the 13th ult. was the last to proceed at present to Pe-
shasur ; but there seems to be strong surmises that numerous
other reinforcements will still be pushed on—for what service-
able purpose we cannot certainly divine. On the 19th a com-
pany of Sappers and Miners, with tools complete, were or-
dered, under the charge of Lieutenants Goodwyn and Irwin,
to proceed to Ferozepore, and thence to Peshawur.
'I he 3d Light Infantry Battalion left Meerut on the
Itith, with every prospect of being pushed oa in the same di-
rection. We should infer that it was expected that these would
reach General Pollock before his advance into the passes.
From Delhi or Meerut to Ferozepore is 250 miles ; from this
last to Peshawur, 350—a march, over such a country, of sixty
days at least. This would require till the 20:h of May—the
m.ddle of the hot season, when the streams are all in flood, to
take them to their ultimate destination. We confess, in fact,
that the assemblage of so enormous a force as that at Peshaw ur
is a mystery to us. We shall speedily have 13,000 British
troops, with 1;,000 Seikh allies, making 23,000 men in all,
with as many camp followers at least—that is nearly fifty
thousand to feed from our commissariat. This would re-
quire one thousand camel loads of victuals a day, or near
tf,ooo, it we take forage for the purses or cattle besides into
account—a very considerable portion of which must be
brought !rain the banks of the Sutledge, 350 miles in our rear.
T i s distance, the whole of our treasure and amunition must
be carried. During the mouths of May, June, July, and
August, the five great branches of the Indus, which require to
be cross?d, are swollen by the melting snows, so as to be
nearly impassable. Any one of a hundred accidents, which are
the compass of extreme probabiiity, would starve
General Pollock's force into a retreat. On Caubul it is impos-
sible for such a body of men to advance through the passes
without almost certain destruction : a move on Jellalabad
would be accompanied with the estremest danger. A military
correspondent of the Delhi Gazelle, of the 19th March, states,
that it is computed that they will require 30,00 t) camels for their
baggage train—we elsewhere have .set them down at 10,000
ou toe very lowest estimate, but consider our contemporary
inure likely than we to be right. Moving in single
file—and this way only could they advance through many of the
passes both below and above Jellalabad—this would form a line
cf 66 miles, without the possibility of a single company of men
attending them. This, at the rate of ten miles a day, would
take them a week to pass the defiles of Ad Musjid or Khoord
Caubul ; the atmosphere near the former of these being so
malarious, that out of four regiments formerly exposed for a few
days to its influence, two thousand men were immediately after-
wards laid up in hospital. The bulk of these arrangements
were made before the arrival of Lord Ellenborough, and we
sincerely hope that Sir Robert Sale may shortly be able to
purchase a safe retreat, and the whole army, as soon as he joins
them, may retire on India with all convenient speed. Deser-
tions amongst the camp followers of the troops last dispatched,
begin to be annoying to the last degree. This renders an army
in India almost useless, as will be seen when it is considered how
far-the division of labour in the wrong sense is carried. A
camel-man could not, and would not on any account, take
charge of horses ; nor a horse-keeper act as a grass-cutter, or a
body servant as cook, a'most to save his life. Servants of all
work arc unknown in India.