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

true—and the small number of bodies compared to•the ( note appears to have been stirring ; the troops Continue
number of deaths stated to have occurred, lends plausi- to prepare for the arrival of the grand army, and for the
bility to the assumption—then the destruction of our. Fbackward movement along with it towards India. The
troops must have been infinitely less complete than i fortresi of Jellalabad was carefully maintained for
was supposed ; the Europeans, who fought to the last, some time ; only one gate was allowed by the com-
having alone, in all probability; hetM annihilated. A I'4/7, mandant to be made use of : the Affghans are not
port having gallied currency, that Caubul was to be de- suffered to enter, and the market for the sale of com-
stroyed or given up to plunder, the inhabitants at our modifies was kept without the Peshawur gate. On the
approach fled almost to a man ; the sick and aged alone • sth October the garrison marched out and encamped en
r,ansining behind. General Pollock, with the prudent the plain ; they were in expectation of orders to raze the
forbearance which has throughout, when left to act for fortifications. An intercepted letter from Akbar
himself, characterised his conduct, issued orders that no Khan brought to light the system he had intended to
injury should be offered to any one ; and commanded practise against us—that of avoiding actual combat, and
that the city so full of scenes to provoke the bad passions desolating the country around us' in the line of march.
of our men, should not be entered by the army. Not a Had this been adhered to, General Nott would never
single intimation of excess having been committed has have reached Ghuznee. About 300 of the Sikhs belong-
reached us. The people finding Ads speedily'returned, ing to one of the native infantry regiments'had left for
and provisions Wore brought in for our use in abundance. Peshaivur through the passes, and preparations were
About 1,200 natives belonging to the force were found making to dispatch the remainder by rafts, so as to have
wandering about Caubul in beggary ; many of them were no interruption from them on the downward march,
wounded or diseased ; some of them were almost naked, These lawless soldiers, doing duty with our troops at
and all in a state of extreme destitution. These had Gundamuck, were committing sad ravages amongst the
fallen behind, or been able to make their way 'back villages around ; and, under shelter of our arms, sati-
from Khaord Caubul and Tezeen after the fearfra 10th sting their own cowardly thirst for vengeance on the
and 11th January. In the course of the winter, with peasantry,,who were sure of destruction where resist-
anarchy and strife still raging, it is not improbable ance was offered. Our warlike contemporaries seem
that a still greater number may have perished. They rather to approve than otherwise of these village. burning
could have little food and no adequate protection from and orchard-destroying innovations in British war
the season, and the Affghans were too busy through The Commissariat officers were using every exertion to
February and March to care for them. On the 15th, accumulate supplies for the use of the grand army. A
General 114.`Caskill, with a force under Brigadiers great number of mules had been colleeCed to take the
Tulloch and Stacey, of nearly 4,000 men, consi ting of ' place of camels. The weather was getting very cold
-some 600 cavalry, including two- squadrons of the 3d during the nights—snow having already appeared on the
Dragoons; two European, and three native regiments, Sufed Koh ; it was intensely hot. during the day, and
with a large allowance of artillery, proceeded :towards these extremes were found very trying for the health of
Kohistan with a view, it is. said, of endeavouring to the troops. . .
secure Akbar Khan, Ameen Oolla, and the other lead-
ing chiefs. They took the road to Charekar, the scene
of'one of the saddest of our mishaps, where an entire
regiment of Ghoorkas was annihilated in November., On
the 29th, at a place on the way called , Istalif, twenty
miles from Caubul, an immense body of Affghans
issued froM a fen, under the command of Ameen
Oolla, and pushed boldly on to meet them. ' They
advanced with great intrepidity, and maintained the
contest for a short space with boldness, when they
'were beaten back and scattered in every direction.
They must have suffered severely. Lieutenant Evans
of her Majesty's 41st, was amongst the killed ; and
Captain Broadfoot, Lieutenants Lister, her Majesty's
9th, Spencer, 26th* native infantry, and RiChardSon,
horse artillery, were wounded ; with 46 rank
.and file
killed and wounded. . On entering the fort stores of
muskets and shot, with a cOliple of guns, formerly be;
I.nging to us, were taken possession of. The wives of
many of the chiefs are said to have been made prisoners.
Istalif was burnt to the ground. At Caubul, meanwhile,
sickness to a serious extent began to .make its appear,
ance, about 12 per cent. Of the' force being off duty byt
indisposition. Only twelve days'. provisions were in
store on the 30th September, and the troops were.getting
impatient for, return. General M'Caskill's troops were
expected in camp about the sth October, and it was said'
that the whole army would fall back betwixt the liOth
and 12th. All the ordnance left at Caubul has been re-
covered, together with the park of artillery captured on
the flight of Dost Mahomed on our original advance in
1839, which has since been kept in the Bala Hissar. The
city, of course, is full of plunder ; our former canton-
ments are in a state of ruin, and the walls of the citadel
itself were found to have suffered severely from the guns
of Akbar Khan during the siege in April. It is said that
not only the walls of the fortress will be blown up, but
that the grand Bazaar—the wonder of travellers, and
pride of' Caubul—will be destroyed.
LETTER FROM ONE OF THE CAPTIVES.
' Camp, Caubul, Sept. 22,'1842.)
I am sure you will be delighted to hear of not only
myself, but the whole of us unfortunate prisoners (with
the exception of Bygrave) being once more under the
protection of the British flag, after a Captivity of eight
months and a' half.
On the morning of the 25th oh. (August), we sud-
denly received an order from Mahomed Akbar Khan to
prepare for our immediate departure towards Toorkistan.
We started at 10 p.m. Troup and Bygrave remaining
with the Sirdar, and Mrs.. Trevor and family, Anderson,
Mrs. Anderson, and children, and Dr. Campbell, in con-
sequence of the illness 'of the ladies ; our escort con-
sisted of 300 Infantry, under the command of Salih 'Ma-
homed Khan, formerly a Snbadar in our friend Hopkins's
corps, and who deserted to Bost Mahomed, at Bameean,
in September, 1840. We arrived at Bameean, on the
Toorkistan frontier, on the 3d inst. During the march,
as Salih Mahomed and I became rather intimate, on the
morning of the 29th of August, I privately proposed
to him that if he would forsake Mahomed Akbar
and carry us off through the mountains in the direction
of Nott's force, which we heard was near Glniznee, and
make us over to the General, we would give him a lac of
.rupees. At that time he appeared to think it very doubt-
ful which party would gain the day, and laughingly said,
such a thing was, if not an impossibility, at least,a mat-
ter of great difficulty. As had some doubts of the
man's inclination to serve us, I thought it was advisable
to leave him to digest what I. mentioned until a more
favourable opportunity offered—The next day Lawrence,
to whom I had mentioned my proposition,,apin.spoke
'to our Commandant regarding, the- lac of fpleeeS;, ,At
Bameean our whole party was put into two TOrt.;,- in the
most miserable dirty hovels you ever saw, the offiCers,
'ladies, and children into one, and the European -sbldiers
into another. Our situation, as you may imagine, ivas
not enviable,•baving nothing but a prospect of slavery
and a dungeon as otir fate in Toorkistan, 'Mahomed' Alt-
bar having 'declared before we left Caubul that he would
distribute us amongst the various Affghan chiefs in -the
event of our troops marching,on -the capital.
On the 10th (September) we heard of Ghuznee being,
destroyed by Nott's army. On the 11th we heard,:t,pia.
horror, that the order had arrived, during the pig s foss
our immediate, departure to Keeleoin. Shoal a f-
wards I received a message from Salih Mahorde INA;
that he wished to see Lawrence, PottingVer, and aelflibrtif
private conference. I very soon obtly4-ed'`
having an inkling that it had referenee'' to niyi former-
offer of a lac of rupees. When we were. assembled our
Cemmandant told us that an order had come from the
Sirdar for our instant march to Kooloom,' and produCed
the letter, which stated that we were to be made over to
the Walee or Chief, and that all orders regarding us,
must be obeyed ; he then went on to state that Syud
Moorteza Khan, who was formerly employed by me
during the siege, had brought .him a message from Moon-
shee Mohun Lall that, on condition of his releasina• us and
bringing us into Caubul, he would receive from General
Pollock 20,000 rupees, 'and 1,000 rupees per month for
life. Salih Mahomed said, "I know 'nothing of General
Pollock, but if you three will sign a paper guaran-
teein3; to me this sum, I will join your interests
heart and soul." To make assurance doubly sure
RS regarded the sum to be given to Salih Mahomed in
the event of Government not agreeing to aid us in effect-
ing our release, we three were formed into a Committee,
obtained the sanction of every officer and lady to give
such sums as we might hereafter demand of them fur the
proposed object, acting to the best of our ability to effect
our own release. We told Salih Mahomed to draw out
an agreement, which he did, and we bound ourselves on
the part of every lady and gentleman to give the Com-
mandant 20,000 rupees, and 1,000 rupees per month,
and subsequently added four months' pay to each sepoy
on condition of their taking us into Caubul. We bad
now fairly committed ourselves, as we knew that in the
event of our hereafter falling into the Sirdar's hands,
through treachery or otherwise, the lives of us who had
signed the paper (I ought also to have mentioned Mac!-
kenzie's name, as he also attached his signature) would
pay the penalty. On the morning of the 12th Salih Ma-
homed's flag of defiance was hoisted on one of the
towers of our fort ; he wanted-money to pay his troops ;
some kafilas coming in at the time from Toorkistan, he
levied a tax on them., The Governor not bringing him-
self forward in assisting us, he deposed him and put up
another. The man who had civil charge of us, Ahmed
Khan, received an intimation that neither he nor his
100 soldiers were required any longer, and that they
would be seized if they 'delayed their departure. On the
13th those agents had all taken their departure ; on
the night of the 13th I went outside of the fort, when
everything was quiet, and, brought the water from a cut
near at hand into the ditch at the back of the fort, as in
the event of a siege which:we hourly expected, as we
imagined our troops must be somewhere near Caubul, the
Sirdar would for a certainty bolt in our direction ; the
river being at some short distance oft our water
might be cut off. On the 14th all the principal
chiefs came in to . make their obeisance to us,
and tendered every kind of aid. We all sub-
scribed such small sums as we could afford to lay in
a little godown of our own, and I undertook this part of
-the work with about 5,000 rupees, which I had collected;
on the 15th it was thought advisable to send three or
four officers. into the soldiers' fort, as we had been pro-'
raised muskets for them, and my mess, consisting of
Burnett, Alston, Crawford and self, removed our bed-
dings there, and took military and political charge. We
dug wells, filled the ditch, repaired the holes, and were
all busy as bees. When we heard of Mahomed Akbar's
defeat at Tezeen, all our preparations. for a siege were
stopped, and we determined to force our 'way to Caubul
with our small guard, and to effect' Ohr release solely
through our own exertions; on the morning of the 16th
we took our departure, and halted about ten miles ,off ;
on the 17th crossed the Kaloo mountains, 13,000 feet
high, and halted near Kharzar, where we were met
by 610 Kuzzilbash 'horsemen, who had come to our
aid, under command Lof Sir Richmond Shakespear.
On the 19th we were met on the road by General Sale,
with 1,000 cavalry, 1,000 infantry; and two guns, who
had the day before come out to, our assistance from
Caubul, and thanked God that we once more breathed
the air of freedom. I was anxious to push on to Caubul, and
started again in the evening with two of my Kuzzilbash
friends to Kila Kazee, where General Nott's force was
encampeclz stopped the night with my friend Dr.. Mac-
kinnon, and came on here on the morning of the 21st,
and took up my quarters with my old shipmate Burn.
Yesterday morning all the prisoners came into camp,
when there was a royal salute fired, and here wa all are
.as happy as men and women can be who, but a few days
ago, had scarcely a hope of any other fate than the drag-
ging on a miserable existence in some dungeon in Toor-
kistan ; Mahomecl.Altbar had sent osiers to put to death
all those who were too weak to proceed to Khooloom.—
Delhi Gazelle, Oct. 12.

OFFICIAL NOTIFICATIONS.
AFFGHANISTAN.

THE RELEASE OF THE PRISONERS.
Secret Department, Bombay Castle, Oct. 20,1842.
With reference to the 'notification issued by Govern-
ment on the 15th inst.. the Hon. the Governor in Council
is pleased tore-publish for general inforMation the fol-
lowing Stippleinent to the Government Gazette Extra-
ordinary, issued at Simla on the 30th ult., and also the
general ordersi by the Right Hon. the Governor-General
of India, dated Simla, the '7th inst., announcing the
gratifying intelligence of the safety and release of the
whole of the European prisoners from the hands of
Mahomed Akbar Khan, with the. exception of Captain
13ygraye.
By order of the Hon. the Governor in Council,
J. P. WILLOUGHBY Secretary to GoVernment.
FROM MAJOR-GENERAL, G. POLLOCK, C. 8., COMMANDING
IN AFFGIIANISTAN, TO MAJOR-GENERAL J. R. LUM-
i.EY, ADJITTANT-GENERAL OF TIIE ARMY.
Heitd-quarters, Camp Caubul, Sept. 22, 1842.
Sir,-1' him the honour to-report,. -fur the information
of his Excellency the Commander-in. Chief, that, having
received information from Bameean that the Europeans,
officers and soldiers, prisoners there, had made arrange-
ments by which they hoped to etreet their,own liberation,
I; at the suggestion of Mohun Loll, with the concurrence
of khan Shereen Khan, chief of the Kuzzilbashes, sane-
tinned the speedy departure of 700 of his horse,' on the
15,th inst., the day of our - arrival here, to meet the
party. Some difficulty occurring on the score of money,
I advanced 10,000 rupees, which were delivered by Sir
R. Shakespear, who- accompanied the Kuzzilbashes.
Being apprehensive that attempts would be made to in-
tercept the prisoners, I detached Major-General Sir rt.
Sale with the troops, viz., her Majesty's 3d Dragoons,
Ist Light Cavalry, Backhouse's Mountain Train, two
companies of her Majesty's 9th Foot, four companies of
her Majesty's 13th Light Infantry, Broadfoot's Sappers,
Ferris's Jezailchees, 80 Sikh horses, and 160 foot sol-
diers; under Captain Lawrence, on the. 19th inst., to
proceed to the Arghundee pass, and the circumstance
proved fortunate, as a delay of twenty-four hours would
have enabled Sultan Jan, who was in pursuit, to over-
take our people. lam happy to state, that the whole
who were in confinement (as per subjoined roll), with
the exception of Captain Bygrave, who is with Mahomed
Akbar, arrived in my camp yesterday evening.
I cannot conclude without recording my opinion, that
to Khan Shereen Khan and Mohun Loll may be attri-
buted the safety of the prisoners, and I have reason to
believe the Chief of the Kuzzilbashes 'to be a steadfast
adherent to the British Government.—l have, &c.,
GEORGE POLLOCK, Major• General, Com-
manding in Affghanistan.
(True Copy.) -
R. C. SHAKESPEAR,AiIitary Secretary.
LIST OF PRISONERS RELEASED ON THE 21ST SEPT. 1842.
Major-General Shelton, her Majesty's 44th Foot.
Lieutenant-Colonel Palmer, 27th B. N.
Major-Griffths, 37th B. N. I. -
Captains—Boyd, Commissariat ; Johnson, Commis-
sariat Shah Soojah's 26th N. I. ; Barnett, 54th N. I. ;
Souter, her Majesty's 44th Foot ; Waller, B. H. A. ;
Alston, 27th N. I. ; Poett, 27th N. I. ; Walsh, 52d
M. N. I. ; Drummond, 3d B. L. C. '
Lieutenants—Eyre, B. A. ; Airey, her Majesty's 3d
Buffs ; Warburton, B. A. S. S. F.'; IVebb,' 38th M. N. I.
S. 'S. F. ; Crawford, B. 3d N. I. S. S. F. ; Mein, her Ma-
jesty's 13th L. I. ; Harris, 27th B. N. I. ; Melville, 54th
B. N. I. ; Evans, her Majesty's 44th Foot. •
Ensigns--Haughton, 31st 13: N. I. ; Williams, 27th
B. 1•T L ; Nicholson, 27th B. N. I.
Conductor Ryley, Ordnance Commissariat.
Surgeon Magrath. •
Assistant-Surgeons Berwick and Thompson.
Ladies--LadiesMacnagliten and Sale ; Mrs. Sturt and.
one child Mrs. Mainwaring, one child ; Mrs. Boyd,
three children ; Mrs. Eyre, one child ; Mrs. Waller,
two children ; Conductor Ryley's wife, three children ;
Private Bourne's (13th L. I.) wife; wife of Sergeant
Wade.
MajOr Pottinger, B. A.; Captain Lawrence, 11th L.C.;
Mackenzie, 48th M. N. F. ; Mr. Fallon and Mr.
!Bl6Vitt, C!erks, not in the service.
Her Majesty's 44th Foot—Sergeants Wedlock., Weir,

- ---,-
Corporals Sumpter, Bevan.
Drummers—Higgins, Lovell, Branagan.
Privates—Burns, Cresham, Cronin, Driscoll, Derney,
Duffy, Matthews, M'Dade, Marron, M'Carthy, M'Cabe,
Nowlin, Robson, Seyburne, Shean, Tongue, Wilson,
Durant, Arch, Scott, Moore, Miller, Murphy, Marshall,
Cox, Robinson, Brady, M'Glynn.
Boys.—Grier, Milwood.
Her Majesty's 13th Light Infantry.—Privates—Bind-
ing, Murray, Magary, Monks, Maccullar,
Bengal Horse Artillery.—Sergeants.—M‘Nee, Ireland.
Gunners.—A. Hearn, Keane, Dulton.
Sergeant Wade, baggage sergeant to the Caubul mis-
.

sion.
G. PONSONBY, Captain, Assistant Adjut.-General,
R. G. SHAKESPEAR, Military Secretary.
T. H. MADDOCK, Secretary to the Government of
India, with the Governor-General

REWARDS TO THE VICTORS.
GENERAL ORDERS BY THE RIGHT 'Wit. THE GOVERNOR.

GENERAL OF INDIA.

Simla, Oct. 4. 1842.
The Governor-General, earnestly desirous of evincing
the gratitude of the Government of India towards the
general officers, officers, and non-commissioned officers,
and privates, engaged in the operations of the present
campaign in Affghanistan, is pleased, after communicat-
ing with his Excellency. the Commander-in-Chief, to
declare the following resolutions :-
1. All the general officers, officers, non-commissioned
officers, and privates, serving under the command of
Major-General Pollock, of Major-General Nott, and of
Major-General England, between Attock and Ali Musjid,
and in and above the Khyber Pass, and in and above the
Bolan Pass, on the Bth cf .September, shall receive a
donation of six months' batta, payable on the Ist of

January, 1843.
2. In perpetual commemoration of their distinguished
services, the 2d and 16th Regiments of Bengal Native
Infantry shall be hereafter regiments of Grenadiers, and
the 38th, 22d, and 43d Regiments of Bengal Native In-
fantry shall be hereafter regiments of light infantry.
3. The Regiment of Bengal Irregular Infantry, lately
known as the 3d ReiFiment of Infantry, in the service of
Shah Soojali, shall, in consideration of the valour, dis-
cipline, and fortitude manifested by that regiment on
many occasions, and especially in the defence of Khelat-
i-Ghilzie, continue embodied, under its present com-
mandant, Captain J. H. Craigie,• and be-brought on the
strength of the Bengal army as an extra regiment, and
be denominated " the Regiment of Khelat-i-Ghilzie."
The future establishment of the regiment of Khelat-i-
Ghilzie, and other details consequent upon this resolu-
tion, will be made known in a separate order.
4. Major-General Nott will communicate to the Gn-
vernor-Generat the designations of every corps engaged
in the several actions with the enemy in the vicinity of
Candahar, between the Ist of January and the 10th of
August, 1842, specifying, the particular actions in which
such corps were engaged, and the 'Major-General will
state which of such corps are, in his judgment, entitled
to bear hereafter the word " Candahar " upon their
standards or colours and appointments, in commemora-
tion of.their services.
To such corps of the Indian army as the Major-
General may name the honour of so bearing the word
" Candahar," will be immediately accorded by the Go-

TUE POSTS IN THE PASSES.
GUNDAMUCK, JELLALABAD, LHAKKA, AND
ALI MLTSJJD.
A rapid summary of the proceedings in the passes on
the line of our retreat will help to connect the narratives
just given of the affairs at Caubul, with that which will
furnish the chief topics of interest for the mail of the Ist
December. The singular fatality which has uniformly
attended the garrison of Ali Musj id, within ten miles of
the Peshawur end of the Khyber Pass, has on the present
occasion only been deferred, it has not been stayed ; the
right wing of the 64th -native infantry, some months
stationed here, for a time escaped ' • they were withdrawn
to be replaced by the left Nqng. At Dhakka nothing of

vernor-General.
5. The several corps of the Indian army which on the
6th of September occupied Ghuznee, and the several corps
which on the 16th of September and the following days
occupied Caubul, will hereafter bear upon their standards
or colours and appointments the words " Ghuznee" and
" Caubul" respectively, with the figures " 1842" under-
written.
The several corps under Major-General Nott which
reached Caubul subsequently to the 16th of September
will be equally entitled with the troops previously occu-
pying that city to the honour of bearing the word " Cau-
bul" with the figures " 1842" underwritten, upon their
standards or colours and appointments.
6. Major-General Pollock will communicate to the Go-
vernor-General the designations. of the corps under his
command which were engaged in the operations preced-
ing the occupation of Caubul, but dil not advance to that
city, and will name such of those corps as he may deem
entitled to bear the word "Caubul," with the. figures
"1842" underwritten upon their standards or colours
and appointments, as having contributed to the capture
of that city by their previous services in that campaign ;
and to such corps, being on the Indian army, as the
Major-General may so name, the honour of so bearing
the word "Caubul" will be immediately accorded by the
Governor-General.
7. To every general officer, officer, ,non-commissioned
officer and private present on the occasions abova-men-
tiOned in action with the enemy in the vicinity of Can-
dahar, will be presented a silver medal;; inscribed ," Can-
debar, 1842;" and to every general officer, officer,:non-
commissioned officer, and private present with the army
under Major-General Nott, in the operation leading to
the capture of Ghuznee and the occupation of Caubul,
will be presented a similar silver medal, inscribed
"Ghuznee, Caubul, 1842."
Where the same person shall be entitled t 9, both dis-