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

JELLALABAD.

The abundance of neWspaper correspondents in
General Pollock's camp enables us to present almost
an unbroken series of letters from Jellalabad, trans-
ferred from the columns of the Delhi Gazette, Agra
Ukhbar, and Bombay Times; the first-named being
the most copious, the last-mentioned considered the
most trustworthy. source of intelligence in India.
The junior officers of the force appear to have been,
throughout the month, in a sad state of perplexity
as to, what was next to befal them—their ardour
to advante on Caubul making them colour every
symptom a movement according to their wishes ;
the cold, cruel, irresistible fact, that they could not
move, however they might desire it, losing the
weight it deserved to have had attached to it by
men eager for the fray. Our latest dates last month
from Jellalabad extended to • the 26th May • this
month they come down to the 24th of June. On the
morning of the 29th May, a wing of the 64th N. 1.,
with three guns, marched for Dhakka, 40 miles from
Jellalabad, on the Khyber route, that is, nearly half-
way back to Jumrood, beyond the passes. The object
of this force was to escort a convoy bringing up
50,0001. of treasure for the use of the force. At the
post just named there were at this date stationed half
of the 3d irregular cavalry, with two native regi-
ments, and the whole of the mountain train, probably
about 2,500 men in all. Major Leadbeater, of the 53d
N. 1., was appointed to take command of Ali Mus-
jid, and to raise a body of 1,000 men for the main-
tenance of the fortress.; Lieut. Corsar, of the 64th
N. 1., to be second in command. A report having at
this time spread in the camp to the effect that the
Governor-General was known to have issued orders
for an immediate evacuation, General Pollock seriously
admonished the officers on the excessive impropriety
of giving currency to such rumours even if true, and
directed, apparently to occupy or divert the attention
of the troops, that new gruund for an encampment
should be surveyed and laid out six miles in advance
of that previously occupied. The supply of rockets
forwarded by express from Delhi, believed to be in-
tended for the use of General Pollock, and assumed
to furnish proof of the intention to advance, reached
Ferozepore, and were discovered to be destined for
Scinde or Candahar, there not being the slightest evi-
dence that they were ever meant for Jellalabad at all.
The Governor-General left it to General Pollock to
decide where the troops should be located, and how
they should he employed in the meanwhile—recom-
mending at the same time that they should on no ac-.
count be left inactive, and suggesting that they might
occupy themselves in expeditions against Pesh Bolak,
Lughman, and other strongholds whose chiefs had
rendered themselves peculiarly obnoxious to us;
this system holding out the hope that Akbar Khan,
coming to the rescue of his allies, might he drawn
into an engagement with us ; in reference to the issue
of which there was no reason to entertain a doubt.
Accordingly, on the 17th June, a brigade, consisting
of the light field battery, Ist light cavalry, her Ma-
jesty's 31st foot, the 33d and 53d N. 1., with Ferris's
Jezailchees, making in all about 3,500 men, moved out
under command V Colonel Monteath: They were
directed against Pesh Bolak, an outpost about 20 miles
S. W., from which Captain Ferris and his party so
romantically and narrowly escaped in November last.
One of their objects was said to have been the recovery
of 3,2001. of treasure concealed and left behind by the
retiring garrison. The forts all along the valley
where the enemy might assemble, and so annoy us,
were also to be destroyed. The troops appear to have
been under the impression that this was a marauding
expedition, for the purpose of pillage and devastation ;
and for some days before starting nothing was talked
of but plunderingand burning villages. The first march
brought them to Ali Boghan, a considerable village 6i
miles on the line of road leading to the Khyber Pass.
On visiting the place, some of the clothes and accou-
trements, recognised as belonging to her Majesty's
44th, were discovered, and immediately the village
was attacked, set fire to in several places, and speedily
reduced to ashes by the exasperated soldiery before
the officers could interfere to prevent them ! It is
said that numbers of the women were seized and vio-
lated in presence of the sepoys, in the insolence of re-
venge as much as lust ! This seems greatly to have
distressed Colonel Monteath, as well as General Pol-
lock ; the place being in our line of march, the outrage
just committed may cause the interruption of supplies.
The incident furnishes a lesson as to what might be ex-
pected were we to march on Caubul. It is idle for a
moment to imagine it possible for all the powers of
discipline to restrain soldiers, exasperated by the
scenes they must pass through, from committing al
manner of excesses; so that the path of an ad-
vancing British army would, for the first time
in our history, be marked by violation, rapine, de-
vastation and murder—the destruction of the villages,
and slaughter of the population, however innocent,
which might come within the line of our march : our
troops themselves meanwhile suffering the conse-
quence of the disorganisation such a state of things as
this invariably occasions. On the 24th this brigade
returned ; they had found Pesh Bolak abandoned, the
inhabitants having fled to the hills. A fortnight
before this, on the morning of the 11th, four regi-
ments of Sikhs (5,000), under Goolaub Singh, had ar-
rived and taken up their quarters in the neighbour-
hood of our camp. A few days after their arrival,
open riot broke out amongst them, the soldiers de-
manding four months' pay in advance, while two
only was promised them. They attacked and set
fire to the General's tent, and so maltreated Goo-
laub Singh himself that he was compelled to seek
refuge with General Pollock. One regiment ac-
tually commenced its march back towards Peshawur,
but thought better of it and returned to camp. Of
course General Pollock declined interfering in the
quarrel, but succeeded in persuading them to change
their camp to the other side of the Caubul river—a
measure carried into effect on the 19th, greatly to the
satisfaction of our soldiers, to whom their presence
proved a very great annoyance, and their insubordina-
tion not a very good example. It is said that Jel-
lalabad and the country on to Jumrood, is, when we
retire, to be made over to Shere Singh, who has so
incessantly exerted himself to gain our good opinion ;
and it is believed that 40,000 Sikhs are presently
indeed, T heY
cana b o urte
nto d
ebre
ume obvuetd
little
eto a
ioccupyine
ythe
way; country.aed
none is required of them ;
ntheeythimelepetNo,er .exabhuaueensdtthte
supplies of the country—at ;
and
ase , the r e idiscipline
such s
reason‘vere any
no
to
as to make them endure such privations
The European officers in the service o
our troops, in case of emergency,
.readfilyshseurbemslitntyoh.
seem not to think very favourably
matters, and despond more as sta of these
matters, of ourese
t e
the
f June rom Peshawur, that
position than there seems to
be any occasion for. One
of these writes on the 22d
1 the troops con-
tinues o
they were likely to be blockaded in eight days from
datethat
at Jellalabad ! The health
accidents have of
late occurred from the falling in of the roofs of the
has decreased. Several severe
pretty good, and the intensity of the tempera-
turenas" occupied by our men.
covered pits or " taeckha
(From the Agra Uhhbar.)

We have little news from-Jellalabul, but from what
we can hear General P3llock moves on to Caubul.
The following letter contains all we can supply worth
the attention of our readers :
" Jellalabad, 26th June, 1842.
" Brigadier Monteath's brigade reached lesh