The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-02-10 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY

Mr. P. MILES gave notice that when the question
should be put that the• Speaker do leave the chair for the
purpose of going into a committee on the commercial re-
solutions to be submitted to its consideration by Sir R.
Peel, he would move, as an amendment, that the house
should resolve itself into committee that day six months.

In reply to a questio❑ from Mr. LABOUCHERE;
Sir R. PaEL said that since January, 1840, the Brazi-
lian Executive had the power of imposing discriminating
duties upon the ships and produce of such other countries
as would not accede to the Brazils the same commercial
facilities which they enjoyed in that country. The Bra-
zilian Government, therefore, had the power of imposing
discriminating duties injurious to the commerce of Great
Britain, but they had not done so, nor had he received any
intimation that they intended to do so.

FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.

IMPORTANT FROM INDIA

Despatches in anticipation of the Overland mail from
Bombay, of the 3rd of January, reached town on Thurs-
day. via Trieste, bringing the important news that the
Sikh army had crossed the Sutletj, invaded the British
territory, and declared war against England; that the
Governor General had issued a proclamation declaring the
possessions of the Maharrajah Dhuleep Singh, on the left
hank of the Sutletj, confiscated and annexed to the Bri-
tish territory : and that an important battle had het n
fought at Ferozepore, between the British and the Sikh
troops, which had lasted three days and nights, and had
not terminated when the latest advices left, at which time
the Brit:sh had taken from the enemy 65 canon. The loss
was great on both sides, but the enemy had been defeated
when the despatch left. Sir Henry Hard:nge led the cen-
tre, Sir Hugh Gough the right, and General Littler the
left wing. The Victoria steamer, by which the mail was
conveyed from Bombay to Suez, had left the harbour
when the dispatches arrived, but had fortunately not pro-
ceeded too far to be recalled. The Sikh troops are said
to be about 70,000 in number, of indomitable courage,
and disposed to fight with the proverbial desperation of
fanatics. They are, however, in so disunited and disor-
ganised a state as to render them much less formidable
than they might otherwise have proved. Stimulated by
the prospect of extensive plunder, and in opposition, it is
pretended to the wishes of the Lahore government, they
marched, towards the latter end of December, to the
banks of the Sutletj, compelling Lall Singh, the paramour
of the Ranee, to accompany them as a hostage for her
adhesion to their interests. By the Bth of December their
entire force had reached the bank of the river, and formed
a line from Kussoor, opposite Ferozepore, to the Hurreke
Ghat. The chief appointed to the principal command of
the Sikh troops, Tej Singh, appeared to have delayed his
departure from Lahore on one pretext or another as long
as it was possible for him so to do, which would lead us
to infer that he was in the confidence of the Queen Mother.
We have already announced the departure of the Governor
General from Delhi on the 19th November, and his ar-
rival and interview with Sir Hugh Gough and Major
Broadfoot, who had repaired to that place from Umballah,
to consult with him on the measures it might be desirable
to adopt. It will be remembered that our last advices al-
luded ambiguously to some difference of opinion which
was said to have arisen between the Governor General
and the Commander-in-Chief; and it is now stated that
his Excellency had disapproved of the rapid advance of
the troops to the river's bank, as tending to precipitate a
collision which it was his great object not to precipitate.
On the 27th of November he set out for Umballah, where
he remained until the 7th December, engaged in review-
ing the troops. On the llth he visited the camo, for the
purpose of inspecting the various regiments. The deter-
mination of the Sikh troops to cross the Sutletj did not
transpire until the 9th of December, when orders were
immediately issued for the assembling of the army. The
proclamation to which we have already referred was issued
on the 13th, and on the 17th the Governor General's
camp was at Basseean, within thirty-seven miles of that
of the Sikh army. The division under the command of
Sir II ugh Gough was stationed only five miles off.- On
the 12th the Sikhs, amounting to 10,000 in number, and
with twenty-seven guns, crossed the river by a ford twelve
miles above Ferozepore. On the 13th they had approached
within seven miles, continuing to send men and guns
across by a bridge of boats. Thence they must have
proceeded to Ferozepore, where the battle above referred
to took place. The British army, which began to con-
centrate as rapidly as possible after the determination of
the enemy's council of war was known, was composed of
11 complete troops of horse artillery, 11 companies of
foot artillery, wi h four light field batteries ; a 12-pounder
elephant battery of 13 guns, 14 24-pounders, 8 howitzers
and mortars ; 3 European with 7 native light cavalry
regiments, including the body guard; 4 complete corps
and a wing of the sth irregular cavalry ; 9 European and
25 native regiments of infantry, and nearly the whole
corps of Bengal Sappers and Miners, with reinforcements
on the march. By the 14th, 30,000 Sikhs, with 70 guns,
had crossed the river.

Their sole object in this aggression appears to have
been plunder, which they expected to obtain with little
difficulty, and they carried with them provisions for the
campaign, under the dread of being poisoned if they
trusted to the food they found within the British territory.
They must have been much surprised at the warmth of
their reception, having had, it appears, an imperfect idea
of the preparations which awaited them. The Queen
Mother remained at Lahore, pretending that she opposed
the march of the troops, but they had refused fo obey her.

Indian accounts state that a sum of nearly thirteen
thousand rupees has been subscribed for the proposed
new college at Kishnagur, for the most part by natives.

✓
LONGEVITY.—The Courrier Francais states that a
woman lately died at Tolosa, in Spain, at the extraordi-
nary age of 150 years. She leaves a daughter in her 82nd
year. _ • . _

A. letter in The Times, dated Lisbon, January 24, says,
the Patriot(' gives later intelligence from Loando, an-
nouncing that the Lady Sale has been condemned as a
saver by the Portuguese judges of the mixed commission,
against the opinion of the English, who did not consider
the case proved by the evidence.
FA MINE IN SWEDEN. —A letter from Stockholm of
the 15th of January states, that in the provinces of Upset.
Stockholm, and We'tmanland, the scarcity has reached
uch a degree of intensity, that it is feared generally lest a
mass of unfortunate" persons rush to Stockholm, which
wonld inevitably produce a famine. In Upland there are
14,000 persons without food or shelter.
MARTIN LUTII ER.—Thr 300th anniversary of Luther's
death, which falls on the ISth instant, will be celebrated
with the greatest pomp in all the Lutheran churches of
Prussia. In that of the Royal Palace of Wittemherg, in
which repose the mortal remains of Luther and Melanc-
than, 400 artists and dilettanti will perform the Messiah.
and Luther's celebrated hymn, " Ein Festerurg ist unser
Gott," composed by himself.

ALGERIA.—The accounts from Algeria are unfavour-
able to the French. It is now quite certain that Abd-el-
Kader has not retreated, and that the French army is so
knocked up as to be unable for the present to undertake
any expedition of consequence. The Algerie mentions a
report, that Abd-el-Kader, on hearing of the disaster of
General Levasseur, even ventured upon an excursion to
the very walls of Setif.
A SOP TO THE POPE.—The debate on the University
question, in the Chamber of Deputies, was brought to a
close, but without a division, on Friday, after a speech
from M. Guizot, universally admitted to have been bril-
liant, but which embraced an avowal that bas brought
down upon him the ire of all the journals opposed to the
Church. M. Guizot avowed that the dissolution of the
Council of the University, by the Royal Ordinances of
the 7th of December last, had been done with a view to
propitiate the Pope, who would otherwise have opposed
the break-up of the Jesuit establishments in France.
Letters- from Leghorn of the 25th ult. state, that the
Pontifical Government apprehend another movement in
Romagna. The political prisoners confined at Civita
Castellana have attempted to escape, the guards were
obliged to make use of their arms, and killed and wounded
several of them. At Imola, a detachment of Carabiniers
' and Swiss soldiers having met in the streets a band of
young men singing patriotic songs, fired upon them, and
killed two and wounded some others. Much agitation
had prevailed at Forli since the murder of the Commis-
sary of police of that town.
GERMAN POIATENESB.—The Frankfort Journal gives
the following anecdote :—" About a week ago the Duke
Of Nassau, while walking on the banks of the Rhine, near
Mayence, asked a boatman whether the river continued
to rise ? You,' replied the man, using a term equiva-
lent to calling the Duke a stupid ass, ' have been walking
an hour here, and ask me whether the water rises !' The
Duke turned away laughing. 'Do you know whom you
have been talking to ?' asked a second boatman to the
first. ' No! who was he ?" hy, it was the Duke of
Nassau !' Well, lam glad I was not rude!' "
STATE OF PRUSSlA.—lmportant news has arrive( from
West Prussia. The persons compromised in the Polish
plot bad teen transferred to Grandentz, and the authori-
ties imagined that they had thus prevented every explo-
sion of violence arid discontent. This hope has been dis-
appointed ; on the night of the 18th ult. an attempt was
made to gain possessir.n of one of the gates of Grandentz,
and to deliver the prisoner- by force ; it is said that this
attempt proved a failure. Patrols of cavalry put the re-
bels to flight, and numerous arrests were made. M de
Bodelschwingh, Minister of the Interior, has sent out for
Grandentz, to take in person the necessary information.
It is said that a Polish Count, seriously compromised in
the plot, and dissatisfied at having been made the dupe of
vain promises, has off.red to make important disclosures
to the government.—Frankfort Paper.