The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-09 00:00:00

FOREIGN cl' COLONIAL,

INDIA AND CHINA.

(From the Times.)

The Indian Mail has arrived, with letters and papers
from Bombay to December 1. The principal items relate
to the prevalence of great sickness in the two newly-ac-
quired possessions of Scinde in India, and of Hong Kong
in China. Peace prevails throughout British India, al-
though the prep 'rations for war were busy throughout the
north-western districts. An army of about 15,000 men
was assembling on the banks of the Sutledge, and another
was collecting at Agra; the former to compel the Siekhs
to adopt some regular fixed system of government, and the
latter to force the government of Gwalior to make proper
arrangements.
The fall of the Indus, consequent on the cessation of
the monsoon, has always produced a description of malaria
in a country where no improvements have been carried on
during centuries : and it was not to be expected that the
British troops should not suffer in districts where every
advantage was sacrificed to making hunting grounds for
the Ameers.
In Hong Kong the sickness has arisen, as the Chinese
say, from the nature of the waters of the islands, which
they pretend cannot be used for any time without the
worst result. It was even asserted that the British autho-
rities contemplated the abandonment of that island since
the death of the much-lamented Mr. Morrison.
Much attention has been directed towurds the Punjaub.
The chiefs are represented as disunited, the soldiers are
mutinous, and the provinces are distracted by their fears,
for they dread an invasion from the Affghans at Peshawur,
and of the British at Lahore. Mooltun is described as
highly disturbed ; the inhabitants, who do not profess the
Siekh religion, are in dread of massacres and plundering.
Many of the natives are seeking every opportunity of
abandoning the Siekh districts, and of escaping with their
property into Ilindostan. Even the French officers are
quitting Lahore. General Ventura, the last of the foreign
favourites of Runjeet Singh, has solicited leave to resign
the service, and to retire to his own country. Two of the
other junior officers have been dismissed. General Court
r _
ac at, ueneral Avitabi!e was at Calcutta.
It is difficult, even in India, to obtain correct intelli- 1
gence of what is going on at the Court of Lahore, and
many of the rumours circulated have proved unfounded.
Heera Singh, the young Minister, appears still to retain
power; he is, at it is known, the son of Dhyan Singh, who
was the all-powerful Minister of Runjeet, and of his suc-
cessors, until his death, in September last. Heera Singh,
who has the puppet child, King Dhuleep, in his custody,
is now said to have obtained the aid of Goolab Singh, his
father's eldest brother, and a leading Hill chief, who, at
the head of 22,000 men, came in the beginning of Novem-
ber to the capital. Goolab Sing is looked upon as hostile
to the British, and will, it is thought, bring about a de-
cided pallet: by influencing his nephew and the Court
not to assent to any propozals coming from the govern-
ment of India.

A crisis was expected in Lahore, when the Governor
General shall have reached the banks of the Sotledge.
Several corps of the British troops were in movement in
that direction. The number of troops at Perozepore. Lo-
siana, and Umbella, was estimated at 14,000 men. Major
General George Hunter commanded at the two former
places, while Major General Sir Robert Dick had the com-
mand of the Sirhind and Meerut divisions.
The last intelligence from Lahore states that Heera
Singh had entered into a combination with Futteh Jung,
the son of Schah Shooja, which had excited the jealg.usy
of the Siekh soldiery, who threatened to attack and plun-
der both those young men.
The news from. Cabool current during the month was
that Dost Mehommed had been murdered ? but, though,
believed by many, it eventually turned out to be a fabri-
cation. He has named his son, the notorious Akhbar, to
be the Governor of the Hill country, near Jellalabad,
whence it is thought he will attempt, ere long, the inva-
sion of Peshawur. Peshawur is described as in a ticklish
position, for there is no longer an European general to
defend it. and all the plunderers around the Khyber Pass
are anxious for an opportunity to sack it.
Lithe central part of India the affairs of Gwalier are at
present most interesting ; the Army of Exercise is assem-
bling at Agra. On Sunday, the 19th of November, a dis-
pute took place between some of the troops at Gwalior,
which ended in their fighting with each other, when 400
were slain on both sides. Kintsgeewalla, the usurper, who
some months ago had endeavoured to oppose the influence
of the British, had been taken prisoner, and nearly sacri-
ficed by the insubordinate and enraged soldiers. He was
saved with difficulty, and the insurgents appeased merely
by the promise that he should be given up to the Hon.
Company.
There appears to be a general acquiescence throughout
India to the British taking final possession of the territo-
ries that once were Sindiah's. There is no lawful Sove-
reign, for the child now called to govern is but an adopted
son; and the oppressions of that government have been
such, that the whole population wish to become British
subjects, in order to be saved from the continual pillage of
the relentless and unpaid soldiery.
Bundelkund, which is contiguous to Gwalior, also re- I
quires the application of force to establish a regular system.
At present there is a multitude of turbulent characters,
who-seek for an opportunity of confusion, in order to en-
rich themselves either by plunder or by conquest.
There was a small insurrection in the Jeypore territory
of Shekawatee, south of Delhi, when a chief raised 5000
or 6000 men, seized a fortress, and hurled defiance against
the at thorities. Major Foster, at the head of the Sheka-
watee Brigade, pr .ceeded to attack him. After some resist-
ance, the insurgent was hemmed in Khetrie, where his
followers made terms for themselves, while he escaped with
a few attendants.

The next point of interest in the north of India was the
great enthusiasm raised for the liberation of Col. Stoddart
from Bokhara. A considerable subscription was raised
for the purpose of defraying the expense of sending a
person thither to examine into the truth of his confinement
and of his'safety. It is thought that nothing further will
be done in India until the result of Dr. Wolff's mission is
known.

The accounts from Scinde are melancholy, from the ex-
traordinary sickness prevalent amongst the troops. Out of
an army of about 13,000 men about one-third was in the
hospital. The cause of the sickness is said to be the un-
healthiness of the climate after the subsiding of the Indus,
when the exhalations produced by a glowing sun over an
extensive muddy surface are exceedingly dangerous. For-
tunately, the mortality was comparatively but little, as
most of them easily recover, although much debilitated
from the fever and boils.

There appears to be but little danger apprehended from
any of the neighbouring tribes. Sir C. Napier was at
Kurrachee, where his lady had joined him. He purposed
to go to Hyderabad in the beginning of December, and,
with a considerable body of troops, to proceed to look out
for healthful situations, at which the troops are to be sta-
tioned in future. There seems to be but little doubt that
he will succeed, for one of the great causes of sickness
has been, that men have frequently been located in places
where the natives had accumulated filth, which, under the
influence of the rain and sun, produced the evil now so
bitterly complained of.
Lord Ellenborough had become more popular than
during the preceding twelve months. The newspapers
which had raised an outcry against him had been obliged
to admit that his measures were successful. His lordship
was to start about the 26th of November for the North
Western provinces, insested with every power to make
peace or war by a special act of the Legislative Council.