The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-02-08 00:00:00

INDI

CHIN

ARRIVAL OF THE OVERLAND MAIL.

The last arrival from India brought the intelligence that,
consequent on certain reductions made in the tribute paid to
the Eastern Ghilzie tribes, for keeping open the passes be-
tween Cabul and Jellalabad, the people rose and took posses-
sion of the said passes; and that thereupo❑ General Sale's
brigade, which had been under orders for the provinces, was
sent out to drive them from their position, and to re-open
the communication. This, however, was an arduous duty,
and attended with serious •loss on our side. The brigade
fought its way to Gundamuck, much harassed by the enemy
from the high ground on either side of the passes, and after
18 days, during which our men were almost incessantly en-
gaged, they reached the above place, much shattered and
exhausted, and thence, after further annoyances from the
enemy, moved upon Jellalabad.*
In the mean time, whilst Sale's force was at Gundamuck
—on the 2nd of November—an alarming insurrection broke
out at Cabul. Singular to relate, it was so wholly unex-
pected, that letters written on the preceding day by the en-
voy and minister speak of affairs being in a prosperous
condition, and everything quiet and peaceful at the capital.
He himself (Sir". H. Macnaghten), was about to leave
Cabul at that very time, to proceed with all haste to Bombay,
to assume the governorship of that presidency. The occupa-
tion of the Koord Cabul pass, and the subsequent opposition
which General Sale had met with, bad ceased to cause any
anxiety, as it was supposed that the insurgents to the east-
ward had been effectually put down. But in the midst of
this supposed security the storm broke over Cabul with
terrific fury.

As far as we can gather from the disjointed accounts which
have just reached us (for the communication between Cabul
and India is still cut off,) the first manifestation of the popu-
lar anger consisted in a murderous assault on a party of our
officers, who were then leaving the Durbar. Sir A. Burnes,
his brother, Lieutenant C. Burnes, and Lieutenant Broad-
foot, of the European Regiment, were massacred; and
another officer, Lieutenant Sturt, of the Engineers, cut down
in the very presence of Shah Soojah himself. Soon the whole
city was up in arms, the bazaars were plundered, the houses
of our officers ransacked and their property destroyed, the
Treasury pillaged, and other depredations committed in the
town, whilst another large party, chiefly Kuzzilbashes, we
believe, attacked the British cantonments, which are situated
about two miles from the town. The rebels are said to have
declared one of Shah Zemaun's sons king, but whether the
outbreak originated in the intrigues of this party, or whether
it was a religious movement, having for its end the extermi-
nation of the British, is not very clearly known ; but the re-
bellion was of the most alarming character, for the whole
population were up in areas against us, and our troops being
divided—a portion of them in the cantonments, a portion of
them in the Balah Hissar—and the enemy holding the town,
which lies between two positions, we could make but little
stand against the heavy current of the insurgents. The
rebellion, at the date of the last advices received from
Cabul, for one or two Cossids had made good their
way to Peshawar, bad raged during seventeen days,
but the force of it was unbroken. We cannot pretend
to give anything like a circumstantial narrative of the
events of those days, for we have nothing beyond fragments
of intelligence, which it is difficult to put together, iii due
consecutive course. The British force at Cabul was weak,
and the enemy most multitudinous. Several engagements
had taken place, and our troops had distinguished themselves
on various occasions, but all to very little purpose. The
enemy, unfortanately, at an early stage, got possession of the
Commissariat godowns—two horse artillery guns had been
sent to their defence, but the ammunition failing, the stores
were captured. Two of the Shah's guns were also taken by
the enemy and turned againsfour party, and one of our mag-
azines destroyed. On the 18th the insurrection, in spite of
a partial victory achieved by us a few days before, was at its
height, and, though there seemed at one time :some little
hope of the Ghilzie portion of the confederacy being brought
over to our side, at the date of the last intelligence affairs
were still wearing a fearful aspect. We are not only beset
with enemies on every side but our troops are sadly straitened
for supplies.
Whilse these sad events :were befalling us at the capital,
our principal outposts were being attacked by the enemy.
Charekur, which is to be the north of Cabul, was besieged,
and the single corps there posted, the Shah's 4th Regiment,
after a gallant defence, cut to pieces. All the officers attached
to it, with exception of one who escaped, severely wounded,
were killed, and Lieutenant Rattray, the Political Agent at
Kohistan, fell there also. About this same time, Captain
Woodburn, with a party of 120 men, was proceeding from
Ghuznee to Cabul, when he fell in with a large body of in-
surgents, and the whole of his little band were massacred.
Ali Musjid and Pesh Bolak, which lie on the eastern front of
Affghanistan, between Peshawar and Jellalabad, were
attacked also, but with no calamitous result ; and Ghuznee,
only garrisoned by a single regimen:, has been beleaguered
by the enemy, but although evil reports are rife concerning
it, we may hope that it is yet secure. In this posture of
affairs, a brigade from Candahar has been sent, under Colo-
nel Maclaren, to the relief of Cabul—an ill-judged and
im-
politic measure, for it could scarcely, under any circum-
I stances, reach its destination in time to render the required
assistance, and it is apprehended that the brigade, marching
at such a season of the year, and through a line of country
beset by our enemies, will be exposed to a series of disasters,
fatal perhaps to the entire force. In addition to this the
weakening of the Candahar post is in itself a measure fraught
with danger. At the date of the last advices from that quarter
all was quiet, but it was feared that the departure of half of
the force to the northward would be a signal to the Westetn
Ghilzies to revolt. Whichever way we look beyond the
Indus, clouds are bursting over our heads, and it is impossi-
ble to regard the present aspect of affairs without the most
painful apprehensions. Strong reinforcements are now
being sent from the provinces, but they have a long and
wearisome march before them, and it is scarcely to be ex.
pected that they will penetrate further than Peshawar before
their progress is checked by the snows of winter. The dis-
asters which we have detailed above could not have occurred
at a more unfavourable season ; for, independent of what we
have to apprehend from the fury of an entire populace in
arms against us, our troops, cut off from all ready means of
supply, are doomed, we fear, to suffer much from a want of
food, as well as from a want of fuel, which, during a Cabul
winter, will be severely felt by all, and especially by the
Hindostan soldiery, who are but little inured to the rigours
of the north. God grant that next month we may have
more favourable intelligence to communicate; our prospects
seem at present gloomy enough, but, under Providence, the
shattered bark will right itself, and we shall then put to sea
again, with added knowledge and experience, having marked
down on our chart the rocks and whirlpools to be avoided in
our course. Danger there always will, and always must be,
for the venture we have undertaken is in itself a dangerous
one ; but much of the evil which is now befalling us, we
have cut out for ourselves, and it is probable that the country,
under a wiser administration, may yet be reduced to—a
Roman peace.
It is gratifying to be able to turn away from this distress-
ing picture to the contemplation of our renewed success in
China under the new directorship. Since the departure of
the Elliots, affairs have prospered in that direction. The fleet
has been moving on steadily to the northward, victorious at
every stage. In our last, we noticed that Amoy had fallen ;
and since we began to write, official intelligence of the re-
occupation of Chusan, on the Ist of October, and of the
reduction and occupation, on the 10th and 13th of the same
month, of the cities of Chinhae and Ningpo has been re-
ceived. Chusan, since our abandonment of it, had been
greatly strengthened by the Chinese, and a formidable line
of defences erected, but by the gallantry and energy of our
naval and military forces, the city of Ting-hai was captured
in an incredibly short space of time, the enemy put to flight
in every direction, and a provisional government established
on the island. Similar success attended our movements on
Chinhae ; and at Ningpo the place was undefended, the
Chinese soldiery having already had enough of warfare with
the " white devils," and positively refusing to face us again.
Burmese affairs are nearly in the same position as they
were in last month. We have intelligence from Mou:mein
to the 6th instant, but nothing had been done. Thatawaddie
was still at Rangoan—some said that he was going back to
his capital immediately ; others said that he was not ; but he
was evidently little inclined to force us into a war, and we
are still less inclined to force him. The alarm, however,
which his majesty's movements have created is greatly a
matter of regret, and it is naturally asked, whence originated
the fears of Government which have impelled them to fit out
at a heavy cost a large armament, and that too at a time
when the exhausted state of our resources called for the most
careful husbandry ? It is said that a portion of the force
now off Moulmein will be ordered anon to join the China
expedition, and it is certain that reinforcements must be
sent in that direction, for every new capture weakens the
original force, and now that we have Hongkong, Amoy,
Chusan, Tinghae; and Ningpo in our possession, we must be
somewhat crippled in our means of carrying out the further
objects of the expedition. There is a loud call for " more
troops" from almost every quarter, and it must be replied
to from home by a considerable extension of the Indian ar-
my. This measure, so often urged upon the home govern-
ment, cannot now be delayed with safety to their possessions.
* At the date of the last advices, the 27th of November
Sale's brigade was in perfect security, and well supplied at
Jellalabad. They had moved out on the 15th, and routed a
large body of the enemy, amounting, it is said, to 5,000.