Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1846-03-26
S LATE FROM EUROPE.


The news brought by the Atlantic steamship
HiBrRNiA, which sailed from Liverpool on the
9TH instant, reached US last night in the Balt-
more and Philadelphia papers. We have endea-
vored 70 accommodate it to our crowded columns,
by condensing into as small space as possible
its most important parts, as follows Wat. Int
FROM LIVERPOOL EUROPEAN TIMES OF MARCH 4.
ENGLAND'S COMMERCIAL POLICY
The great debate on Sir Robert Peel's financial
scheme, which extended over three weeks, and
afforded food for twelve nights ncessant oratory,
was brought to a close on the morning Of Satur-
day last, by division which gave the Minister
a majority of ninety-seven
The division presents some curious results.
The House consists of Csc members of these, 227
Liberals voted with the Minister and ll2 Tories
total, 339; against him. ii Liberals and 23l
lorIes-total, gag which makes the majority OF
81. There were 80 Liberals absent and Is To-
!ies; III Liberal pairs, l3 Tory pairs; s vacan-
cies and theSpeaker, making up the fikll com
pement of tho House-656. Sir RoberApe6l's
supporters, it will thus be seen, only iuikbe& n
bout sixth Of the representation, and in this es.
innate included 81 officials. 1t is clear then,
that without the aid of the Liberals he would
have been hors de combat in other words, he
would have been destroyed by those who made
him.
:he debate which closed on Saturday is the
FIRST sklrmish-the precursor Of the general engage
ment. The House, by this majority, has ONLY
pledged itself TO go into committee. All the null
hilarious parts OF the scheme have yet to be dis
and affirmed rejected before reaches the
| House oil Lords; there, the same time consuming
process is to be repeated, and probably the spring
may be lar advanced, or we may have got into
the summer solsice legislative adjudication
be complete. Sir Robert Peel has determined to
I MI In fI,a l,, \ -
This scheme, our readers know, proposes the ex-
tinctlon OF the corn-laws in three years from the
present time; and the next great battle, as well
as the next "solemn talk" will have reference to
the immediate or the postponed repeal.
The fate of the measure i'm the Lords is pr eg-
nant with consequences Of the highest, the most
commanding interest. The measure is safe in
the Commensurate is undeniable; is it so in
the Lords Will the Peers, with majority in
the Commons of 81, and in the present state Of
excited public feeling, throw out the measure,
and thus force on dissolution Of Parliament
Our firm belief is, that the Peers will pass the
bill ; and in this opinion we are strengthened by
the private testimony of several influential mem
bers oil Parliament, with whose views we have
been favored
GREAT BATTLE IN INDIA
Three thousand three hundred British and natire roops
killed and ,counded and reported loss of thirty thou
sand Silks at Moodkee and Feroseshah
Our aduices from Bomoay since the SAILING of
the steamship Cambria come down to January
i7th, and furnish accounts Of one of the greatest
battles ever fought by tho British in our Indian
empire, In which we have sustained the known
loss OF $500 of our brave soldiers, including the
gallant veteran, Sir Robert Sale, Sir J.McC askil
and Major Broadfoot. When these accounts left
the scene of action for Bombay for transmission
to England, there were several regiments from
which returns had not been received, SO that a
further loss may be calculated upon.
An extraordinary gazettee gives the official ac-
count OF all the military operations in this great
| struggle. The result, we are proud to say, is as
glorious and decisive victory as ever crowned
the British arms, and equalled only by the field
OF Waterloo. Previous to laying before our rea-
ders copies OF the more important dispatches, we
prefix the following brief outline On the I2lh,
18th, and 18th OF December, the Sikh army cross
ed the Sntlei with, at the lowest estimate 3d.
600 men; OF whom 10000 or 80, 900 were caval-
ry, and about $50 pieces of cannon of the largest
calibre movable in the field and exquisitely fin
ished--an artillery UNNECESSARILY more powerful
than was ever brought into the field by Weling-
ton or Napoleon. 1t is only in morals that the
SIkhs are to be ranked as baTbarous. They are
race as vigorous in body, as acute in intellect,
and as skIlful IN all the arts they cultivate, of
which war is the chief, as the generality of Eu.
ropeans. The place at which this formidable
host passed the river may be about forty or fifty
miles from Lahore, the capitol of the Punjaub,
and within much less distance of Ferozepore,
the most advanced Of the British posts. Feroze-
pore is about fifteen or twenty miles from the
point at which the Sikhs crossed the river, if il
is so much.
Inc invaders, having established themselves
and organized their force on the British side of
the Sutlej, made some slight demonstrations of
attacking Ferozepore in the interval between the
18th and 18Th; but, upon the last.named day.
broke up, and, taking the direct road to Delhi,
proceeded in southerly direction, as if they
would mask Ferozepore, leaving it on their right.
In This direction division of 10000 of the inva-
ders had proceeded about twenty Live miles, to
place called Moodkee, when, on the evening of
the 18th, they were met by part Of the British
army, commanded by Sir Hugh Cough and the
Governor-General, Sir Henry iiardinge, who, as
second In command, took the field in person. A
herce conflict ensued, in which the Sikhs lost
the artillery attached to their division, in number
seventeen guns. 1t was in this stage of the bat
tie that Sir Robert Sale and General McCaskill
fell. The contest proceeded languidly through
the 10Th and goth, the armies on both sides being
occupied with the burial of their dead, and the
reorganization of their respective armies. Dur
ing these two days the British commander re-
ceived some reinforcements but, the invaders
having fallen back upon their main body, proba-
bly, 10000 or 10000, presented prodigiously
augmented force when the shock of battle was
renewed on the 2lst, at place called FeroZeshar,
about twelve miles in retreat from Moodkee. AT
FeTozeshar the invaders had prepared a strongly
entrenched camp, which they stood prepared 10
defend with 100 pieces of their huge field arlilie-
ry, and 10000 men. Imagination can scarcely
depict the fury and the obstnacy Of the two days.
fight that must have preceded the capture of the
invaders camp, with all its materiei and artillery,
and The utter dispersion Of the invading army on
the 22d December. The most fortunate escaped
to islands in the Sutle. or, perhaps, TO the Pun
Jaub bank but the greater part were scattered