The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-20

there is sufficient anxiety al home 70 maze
legislative delay a matter Of fear and tremoins'
Such result would involve the suspension OF INC
great Iailway schemes which are now before rs'-
lament; il would do more; il would insoNe s,'e
arrangement of the currency. The money whien
has been paid into the national exshequer on
Of the requirements Of Parliament, IS stu ~ sa'e
keeping How could il be disposed OF win ssie'y
the public requirements the ope hand ana " 'ne
currency of the country on the other Inc money
market is at present sufficiently, nay, dePo'.oy
"tght," owing TO some fifteen millions being mus
locked up. Is the "ughtness" to continue au,'n
the turmoil Of general election, or can "rslaAauon
be safely INDUCED without evils haraiy 20. $50
tic. But. setting aside the question OF the currency
and deficiency Of food, how Is the ioregn usoe VI
the country 10 fare during such tedious ana rum
Gus interregnuml Are the passions OF inc PeoPe'
inAamed 10 the highest point on what 10 10 them
question of life and death, to be further sharpsned
by short employment as well as short commons
Will the arstocraey 90 to the hustings on THIS quss-
ton with the certain conviction that the voice OF ne
country is against lhem-that Its capital us intel.
lect It's numbers, its energies are all against them
No. The lords are prudent men; they own broad
acres, they possess splendid mansions, they run
costly carriages they hire lacqueys and they desire 70
retain their sIuriss and their priVilsgss Ihey wiz
not idly risk them by running their heads against
wall 10 the imminent danger OF whatever brains
they possess and the total forfeiture Of that respect
without which rank, and station, and lineage, are
but the cobwebs Of by-gone age
In the monster debate 10 which We have referred
there were many soporihc, and a few brilliant
speeches. Amongst the latter, and, indeed, at the
head Of them, may he placed Sir Robert Peels
Old and pracIised orator as he is-educsted amongst
a galaxy Of great men--the eontem porary, youth
fuI though he was at the Time, Of the gifted spirits
who threw a halo round the close Of the last, and
the first quarter Of the present, century-he wa.
never known to be sound in argument, so pointed
in satire, so Overwhelmingly crushing by il, facts,
figures, and deductions, on this memorable oecs.
sion. Taken in all its bearings, the speech will
stand the test Of comparison with the most success
fu efforts Of oratory in ancient or modem times II
was ths speech Of his life. He has never exeelled,
and never can surpass it, This great effort, which
will be found at considerable length 10 columns
must have had its effect in swelling the majority to
ninety seven. Il must surely have proved an ex
cepuon TO the remark which was once made by Z
Scotch member: II have heard many speech which
changed my opinion, but never heard one which
changed my vote"
WAR IN TIE EAST.
Our columns to-day contain record Of two terrif
&c battles in which the British troops have been en-
gagged in the East. The Skhs, It will be SEEM passed
the Sutej, in numbers yarously estimated at from
GO, 900 10 80 900, with a splendid park Of artillery
double that Of ours and invaded the British terrific
ry, TO measure strength with our forces. The fight
ing lasted three days, and the carnage was dreadful
Our forces only amounted, British and native, 70
u, 000 out Of which we lost nearly 0OU. Several
distinguished officers fell, amongst others the brave
veteran Sir Robert Sale. The Sikh generals com.
mlted some sad tlunders; and our own troops
there is too much to believe, the victory
TO that indomitable pluck which never knows when
10 beaten, rather than TO the science or skill OF the
leaders who commanded them. The msneuvreing
on the part of Sir Hugh Cough and Sir Henry Har'
dnge seems to have been Indifferent But the Brit
ish bayonet did the business, although the officers
we have named are not thereby ssslsd against cen.
sure. The Sikhs it is clear regards discipline and
courage, are far superior to the enemies with whom
we have mostly had to deal in India.
The subsequent dispatches from Sir Henry Har
dinge, the goyernor-general Of India, show that hc
was mised-generously, unwiltngly misled-as "a
the intentions of the Slkhs. He did not anticipate
rupture with az ally Of forty years standing, AND
was unwilling to precipitate it by preparing for q
conflict. II he erred, it appears to have been or
the side Of noble, manly forbearance. The conflc
had its origin in the dlssoute conduct Of the Rsne,
and her paramours, who stirred the fire that they
might escape from the consequence Of the flames
They became fearful that the army might destroy
themselves, and were anxious that it should be leC
against an army that would do it.
Sir Robert Peel in the lower, the Earl Of Rpon il
the upper house, moved the thanks Of Parliament L
the Indian army, in good set phrase, on Monday
night. The speech Of Sir Robert Peel embraced ant
exhausted the merits Of the question.
GREAT BATTLE IN INDIA
Three thousand three hundred British and natips troop
killed and ,oounded, and reported los, Of thirty thou
sand Silks, at Moodkee and Firoseshah.
Our advices from Bombay since the sailing of tn,
steamship Cambria, come down to January II, ant
furnish accounts Of Of the greatest battles eve
fought by the British in our Indian empire, in which
we have sustained the known loss Of $500 Of GU
brave soldiers, including the gallant Sale, Sir J
McKaskl, and Major Broadfoot. When these &C
counts left the scene Of action for Bombay for trans
mission to England, there were several regiment
from which returns had not been received, that
further loss may be calculated upon.
An extraordinary gazette gives the official &C
count of all the military operations in this grea
struggle The result, we are proud to say, is a.
glorious and decisive a victory as ever crowned
the British arms, and equalled only by tn,
field Of Waterloo. Previous to laying befor,
our readers copies Of the more important de
spatches, we prefix the following brief outlin: o.
the 18th, 18th, and 18th of December, the Sikh
army crossed the Sutej, with at the lowest estimate
80, 900 men (of whom 20, 900 or 10000 were caval
ry, and about $50 pieces of cannon Of the larges
caibre movable in the field, and exquisitely fin
ished-an artillery immeasurably more powerful
than was ever brought into the field by Wellington
or Napoleon. 1t is only in morals that the SIKH
are to be ranked as barbarous. They are race a,
vigorous in body, as acute in intellect and as skill
full in all the arts they cultivate, Of which war i,
the chief, as the generality of Europeans. TIL,
place at which this formidable host passed the rive
may be about 40 or SO miles from Lahore, the CAPT
tai Of the Punjaub, and within much less dstanc,
of Ferozepore, the most advanced of the British
posts. Ferozepore is about IS 90 miles from tn,
point at which the Skhs crossed the river if it is 81
much. The invaders having established themselves
and organized their force the British side Of tn,
Sutej, made some slight demonstrations of attack
ing Ferozepore in the interval between the 18th ant
18th; but, upon the last-named day. broke up, ant
taking the direct road to Delhi, proceeded in south
ery direction, az if they would mask Ferozepore
leaving j. on their right In this direction division
of 10000 of the invaders had proceeded about @
miles to place called Moodkec, when on tn
evening Of the 18th, they were met by
part Of the British army commanded by 81
Hugh Cough and the encouragement, 81
Henry Hardinge, who, as second in com
mand, took the field in person. A fierce conHic
ensued, in which the Sikhs lost the artillery at
tached to their division, in number II guns. II wa
in this stage Of the battle that Sir Robert Sale AM