The Sun. — 1842-09-05 (London, England)

CIIRONICLE.—What idle absurdity it is to attempt to turn public attention from Lord Ellenborough's order to retreat, to a consideration of the general question of the policy of having gone into Affghanistan at all. Suppose everything that is said upon that subject were true, how could it justify the Governor-General's command to evacuate the country? The public mind will note be diverted by such devices as this from the only question that is really as issue. There i 3 no doubt that Lord Ellenborough did command the evacuation of Affghanistan immediately. The difficulty of retreating through the Khyber-pass, and the unwillingness of General Pollock, without remonstrance, to carry such an order into effect, alone prevented the accomplishinent of this measure, which all parties agree in condemning as most disgraceful in its character and most disastrous in its consequences. If Lord Ellenborough's decision rested merely upon the authority ofrumour, we should perhaps hesitate in adopting it as strictly correct; though the veryexistence ofsuch a rumour, prevalent and generally believed throughout India, is in itself an indication of great mismanagement, and must be followed by the most pernicious consequences. See the effect of it upon the troops at Jellalabad. To what mischievous results has it not already led at Caubul ? Every account ascribes the success of Akbar Khan to the impression that the British troops were about to retreat. But it is not, unfortunately, upon rumour that the belief in Lord Ellenborough's order is founded. The order issued upon the 14th of May from the AdjutantGeneral's office, puts it beyond question that an immediate and general retreat was what was contemplated by the Governor-General. Even the correspondent of the Times newspaper says that this order " seems conclusive as to the retreat?' That the tain. We are entitled, then, to assume that Lord retreat was to have been " immediate" is equally cerEllenborough did order an " immediate" withdrawal within the British provinces of the troops serving west of the Indus. Most gratifying is it t 9 observe that this proceeding not only is not defended, but that every writer who has spoken of it condemns it in the most strenuous terms. This is the way in which the subject is treated by the whole Press. So that we may be satisfied that that weak and inhuman order will never be carried into effect. Still, however, the consequences of having issued such a command have been already most disastrous. Not only has it established the murderer of our Envoy and the gaoler of our people " in a decisive supremacy over the whole Affghan nation," but it has prevented the re-occupation of Caubul by the united forces of Generals Pollock and Nott. This fatal delay of the troops at Jellalabad was not, as was charitably surmised by the palliators of Lord Ellenborough's proceedings, suggested by the difficulty of the march. Indeed, upon that point, as we have already observed, the Governor-General has proved his utter incompetency to give an opinion. The whole of the military operations which he did order were pronounced, when submitted to military authorities, to be impracticable. The retreat through the Khyber General Pollock refused to undertake, and the evacua tion of Candahar was countermanded. We are told, indeed, that Lord Ellenborough's incapacity will be compensated by the wisdom of the Duke of Wellington. If his Grace were at Simla instead of Strathfieldsaye, there might be some reason in this. It is not by orders from Downing-street that the administration of India, least of all operations in a distant part of India, can be carried on. And yet the informant of the Government Journal distinctly says, "No move in advance seems to be intended ; and without it be ordered from home, it does not appear to me that the GovernorGeneral will direct it." Most fortunately the " move in advance" has been "ordered from home" and will be carried into effect. But it will be in violation of the orders of the Governor-General of India. Our experience of Lord Ellenborough s character, as a man and as a receiver of the public money, shuts out the hope that even such a censure as that would scare him from his splendid and lucrative position; but we doubt if Sir Robert Peel will feel it safe to remain longer respofisible for the proceedings of a man, whose want of judgment and decision, whose indifference to the fame of his country and the feelings of his countrymen, are already so glaring as actually to leave him without an apologist, even amongst the obsequious writers of his party.