Glasgow Courier. — 1855-12-04 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

SUMMART.—The Santhal insurrection, supposed at the date of our last to have been all but extinguished, seems once more to have blazed up again, and is almost as mischievous as at the outset. The insurgents, formerly dispersing themselves on the approach of regular troops, now at times await their arrival, and will stand a murderous fire, to which they can only reply by a harmless discharge of stones and arrows. The difficulty of dealing with them arises from the enormous area over which they have extended themselves, the impenetrability of the jungles they occupy, the intense timidity of the police force, and the pusillanimity of the villagers they assail. It is now obvious that the clemency which the government has desired from the outset to indulge in towards the mountaineers is unmitigated cruelty to their own people, and that nothing but martial law, exercised in all its terrors, can put dawn those agrarian disorders from which Lower Bengal has for five months been suffering. On the 9th of October, Colonel Burney's force, consisting of 470 men of the 56th, 100 of the 27th, Anderson's four guns, or 660 men in all, marched from Soorie, leaving 60 men to guard the station. They reached Mahemed Bazar at midnight, where they were joined by a reinforcemeat of 200 sepoys with a body of police. They resumed their march at three A.M., but the rebels of whom they were in quest, and who were a thousand strong, fled on their approach and could not be overtaken. A detachment of 500 having been observed to assemble at as great distance were once more pursued, but in vain. Ten prisoners were, however, secured. The troops now divided themselves into companies, and set fire to and destroyed the villages of the insurgents in all directions, to the exteat of above 30, and continued thus occupied for the next three days, collecting large quantities of plunder. On the 15th a considerable body of Santhals attacked a detachment of the 63d under Capt. Phillips at Karown. To their discharge of arrows the sepoys replied with volle3s of musketry. For more than half an hour !he enemy kept their ground, and not till nearly 300 had been put hors de combat, of whom 63 were killed, did they betake themselves to flight. Meanwhile the detachments of Captain Pester at Nails, and Lieut. Bonham at Jamtarra, are clearing tli,e country in these directions; but though half dozens are everywhere here and there being shot, and scores are being made prisoners, and though there seems scarcely any co-operation or mutual understanding amongst them, vast multitudes still keep the field. The electric telegraph from Calcutta of the 30th ult, mentions, a large body of them as having been surprissd about the 25th, near the village of Umparalla. Their leader was very nearly shot, but his followers managed to make their escape.  The Governor.Deneral has left the Neilgherry Hills, and is new on his way by land to Madras, vrheuce the steamer Feroze will convey him to Rangoon, and so to Calcutta where he is not expected to arrive until the Ist of December. Lord Harris returned to Madras on the 22d ult., and Lord Elphinstone, after a short sojourn at Matheran, returned to the Presidency two days ago. Trade is dull, and the money market is quiet and without change. Tonnage is abundant, but freights are law.