of the troops had improved. All was peaceable, and fears of Beloochee invasion had completely blown over. Colonel Moseley's court-martial had closed, and the proceedings been sent to headquarters. Orders had been received to place Captain Flyter, late adjutant 64th Bengal N.I., in arrest, on charges supposed to be connected with Colonel Moseley.

The dacoits, or gang-robbers, appear to acquire additional strength and greater audacity; a British officer has fallen a victim to the revenge of one of these parties. It appears that the police of the Mynpoorie zillah had an affair with some dacoits, headed by the notorious Dhunsia, or Ghunseya (who broke from Muttra gaol, and has committed several atrocities), two of whom were killed. The circumstance was reported to Mr. Unwin, the magistrate and collector, who set out in pursuit of the party. The spies of the robbers communicated the intelligence, and preparations were made for re⚫sistance. Meanwhile, Captain R. P. Alcock, of the 46th N.I. (late assistant quarter-master general), travelling by dak, either through wantonness, or from being mistaken for Mr. Unwin, was attacked and murdered by these desperadoes. It appears that this gentleman arrived at Mynpoorie, on the 26th October, from Cawnpore to Agra, and after a few hours' halt, started with eleven bearers, who were relieved at Ghurour, about eighteen miles. The fresh set had not proceeded more than half a mile, when they were stopped by twelve armed men (four of them mounted), who ordered them to put down the palkee. The bearers (of course) took to their heels; Captain Alcock stept out, sword in hand, and demanded who they were. The cowardly gang, after inquiring whether he was the magistrate, and receiving an answer in the negative, set him ; he seems to have defended himself against such odds till wounded in the sword-arm, when he attempted to escape, but was brought down by a shot, and hacked to death. Half an hour after this occurrence, Mr. Unwin arrived at the spot, in pursuit of the dacoits, and saw poor Captain Alcock's palanquin on the high road, the petarahs untouched. His body was found about eighty yards from the road, dreadfully mangled, the fingers of both hands being cut off, and severe wounds inflicted on the back of the neck, legs, and back. Government have offered a reward of Rs. 7,000 for the murderers, but it is reported that Dhunsia has taken refuge in Oude, after killing two Europeans on his way. In other parts, these plunderers were on the alert. The daring Ragoojee Bangria, the Dick Turpin of India, had transported himself to the neighbourhood of Kandala, and, by way of announcing his arrival, plun

upon

dered two natives, a Hindu and his wife, and sent them on their way, with slit noses and in a state of nudity. A party of about five-and-forty of Ragoojee Bangria's fraternity visited a village below Malsege Ghat, called Talligaoun, and plundered every house there: they were, it is said, in search of the Brahmin Annunt Rao. Dr. Lovell, on his way to Ferozepore, was attacked by a band of dacoits, who plundered his palkee, and left two of his bearers insensible. These outrages call for vigorous measures, and a more extensive and better organized police establishment throughout the British territories.

The absence of events of great political importance permits us to direct our attention to domestic occurrences, of less dignity, but not without interest.

A Hindu nobleman, Rajah Kistonah Rao, of Berhampore, committed suicide, at Calcutta, under circumstances which shew the extraordinary sensibility of natives of rank to any thing which bears the character of personal indignity. The rajah (who was only twenty-two years old) had been charged with being concerned in an act of cruelty practised on one of his servants, who ultimately died in consequence of the treatment he had experienced. The man being, however, pronounced out of danger, the rajah was admitted to bail, himself in Rs. 50,000, and two sureties in Rs. 25,000 each. It seems to be extremely doubtful whether the rajah had really any hand in the cruel act. He came to Calcutta, where he had a residence, in great excitement and dread of being arrested as a criminal. When the man expired, and the rajah heard that a warrant was issued for his apprehension, he was advised to make his escape. It appears that he deliberately wrote his will (appointing, it is said, the government his executors), which he requested Dr. Young, his medical adviser, and two other gentlemen, to attest; retired on the pretext of providing himself with some money for his journey, and discharged the contents of a double-barrelled gun through his head, having pulled the trigger with his toe. A coroner's jury returned a verdict of "Felo de se," and it is said the validity of the will will form the subject of litigation in the Supreme Court. The rajah had adopted English habits, and, in his will, directs the foundation of a college, to be named after himself, at Moorshedabad, in which the pupils are to receive instructions in English, Greek, and Latin polite literature.

The government of India has passed an act for regulating the emigration of natives of India to Jamaica, British Guiana, and Trinidad, whose embarkation is restricted to the ports of Calcutta,

Madras, and Bombay, where agents are to be established for the protection of the emigrants. The improvement of the great lines of communication between Calcutta, Bombay, and the North-West Provinces, is stated to be under the consideration of the GovernorGeneral. The government, it is also said, is about to erect a new college at Benares, with English, vernacular, and Sanscrit departments, in which the various castes will be placed in separate rooms. A singular exhibition of clerical indiscretion was made at Midnapore, by the chaplain of that station, the Rev. H. Boys, who published the following notice, with his name appended thereto, in the Calcutta Englishman :

In consequence of a letter printed and published in the Englishman newspaper, signed "SIC EST," dated 3rd November (Sunday), of which one of the Midnapore church committee acknowledges himself to be the author, containing false accusations, wilful and wanton calumnies against their appointed minister and chaplain, intended to influence and silence him in the discharge of his duty in reproving them for wickedly and rebelliously building the house of God on the refuse land of the station, instead of on the ground once given by government for the purpose; I hereby declare the writer of that letter, or, if he will not declare himself, the whole committee, to be cut off, as evil speakers, from any participation in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, according to the rubric and canons of the Church of England and Ireland. I further declare, that one copy of this notice will be circulated over the station, and that another copy will be forwarded to the bishop, as ordinary, within the time specified by the Church.

The editor of the paper in which this notice appears remarked, that the excommunication of the individual referred to, who was reported to be an officer in the army, disabled him from holding any appointment under the crown, and that, consequently, his commission would be forfeited, if the right of Mr. Boys to exercise this authority were recognized. In a subsequent paper, however, we find that the reverend gentleman recalled his excommunication. He states that the notice was issued by him "ne quid Ecclesia detrimenti capiat;" but that, "having since been led to suppose that such notice was irregular," he informs the editor of "the very great pleasure and satisfaction which he had felt in withdrawing it, and in expressing his regret that such notice was issued." Mr. Boys should have added an expression of regret that he had not taken steps to inform himself upon this point before he issued the notice.

Steam-navigation is extending in all parts of India. A coast steam-navigation company has been formed at Bombay, and a

capital of Rs. 300,000 already subscribed, in 600 shares of Rs. 500 each. The extra sum required to complete the building of an adequate steamer is Rs. 210,000, payable at Rs. 350 per share. The steamer is intended for navigation along the Coromandel Coast, across the Bay of Bengal, and occasionally to Ceylon and the Malabar Coast. It is expected that an Indus steam company will be formed at the same presidency.

The proceedings of the Court of Enquiry, which sat for some time at Arcot, respecting the mutiny at Jubbulpore, on the 6th regiment Madras Light Cavalry, has terminated its labours, and a court-martial has sentenced seventeen men to death, and four to hard labour. Of the former, two only have been executed; the remainder have been transported for life. Besides these examples, the following have been summarily discharged: four soubadars, two jemadars, two troop havildars, six havildars, four naiques, and the regimental moonshee, together with twenty-five privates.

The Marquess of Tweeddale, in promulgating his remarks on the proceedings of the Court, prefixes to them a concise narrative of the occurrences connected with the mutiny.

In October, 1843, the regiment was suddenly required to proceed on field service from Kamptee to Bundelkund, having previously been informed that, on the termination of the service, they were to move down to Arcot. Subsequent events, however, required the services of this regiment at Jubbulpoor, to form a part of the Bengal division of observation at Saugur, and the regiment was ordered to remain at the former station. This movement appears to have occasioned considerable dissatisfaction in the regiment, and while in this state it was announced to the men, on the 1st of December, consequent upon orders which had been erroneously promulgated by the pay department, that their field batta was discontinued. Acting, as there is reason to believe, upon a determination previously formed, a large portion of the men, instigated by some evil-disposed persons, that same evening, were secretly bound together by an oath not to turn out for parade the following morning, nor to do any more duty. Accordingly, next morning, the men refused to turn out when ordered, and it was not until nearly half an hour after the second trumpet that they yielded to the exhortations of their officers, and consented to proceed to their duty. On the close of the evening's exercise, Major Litchfield addressed the men on the subject of their misconduct, and warned them against its repetition. His address was received by many in the most disrespectful manner, and, on his refusing to listen to them, they, shortly after stables, proceeded in a body, and in a most tumultuous manner, to the quarters of Capt. Byng, the second in command, where they declared their determination no longer to serve under Major Litchfield, who, they asserted, had no sympathy with them in their distress. In this Asiat.Journ.N.S. VOL.IV.No.22.

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determination they persisted until the morning of the 4th December, when, at a parade which had been ordered by Brigadier Watson, a sepoy from each troop presented an urzee, stating their alleged grievances, and demanding that another commanding officer should be appointed to the regiment, for that they would not continue to serve under Major Litchfield. With the representation of these urzees, the excitement commenced to subside, and an order, which had been despatched by Government the moment the error which had been committed by the pay department was known, having been published on the same day, cancelling the previous order for the discontinuance of the batta, the men gradually returned to their duty.

Had these misguided men (the marquess observes) remembered their duty as soldiers, and had they been satisfied with respectfully representing their case, all would have been well. Had they even been guilty of refusing to turn out for parade,-though their crime would still have been great,—yet if they had gone no further, and had shewn contrition for their offence, it might have been possible for the commander-in-chief, under all the circumstances of the case, to have dealt leniently with them. I was unfortunately prevented from taking such a view of the case. In the first place, before even making an attempt to represent their grievances to their officers, they were induced to combine together with an oath not to do their duty; and then, because Major Litchfield, who believed that the batta had been discontinued by order of Government, shewed himself determined to carry the order into effect, and would not allow them to make their complaints to him upon parade in an irregular and unsoldierlike manner, they followed up the oath they had taken, refused any longer to serve under his orders, and dared to give in urzees for submission to the commanderin-chief, demanding that their commanding officer should be removed. It is clear, from all the information that has been obtained, that many of the native officers and non-commissioned officers were deeply implicated, and failed most culpably in their duty; and although the fact has not been distinctly proved, there is good reason to believe that some of their numbers were, in secret, the instigators of the men.

We have related this transaction minutely, because a London journal has founded upon it an accusation against Lord Tweeddale of no less a crime than "murder." It may be a question, as the men seem to have been excited to insubordination by orders erroneously promulgated; as the mutineers returned to their duty without coercion, and as the inquiry did not take place till eight months after the offence, whether capital punishment might not have been altogether remitted. But the punishment was, in fact, incurred, and its infliction, under the circumstances, upon two out of thirteen, probably the actual instigators of the mutiny, is undeserving of the harsh strictures which it has provoked at home.

The Morning Chronicle.