THE BHOOTAN WAR. (EXTRACT FROM A PRIVATE LETTER.)

Evening Post, Issue 158, 10 August 1865, Page 3

THE BHOOTAN WAR. (EXTRACT FROM A PRIVATE LETTER.)

Here we are, having stormed the position which some 2000 men have been sitting down before nearly three months, and which the 11th were driven out of in about ten minutes, with 4 killed and 21 wounded, against 30 J3hooteas shot and bayoneted. We began our march from a place 17 miles from here at seven o'clock on the evening of the 14th. After three miles' inarch we halted at a place called Centrouari, where the Armstrong G-pounders joined us on elephants, with two 8-inoh mortars. We then at 12 p.m. begnn our march, I being in the advanced guard. About morning we reached a river which we crossed with great difficulty, losing 12 muskets. I found an elephant, and came over on him. We lost the 12 muskets through the icy coldness of the water, and the round slippery stones at the bottom being bad foo'ingj. We were to have reached the position by daybreak, but only got there about midday, owing to our having to move in file up almost perpendicular hills. My legs still ache, and will, T fancy, do so for the next week. Well, having come in view of the stockades about 12 at noon, the Bhooteas began cheering and howling and beating to armsWe were, I suppose, about 15 minutes under fire, during which time they killed four and wounded 21 men of ours and of the 15th. There were 150 men of the 15th with us. When we came over the hill and under fire, we were ordered to hold the position for the mortars, but sat down, and let drive his double rifle at the main stockade, which set the men off firing, the buglers sounding " cease firing," and the officers d g the men. They would not, however, be denied, so at last, we took an advanced stockade, the Bhooteas with a rush getting off to the main one without loss. We were again ordered to halt and cease firing, whilst our C. O. went up to look at the stockade. Men began sneaking off, and would not cease firing a shot now and then. When saw so many men coming on he sounded " Advance" and " Commence firing," when the men rushed up, and, getting the gate before the Bhooteas could hook, killed 36 inside. Your humble servant was so done as to the legs, he was only able to walk up within twelve paces of the stockade, and stand wishing very much to get behind a tree or post, but the brave heart keeping the cowardly body from misconducting itself. I assure you bullets don't sound very nice at 'all. Two companies have gone down to camp, two to storm the Bunar stockades, and we of the left wing remain.

Parisian ladies are now busily engaged in mnking clothing for the recently emancipated negroes of America, who arp now in a destitute condition.

Two Chinese were brought before the court, at Melbourne, for keeping unregistered lodging houses, namely, Hi Chung, 61 Little Bourke street east, and John O Hoy, No. 74 Little Bourke street east. In tlie first case the inspctor stated that, on examining the house, he found 39 Chinese sleeping in one of the rooms. The defendant said that since the inspection had been made all the lodgers had left the house, and the information was therefore dismissed. In the case of John O Hoy, the insp cior state 1 that he had found 37 lodgers in the house, and the premises y-ere in a most filthy condition. The bench flned the defendant £5, with 12s 6d costs. An American paper gives, as the last swindling dodge, an account of the pretended suicide at an hotel of a well-dressed young man, who, after writing to the landlord that he has taken poison, receives the consolation of a clergyman, the stomach pump of a doctor, some cash from sympathising friends, and then leaves by the first train to lie at the point of death somewhere else An English mercantile correspondent of a firm engaged in trade in Melbourne writes on the subject of the tariff as follows :-— " We have been in a little perplexity to know what to do regarding , as they will be affected by your protective tariff. It seems strange that the children should be adopting a policy which the wisest and best of their fathers have but recently repudiated with such signal advantages. Even our immovable Tories would now repudiate protection as the greatest curse that a commercial community could inflict upon themselves.