INDIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 584, 9 June 1858, Page 3

INDIA.

* On carefully perusing our abstracts of Indian news, from %dney filea up to the 18th ult. we , find-the various accounts, both of the operations and -casualties at Lucknow, and the detailed proceedings in other parts of the country, at great variance. This chiefly arises from thfe circumstance of the Government not having published any official despatches or other authenticated intelligence of those operations, up the 9th of April,—-our latest date from India, The correctness of news therefore de« ; pends entirely on the means of information possessed by private writers and ex officio correspondents to the Indian Journals. As an instance of these discrepancies we may state that the losaesat Lucknow are variously recorded at " 112 on our side, unknown of the rebels ;" — ■■•• Loss on our side, 50 officer^, and 700 men ; on the side of the enemy, 3000 killed;"—and "Out total loss about 70 officers, arid 1100 men killed and wounded, and 4000 killed of the enemy. ".'lt appears however, that<after theifall of :Lucknow the army was dispersed to garrison the most important and central positions already conquered. Lucknow receives a garrison of 8000 men, and 10,000 proceed to the Northwest; and the remainder have been detailed to garrisoii Goruckpore, Allahabad, -Benares and Dinapore. "The 65th were to be embarked'for China. A proclamation has been issued by Sthe Government granting an amnesty to the Oude rebels; The sepoys are specially excluded, and so. Are those who assisted at the murder of Europeans; to all others who lay down their arms, it guarantees life and " honor." It is ''affirmedthat a clause declaring the whole landed property of Oude confiscated has been inserted. "TW insertion of this clause seems to have given 4 general dissatisfaction, as its effect would J be a*'mere stultifying of the amnesty ; for; the ; dispersion iof the army renders it impossible to carry: on -war in Oude, and the publication of such* a "document cannot but render peace insecure. : lMr'. h Montgomery, the Judicial Com'missibnerl of !the' Punjaub is to be Chief Commissioner of the Oude. The appointment seems .to give universal satisfaction. Prom all accounts there is not yet any likeli- ] Jiood of an early termination to the war. The unaccountable escape of so many rebels from Lucknow is not clearly explained; but it is generally charged to the false sympathy and vacillating policy of the government, more than to any oversight on the part of the Commander-in-Chief. To show the strength and position of the enemy, arid the progress of events after the fall of Lucknow, we quote the following paragraphs from the ' Friend of India' of the 9thof April:— RoMlcund is entirely in the possession of the j rebels. They are at least 100,000. strong, and to watch their movements Sir Colin Campbell ha 3 wlfal; is called the north-west division of the LucknW army, perhaps 10,000 strong, at present at Lucknow, General Penny's force at Khasgunge, and a force under Colonel Carmichael at Roorkee. These forces admit of concentration but any concentration would also permit the enemy to escape from Rohilcund. The Nana is said to be at Shajehanpore. It is affirmed that he has been imprisoned by his own men, who intend to make their peace by giving him up. The ' reward for his apprehension and safe delivery is a free pardon and a lakh of rupees. Col6nel Rowcroft with his small force of twelve hundred men is encamped opposite to Fyzabad. His position is not an enviable one. Before him is one of the strongest fortresses in Oude with a garrison of thirty thousand men. and behind him a district partially disorganized, All attempts to send him reinfoToeme«.ts have proved in vain. Indeed with the cold weather our usual good fortune seems to be abandoning us. For but a short time since H. M.'s 37th were ordered to Azimgurh to relieve her Majesty's 13th. The regiment was under the command of Colonel Milman; -It appears that officer thought it advisable to-attack a fort called Atrouela. The fort is considerably beyond Azimgurh, and lias already been once in our hands, but was evacuated by Colonel Longden. The attack was entirely unsuccessful, the rebels were in great force, eight thousand strong it is said, and the= 87th were.compelled to retire with terrible loss. They left their camp and baggage in the hands of the enemy, and fell back in one forced march forty miles. Major Dames had his horse shot under him, but was not otherwise hurt; Daptain .Bedford was shot and bayoneted at the commencement of the action. But the Azimgurh defeat is not the only one "we have suffered. About the same time that H. M.'s 37th were to relieve the 13th at Azini;gurgh, so that the latter regiment might proceed to Goruckpore, a detachment of Madras Cavalry, under the command of Colonel Whistler, were ordered out into the Allahabad district to penetrate to Goruckpore by way of Mhow. At Plioolpore they were joined by some Seikhs ! and by a detachment of H. M.'s 54th. They arrived at Mhow on the 21st, and on that day - were marched out. to attack a fort held by; the rebels. Their guides misled them, they fell into an ambuscade and were compelled to retreat. Captain Lees, who commanded the Seikhs, was shot at the commencement of the actton, eleven Seighs were killed and wounded, and six of H. M.'s 54th. The whole affair was badly managed, our tactics being characterised by rashness and indecision. The plunder taken at Lucknow is said to ( have been immense. A captain's share'will, it is affirmed, amount to about twenty-five thou- j sand rupees. Besides, an immense amount of property has been captured that does not figure In the prize agent's returns. Up to a very recent date Lucknow has not been quite safe. To the 24th of March, rebels still continued to hold various quarters of the town, and screening themselves behind buildings, shot at or cut down any stragglers. On the

night of the 22nd of March, two officers, Lieut, Jonathan, Cap. of the 30th N.I. and Lieut. Osbert Thackweli of the 15th N. 1., were captured by the rebels in the city. They were both of them killed and their heads cut off as trophies. On the next day a detachment of troops was sent into Lucknow to clear the city. The detachment was partially successful, but two officers were killed.

Bundelcund is in rather a worse state of disorganization than any of the North Western Provinces. The Governor-General has awoke to the necessity of protecting friendly, chiefs, if at least he would retain their alliance. He has therefore ordered General Whitlock's force to Punnah in order to protect that Rajah's territories. The Rajah himself we are glad to say, has not yet been seized by the rebels. ' When last heard of, he was besieged at Cherfeari, and there seemed but little prospect of his being able to hold out much longer. Indeed so imminent was his peril that he had gone so far as to subsidize the enemy. But the approach of General Whitlock's column frightened the rebels who hastily raised the siege. On the 23rd of March, General Whitlock's column was at Huttah, about 60 miles to the east of Saugor. General Whitlock will limit his operations strictly to the protection of the friendly chiefs; it is upon General Rose's division that the re-subjugation of Bundelcund depends. On the 26th of March his force was before Jhansi. The fort was invested and a few batteries were opened. The shelling of the fort and town continued from that time without intermission until the 29th of March; on that day a large body of the rebels

moved out from Burwur Sangor in Bundelcund,

crossed the Betwah during the night, and took up a strong position in the rear of the British camp.. Sir Hugh Rose had perfect intelligence of all their motions, arid on the morning of the next day moved out to attack the enemy with a portion of his force. The remainder he left to prevent all egress from the town and fort anjd to carry on the bombardment. By these judicious operations the besieged were effectually prevented from making a diversion in favour of the enemy, or of effecting their own escape. The rebels , held their position until their flank was turned, and then they commenced their retreat; hut the river was in their rear, and Major Orr in their front. That offiqer pressed the enemy clssely and succeeded by a brilliant cavalry charge in capturing aa eighteen pounder gun drawn by two elephants. On the whole, eleven guns were captured, and the enemy driven with great loss across the river. A great portion, of the rebels consisted of sepoys belonging to the Gwalior Contingent, and as these flel with less precipitation than the rest, their loss was proportionately severe. On our side no officer was killed. The bombardment was continued; on the 2nd of April the town was taken by escalade, and on the 3rd, the fort, with all its guns and stores, was captured. Some of its defenders managed to effect their escape, and the force at Culpee, swelled by fugitives from Jhansi, has assumed rather a formidable aspect. General Roberts reached Kotah on the 22nd of March. He encamped about a mile from the city and three quarters of a mile from the Chumbul. The rebels held then the opposite bank of the river. Half of the city and the Fort were occupied by the Maho Roa and his allies. The remaining half was in the hands of the enemy. The Maho Roa had come into the British camp. On the 23rd the enemy's fire slackened, and on the 31st of March the city was carried by assault. The force under General Roberts did not suffer much in the assault, there being only 25 casualties. Amongst the wounded were Lieut, j Cameron, of H.M.s 72nd Highlanders, and Liput. Hancock, of the Engineers. 1 On the 24th of Marcli the Governor-General opened the railway as far as Futtehpore. The line, it is said, will soon be complete as far as Cawnpore. The * Madras Spectator,' of April 6th, says:— Intelligence has been received at Calcutta of General Grant having fallen in with the fugitives from Lucknow. At first they made a desperate resistance, but after a short though obstinate fight they were defeated with great slaughter and the capture of 12 guns. Ex-Commissioner Yeh is in Calcutta, within the Fort. Commodious and comfortable quarters have been assigned to him, and he is subjected , to no restraint, being aj large upon his parole. The Governor-General remains up country still, and rumour has it that the movements and councils of the military authorities are in some degree hampered by his presence and influence there.

The correspondent of the ' Empire' writes on the 22nd of Maceh:—" Disturbances have broken out at Etwah, and a> large body of rebels have entered the Futtehgheer district. We have yet plenty of work before us in India for at least a year or two to come. The King of Delhi's trial is over, but sentence not yet announced. The force of rebels at Kotah amount to 8000 men and 100 guns. There are disturbances also in Burmah." The following graphic description of the siege and taking of Lucknow is given by a correspondent to the * Phoenix' (Calcutta paper.) The

writer, it will be observed, quotes the highest

figure of casualities; and it is to be feared from v the circumstancial confirmation of his details, that he is nearest correct:— " After the defeat and dispersion of the troops of the Nuwab of Furruckabad and the capture lof his stronghold at Euttegurh, the Coinmander-in-Chief remained at the latter place for a considerable time, organising the force which was destined to crush the rebels of Lucknow, and waiting for the siege guns and ammunition, which were despatched from the magazines of Agra and Delhi. Captain Taylor, of the Engineers, well known for his able management of the attack on Delhi, was meanwhile despatched to Alumbagh, to.report as far as possible on the nature of the enemy's defences and to organise an engineer equipment at Cawnpore for the ap« proaching siege. On the receipt, of the guns and ammunition the chief moved down to Cawnpore—part of the force crossed the river ou the 12th February, and the greater portion of the army was quartered in three real camps "on the road to Lucknow, at Oonao, Nmvabgunge, iind Bunnce, besides the force which had originally been,left at Alumbagh, under Sir James Outram. Head quarters, kewever, still remained at

Cawnpore, and the army continued inactive during the remainder of the month—partly on account of the large convoy of women and children, which was moving down country—partly to await the near approach of Jung Bahadoor and his Goorkhas—iind of tfie force under Gen li ranks— and partly to watch the proceedings of the mutineers at Calpes, who threatened to cross the Ganges, and again disturb the tranquillity of the Doab. The whole of the Engineer Brigade had, however, joined General Qutram by the 15th February, and were busily at work in preparing siege materials." ,;,-« At length on the 2nd of March*' Sir Colin Campbell and a considerable portion of the force arrived Jat Alurabagh, and marching straight away to the right front, occupied the Dilkoosha .palace and park, after a sharp skirmish,'and 'formed his encampment there with his right resting on the Gomtee.

On the following day the siege train, the Engineer Brigade, and the rest of the force followed, and active operations were at once undertaken.

Before entering on a description of the siege, it "will be necessary to give some account of the city and of the nature of its defences. The city of Lucknow stretches along the right bank of the Gomtee, running norfch-west and southeast for the greater portion of its extent, until the river making a sudden bend to the right winds round close to the Martiniere, and then runs off in a southerly direction. The south-east extremity of the town is terminated by a nullah, a canal, which, running east and west, joins the river close to the Martiniere.

On the west and south-west sides the town ' has no defined boundary. Opposite the re-entering angle formed by the aboveinentioned bend of the Gomtee, lies the Chutter Munzil, or Old Palace; and between the crowded city and the wide sweep of the river to the right lie a number of palaces and gardens, which^have been the scene of "nearly all the fighting that has taken place. The r Huzrutgunge forms ..the boundary street between-'these suburbs and the city itself, and leads directly from the Martiniere and Dilkoosha, crossing the canal by. two v pucka bridges to the Begum's Palace, the"* Imam Bara, several other large houses, to the New Palace in the Kaiser Bagh, the Chutter Munzil on the bank of the river, the Residency, * and the Muchee Bawun.

Above the bend, the river is spanned by two bridges of iron and stone respectively, and below it was usually crossed fey a bridge of boats ngar the Sekundra Bagh, which led to the Fyzabad Road, but which was of course removed by the enemy previous to our arrival.

The city is not enclosed by a fortified wall as was Delhi, but the enemy had well supplied its place, and. a town of an area of 10 square miles, capable of containing 600,000 inhabitants, full of narrow streets and high houses is in itself a a strong fortress. Conjecturing rightly that, our attack would be directed towards the suburbs above mentioned, instead of involving our troops in a series of street combat*, no labour had been spared since the evacuation of the Residency in November to fortify and strengthen this part of the position. Three distinct lines of earthworks intervened between the Martiniere and the Kaiser Bagh, the first stretching along the canal itself (which served as a wet ditch), from the river to Bank's House, the second in front of the Motee Mahal, and the Messhouse from the river to Enaam, Bara, the third defending the Kaiser Bagh itself; all consisted of a massive rampari with well constructed bastion at intervals, defending the approaches by the main roads, with a wide and deep ditch outside. Besides these lines, however, almost every house and enclosure had been carefully loopholed and fortified, with good counter guards in front of the gateways, while isolated bastions, stockades and traverses across the principal streets were multiplied in every direction. To defend these the enemy had about a hundred guns and mortars of various sizes, and a force' variously estimated at from 40,000 to 80,000 men. The besieging force, after the junction of the columns of General Franks and Jung Bahadoor, numbered 30,000 men, of whom IS,OOO were Europeans, with 85 heavy guns and mortars.

The project of attack on these formidable works was ably conceived and skillfully executed. It was resolved to throw a strong force across to the left bank of the river, which should invest the city on that side, and, by the erection of powerful batteries, should tak« the enemy's lines of works in enfilade and reverse, at the same time the main attack was to be directed on the left to sieze the line of strong buildings along the Huzrugunge, which commanded the suburbs on the right, and the town itself on the left. By this also the lines of works would be turned on the left as well, so that the enemy outflanked on both sides and threatened in front would be compelled to give way without any direct attack on his main works.

On the nights of the 4th and sth of March, two bridges of casks were thrown across the river some distance below the Martiniere, and lon the morning of the 6th, General Outram crossed over with "Walpole's division of infantry, .and a powerful force of cavalry and guns. Very j. little obstruction was experienced from the f enemy during this operation, and in the course lof the day, Outram, sweeping the gardens and ' villages on that side, clear of the enemy, established himself in a strong position near the Race Stand.

On the two following days batteries were established to silence the fire of the guns at the Martiniere and those that were troublesome on the first line of works, and a powerful battery was also established across the river to infiiade this line. On the 9th the Martiniere was stormed and taken, with slight resistance from the enemy, and on the following day Pandy found his "first line of entrenchments too hot for him, and abandoning it, retreated to his second line. The first line of vtsrks was thus occupied, and our left securely rested on Bank's house.

On the morning of the 11th, the Secundra Bat>h (the scene of the terrible slaughter that took place on the former advance of the Com-mander-in-Chief towards the Residency) was taken possession of without opposition. The formidable S-inch guns of the Naval Brigade had been smashing everything before them on the afternoon of the 11th, its capture was at

once resolved upon. To the 93rd Highlanders and the 3rd Punjaub Itifles the work was entrusted, and well was it performed. The ditch outside the breach was passed, and, in spite of a determined resistance, our entrance was made good—and more than 500 dead bodies of the enemy, counted inside, told how terrible was the reckoning taken. Our loss this day on both Bides of the river was about 150. Amongst the killed was unfortunately the gallant Hodson, who had gone as an amateur to the fio-ht Moorsom, of the Quarter-Master General's Department also fell—and Captain Taylor, of the -bngmeers, was amongst the wounded On the 12th and 13th the shelling of the palace and adjoining buildings were continued and our progress through the adjacent buildings beyond the Begum's Palace, was slow but steady. On the 14th a column of assauife was formed at 6 a.m., to storm the Imam Bara. The breach was not practicable, however, until nearly 9 o'clock, and a hot fire of musketry was maintained from the enclosure and neighbouring buildings, while the guns were at work. At length the word for advance was given, and Major Brasyer, at the head of his Sikhs, rushed through the opening—the rest of the column rapidly followed; Pandy was driven on with headlong rapidity, and comxjelled to abandon position after position in rapid succession. A continuous rattle of musketry from street and house, and a series of desultory fights along the whole line of the advance marked the next four ' hours, and at 2 p.m. our troops found themselves rather to their own astonishment, in possession of the Kaiser Bagh. The engineers, with the Sappers, were busily employed in securing our advanced position, and opening up our communications with the rear, and general Franks, whose European brigade principally bore the share of the day's .work, rapidly bore up his troops, and occupied all the important points between the left and the river, which had been : turned by our attack and precipitately abandoned by the enemy. So rapid had been the pursuit that many Pandies had no time to clear out of the different houses, and we lost many men ,by shots from concealed enemies, long- after we 'were in possession of many of the buildings. The enemy also managed to explode a mine which did some damage, and two accidental explosions of loose powder also caused several casualties. Our total loss this day was nearly 200, but fhe results obtained had been immense—lo guns and mortars, most of the magazines and treasure, and an immense number of killed were only part of the fruits of the day's -work—the whole of the formidable lines of "works were turned, and in our possession, and the enemy was flying in all directions |o escape from the devoted city. The loth wasAemployed in securing our important advance. On the 16th, part of Outram's force crossed by the bridge of casks, which had been brought up close to the Secundra Bagh, and took possession, with slight loss, of ou* old position at the Residency and the Muphee Bawun. On the 17th the G-oorkhas, who had hitherto held the line of the canal between our left and the. Charbagh bridge, opposite Alumbagh, were pushed forward, and occupied with their pickets the main line of road through the city to the Eesidency On the same 4 day a disastrous explosion of powder cost the lives of two distinguished young engineer officers (Captain Clarke, R.E., and Lieutenant Brownlow, RE.,) and of 20 or 30 men of the Eoyal EngiI neers and Brasyer's Sikhs. On the 19th a force under General Outram, consisting of the 77th Highlanders, the 23rd Foot, and the*3nd Punjaub Infantry, with the 9th Lancers and some Horse Artillery, marched to the Moosa Bagh on the north-west side of the city, where the enemy were preparing to make a final stand. It was found that about 6000 men with several guns had taken up a position in the open—they did not however remain long—after a few rounds from the Horse Artillery they fled and were pursued by the Cavalry for'five miles; fourteen guns were captured and"the whole force dispersed. All organised resistance had now ceased, but such a T vast area of houses could not be held.by our troops without great inconveni ience, and the inhabitants were invited to return and ransem the rest of the town—nests of rebels however still existed. One of these was attacked on the 21st by the 4th Punjaub Infantry, who suffered severely in their attempts to capture a gun in a narrow street, —Major Wilde, the Commandant, and Captain Hood, the second in command, being severely wounded. The positions were subsequent!}' forced by the 93rd, who killed 140 of the enemy and captured 3 guns. The same evening two young officers, Messrs. Cape and Thackwell, straying into the town beyond our pickets, were murdered. On the 23rd, a force, under General Grant, proceeded on a three days' expedition to disperse some rebels iv the neighbourhood towards Scetapore—ls guns were captured and 200 men slain. One officer, Macdonnol. of the 2nd Punjaub Cavalry, was killed in this aifair. On the 24th the Grand Army began to break up—the Goorkhas marching towards Fysabad, and the siege of Lucknow may be considered to have terminated. Our total loss was about 70 officers and 1100 men killed and wounded—that of the enemy itis impossible to compute—but it could not have been less than 4000 killed. In comparing this siege with that of Delhi— two great differences present themselves. One. the contrast between the small besieging force of Delhi—barely 9000 strong —worn out with three months of incessant and Itarrassing combats— and the splendid force of 30,000 men before Lucknow, flushed by a long series of victories— under their able leaders. The other—the differences between the powerful artillery and ordnance stores, drawn by the rebels from the Delhi magazine, and the miserable collection of guns and mortars and bad ammunition they mustered at Tjiicknow. Pandy, too, had been beaten so often, that he apparently had lost all confidence in himself and his own arrangements, arid after bestowing vast labour on his fortifications, abandoned position after position with scarcely a struggle; nevertheless it was the masterly arrangements of the attack that principally paralysed the defence; and it was as mnch by his own good generalship as by the Bravery of his •troops, that

the Commander-in-Chief obtained such great results with so Little loss.

The Sydney' Empire' acknowledges the receipt of English papers by the Australasian up to the 25th of March, though the regular mail had been closed on the 16th.

The colonial wool sales commenced on the 25th February, and closed on the 13th March. The abstracts of the prices realised by the Australian wool, published in the Sydney papers, exhibit a languid and irregular market. The report of the ' Home News,' on the day of closing, will be found elsewhere.

On the Ist of March the Earl of .Derby made his statement of the Ministerial policy he meant to pursue. After the usual explanation of the circumstances that had caused a change of Ministry, and expressing his hope of receiving parliament?, ry support, the new Premier proceeded as follow 5:—

The fo reign policy of the Government generally would be directed to the maintenance of friendly relations with all powers great and small; it would neither take a tone of haughty intimidation nor of servile submission. But of ail our alliances, if there was one they should more than another seek'to maintain, it was the alliance with our nearest neighbour—the powerful empire of France. Everything rendered a good understanding between England and France necessary to the peace of the world, which was endangered by any quarrel or even coolness between them. That was the best government for France which best suited the temper and disposition of its people, but it was most important that it should not be subject to per- ( petual changes. It was with this feeling he rejoiced that the Emperor and Empress had escaped the recent peril of assassination —an attempt attended with every circumstance that could aggravate the crime of such a dastardly | attack. If the case had been reversed and a | similar attempt had beSn made on the life of her j Majesty, what would have been the feeling of | this country? Especially if it became known j that it -was made by foreigners who had abused ! the hospitality of a neighbouring country? UnI der such circumstances the expressions of feeling should not be nicely scanned, though he did not think the sentiments of some of the addresses of the French colonels represented the general feeling towards this country of the great and noble array of France, because true valour never indulged in bombast. As to the foreign exiles in England, although the law provided- penalties for crime committed here, it was impossible to put the law in force without an overt act. It was most unfortunate that, together with the bill introduced by the late Government, a despatch was made public, unaccompanied by any answer or explanation. That despatch wouftl now be answered, and, he trusted, in a manner that would remove all irritation from the minds of the people of this country. An explanation i would be asked of the French Government, and I the result he believed would be satisfactory, and i Government would then be enabled to proceed j deliberately to the amendment of the law. Under

i all circumstances, and -without distinction, the I right of asylum ■would be maintained inviolable; but it w;is an intolerable grievance that persons having- the protection should by their acts inj voive or embroil England with its allies. As to ! the home policy of the Government, he first I referred to the Indian Bill". "It certainly was jmy opinion," said the noble Earl, "and the i opinion of those with whom I have the satisfaction to act, that while the state of our Indian empire was such as it was, and while an insurrection "was actually raging, it was not expedient to divert the attention of her Majesty's Government and the East India Company from matters so pressingly in hand, by any attempt to change the system of the home Government of India. But the House of Commons having by a considerable majority, by a majority of 147 in a very full House, affirmed the proposition that it is desirable to enter on the immediate consideration of a measure, the main object of which is the transferring to the Crown the authority hitherto held by the East India Company, I think that that vote has exercised a very great influence on the position of the Company, and that after thatvote the Company could not command the same amount of public confidence and support which it has hitherto possessed; and, therefore, after the best consideration that we have been able to give to the matter, it is the intention of her Majesty's Government to introduce a measure, which is now under the consideration of my noble friend the, President of the Eoard of Control, and which will embody some of the principles of the bill of the late Government, and at the same time be free from some of the objections to which that measure was open. Your lordships will. I am sure, not expect me to go into the detail of a bill which is not yet even framed, but I have thought it necessary for me to say that it is our intention to introduce such a measure." As to an amendment of the present system of representation, he believed the House of Commons, under the last reform biil had fairly represented the people; he should have been satisfied if on a question so exciting no. alteration had been demanded. But for three or four years the demand hud not only been made but promised by successive Governments, and occasionally in speeches from the throne. He would not pledge himself now to introduce any bill of ■st-he kind. But as soon as the pressure of Par liamentary business allowed, he would carefully consider the defects in the existing system of representation, with an earnest desire that thisgreat question should no longer be trifled with. He hoped next session to be able to introduce ameasure which, though it might not please every one, would be accepted as fair and reasonable by impartial and moderate people. In conclusion,, he expressed his sense of incompetence to the task he had undertaken, but trusted it would be found, iv any event, that he had sustained his political character, and "left the interests of the country iv no worse condition than he found thorn.

Ai?6r 13 Jays of examination, the case of the British Bank directors was brought to a dose.. From tlio w;:.y in which the casu was put to the' jury by IjOtJ Campbell it was-almost imptjssihhr for then.i to do otlierw-isc thsin rinJ the defendants guilty. Though'the liiiss/iwiupied su ni:i!)y r d.n Ts to henr, a few words wii.i he sufli.-icnt togive thii pith of the charge. It' the JufbailujiLs.. at the time of making out the balance sij^eet o>

1555, and announcing a dividend of ■6 per cent., were aware that £100,000 of the socalled assets were bad debts, they were clearly guilty of a conspiracy to deceive the public. : ""That they were, or might have been, aware of! "this -was proved from the evidence? The counsel for the defendants urged that it was customary irr banking to place bad debts under the head of •assets, but in such eases'it is supposed that there •is a reserve fund for the purpose of supplying such deficiencies, -whereas in the case of the: British "Bank the reserve fond at that time amounted to^ust £539 Is. 7d. Under these cir- ■ cumstances therefore the jury were forced to "End them guilty, strongly recommending Stapleton, Kennedy, Owen, and Macleod, to the mercy of the Court. The prisoners were called to take their places upon the floor of the court, when Lord Campbell, after some some strong observations, sentenced Brown, Esdaile, and Cameron, to ' be imprisoned for one year in the Queen's prison •With respect to the others it is rather curious to •observe the manner in which the Lord Chief -Justice'apportioned the punisment among them. -'Kennedy he sentenced to nine months' imprison~ment;in 'the Queen's prison, Owen to six months, -and Macleod to three months. As for Staple'ton, Lord Campbell appeared to regard him as an -injured innocent, for he said, " John Staple*ton, the jury have found you guilty, but I cannot conscientiously order you to do more than •pay a fine of one shilling to her Majesty, and be ■discharged." The ' Times' predicts the resignation of Lord ■Canning, and recommends the appointment of •Sir John Lawrence to the Governor-Generalship •of India. No doubt this would be a better sedection than that of Lord Stanley, who, though ■able, is untried in the duties of Government. 'The following deaths have to be noted:—Lord Ayler, Lord B,raybrooke, Mr. Travers the cmi- • nent surgeon, and Mr. Thomas Tooke, F.E.S., the author of the " History of Prices" and other works on similar subjects. The parliamentary enquiry into the charge against Mr. Isaac Butt of having received £10.000 from an Indian Ameer, for advocating his interest in Parliament, resulted in the charge /being not proved; principally on the ground of Mr. Butt being a lawyer, and therefere could :-acce'pt a fee as such. The case has created a great sensation in England, and excited a strong feeling against returning lawyers to parliament. Messrs. Dennistoun and Co., whose suspension -for £2,000,000 was one of the most serious events of the recent crisis, and who subsequently ■arranged to pay in full by instalments, consider themselves in a position to anticipate the payment due on the 31st July on general account, and on the 30th of June on Australian account, .and have stated their readiness to meet the same on the 81st of March. The following are the hew appointments ex--chisive of the Cabinet:—Sir Fitzroy Kelly, Attorney-General; Mr. Cairns, Solicitor-Gene-ral ; Mr. Estcourt Sotheron, President of the Poor Law Board; Mr. Seymour Fitzgerald, Under Foreign Secretary; Colonel Taylor, Mr. Whitmore, and the Earl of Dalkeith, Lords of the "Treasury; the Duke of Montrose, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; the Earl of Caernarvon, Under Colonial Secretary; the Earl of Donoughmore, Vice-President of the Board of. Trade; Mr. Adderley, President of the Board of Education; Mr. Mowbray, M.P. for Durham, Judge Advocate; Mr. Inglis, Lord Advocate (Scotland); the Hon. H. Corry, Secretary of the Admiralty; and Sir W. Jolifi'e and Mr. G. A. Hamilton, joint secretaries of the Treasury. The Court appointments are as follows: Mistress of the Sobes, the Duchess of Manchester; Lord Steward, the Marquis of Exeter; Lord Chamberlain, the Earl Delawarr; Master of the Horse, the Duke of Beaufort; Master of the Buckhounds, the Earl •of Sandwich. The ' Gazette' of the 9th March announces that the Queen has dircted that ie ;ters patent be passed»uuder the Great Seal, granting and de--ciaring that the degress of Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Doctor of Laws, Bachelor of Medicine, and Doctor of ■ Medicine, already granted or conferred, or hereinafter to be granted or conferred by the Senate of the University of Sydney, in the Colony of New South Wales, shall be recognised as academic distinctions and rewards of merit, and be ■entitle.! to rank, precedence, and consideration in the United Kingdom, and in the colonies and possessions of the Crown throughout the world, .as fully as if the said decrees had been granted by any University in the United Kingdom. Tiie Queen has knighted Mr. Richard Dry, late Speaker of the Legislative Council of Tasmania. Dr. Monk, one of the county magistrates for Lancaster, and a deputy-lieutenant, was convicted before Baron Martin, early in March, of forging the will of a poor reed-maker, on whom he attended in his last illness in the capacity of surgeon. He was ordered to be kept in p^nal servitude for life.—The convict banker Bates, who was transported a year or two since with ■ StriOaan and l Janl, b;is been set at liberty—why, the public are not told. In the last year 78 new insurance oSices have been wound up, and 36 ■others have been amalgamated.—Father Conway, the Irish priest at the Mayo election, has been , -brought to trial, but the jury could not agree in their verdict and were discharged. Although na immediate rupture with France is averted, by the withdrawal of the: Emperor's demand; still the irritation on both sides has bueu too deep and keen to be quickly and easily ■effiiced; and Louis Napoleon's pamphlet (as it is called) has not altogether effected its ymvpose of .a natural reconciliation, only so far "as regards the official relations of the two empires. To give our readers some idea of the contents of ihe pamphlet, and its efte--.; -../> public feeling in England, we quote the following communication ;froin the London correspondent to iho 'Empire': Louis Napoleon's paraplilot. or a pamphlet •written expressly under iiis dictation, and for the purpose of setting himself right with England, has be.-v a long time talked about, and has eventually appeared. The first editions were -bought up eagerly by the French people, ami it ..Lai lir.d several cheap translations already in ...this eovmtny. The brochure in question, is called * L'lSmpereur Napoleon 111. et I'Engleterre.' Tins ..production sets forth all that' Louis Napoleon has done for Great Britain during his reign, and .asks, in return, that .we no longer foster his per-

sonal foes. It enumerates, with great nicety, every act of the Emperor which can be construed into a regard for this country, and his alliance with it. It tells us much that we never hesitated to admit, much that we never knew, and, peradventure, much that we are inclined to question. It reminds us how much France was against us when he was President, but he became between this nation and his own. Then came the celebrated Pacifico affair, and he took our side and saved us—heaven knows what! Next the coup d'etat transpired, and although our newspapers called him a murderer for the blood wantonly and unprovokedly shed on the Boulevards, ke pacified his people, and forgave us. After that came the war with Russia. What | did France do not for Europe, not for civilisation, freedom, Turkey, or herself, but for Great Britain then? Did not his soldiers and sailors accompany ours across the Black Sea? Did not his Zouaves come to the rescue of the Guards at Inkerman? And who took the Malakhoff while we failed to hold the Sedan? After this noble and disinterested sort of saci'ifice for Albion, came the Paris conferences, when he actually gave up his own opinions and desires for the sake of strengthening ours. Neither Prance nor the Emperor took umbrage at anything said or done here. The former was kept in check, and the latter remained "impassible." During all this time, the life of the Emperor is attempted nine times, and in our debating rooms, the question is disenssed, whether regicide is permitted under certain circumstances or not. Therefore it is, that France, unable to put j up with this base ingratitude, speaks through the commanding officers of her legions, and insists upon our " behaving properly." The Emperor, obeying the wish of his subjects, allows his minister to act upon their indignation, and demand from us some concession to the popular desire of France, and some gratitude in return^ for the Emperor's magnanimous conduct; at the same time, declaring that it is most anxious to keep upon friendly terms with us, and woiild not insult us or wound our prejudices, or interfere ;with our constitution for the world. This is about the substance of this celebrated pamphlet; and we have certainly discovered, or rather had confirmed what was plain enough to be seen, the fact that France and its Emperor greatly exaggerate our obligations to both, and our estimate of both.

As for the anger of Frenchmen we never cared less for it than we do now and never had less occasion to do so. Invading us would be her certain destruction, whether the troops landed or not. Had she never joined us in the Crimean war, we should have contented ourselves with blockading her ports and taking her fleets had they come out, and surely we were capable of doing that, with a little landing and 'long shore' destruction in the bargain, not but that we had a splendid army in the Crimea when peace was made, and just as France was not improving her forces there. With regard to the actual complaint, it is simply ridiculous—so far as the open discussion of crime goes. When foreigners are caught hatching murder here, they can be punished; and those who have committed it abroad can be given up to their respective governments. I But to gag our spouters at debating clubs, would be to give the men the importance they are denied among us, and to forbid what might be indulged in in any private or public assembly. We may as well attempt to punish the cobler at the corner for laughing at the Lord Mayor in his coach, as debater for holding forth against tyrants. The offence must be put up with—and by being treated with contempt or indifference is no offence at all, and no more recognised than the spleen of an ill-natured cabdriver venting itself upon a passing magistrate by reflections upon • beaks' in general. Louis Napoleon has ' said his say,' and has his answer. Having previously discovered what we will not brook, viz., his or his inferior's insolence, and that we fear them not. And were it necessary for our honour, the whole nation would join in declaring war against France to-morrow, no matter what the cost. Haviug, I say, found out, and tliat pretty clearly, how we can kick a popular Government out of power, for having failed to show becoming resentment when his Ambassador delivered an improper message, he proceeds to explain himself and make his complaint in full—and, what is more,' draw in his I horns.' The Gallic cock has suddenly ceased crowing. Louis Napoleon must not forget that he lias to deal with a people, and not a Sovereign or even a Government. See what an unit the Crown happily becomes in such a difference. The House of Commons becomes all at once the British Isles, and it only does its duty, and what it is made to do, when it echoes public opinion. Whether this pamphlet, which is meant as an appeal to France and England, will terminate this misunderstanding or not remains to be seen. At present it is only provoking replies and eliciting retorts and much else that would not be said but for the remarks in question. It is now asked why Louis Napoleon did not go further back to the time when he was a refugee conspiring in this country. He has fallen foul of Switzerland where he found shelter. He is actually, endeavouring to destroy what was his j own salvation, and may be so again. It is only fair to report that much has transpired against his will, although not without his reluctantly given consent and strongly expressed convictions. Having yielded to "the urgent importunities of his advisers, he has permitted them to try their hands at increasing his security, and through his their own welfare, by re-organising the police and carrying out their own i>lans, instead of doing away with the police altogether as he threatened to do. He will assuredly be able to turn to Count de Morney and other ministers and say, " See what conies of your threats—England flings them back with scorn and defiance, and I am at once unpopular where it was my cherished desire and policy to be admired, or at least approved." It may be with his Majesty as it was with Lord John Russell, when chat statesman was pressed by his supporters to stop the Sunday post. " Try it," said his Lordship. And when it was tried the whole nation rose to condemn it; so the measure was revoked. From that hour "Saints" pestered him no more with proposals for interfering with the custom of the" people on the Lord's Day. They were actually dumb-foundered by the yell of indignation that the majority of the public

raised against their opinions and i»tolerable interference, and to this day are careful not to incur similar reprohation. This pamphlet, as I have endeavoured to ■show, reflects the minds of French rulers and officers iv command. The army will to a great extent endorse it all. But the most "influential men in general, and the Emperor in particular, will have received a check and a lesson. They know where they would be were England, even single-handed, to turn against them, despite the vanity and rashness of Gaul. Russia may sympathise with Trance to be revenged upon us. But there are Prussia, and other States interested in freedom, and Austria cannot afford to stir. War may be very remote, but rely upon this, should it come, it Avill be wide and terrible. MS. RoERUCK, M.P., AND THE FRENCH OOLonels.—We understand that Mr. Roebuck has received a challenge from Count de Ligny, an officer in the French army. The Count gives Mr. Roebuck notice that he will remain in France ready to meet him at any place he may appoint. Plow the honorable and learned member for Sheffield has treated the communication may readily be imagined.— Morning Star.