INDIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 674, 23 April 1859, Page 3

INDIA.

(From the Calcutta'corresponderit of,the ' Argus.') ''" '■■"■']■ ,;: , Calcutta, February 9.'

I have Allowed more than the usiiaPtime to elapse •without s'ending;:by-pe'riodical,in "the hope, which 'I am happy-to i say' is: realised, of giving-the glad ■tidings of peace ibeing; restored in India.: Tantia Topee is now the pnly rebel pf any npte in arms, ■with the exceptipti of , ; the cowardly and treacherous; Nana, and, withregard'to ihini,4t is rumored that they are one and the'same person, under different names; this.ihow'everj.is-' not authenticated, and as far as my own opinion and Information go, is not correct. The great 'fact which] I' riojw haVe to is that'the campaign'in !Oude is dyer, no 'less than ten of the'chief-leaders ofthe rebellion in 'that kingdom-ha:ving-ißiirrendei,ed under the terms pf the auinestyi'twhildt theißegum-has fled irite Nepaul, under 'the i compulsory- escort of heripara-moiir-and a-few blood stained jseppys., ; Jung Bahadoor issaidto :haye:sent her a; message. tOjthe.fp.lowing effect:—!'lf she sought^ death, :it .would .be found in the jungles of Nepaul'j •■^utif she ?w islied for life and honor, he, would r adv.ise her to throw herself, lipori' the . mercy of 'the, British.* Lord • ' Canning has" returned' to' Calcutta'; and Lord Clydfe, it is Baid;'is :abpuV'tb.- rvisit his native 'lieather,'on matrimonial thbughtsuh'fent.' ■ ;'

The fine 61d-nutn; was thrown from; his horse in one of the last'ehgagementsi with the enemy, and; 'broke his collar4b3'ne ; but, with! the! {indomitable; pluck and Bpi-rit:df/-irhighUinder,..hevWaS;9arri i ed / J;o. the front, and never; .allowed himself 'a \ single da^s repose. Some sayt that Sir ftugh Rose'will Lord Clyde as•" Commander-in-Chief,; but.', others: assert with equal cbrifiderice that General 'Mahsfleld is to be the man. : ' '-'.'"• , ( , '

The Governor-General, on his return, was recei-; yed'by all the heads of 'departments, civil and military; in fall'dress,1 ahd^all the troop's of the garrison, iin'ddr arms; but feVr< of thei mercantile- community or learned /turned out" to, do honour to the,first .Vjceroy of-her (Majesty, although-the.men-tal anxiety which v the, son of George Canning has gone through, and the stupeadous diulculties which

he has nrit'only encountered, but,subdued, might well have; earned forgiveness," if not .credit, from; mcii who, if.placed in a similar situation; would have quailed beneath the violence of the storm, andwhose mental faculties (though violent to criticise)' would have shrivelled like a scroll, when a mighty empire was at stake. ; , , : The following notification issued on the 19th of January, speaksfor itself, arid is, as the 'Friend of India' saj's^thelregular modeof announcing that' disturbances have,ceased:— „-.,;;

..The Governor-General is. pleased to notify that, the chief stations.in O'ude, south of the Gbgra.1 namely those of Lucknow, Fyzabad^ Looltapore,Roy, > Bareillyj'■ and Seetapoore;' all the stations of Gorruckpore,. Azungurh,!!and \ Jbnnpqre, of; the Benares, division,.,are ,open for the residence of, ladies and their families. ' , -

The disarming of the population continues, and I sincerely trust will, beicarried OuWnot only in Oude,' but -throughout the whole'off British India. A new, land settlement,^making the chiefs responsible,for a certain amount, of land . ; tax ,for their estates,. has given veny general' satisfaction. It "gives them; great power over their;te'nants; who, of course, -are squeezed like .lemons, and* pay/the zemindar (or squire), something, like double;.; but, the...chief is satisfied with something like cent, per cent., the Government 'are satisfied with their own arrangement, and the";ryots"(or-peasahts);'are satisfied to pay their own; chiefs rather than the hated race of conquering Saxons.i It may interest some of ..your readers to know'that the 10th, 37th, 74th, and 84th Queen's regiments return home at .-'once,', as does PI. M.S; Pearl* whose "gallant brigade of blue jackets, under !thei command of Captain ; Soutlieby;; C. 8., have returned to Calcutta,,and rare to be entertained at; a public dinner this evenings ...,.,. Jhdia; tlie'n, at last, "may be'said to be subdued, but; the' question whichs'arises; to the thoughtful maii is, how,, long willjthe forced'calm last?.t I hesir tate not-to say, but,;for a,ti.me. ; . Gopd government, and:a tv tiiorouglt reform, of ■ theMafussU law court's, giving 5 Cheap1 and speedy justice, may do .'much tbtvaftls' extending -period'of'peace;- but with 160iOOO,'006;of an; antagonistic race to rule, theiday must come again; > when b|oqd ; wiU flow, caused,,it) all probability, bythe underhand: and surreptitious ihflueAWbf Frenchor iiussian'intervention.

''Kut^yestbMay.'^ori' 'board' the' ;butgoing"'mail stesmer whichitakesi this; letter, Iliad1 a'corive'rsatibn vf ith ; t ; he t ;grands6n; f pf Tipppo ?aib,: Prince dplab^Mahoraed,- ; a;hd he;told me,_with a most signifi'daht expressioh?bf 'cphritehahce,'thait lie w'eht' via Marseilles; -and^hopM1 to have ah interview with the'iEmperor;at Paris,ithe descendahtofibis:grands father's stauncb:; friend,. and ially.r-^, Napoleon the Great. A' Russian nobleman, who has lately been travelling Over/India,' gave me some, information upoilthe 'postal 'a'rrarigediehts in 'an ihdigd-plahting district; andithe robbery of the dak, which I sought in-vain to;'obtain [from the: officials. In short, foreign inteiligehceandforeignigoldare by no.means scarce in India • and I ohly'trust tliat the British lion5 may not' be mestnerisedi and'falling into a trance of!'fancied security,-allowlthe'>net:to 'be; gradually and. insensibly drawn around; him" until hopelessly fixedin its toils. „. ..,.....,! ... „t :,,,..,.

v We ihave had a frightful ,flre in the Hoogl^, an a'ccmihtj of :' which I '- annex, extracted' from( the 'Ihdian'Field':—'/ :->- : '■:■■■■

; .'A Destboction Q? the ' Siitlej; by Eiue,—On Thursday evening last, a magnificent ball and supper was given to the W/fe of Calcutta on board, the weU-knbwn' splendid 'screw; steamer Calcutta, byCaptain '- Blackmore and his officers. > - The ship was decorated with • great taste and elegance, and the flags-of all nations were, displayed .to ; great advantage on the quarter-deck. Mr.' Lewis' well known band^discoursed- most eloquent*music, and ' all went hierry as- a ••marriage -'bell.': -But hush! hark! a deep-sound strikes;like ; a-rising knell!' Not far from that igay and happy scene of festivity lay a doomed and fated ship which, in all the majesty of riaval architecture, had called forth the admiration of "all who; -saw her] in calm repose, floating like a sea bird on the river!s ; bosom. < -Alas, the • demon of destruction had. marked her for; his own, and the cry arose 'A-ship, on fire!' Sad, though beautiful, was the awful sight which presented: itself—the Sutlej" burning tothe'water's edge; and the shriek of despair/ mingling in the roar of that .element,-.- all powerful-jto destroy!. Eive souls perished in seekr •ing escape by rushing into the treacherous, river, arid in almost less time than it takes to write this faint and imperfect description the noble vessel was acharred ;and shapeless mass, a thing of; beauty and pf life -no more. /The origin pf the fire',is as yet unkhpwn, but a strict and careful investigation will at once take .place,' and;we have no doubt will show that • spontaneous' cbnibustibn, caused by the1 proximity Jof 'saltpetre, Jute,;;and''other ■■ inflammable substancesj was the. cause of ; this stupendous disaster. Captain-James had been a guest on, board "the.' Calcutta' during the; preceding hours pf.the night, and !we offer him our cordial symap'thyl for the deepdoss which'he and his owners have sustained. A-subscription .list has been opened by Messrs. Peel, Bellairs, and Co., for; the sailors who have been left destitute,;andwe;shall gladly' receive any coritributions vvhich maybe forwarded to us'for ■•their-relief.":^--"1 :~-^'. ■• •■ '-■■■'■■'■ ■■■ v- -!i •'■'••■'•■

„ The; popular vocalist in the colonies, Farquharson, has arrived here,'and.gave, his first concert on Monday evening to a numerous and brilliant audience. As you may expect, he1 achieved an immense success and I sincerely toope that 'he may ■*-shake the farfamed pagoda tree to his utmost satisfaction. „;He tells me that, ihe intends to return to Australia, having, like all who'know it, an affection for. the genuine' landof the free, "the kangaroos,' op possums ahdred gum trees." ' ; s