INDIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XI, Issue 686, 4 June 1859, Page 3

INDIA.

(From a Correspondent of the Melbourne Argus.)

Calcutta, March 9.1859,

I regret-to say that the Begum, the Natia, and Tantia Topia are all still at large; the two former in Nepaul (where it is said, Jung Bahadoor has offered terms to the, Begnm, on the surrender of the Nana), and the latter in Bundelcund; Our force, which crossed the Nepaul: territory on the 9th ult., does not seem to have done much more since the slight engagement which I mentioned in my last, after which Brigadier Horsford led the main body hack to the Oude, sending a wing of the Punjaub Rifles in pursuit, who found the road strewed with discarded baggage and arms for upwards of 30 miles, and are now, by the last accounts, only 35 miles from the enemy, who is entrenched in a very strong position. „ Tantia Topee, although deserted by many of his followers^ and without artillery, is still as iictive as ever,; and as : troublesome as his means allow of. The last authentic news of him is that,he left the main body of his force under Feroze Shah, one of the ex-King of Delhi's family, and in disguise reached Chendaree, on the banks of the Betwa, to'endeavour to raise the disaffected in Bundelcund, where there is a very strong feeling against us. In the meantime, his force, with Feroze Shah, managed to penetrate the Chutter Boojh pass, and march to Burra Shadrie, where they were checked by Brigadier Somerset, when'they offered to make terms. Three days were given them whether they would come in. under the amnesty (why such delay, seems strange and inexplicable), and the result of their determination is not yet lmown. I may mention here that some uneasiness is felt from the following incident, which fully shows the danger of arming fresh native levies which I have always deprecated, in common with many of move knowledge and Indian experience than myself. The Subadar-Major of the 58th Sepoys (a disarmed regiment) received a letter by post, which purported to come from the 18th Irregular Cavalry, calling upon him to stir the regiment up to.mutiny, and offering that the 18th and 2nd should join immediately they commenced to break out. Luckily for us the Subadar was true to his salt, and gave up the letter to his officers. The 18th was paraded, and the native officers of the regiment offered 1000 rupees (£100), for the discovery of the author of the letter. No information was obtained, but two hours after one of the troopers shot himself, and a copy of the letter and other mutinous documents were found in his quarters. A straw shows how the wind blows, and although this attempt was frustrated by the loyalty of one man we cannot always expect that such should be the case. As the f Friend of India' well remarks: "We still tread on volcanic ashes." Another painful occurrence illustrating the feelings of the people, has also just been made public. Mr. Evans and his assistant engineer, Mr. Limnell, both employed on the Jubbulpore Railway, went out on their usual duties, with an escort of 28 sowars, when they were suddenly surrounded by a large body of rebels, their escort fled, and poor Evans was murdered, and Mr. Limnell seized and forced to carry his friend's head for miles'. The trunk of poor Evans was discovered but no trace, of Mr. Limnell has yet been found.

I am happy to say that, as far as we can judge, all goes on well in Oude. Up to the 12th of Feb., (the date of the last return), 756 forts had been destroyed, and 258 more were about to be so, whilst 600,000 arras of all kinds had been taken, of which 178 were cannons, and 6,000 sepoys had surrendered under the amnesty. At the .same time, £500,000 revenue had been collected in the province. Lord Clyde does not go home, as was reported, but spends the hot season at Simla, the climate of which place is nearly as exhilarating as any in Europe. "

I mentioned in my last that our" Indian finances were in an uncertain and fluctuating state. Since then Lord Canning has come out with a plain unvarnished tale, in the shape of a government notification, showing that the total debt on account of the mutinies will reach the enormous sum of sixteen millions. To be added to this there is eight millions, and ten more urgently required, and about to be raised at home; making—as financiers would say—a grand total of £34,000,000, and giving in a lump sum a yearly interest of £1,700,000.

I give you a list of the following regiments which, have appeared in orders for England and Madras: —9th Royal Lancers, 14th Light Dragoons, 2nd battalion Military Train, Naval Brigade, (sailed, Pearl; 10th Foot, 20th Foot, 32nd Foot; 61st Foot, 78th Foot, 84th Foot, 86th Foot, (embarked) Ist Fusilliers.

From the Overland summary of the ' Bombay Standard' we extract the following:—

THE LAST EEBEL CHIEFS,

The rebellion, as represented by Tantia Topee, Feroze Shah, and their adherents in various parts of India, is now at the lowest ebb. We no longer hear of large bodies of insurgents marching through the disaffected districts. The pursuit to which these men have been subjected, the hardships they have endured, appear to have completely disheartened them. The large bands have separated. The chiefs are in concealment, and like the lowest criminals, are hiding their identity 'under assumed names. ..Since Tantia Topee arrived at Kerowlee, where he is said to have assumed the name of Earn Singh, nothing certain has been i heard of him. Letters from Jhansi, however, speak of one Jeet Jung having appeared on the 26th February with 200 followers, before Garrota, one of the forts captured by Sir Hugh Rose in the last campaign in Centi-al India. It is not impossibly that Jeet Jung and Tantia Topee, alias Rain Singh;ave one arid the same person. Since Feroze Shall reached the frontier ofßhopal with the Rao and Adil Mtihomed, he also has gone intb concealment, jwhile the Rao and Adil Mahomed proceeding towards Bhilsa with a band reduced to 1500 men, put to flight a body of newly raised Sebundies belonging tb the Maharajah of Gwalior/s army, and took from\ them four unserviceable .gun's. From Bhilsa, we learn by a tklegram-dated Indore, March the] 6th, that they turned north-eaHsyard through Spronj, and took refuge on the 4th in the jungles of that place. Frightened ; by the approach of a detachment,.under Colonel Rich, they fled again, across :the ..Grand Trunk Road towards Beora, leaviig behind them the guns taken near Bliilsa. Col. Somerset lay with his brigade at that time near Bej>ra, and Colonel De Sallis, who has succeeded Brigadier Smith, was at no great distance on the Parbutjee, near Bursud. In the Banda and Julouh districtsithe rebel chiefs who for months have held out tliipe remain as yet unmolested, arid one of them,.Huanunt Sing, Sirdar of Rewah, succeeded, on the 2th of February, in? surprising and murdering Mr. Evans, chief engineer, and Mr. Limnell, district engineer,; of the Jubbulpore and /Allahabad Railwiy. A detachment of H.M.s 97th'went out from Kirwee to the scene of the murder, which is 24 miles from the latter place. In Berai", the rebus having been completely rooted out, there remans nothing further to be done. Sir Hugh Ros has accordingly returned to Aliinednuggar. Thj troops are ail going into summer .quarters. Cjlonel Call, with the head-quarters of the Royal lish, branched off for Sholapoor from Hingblee, and he remainder of the troops were pouring into Jailnah as fast as they could, en route to Poona, aid (as far as regards the officers) to the Hilla. |ix cothpanies of the Royal Irish are to garrisbji Jaulnah until Madras troops can come, but as 'lie: latter are at Hingolee and dispersed "all over tfe country, it may I remain a Bombay station for sojie timato come.

Barracks are about to be built in the cantonments for a large number of Europeans. OUDE. The state of the frontier of Oude remains unaltered. Nothing more has been heard of th(3 fugitive rebels in Nepaul, but Brigadier Horsftml has fallen back from his advanced position on the, Rap-, tee to Baraitch. It seems the policy of Government now merely to watch the the frontier, and to trust to time, and to the Ghoorkas of Jung Bahadoor, to disperse the insurgents under the Begum, the Nana, and Beni Madho. Lord Clyde, whose health is. still bad, left Lucknow on the Ist of March for Simla. ■ punjaub. The only intelligence from this province is that of the departure of Sir John Lawrence, and the arrival of Mr. Montgomery on the same day, the 25th of February. THE CHIEF OP JUMKHUNDEE. This chief, who had long been confined for participation in the insurrection movements of the Southern Mauratta country, has been released, and is now at Beigaum. Although the Government of Lord Elphinstone have no doubt whatever of his guilt, they have thought it better to bring the case of the Rajah of Jumkhundee under the clause of the amnesty. The result has been, however an outcry on the part of the chief's friends, who affect to be highly indignant that he should not have been tried, and who are loud in their declarations of his innocence. The statements which appeared to that effect in some of the journals of this presidency induced Mr. Lockett, the assistant to the political agent in the Southern Mahratta country, without consulting the Government here, to make a public statement of the causes which led to the Chief's incarceration. Mr. Locketfc took the Chief to this meeting, in his own carriage, and addressing the multitude from his seat, read a long address in English, which was afterwards translated to the people in Mahratta. It is impossible that so vast a concourse can have heard Mr. Lockett's declaration, and there is reason to believe that, that the majority of those present seeing the Chief by Mr. Lockett's side, conceived that the day's proceedings were in honor, not in condemnation of that person. Mr. Lockett's speech, and the facts of the case against the Chief Jumkhundee, will be found in another part of our columns. . ; ■■-••■-.■. LATEST NEWS. We learn from Indore under date the Bth instant, that H. Mi's 86th arrived on that day. The rebels were scattered in five or six separate parties^ some wanting to surrender, and all disheartened. They, are now making towards Seronj, and if they can only be brought or driven to collect together they will speedily be dealt with. We have a letter from Camp Seronj of the 3rd" instant, saying that Colonel Rich's column left Goonah on the Ist and arrived at Seronj on the 2nd. The rebels were within 20 miles and immediate efforts were about to be made to surround them.