THE WAR IN ACHEEN.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 154, 27 June 1873, Page 4

THE WAR IN ACHEEN.

' "-" T }XJFrs>mthe Straits. Times, April 24), * I v ' ' THe principal event of the fortnight has failure of tho Dutch expedition 'V^agaiust' Acheen." to easy -conquests over the native rulers, the - Netherlands Indian Government have, in . . the present Mnsfance, greatly under-esti-mated/'tbe valor "ant! - strength of the I -Axsbjnese; and though ihey despatched , an -imposing - force, consisting of some 4 half-a-dozen^ men-of-war, six merchant ; y {--learners, and, five-sailing, ships as tranc- -~ ports for troops «nd provisions, conveying a force some 5000 strong, they have a; most disastrous defeat, and have y beenobliged Jto beat a retreat, leaving the y\ Achinese masters of tbe situation. All ■ /.the' circumstances connected with this 'expedition, from-its inception fo its clqse', lead to'the suspicion that, tbe policy of the " Netherlands Indian Government was pre- " meditatedly 'aggressive. The greatest ♦• possible Becrecy was observed with regard to the preparation, the strength of the * ' expedition,. and the policy to be pursued. Vy-'Mr -Niewenbuyzen, vice-president of tho / N v I. Council, was sent in advance to j>resenV au ultimatum to the Sultan of ; ' " Acheen,-tbe.terms of which-are not even ?y>t-yet~made public, but which, if we may 'T^judge -from the manifesto -by which the ~f- commissioner declared War against that y Kingdom, imperatively demanded that the_ " - -,-Saltati ebouljj maintain " peace and order y-' among -the rulers of his dependencies. '' V The^ commission J made their first .demand 1 tttonathey_2nd -March, and' a second one -' on the -24th. 'The Sultan made no -"- but, the manifesto says, prepared wjm\ ' ' Poßsi^Jy the, terms of tbe -;., rdema-d, "or news of* the coming expedition, 4y4 -HrMch^wasthen well on its way, influenced course/" On the _6th March, ' v^the^Vommissioner/ declared war against . "-'-!, _kcheen, and the men-of-war threw shells <. <-pin.to the-fo^ifications on' shore. On the sth Acheen, and ou .V^tfc£,"j6th*.'4oO men landed to reconnoitre, .-*' -" yia-embarking- the same day. On the Blh, 4. ? : ajlvt_e trooj-s^ landed, and the Achinese '- ''Vgave'. ,them* battle, but after severe '*-V yfjfthting^ retired within their stockades. '^-Tfre.DjitcK fought hard tp drive them out "of»'.ith|Be stockades, and .the ships bomi' ba^(l|cl "tWra 'furiously,' but stili they held v.Qa the - 9ih. a breach was made in >o"_nje' of • the . forts by the shells from the 'Vsjbips, and'the -Dutch troops rushed in to ,'stprm it only to find-it deserted.' The fort had an armament of twelve heavy guns. „ The -Achinese fought with great bravery, , ,-O'Aeihg, it is said, all dressed in white, ~;.Vwhieh- with them means preparation for \ ftTeath'-r The Dutch troops then commenced . 4 f 4 their; march** to wards j the Sultan's palace — " y Kraton, as it iscalled by the natives — and yy on;.;the .-14th < they attacked this place, y>w_lchyis"strongly~ fortified; The Achinese y^yfought -WitfcTdesperation, and though the "'yp jsjucceeded in gaining' standing -'s^B?^^ W c * n ® "'P art of the fortification, y|ps^£lQßt- their commander, MsJor-G-eneral^' 44<'4Ko%\'^t > jpJbo wasy shot through the breast. ' yTjh'hVwas a serious blow to. them, and his "' lpss/80" dispirited," the troops that the Achinese succeeded in driving them back • ' to tbe brach, and '.f we may credit the \4 latest telegrams from Penang, ultimately ~ y into their ships and away from the place \y? •altogether; Yesterday's telegram says the^ abandoned until autumn, the , -irjoiops bein^-sent to Deli and Padang to ■/'^jyreVe&t any- risings in these places, but "4 yiM^olbjekade is to be 'continued by the ' , -meE-of-war. It will, ; however, probably, A J "be only- a nominal one, and if not effective 'it will most likely ha^ve to be raised altogether. 'The, Achine.se under arms num--4 ber&d, , ;it -is _said, v 'about- |o'ooo in the "".'■ >-JS_ltßa's" -"''pftla'ee -alone, "while ic was y there were at least 20,000 more 1 jungle. 1 It' is asserted that all the '<• Tuie'^-jja Northern Sumatra will side with., _h§^ D ao^ a^ n ' 1 ' B " '^ B f enee - The , t _Hteerlands r J Indian Government, owing f HRe failure of this expedition, is just I _^r u °. rnost unenviable positiou, and 1 j^ess it perseyeresjn its determination to the iVc*bin^ ; t;, --/ill t> u hkely to I -f_ : |.\er?rn" , .j dilfioaliy in the intioagement ,0% it*s^po**if;s*ionß in jSumatra, if not in J -jJax^-ak well. Meanwhile 'he r -yv season l - , J^**-|y ße^-' -^ - A<'heeii T* ann __ f'u rr h-n opera--4 Aiiptik &m &4iid to be impdssibla present. -iTh% Aebkicjsa %vill probpbiy uvail themjselves 6L thy refpi^j n** i-ender their r position stronger, an6T~being a warlike * race,* their subjugation will be a difficult i- and wearisome task, which will cost "much ' . blood and treasure.