INDIAN INTELLIGENCE.

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 788, 14 March 1871, Page 2

INDIAN INTELLIGENCE.

(From the Englishman's Overland Mail, Dec. 21 to Jan. 11.) It is announced that the Eussiaus have taken Kokund, and intend to make a cantonment there. Several of the principal men have been sent as prisoners to Eussia. The Governor of Bombay, when on tour, was robbed of a chest containing articles worth 12,000 rupees. The Calcutta races commenced on Saturday, and the Arab Derby was won by Mr Field's The Earl, doing the two miles in 3 min. 51 sec. The death-rate amongst European troops in Madras last year was 23.34 per thousand' Lord Mayo has given a boat to the Martiniere School, to encourage the boys to learn to row. It is said that the Maharajah of Yizianagram, one of the most liberal and enlightened native princes of India, will visit England next year. The Orthodox Hindoos have proved from mauy passages in their Shastras that Hindoos can use the water supplied by the Calcutta Waterworks. Government arc about to send to England for sale 30001bs of Cinchona Bark from the plantations on the Neilgherries. It has been announced that Mr George Campbell has been appointed to succeed Sir "YV. Grey as Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. The reports on the state of the crops iu the Central Provinces continue favorable, but fever was still carrying off numbers of the people. Lieutenant-Colonel Boddam has recommended the cultivation of the sunflower in Mysore, as likely to prove highly remunerative. The Government are about to purchase some land in the Neilgherries for an experimental spice gardens. Two native students have passed 10th and 12 th in the engineering class at the Thomason College. For the first seven months of the year the revenue shows an increase of £1,405,660, aud the expenditure a decrease of £1,382,050, as compared with last year. The Income Tax is not to be entirely taken off, but will probably be reduced to one per cent., and not levied on incomes of less than 1000 rupees a year. At a meeting of the Viceregal Council, Mr Strachey introduced a bill to consolidate and amend the law relating to advances of money by the Government for the improvement of land, to make it nearly identical with the Irish Land Improvement Act. The Government of India have published a most important resolution, to the effect that from the end of the present year the control of the revenue and expenditure of the Gaols, Eegistration, Police, Medical Services (except establishments), Printing, Eoads, Miscellaneous Improvements, and Civil Buildings will be made over to the local Governments. The Government of India will provide an annual sum of £4,688,711 for these branches, allotted proportionally among the local Governments, but the balance, being next year £330,801, will have to bo provided by local taxation. On Saturday last Lord Mayo and a large party of visitors opened tho extension of tho Eastern Bengal Eailway from Khoostea to Goalundo, a distance of forty-four miles towards tho jute and tea-producing districts. News was i*eceivcd on Monday in Calcutta of tho sudden death, wbilo

on a tour, of Sir 11. Durand, Lieu-tentant-Governor of the Punjab, by a fall from his elephant when entering the gates of the Town of Tank, near Dora Ismail Khan. The Calcutta four-oared crew easily defeated the Madras crew in the race on Friday last. It is but fair to add that tho stroke of the Madras crew was by no moans in a fit state of health to row. Liotanant W. B. Adams, of the Royal Artillery, has been sentenced by a court martial to be cashiered for using insubordinate language to his commanding officer. Ho was, however, recommended to mercy on the ground of his stato of health, and the Com-mander-in-chief has remitted the sentence, and ordered him to bo sent to England at once. The reports from the central provinces still continue favourable as regards both the cotton crop and the food grains. Tho King of Burmah has promised all the assistance in his power in opening up the trade with China via Bhamo. Major M'Mahon was shortly to visit lihamo from Mandalay. Mr T. Logan has succeeded in growing 300 lbs of clean cotton per acre, from common country seed, near Delhi. Forty-eight Government Savings Banks have now been opened in different parts of India. Captain Johnson, of the 1-I4th Regiment, has committed suicide at Cawnpore, whilst in a state of insanity. Tho trial of the machines for preparing the Rheea grass fibre has been postponed to September next. Four or five tons of dried fibre are shortly to be sent to England for experiment. A number of experiments have shown that the Madar plant, when mixed with opium, is an excellent substitute for dysentery. A singular disease, which shows no internal or external symptoms, is at present carrying off large numbers of ponies at Rangoon. During the last famine in the Punjaub, 0,160,045 persons were relieved, and 2,583,990 employed on public works. The official inquiry into the death of Sir 11. Durand has shown that it was purely accidental, the mahout being unable to stop his elephant when passing undei' the second arch at Tank, which was too low to allow the howdah to pass. The Nawab of Tank, who was on the elephant with Sir H. Durand, also sustained some injury to his head, and had one of his ribs fractured. The total revenue of the French possessions in India for 1871 is estimated at 1,507,250 francs.