INDIAN ITEMS

Westport Times, Volume V, Issue 798, 6 April 1871, Page 3

INDIAN ITEMS

Mr H. L. Davis, Executive Engineer at Hoshungabad, has died from injuries received from a tiger. Adjutants of regiments obtaining leave on private affairs to Europe, are to be allowed to retain their appointments for one year after four years' service in India, and for two years after eight years' service. The death-rate in the Central Provinces during the month of October was at the rate of 1 9 per thousand, principally from fever. Snake-bites and wild animals contributed seventy deaths. The accounts of the prospects of the crops still continue favourable. Cholera is reported to have broken out in the north of Madagascar, and ships from thence to Mauritius are placed in quarantine. A soldier of the 1-11 th Regiment, and another of the 62nd Regiment, have been sentenced to long terms of penal servitude for striking their superior officers on duty. A yound European girl, the daughter of a conductor at Lucknow, has been converted to Mahommedanism. The rice harvest in Burtnah has resulted in a very large crop, and the price has fallen to 50 rupees per 100 baskets. Sir W. Grey is said to have written a minute strongly in favour of an increased Salt tax in preference to an Income tax, and the Indian public are generally of the same opinion. The reported discovery of coal at Midnapore has turned out to be an •ingenious fraud by the man employed in making the sinkings, who threw pieces of imported coal and coal-dust down the holes.

A letter from Dr Kirk at Zanzibar, states that Dr Livingstone after visiting Mamne had returned to Ujiji. During 1869 the deaths amongst the wives of European soldiers were at the rate of 54.14 per thousand, and amongst their children at the rate of 145'22 per thousand. It appears certain that neither first nor second class cotton can be successfully grown in the North Western Provinces.

The great Trigonometrical Survey of India has just published a set of excellent Maps of Independent Tartary.

There are at present in Sylhet twenty tea gardens, cultivating 2956 acres ; in Cachar, 122 gardens, with 24,151 acres in cultivation; and in Assam, 315 gardens, with 24,054 acres cultivated.

The Russians have published a newspaper im the Kirghiz language in Central Asia.

Three batteries are shortly to be commenced on the beach at Madras, to strengthen the defences of the town.

A gentleman at Bangalore says he has found not only coal, but gold, in payable quantities, not fifty miles from that station. •

It has been referred to the Com-mander-in-Chief to decide whether road steamers can be used for military purposes in this country. The experiments in silk cultivation in Mysore have again generally failed this year. Intelligence reached Calcutta recently of an attack by the tribes on the north-eastern frontier, on some tea factories in Cachar, at one ot which Mr Winchester, of Bickrampore, was killed. The attacks have since been renewed. On one occasion the savages attacked the stockade at Monierkhall from six, a.m. to eleven, pm., and were repulsed with a loss of 100 killed and wounded. Simultaneous attacks were made on villages in Hill Tipperah, Sylhet, and M-unni-pore. It is not certain whether the attacking tribes are Looshais, Poees, or Shindoos. Mr Edgar, the DeputyCommissioner of Cachar, was at the time of the attack in the Looshais country, entering into a treaty of peace with their Chief Sookpilall. The latest news from him is to the 22nd, when he had heard of attack by Poees and Shindoos on some Looshai villages.

The sickness among the troops at Peshawur stdl continues. Small-pox has also broken out among the children. The Ameer of Cabul has constructed a fort on the Biver Amoo, at a spot where the Russians had requested permission to build a fort. Quarter Master G. Masters, of the 20th Hussars, has been sentenced by Court-martial to be severely reprimanded for being drunk on the railway platform, and abusing two officers of the same regiment. A cyclone appears to have passed over part of Southern India and up the western coast on the night of the 15th January, in which the coasting steamer General Outram was lost, with fiftyseven persons on board. A very large number of native craft were also lost. The cotton districts suffered considerably fromt he rain. The latest news from the North Eastern frontier, is that the Looshais, after an attack on Monierkhall for some days, with a force of about 400 men retreated into the jungles. The force in the stockade lost seven men in a sortie, and the Looshais are estimated to have lost about thirty men, but they invariably carry off their dead if possible. General Bourchier has assumed the command of the troops on the frontier and the commissioner of Dacca wilh about 250 native infantry, has arrived at Sylhet. News from Mr Edgar w;is received up to the 26th January, when he was preparing to retire towards Cachar, having heard of the burning of Borne Loosbai villages by other tribes.

It is feared that the savages on their retreit from Monierkhull may interrupt him on his return journey. Villages in Muuipore and hill Tipparah have also been attacked and looreit. There is a gun at Beejapoor, in the Deccau, cast in the time of Aurungzebe, in IGB9, capable of throwing a shot 2,646 lbs. in weight. The commissioner of Police at Madras has had to apologize and pay 3,600 rupees to a native merchant for arresting him on a false charge. At Rutlam, in Malda, the native shopkeepers have all closed their shops and taken to living in the open air, to avoid taxation. The trade returns of India for the seven mouths ended 31st October last show an increase over the same period of last year, in the value of imports, of nearly £2,000,000, and of exports of nearly one and a-half million. The import of treasure has decreased by nearly £5,000,000.