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Leader (1850-1860), 5th March 1859, Edition 2 of 2, Page 25, xr^ AK7 March 5. 1359.1 1BE MA »B. 313

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      Notes On Indian Progress. Tub Indian"Com...

      are now very busy supplying drill officers to Persia , as they used to do to Mysore , and . latterly to Lahore Some may view with satisfaction that French intrigue in Persia matches Russian , but thdse who know the far-reaching nature of French -intr iffues in the East do not look with particular Satisfaction on the state of affairs in Persia , winch enables France to get a footing on one side of India , as the Gochin-Chiiia expedition will on the other . France has now an interest in China , and Japan , and we have established a precedent for her interference in Eevi ) t for she will certainly claim the right of sendfn ^ trpops to Cochin China th rough Egypt , as we exercised the privilege of sending to India during the late revolt . The passage of troops to India fromEngland throug h Suez has , however , been lately

      We think it would be a very useful measure for promoting a knowledge of Persia , if our Government would allow officers acquainted with Persian to return home through Persia , giving them extended leave , and a small grant for expenses , and so likewise on the return . Thus we should always have both in India and England a considerable body of men acquainted with the country , ready to give advice to the authorities , and to be employed on any staff mission . A thousand a year would supply twenty officers , arid would be cheaply spent . _ . . ; ,. _ ted Rebellion

      The telegraph on-Thursday reppi — " no longer exists in Oude . " " Lord Clyde is indisposed j and proceeds to Simla for the season . " Proceeds to Simla ! How much and l ' iow little is there in those words ? Why not proceed to Delhi , Liicknow , or Calcutta ? Because they are the cities of the plague . Why to the hills ? Because the hills have the climate of England . Now Lord Clyde can get there , why not Lord Clyde ' s soldiers ? Because Lord Clyde can afford to travel by dawk , but as there is no railway to any of the hill stations in Bengal , Lord Clyde ' s soldiers must die by thousands in the pestiferous garrisons of the tropical climates . Mr . Mangles was examined before Mr . Ewart ' s Committee on Thursday . There are now in Calcutta no less than twenty English barristers and seventy attornies , in consequence of the large , accession of numbers . .

      The writers are being superseded by the Government printing press , and Captain Young , of the Engineers , has proposed to have maps and plans photographed , so as to get over the tardy and laborious copying in his department . To give some notion of the state of business under the old -regime in Calcutta , we may observe that there are still nearly f >; 000 peons employed ; that is to say , 5 , 968 persons employed as ticket porters , messengers , and footmen in the Government offices , with salaries ranging from $ s . to 18 s . per month . In consequence of the rise of prices , Government has been obliged to raise the rate of pay * which is now froth 12 s . to 20 s . per month . The sooner the number can be reduced by employing over-house telegraphs , as in London * Paris , and New York , the better . , ' A nabob , descendant of Tippop Sultan , has petitioned the Insolvent Debtors' Court in Calcutta . His debts are £ 12 , 596 , his property nothing , and his allowance £ 1 , 200 a year . We are sorry to learn that during the two years of the revolt , the Asiatic Society of Bengal has lost thirty-four members , has elected only two , and has now no more than ninety-three paying members .

      In Calcutta , as the number of Englishwomen has considerably increased of late , a home is to be founded for those of good character out of employment . ¦ : ¦ . ¦¦'¦ . . ¦"¦ ' .. ¦ : ¦¦¦ ¦ .. The extension of English law in India is being seriously considered . Great dissensions prevail in Bengal between the converts and the missionaries . The former complain of the overbearing tyranny of the' missionaries , who monopolise all patronage , get possession of the funds , and refuse to admit the co-operation-of their black brethren . The Rev . Lai Bifharee Day , n free church convert , has lately prejushed a sorrnon at Calcutta , affirming that the unchristian position of the missionaries is one of the principal causes of the non-success of missions . Last week a lot of Neilgherry coffee was sold in Mincing-lane .

      Notwithstanding the extension of coffee planting in Mysore , Wynaad , Coorg , the Neilgherries , and Sheraroys ,, we notice that there was lately a shipment of coffee from Ceylon to Madras . Under the old system of monopolistic , administration , Madras used to send out coolies to the English planters in Ceylon , while the growth of coffee on the spot was neglected ; but now coffee planting is extending in the Madras presidency , and will furnish a large export trade . The planters , however , complain bitterly of the land tenures , as compared with Ceylon and other colonies . They are constantly liable , after planting waste land , to have claimants start up arid harass them with fictitious titles .

      Measures are now in progross for improving the navigation of the Simtlorbunds . Channel Croelc has been surveyed and buoyed , nnd orders have been given to clear away the trees , which now cumber the banks of the smaller branches . With the help of the Mutlah Railway and those improvements , the neglected districts of tho Sunderbunds may , at length , receive attention . The Khoja Mahomcdnn Company of Bombay , for carrying on a commission agency in England and Bombay , is making progress towards its

      establishment . Tho Khojiis wish to raise themselves to an equality of enterprise with tho Paraoes . At this time , tho Bank of Bongal has only 32 , 000 / . private deposits , although it has tho troiieury busino 85 and tho issue of notos . The state of drunkenness in Calcuttn , and somo other citios , is exciting attontion , and there tu'Q demands for an inoroaso of spirit dutlos and liconso duties , as a moans of raising 1 municipal rovoimo . < In Bombay tho assessment of houso property for municipal purposes is a shilling Jn , tho pound for . 1800 r ' In Calcutta , under tlio Into flystom of government , a host of wrltors and copyists wna employed ,

      Xr^ Ak7 March 5. 1359.1 1be Ma »B. 313

      xr ^ AK 7 March 5 . 1359 . 1 1 BE MA » B . 313

      India. Advici:$ Have Been Received From ...

      INDIA . Advici : $ have been received from Calcutta to the 22 nd January . On the 26 th December , Lord Clyde took the . fort of Burgudiah , and on the 29 th he succeeded in overtaking the Begum ' s army , which he drove across the ¦ Rapt . ee . ' Teh minor chiefs and a large number of Sepoys laid down their arms . Amongst the chiefs were Melindee Hoosein and the Nawab of Furruckabad . The latter has been sent to Caw-npore to be tried , and it is . to be hoped he will meet the fate he so richly deserves . .

      mands of Brigadiers Honner , Parke , Holmes , Showers , and Michel . THE . PARDONED SEPOYS . The correspondent of the Tunes thus describes the prevailing opinion among these men : — " Seven hundred Sepoys have come in under the amnesty . They all , when questioned , tell the same story ! They say they have throWri their stake andlost , and they nbw expect to be re-employed by ' theCompany . When told that this is out of the question , they , reply , ' Oh , that is to-day ' s talk ; by and-by you Will be attacked by the Nepaulese , or the Sikhs , or somebody ,, and then yon must employ us . ' And so they march off quite cheerful to their villages , where they have all lands , and where they are generally very successful cultivators . It is a strange country . Numbers of the bravest men in the new police levies are Sepoys who have fought against us , been beaten , grown huge beards , and are now fighting on our side . "

      The last of the Oude rebels , the Begum , the Nana , and about 15 ^ 000 Sepoys , are now at the mercy of the Nepaulese , and it remains to be seen what kind of treatment they will receive at the hands of Jung Bahadopr . That potentate , it wbuld appear , is not on . the best terms with our Government It is said that . Lord Canning declines to accede to certain proposals for ! enlarging hisi territory . Our engineers are employed in demolishing forts and clearing roads through Oude . The principal stations which are to have European garrisons are Lucknow , Fyzabadx Gpndah , Roy , Bareilly , and Seetapore .

      Her Majesty ' s 10 th , 84 th , 32 hd , and 78 th Regiments ^ and the Military Train , are under orders to return to England . The gallant naval brigade of the Pearl was expected in Calcutta the first week in January , and the GovernorrGeneral had greeted them from Allahabad with a complimentary general order . Lord Clyde , it is believed , will not remain another hot season in India , and Sir Hugh Rose and General Mansfield are both mentioned to succeed him . The vacancies in the north-west will be filled up as follows : — Lieutenant-Governor of the North-western Provinces , Mr . Edmonstpne . Ditto of Punjaub , Mr . Montgomery . Commissioner of Oude , Mr . Wingfieid . Resident at I'ndore , Colonel Ramsay . Ditto at Jvotniandhoo , Brigadier Colin Mackenzie , The foreign secretary ' s place in Calcutta is to be filled by Colouel Durand . ' .

      The bodios of the individuals missing from the crew of tho ship Sutlej have been recovered . Mr . Pereira , a merchant who had shipped 50 chests of indigo on board / tho vessel , bpught the hull for 1 , 800 rupees , and has succeeded in recovering some 30 chests cf his indigp . The community as usual has come fcrward most liberally -with subscriptions for the crow , and 6 , 000 rupees have been already collected . Tho steamers are orpwded with pepple going home , and will continue tp be sp , more especially if , aa rumo \ ir has it , furloughs are tp bo issued in March . ¦

      By ivtologram dated Suez , Fob . 21 , wo have somo later intelligence : —A general order had been issued , containing tho announcement , by Lord Clyde that the campaign in which tho troops under his cdmnxand have been engaged is closed , and that robellion . no longer exists in Oudo . Jung Bahadoor is stated to have issued a proclamation to tho effect that ho -will surrender to tho British Government all insurgents found within his territory . Sir Hugh Rose is making uotivo preparation for finally subduing-thp Koliilius . Another telogram states that tho Nopauloao have applied for British troops to enter Nopaul , and that llovsford ' a brigade has accordingly been punhod across tho Rnptce . Lord Clyde is incliHposod , and proceeds tp Simla for the season ,

      From Central India , wo lonrn that Tantla Topoo ' s roar guard was overtaken by thu force under Brigadier Holmes , at fcSoctlcur , on the 2 JstofJanuary ; Tho rebel loss m » , s 100 killed , be . sii . los a number of horses nnil 500 stand of nrms . Tantiu Topoo was making for IJoukunocr or Joudhporu on the iiOlh of •/ unitary ; columns wero In hot pursuit umlor the Hcvornl cciin-

      China. Lord Elgin Returned To Shanghai O...

      CHINA . Lord Elgin returned to Shanghai on the 1 st inst ., after a successful expedition up the Yang-tze-Kiang as far as Hankow , in lat ; 3033 N ., long . 114 : 13 E . During his stay there the river fell so much that the Furipus and Cruiser were unable to make their way down , and had to be left behind at Kin-kiang , near the mouth of the Poyang lake , some 460 miles from Shanghai . There they will have to remain till next STjniifif . ' At Nankin the expedition was fired upon by the Chinese rebels who occupied the forts , and Lord Elgin had a narrow escape from a round shot ; the forts were engaged and silenced hi half-an-hour . Hankow is a fine city , containing a million of inhabitants . Lord Elgin paid a visit of state to Kewan , the governor of two provinces , and the expedition returned to Shanghai ; . ; At Canton fresh disturbances have taken place . On the 8 th Jan . a body of pur troops , 700 strong , were out exercising , some miles from Canton , near a village called Shek-tsing , and on their return were fired upon by a party of Braves . A few Chinese were killed , and our troops returned slowly towards Canton , followed for some distance by the Braves . There was no loss of life on our side . After three days spent in organising an expedition the village was attacked by our gunboats and troops about 2 , 000 strong . There were twp heavy batteries defending the approaches , but a simultaneous attack on both sides carried the place without loss . The batteries and village were destroyed , and some fifty or sixty of the Braves killed . From documents which have been intercepted lately , it appears that the Braves are not acting from mere hatred to foreigners , but are encouraged by the high authorities at Pekin .

      THE CITY OP HANKOW . The following description is by a gentleman who accompanied Lord Elgin ' s expedition : — " Hankow possesses singular advantages as a mercantile emporium . To judge from the number of junks we saw there , a brisk junk trade must even now be .. carried on above it . The productions of Hunan , among which are tea , coal , iron , indigo , oil ; those of Tcz'liuen , of which sugar , insect wax , copper , tin , lead , drugs , ' tobacco , are some ef the items ; and the ccttpn , hemp , flax , and silk of Hupeh itself—all ccllect there , besides furs from the Tliibetian prcvinces , pprcelain froni Kiangsj , and many minpr productions . There is , an air of real business in the streets , which are comparatively clean and spacious , nnd in the shpps , which are handsome and well supplied . It must be remembered that Hankow is only beginning to recover from a conflagration by which , two years ago , it was utterly and entirely destroyed . This vitality is a hopeful symptom , and there can . bo no doubt that the people would only bo too glad to boo Europeans settle themselves there for the purposes of trade . This is , at present , almest tho only point at which we could hope to find any great demand for our homo manufactures , No ono ^ knews better than ypursolf the nature of tho competitien against which put merchants and manufacturers will have to contend , and they cannot bo too careful in censidoring the peculiar requirements of tho trade , and in ceniniencing operations with , caution and judgmout . I was surprised at the quantity of European geods I saw nt Hankow i somo of tho ahpps wore entirely devoted to the sale of articlon of foreign manuiiieturo , as tlicir sign-boards BtiUod . At one moment a label with ' extra superfine ludios ' habit elPtli' upon it met your eyo ; at another you made aoquaintuneo with 'Duncan Brown , manufacturer , Dundee , ' ' MniKiliostor , ' in u liirgo bluo stamp , alt ' raotod your notii'o . 1 do not , however , enter into details upon this subject—although 1 took somo trouble t » obtain them—partly boonuso I um not ; satisfied , witli the reliable nature of my inlbrnia-1 , ion , and partly because there will bo plonty o ' f'tlma bol ' oro tho rlvor is opunyd , to go more at Jarga into tho qiicsliun . "

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), March 5, 1859, page 25, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_05031859/page/25/