INDIA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 2, Issue 59, 6 November 1858, Page 3

INDIA.

The "JTadras Athenceum" gives the following resume of news for the fortnight ending August The principal event of the fortnight has been the discovery of a conspiracy in the 10th regiment of Punjaub infantry to murder their officers. Of .this affair we have as yet but imperfect accounts, but those which have" been received are much to the same, effect.- The most circumstantial version has been published in the "New Era," a Calcutta weekly journal. From this we learn that the mutiny look place so far back as the night of the 19th ultimo, at Pehra Ismael Ithan. The plan of the conspirators, as disclosed at the Court of Enquiry, and- the manner in which it was frustrated, seem to have been as follows : — "A portion of the 10th P. I. had been told, off for the murder of all the officers, after which the fort was to be seized, and the 39th, which our readers will remember were disarmed some time back, was to be re-armed out of its magazines and stores. Taking with them the guns and treasure, the mutineers were then to embark in boats for-Dara Ghazee Khan on the Indus where they expected to be joined by thetrobps of the/place; thcywere to crossrthe Indus and -hasten to M6sltan, : arm the twd regiments there,;, and march upon Lahore. No. ; doubt is entertain- . edii itfatfith^ sth Police : Battalion'-' and > Punjaub vi-ere;in : the iplot ; andj-morebver, the con:, Apirators reckoned -upon being joined by-Eenny's tTeguQentj th©;3rd: Seiklis J#om ; :^l^ .to^t%pitt-.which^the-mW cape.^ •Gardiner, , (l(st^i-si";^l.) ■; before: the scheme 'was ripe fo> execution. Her instantly went do^n to tU?

lines, so late as .10 o'clock at night, and sent for the ringleaders. One, a seapoy, came first. He was ordered at once to be confined, but no sooner heard the order than he turned round and bolted, ' pursued by, some of the guard." Just as the guard: had overtaken and was laying hoid of him, a Jeniadar — the other of those for whom Major Gar-' diner had sent — rushed out, cut down one of the guard and wounded the Subadar of it. The two ringleaders then ran, and nothing more was heard . of them till the 22nd, when news came to one of the outposts that the Bepoy was caught and that the Jemadar was being hotly chased. The "TJew Era" adds that the authors of the plot belong to the "Malwa Seikhs," of whom there were about 130 in the regiment. Of the two pa-, pers published at Lahore one is altogether silent on the subject, and the other appsrently-considers it not so serious as might have" been supposed from the account here given. This latter journal — the "Lahore Chronicle"— admits, however, that there was a conspiracy in the regiment and informs us that twelve men. were in confinement, these twelve comprising the ringleaders, but likewise states that the conspirators were limited to a "few Malwa Seikhs from the borders of Hindos^an," and that th<* Poorbeahs and Punjabees in the station were not implicated. Government has furnished no intelligence to the press. But nothing can bs inferred from the silence of the authorities, for it may arise just as much, from unwillingness to inform the public of this new danger, as from its fancied unimportance. Ie is, however, proved that there has been a mutiny in one of our new regiments, and this fact, in connection with the mutiny at Allyglmr in one of the recently raised levies (noticed in our last) should keep ua from befooling ourselves into a belief in the loyalty of the now native army that has already sprung up. General Roberts has .come up with tlie G-.valior fugitives on two occasions and on both has defeated them. On the first of these occasions (9th inst.) the rebels were sighted on the opposite bank of the Kotarea river near Sungaueer. Our force crossed and the Artillery were brought iiito play, but darkness coming on and the .Infantry being too fatigued to pursue, the enemy managed ro make off in a southerly, direction.- On the lSlk inst., the General again encountered the rebels at Kotarea about ten miles to the north of Nuthwarra. This time they were totally defeated, and their four guns, together with ammunition, captured. Their loss in killed is slated to have been very large. Our casualties were few. The remnants made off in a southerly and south-easterly direction, followed by the Artillery and Cavalry. General Roberts has'with him her Majesty's 83rd (500) 13th Bombay N. I. (200) Guzerat Horse (60), and three guvs. It is supposed that the fugitives are making for Oodeypove. The force under General Roberts has had. many difficulties ■ to contend against — want of carriages and so on ; but the one difficulty that has occasioned most delay is tli3 nature of the country through -which it has passed. The country is described as being one unbroken sheet of water, and the rivers that had to be crossed wore breast high. So. great was the inundation, that not even the oldest .inhabit, tant could recollect anything like it. While on this subject we may mention that a telegram from Attock states the fact that the river Indus had risen forty feet in two hours and a half, on the 10th inst., cutting off communication with Peshawur and ILawul Pindee, and flooding the country for miles round. . Brigadier Smith i 3 after another party of rebels m the Gwalior territory. His force, consisting of half a troop 11. A., two squadrons of Cavalry (Blh Hussars and Lancers), six companies H. M, 95th, and about 400 of the 10th K 1., arrived before Powrie'on the evening of the 6th inst. Powrie is one lmndred and twenty-six miles to the east of Kotah, and lies between the latter place and Calpee. A reconnoisance took place early in the morning of the 7th, and the town was found much stronger than was anticipated, with a high wall all round it, and a deep wet ditch outside with a fort in the centre of the town. The outer wall is strongly loopholed, with bastions at the angles. Maun Singh and his uncle Ahjee Singh are said to have 6 guns and 300 men. Brigadier Smith, it was thought, would not attack until reinforcements arrived, for which he had sent to Seepree, and for heavy siegs guns to Jhansi or Gwalior. The Maun Singh mentioned here is not the Oude Maun Singh, about whom so much has been written. It is stated in letters from E.ijpootana, that Ahmed Oollah Khan, who was Naib Nazim of Budaon. was blown away from a gun on the sth inst. In addition to the many other atrocities in which he was concerned, it seems that Ahmed Oollah was one of the party tinder Rahhn. Ally which murdered Major Waterfield. Before execution, it is said, ho confessed that it was the custom among the rebels to cut off the noses of all those whose fidelity was suspected. Nine Mahomedans, mutilated in this way, were found by Captain Eden's chuprassies. ' ' N The state of affairs in Oude is of a mixed character ; there is apparently much activity on the part of the rebels, but the result is not very tangible, while we, on our part, are seemingly step by step re-conquering the country. An engagement between Feroz Shah and a police force under Captain Dawson has taken place at Suridella ; Captain Dawson's force numbered about four hundred. Infantry and fifty Sowars ; that of the enemy three. . thousand. The fight lasted about two hours and „ a half, and resulted in. a loss to the enemy of; on&. Tmndred killed, seventeen wo.un.ded, arid one .gun, The objset of Capt.: Eawsoh's expedition was to : . place a very influential native chief in ohargs^bf--Sundeila,.. and :i . this, ''was accomplished,. AKJha*" lutea near ifawabgunge (between Cawnppre andLucknow) forty-four of our police have heijp taken . •;] and "killed, in cold .blood." This, atrocity: !-took: ; ;.; place .611 .tho- |st inst;,', xih'dw^--tie-4ra3'^ißhip;,.pf-;;.'.; Muusiib "Alvand Eero?; Sh^h, iwaidis mentioned inv . the"' < t>elhi ■ Gazettee r ' > -'',in. other^aiia^o^pude, '}.,. according to .tb'a ; " Lueknojv lcojrrcspQndpn^^pj: i the>» ;•£ .'"Bsi!ob|iy.,!!o^wt % t^'Vi B o»©^ofJihe , ;are;.r4 preparingltp.fcome 'm] but, accoxding.^p. af<3oiTe^:,s l>ondeni of bur owa r who writes frqm^^zbayfrbri '-•?■ • the sth inst., "the T^oakdaMyare^ aloof than ever, and some -of the luthertornsutrtil;' .i actually, gone, oven to tis jfibsg^;