INDIA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1712, 1 April 1862, Page 6

INDIA.

(From the Bombay Times.) Mr. Laing. — Jlluess has again deprived the Supreme Government of the services of the Hon. S. Laing, who has been obliged to proceed up-counti-y ; and was, therefore, absent from the first meeting of the new legislative Council. The Maduas Army. — The official order for the reduction of the Madras Army has been published, under which eight regiments of the Native Infantry are to be disbanded and broken up from the 31st of March next. Native Troubles. — The Kbassias, hill tribes in Eastern Bengal, have become very troublesome near Sylhet. On the 17th ultimo, a police guard was attacked by a body of 600 men, forty of whom were armed with guns. The avowed iutenlion of the rebels is to take Sylhet. ' Loud Canning.— We regret to learn from the Poona Observer that the health of His Excellency the Governor is such as to cause some alarm to bis friends. There are various rumours, says the Observer, as to the nature of his sickness. His Excellency is at Sungum. A Gold-field.— Mr. Le Souef's mission has, 1 we learn, been crowned with success, a rich gold field having been discovered by him in the Carnatic. The company which Mr. Le i Souef represents is likely to create no small stir , in the Bombay Share Market. The shares, we , believe, are monopolised by less than a score of gentlemen. ' (From the Madras Times.) 1 A Royal Forger. — One of the Mysore 1 princes, the third in descent from Tippoo Sultan, 1 has beeu sentenced to seven years' imprisoni meut with hard labor for turning a bank of t Bengal ten rupee note into one for a thousand . rupees. The Legislative Council. — On "Wednes- [ day the 22nd of January came off an event which has been looked forward to with much 1 interest for some time past. On that day the 1 Madras Legislative Council held its first sitting. ' The Governor, Sir William Denison, presided, [ and all the members, official and non-official, 1 took their seats. (From the Calcutta Englishman.) Lord Elgin.— Lord Elgin will arrive in • Calcutta about the 25th of February, and will hold a durbar on the assumption of his rule on - the Ist March. i Robbery op Mails. — We have received r another notific ition from the Postmaster-General r of the plunder of a banghy dak. On the present occasion the robbery committed was on the banghy dak forwarded from Patna on the 28th ult. It contained, among others, ten parcels posted at Patna, for native merchants at Cutwah, and was robbed within a few miles of the t former place. Of late robberies of the dak ! banghy despatch have become of such frequent | occurrence that it is exceedingly doubtful whether they are not perpetrated by persons fully cognizant of the contents of certain parcels 1 either from their connexion with the foiwarding parties, or the Post Office people, who, having themselves obtained the requisite information, have organised the robbery. The Teak Tba.dk. — Sir Charles Wood has just sent out an order to the Indian Government directing the establishment of two timber agencies for the British Government, one at Rangoon and one at Moulraein, for the primary purcliaseof theteak wood produced in the eastern forests, and which is all brought to those ports or mirkets. The state of Hyderabad. — Advices just received from Hyderabad give but gloomy prospects of the harvest: and so great are the fears entertained of a famine by, the Nizam's Government, that a prohibition has been put on the export of grain from the Hyderabad territory. (From the Harkaru.) Nana Sahib's Jewels. — A good deal of surprise has been manifested in certain quarters at the unaccountable determination of the Government not to dispose of the jewel's, &c, belonging to the miscreant Dhoondoo Pont Nana Sahib, which were seized at Bitboor,and which are valued at several lacs of. rupees. They have been lying in the Treasury godowns for the last few years. We have been told that the pearls in particular are beiug ruined by damp, and that the costly silks and shawls are being totally destroyed by white ants. Delhi Prize Money.— The Delhi prize money has arrived at Calcutta. It consists of jewels, gold and silver plates and other utensils, valued at one crore and twenty lacs of rupees. Fom'teen lacs are in silver. The jewels are to be sold. If the prize jewels would fetch the estimated price of a crore of rupees, which, of course, is doubtful, a captain's share would, according to all probable calculations, araouut to 20,000 rupees. Amongst the jewels there is a large quantity of pure China gold, kept in the shape of small bricks, weighing about 36,000 sicca weights, besides gold plates and other uteu&ils, which together weigh about 95,000 sicca weights. Shipment of Saltpetre Stopped. — The American ship Dating, which was clearing out for Boston with a general cargo, was stopped ou the 3rd January, under provisions of the ' Amended ordinance, passed by the GoveruorGeneral of India, prohibiting absolutely the exportaton of saltpetre from India. " The Daring had a considerable quantity of saltpetre on board, the whole of which must be re-landed, Finance. — It is understood that the cash balances have attained a higher figure at this moment thau at any previous period, amouut- . ing, as it is said they do, to something like eighteen millions sterling.