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CHAPTER XV.

East India Affairs.

"N the close of December, 1816,

jor Lushington, commander of the 4th regiment of Madras light cavalry, to the hon. Mr. Elphinstone, British resident at Poonah, giving an account of his expedition against the Pindarces. These people had made their appearance at Sogaum early on the 25th, on which ac-, count the Major had advanced his regiment towards that place on the 26th. He reached Sogaum at seven in the morning, where he learned that a body of Pindarees, cons.sting of between two and three thousand, had attacked Sogaum on the morning of the 25th, and being beat off, had taken the road to Kame. Major Lushington, after making the necessary arrangements for the protection of his gun-troops and rear-guard, proceeded with 330 rank and file to Kame, where he arrived at noon, being a march of twenty miles. He halted for a short time to refresh his men and horses, and then pushed on to Pepree, where he was informed that the Pindarees were at Cowah, taking their meal. Moving on at a brisk pace, the Major surprised the enemy when within a thousand yards of them; and though they were on horseback, within two minutes, they were instantly flying in all directions. The pursuit was conducted with so much ardour during a

space of ten miles, that their loss

puted at not less than 7 or 800 men, besides a great number rendered incapable of following their plundering excursions for want of horses. The only casualty left for the Major to report was, that of Captain Drake, a gallant officer, who " st of a spear.

A Ccutta Government Gazette of the 10th of April states, that accounts from the banks of the Nerbudda of the middle of March mention that the intrepid Captain Caulfield had again distinguished himself in a successful attack on the Pindarees. Having received accurate information of the encampment of their leader, Shoikh Doleah, at the head of a large body of horse, he marched to the spot with two companies of the tenth infantry, and a squadron of cavalry, and came upon them unperceived near Hendia. The Pindarees immediately rushed into the Nerbudda with the hope of fording that river; but in the attempt a very considerable number were cut to pieces or drowned, and the chief was supposed to have fallen on this occasion.

The immediate cause of these disturbances appears to have been the irruption of a party of marauders, supposed to have been from the Mahratta frontier, which had entered the Cuttack district

through

through Goomsir; and being joined by a multitude of vagabonds from he Pergunnah of Khoordah, the nsurrection soon assumed an larming character. They took he town of Khoordah, and then roceeded to Piply, situated midway between Cuttack and Jaggeraut, with a view of cutting off the communication between those two places, and particularly of securing the person of the Rajah of Khoordah, who is high-priest of the temple, and hereditary sweeper of the great idol.

The same Gazette on April the 24th proceeds to communicate information respecting Cuttack and its district. After its conquest by the British, the pergunna of Khoordah was remarkable for its hostility to the English government; and it was found necessary for the purpose of securing temporary tranquillity to take charge of the person of the Rajah, then a young man, and retain him in custody at Midnapore. When all opposition was subdued, the Rajah was restored to his functions in the temple, and was allowed a malikanu of twenty-four per cent. being more than double the amount given in ordinary cases.

Since the above was drawn up, further accounts have been received from Cuttack up to the 16th. Captain Wallington had fortified a bungalow at Jaggernaut, and surrounded his small camp with a mud wall about seven feet high; and had thrown out wickets on every side, and was prepared against attack. On the 13th several columns of insurgents rushed forwards to assault him, but were soon obliged to retreat with loss. They made a second attack, led on

by the son of the Dewau of the Khorrdah Rajah; but having lost in the action seventeen killed and about a hundred wounded, they again hastily retired, and were pursued to the end of the town. Six were taken prisoners, from whose account it appeared that the Rajah was the mainspring of the disturbance.

Jugbundoo being informed of the defeat of the parties which had been sent against Captain Wallington, immediately pushed out to Jaggernaut at the head of some thousand insurgents; and having 1,surrounded the fort and placed picquets in every direction, he began to erect a battery with two great guns. Captain Wallington thinking it impossible with his small force to make any impression upon so formidable a multitude, retired in the middle of the night, and reached Cuttack with his treasure on the 16th.

The Bombay Courier of April the 26th conveys information, that a large body of freebooting horse, who were encamped on the banks of the Peira, about 11 miles N.W. of Soonje Ramaney, were surprised in their camp by a detachment of the Madras army, under the command of Major Smith. Two companies of the first of the third, and the first of the second, and the flank companies of the 14th Madras Native Infantry, marched from the banks of the Beema in pursuit of a body of horse; and continuing the chace with extraordinary perseverance for four days and five nights, came up with them, just as they were preparing for a march on the 17th of April. The nature of the ground preventing the infantry

from

from immediately forming a line, they poured a volley into the camp, and then broke into divisions, and marched through the camp. The freebooters got on their horses with uncommon rapidity, and formed behind their camp. As soon as the infantry had got through the camp, Maj. Smith concentrated his detachment. The horse then exchanged a few shot with the foot, and made off, leaving about 60 men, and many more horses, dead on the field.

Fort William, July 10. Discussions having occurred be

tween the British Government and the Government of Poona, which

threatened to shake the amity subsisting between the two States, the Governor-General in Council has the satisfaction to announce the execution of a new treaty between the Honourable Company and his Highness the Peishwa, explaining and amending the articles of the treaty of Bassein, with the addition of certain provisions calculated to improve the alliance, and to promote and render permanent the harmony which both Governments are solicitous to maintain.

By command of his Excellency the most Noble the Governor

General in Council,

July 5.

J. ADAM,

Act. Chief Sec. to Gov.

CHRONICLE.

CHRONICLE.

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JANUARY.

THE number of students last year at the University of Gottingen was greatly increased; it amounts already to 1,152; of these only 386 are natives of Hanover, 566 are from other German States, and 180 foreigners; of the latter, 36 are Russians, 17 Swiss, 63 Danes, 10 English, 6 French, 25 Hungarians, 4 Americans, 2 from the Greek isle of Chios.

On Thursday, the 2d inst. the body of a woman was found tied to a boat near the landing-place of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, on which an inquest was held on the following Saturday, before Joseph Carttar, Esq. one of the coroners for Kent. The evidence being very vague, the coroner said he should not then close the inquest, but adjourn till the Tuesday following, in order that every exertion might be made to procure better information, as there was much suspicion in the case, and it was but seldom that a woman was found dead without somebody being able to give an ac: ount of her death. He also directed, that the body should be examined by a surgeon, that his opinion might be given on certain external marks which appeared on it. The jury accordingly met again on Tuesday, when several

VOL. LIX.

persons came forward to identify the deceased, and among the rest an old man, who swore that the deceased was his daughter, and that she was the wife of Israel Friday, an out-pensioner of Greenwich College. He then went into a long account of a quarrel which took place between Friday and his wife, on Wednesday the 1st of January, and of their fighting in his house with a knife and a hatchet, which fight he with difficulty suppressed; and that soon afterwards both parties left his house, and he had not been able to hear of either of them since, except that he now believed the deceased to be his daughter, and that she had been murdered by somebody, and laid on the spot where the body was found. Other witnesses also swore to the deceased being the daughter of the old man. The surgeons proved that there were marks of violence on the head, &c. of the deceased, but not sufficient to be deemed mortal. This evidence, however, induced the coroner to adjourn a second time; and he directed the constables to make diligent search after Friday, the husband, and bring him before the jury on the 10th instant, to account for his wife's death, if possible. The jury accordingly met again on the 10th instant, when the constables reported that they had not been able

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to find Friday, but that they had found his wife alive and hearty; whereupon the father was sent for, and the other witnesses, all of whom were greatly but agreeably surprised at the sight of the woman, and acknowledged their error in having sworn to the deceased. The coroner reprimanded the witnesses severely for their want of discrimination; but every one allowed, that the great likeness there was between the living woman and the deceased might have deceived better judges than the witnesses seemed to be, particularly as both the women had similar private marks on each arm. Under these circumstances further proclamation was made for evidence to identify the deceased, and discover how she came by her death; but none appearing, the jury returned a verdict of "Found dead, under suspicious circumstances, and with strong marks of violence on her person; but whether inflicted by accident or by design, they could not ascertain."

A letter from Lochgoilhead, dated the 3d of January, 1817, to a gentleman in Glasgow, says-"On Monday last a boat left this, in order to go to Greenock; when sailing down Lochgoil, they were hailed by a person that wanted to cross; they condescended, and, being upon the lec-shore, gave the boat the two sails, which before had but one: half way over, opposite the Waninan, came on a squall, and run the boat down by not relieving the sheets. Eight persons were on board; those that were drowned are, Archibald Campbell, Dugald Weir, Archibald Walker, Thomas Thomson's wife, the ploughman to Archibald

Campbell, Esq., Drumsaynie, a daughter of Archibald Smith, Lochgoilhead.-Saved, John Campbell, Duncan Smith, Duncan M'Glashan." Another letter says, that i Duncan M'Glashan died after being got on shore.

7. We observe, with pleasure, that the condition of the numerous body of nailmakers in Staffordshire is improved by a meeting of their employers, held at West Bromwich, when it was unanimously agreed to restore their rate of wages, which had been, from the depression of that trade, partially and considerably reduced. -Birmingham Gazette.

8. For several hours this morning, the fog throughout the whole of the metropolis was so intense, that candles were used in every shop and counting-house.

11. From the crowded state of the foreign seamen in the Helder, lying off the Tower, Government has given directions for another vessel to be prepared for their reception. The Helder was calculated to be capable of containing nearly 300; but as more than that number have been sent ou board, sickness has made its appearance, from the crowded state of the miserable objects.

On Monday week, Dennis Murphy, of Limerick, sawyer, assisting a constable in executing a sessions decree at Rathmore castle, in that county, was attacked by a number of fellows, who in the most savage manner beat him, and inflicted several wounds on his body, of which he died on Wednesday. Thursday an inquest was held on the corpse, and a verdict of wilful murder returned against the perpetrators. Two men charged

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