13 FEBRUARY 1841, Page 9

Aftistellantous.

A Cabinet Council was held at the Foreign Office on Saturday at two o'clock. All the Ministers were present.

The Committee of the House of Lords for making the arrangements for the trial of Lord Cardigan, estimate the total numbers which the chamber will accommodate—in the body of the house, in the galleries, and below the bar—at 640.

The following witnesses have been summoned by direction of the House of Peers to attend and give evidence at the bar of the House on the trial of the Earl of Cardigan next Tuesday—Thomas Hunt Dann, Sarah Dann, Sir James Eglinton Anderson, M.D., John Busan, Thomas Bicknell, and George Charles Fletcher.

The appeal causes set down for hearing in the House of Lords were unavoidably postponed, in consequence of the indisposition of the Lord Chancellor. This is the first time, it is said, since Lord Cottenham has held the great seal, that he has been prevented from attending his official duties in the House through illness. His present indisposition is caused by a severe cold attended with inflammation.

The Marquis of Camden last week paid into the Exchequer the sum of 24,0501. ls., being the amount of the late Marquis's voluntary con- tribution to the public service for the year 1840; which sum added to former payments by the late Marquis, forms an aggregate of 366,1161. 14s. freely surrendered to the state.

Mr. Duff, the Member for Banffshire, being unavoidably detained in Paris, has paired off with Lord Castlereagh until the 15th instant.

The Paris papers are much occupied with discussions respecting al- leged dissensions in the Cabinet, which it was asserted by many would terminate in a break-up of the present Administration. Letters from Paris, however, deny the existence of dissensions. Among other state- ments, the National affirms that Marshal Soult was endeavouring to procure the rejection of the Fortification Bill by the Chamber of Peers.

The Chamber of Deputies has been occupied with the Customs Du- ties Bill. On Saturday, a M. Grandin, after opposing the proposed reductions in the tariff, and giving vent to an attack upon treaties of commerce generally, said, " If you make a treaty of commerce with England, she will treat you one day or other as she has done China : she will offer you poison or war—death or the poniard." The Minister of Commerce, M. Cunin-Gridaine, repelled the hostile remark, by stating, that although the recent circumstances connected with the con- clusion of the treaty of July had produced a temporary estrangement between France and England, yet it would be found that the treaty of commerce now proposed was likely to promote the interests of each. The debate on the different items of the bill continued from day to day. At the sitting on Tuesday, the Chamber assented to the proposition of the Minister of Commerce to abolish the 30 per cent. tax upon imported British machinery, allowing at the same time a drawback to the amount of 33 per cent. upon that manufactured in France. The amendment proposed by M. Eauwels (a steam-engine-manufacturer) which would have increased the protection of the home manufacture from 33 to 41 per cent. was rejected. On Wednesday, an amendment was proposed on the clause fixing the duty on Cashmere shawls at from 180 to 80 francs according to size : the amendment proposed to reduce the duty to 100 francs for the large, and 50 francs for the small shawls. After

There is a vessel only waiting for fair winds to leave this country on a perfectly novel mission. The Hector, Captain Robert Freeman, is ender engagement to convey Mr. Barclay, the Agent-General for Ja- maica, to Sierra Leone, in order to offer to the natives of Africa a pas- sage to the West Indies as free emigrants, and so to participate in the advantages, without the pains, already enjoyed by their countrymen who have left their native land as slaves. They are to be quite unfet- tered by engagements before embarkation, and free to choose their own

employers and make their own terms on reaching their new home. To them the change from a barbarous to a comparatively civilized country must be beneficial. To those who look beyond the surface, this com- e mencement of an African emigration, which may one day supersede the slave-trade throughout the world, will give no common gratification. Mr. Barclay may be proud to be the first Englishman who takes a ship on such a voyage. The Hector had already begun her voyage, with Mr. Barclay on board, when adverse winds drove her back to Sheer- ness, having lost a windlass and anchor, on Thursday last. She awaits the repair of this accident to set out again.—Colonial Gazette, Wed- nesday. The body of persons who emigrated to Port Nicholson in 1839, under the management of the New Zealand Company, was called the first colony ; and it was then intimated that, as soon as the projected settle- ment should be established, another would probably be formed in some other.part of the islancls. We are assured that this scheme is on the point of being realized. A number of gentlemen, several of whom are nearly related to leading members cf the first colony, have formed them- selves into a society, which they term the second colony of New Zealand. All of them intend to emigrate during the present year. Their first object is to purchase a large tract of land from the Company on terms and conditions similar to those which were adopted by the Company in :idling land in the Port Nicholson settlement ; and it is proposed that the seat of the new colony shall be determined by the Local Government in concert with the Company's agents, a preliminary expedition being despatched without delay, consisting of surveyors, engineers, and other persons qualified to prepare the sett!ement for the arrival of the main body of the colonists. We understand it to be the wish of the origi- nators of the plan, that its execution, as respects all general purposes of the settlers, should be confided to the Company. This plan differs from that of the first colony only in being on a more extensive scale, and comprising more efficient provisions for rendering the settlement com- modious and attractive. Among the latter are large contributions for religious objects, for a college, and for the encouragement of steam- navigation in the settlement. The whole fund to be laid out for col- lective purposes during the first year amounts to 250,0001.—Colonial Gazette, Wednesday.

It would appear from a paragraph in the Niagara Courier, the begin- ning of last month, that Mr. M'Leod was committed to gaol only until he could procure bail. It is, therefore, probable he is not now in prison. a long discussion, in which the supporters of the higher duty insisted on the necessity of greater protection to the French manufacture, the amendment was carried, by a majority of 143 against 127. On Saturday, the coffin containing the remains of the Emperor was conveyed to the temporary chapel of St. Jerome, where the mausoleum of Turenne is erected. The ceremony was conducted with much pomp. All the members of the St. Helena Commission were present, General Bertrand at their head, with the Invalides dressed in their best costume. The coffin was escorted by twenty-five Invalid officers, having the order of the Legion of Honour. Twenty sub-officers, also wearing that decoration, were appointed to carry the coffin. Mass having been said by the curate of the Invalids, the removal of the re- mains took place. The Commerce says, that two thousand brave old soldiers were there, who evinced their emotion by their sobs and tears. The sword of Austerlitz was placed upon the new tomb by General Bertrand. The drums beat during the removal of the coffin.

The trial of Darmes, the regicide, is now said to be fixed for the 10th of March, before the Court of Peers. The Committee of Inquiry has obtained much information as to the working of the secret societies, but has failed in finding out the accomplices of Darrnes. There seems to be no doubt that he had two confederates with him when he fired the carbine at the King ; but the Police have not been able to trace any thing beyond this fact.

The Gazette des Tribunaux states that on the 2d instant the Cour Royale of Rook, on appeal, had reversed the judgment of the Presi- dent of the Civil Tribunal, who, on complaint of the French company, owners of the steam-boat Phoenix, ordered the British steam-boat James Watt to be seized as security for the loss of the Phmnix, sunk by a collision with a steam-boat belonging to the English company. The James Watt has, in consequence of this judgment, been permitted to sail on her usual service.

Letters from Toulon give fearful accounts of damage to the French navy by the storm at the beginning of the present month. Several of the ships have been so much disabled that it will require a long time to refit them for sea. The Marne corvette was rendered a complete wreck, and ninety-seven of her crew and four officers were lost. The storm had also been very destructive to the mercantile ship- ping in the Mediterranean.

Letters and journals have been received from Madrid to the 2d in- stant. A considerable ferment existed in the capital and the provinces of Spain. The Castellano of the 29th states that some alarm prevailed in Madrid, in consequence of reports ascribing to the Ultra-Exaltado party the intention of making an attempt "to proclaim the Republic." Various means had been of late resorted to in order to seduce the army from its allegiance. All the officers of the National Guard were sum- moned for the evening of the 28th. The Government, it was believed, wished to ascertain from them how far they could rely on their assist- ance in the event of a movement. Another account is, that the meet- ing assembled voluntarily, to answer the attacks of the Moderado press on a company of Chasseurs. They determined to prosecute the editor of one paper, and to wait upon Espartero in a body, to protest against the attacks made on him. Private letters, however, state that the reports in question were circulated through malignant motives, and with a view to influence the elections.

Notwithstanding the financial measures adopted by the Government, the penury of the treasury was becoming daily greater ; the revenues of the state, amounting to about 500,000,000 rests. (5,000,000/. sterling) being almost entirely absorbed by the army. The Madrid Gazette of the 1st instant states, that the Queen had received intelligence that the Portuguese Senate had adopted the bill relative to the free navigation of the Douro; and that on the 27th ultimo the Queen of Portugal had given her assent to the bill, and ordered that it should become the law of the land.

Some apprehensions of a Republican movement were still entertained in the Spanish capitaL

The elections have commenced for members of the ensuing Cortes, by whom the constitution of Spain is lo be determined. The people appeared to take little interest in the proceedings..

The King of Prussia has conferred the order of the Red Eagle on Admiral Sir Robert Stopford, for his services on the coast of Syria.

The Emperor of Russia has transmitted to Baron Bulow the order of St. Anne of Russia, in recognition of his distinguished talents as repre- sentative of Prussia during the adjustment of the Eastern question.

The Suabian Mercury of the 28th January states, that at a moment's notice the Austrian Government could bring into the field 300,000 men and 600 pieces of cannon.

A letter from Naples, of the 25th ultimo, states that, on the night of the 22d, a considerable slip took place on the mountain above Grag- nano, near Castellamare, and that sixty houses were crushed by the falling matter. It is supposed that one hundred persons perished by this sudden calamity. The news having reached the King, next morn- ing he set off with the Ministers of the Interior and of Police for the scene of the disaster, and sent four hundred pioneers there as rapidly as possible. The presence of the King gave spirits to the workmen, who had been collected by the local authorities for removing the ruins and rubbish ; and by the following day thirty-three corpses and five living persons had been extricated. The cold was great at Naples : all the hills were covered with snow, and Vesuvius especially, up to the sum- mit of the crater, whence a thick volume of smoke continued to issue. The river Volturno had overflowed its banks, and inundated all the plain of Capua.

The news from India and China, which arrived on Saturday morning, could only be briefly noticed in our Postscript last week : we now supply details culled from different sources.

Of the Chinese expedition, the notice we then gave from the Bombay papers was most unsatisfactory. Private letters represent the demands of the British Commissioners or at least the terms which they had obtained, as far less advantageous than they have been described. One asserts that "the demands made by the British Commissioners on the Chinese Government do not include any request for the repayment of the 20,000 chests of opium delivered over to Captain Elliot." _Another letter says—" Some circumstances, and some conversations of

the Admiral at Chnsan, convince me his views of the conference at or near Canton are not for final settlement, but probably to endeavour to get out on amicable terms the teas of the season, and commence a final adjustment next spring, near Pekin." A third letter says that the Chinese were decidedly averse from war ; and accounts for the stagnation of trade, which was quite at a.stand-still, by supposing that the merchants of Canton abstained from trading in the expectation of a speedy settlement of affairs. A smuggling-trade, however, was expected to anticipate the regular traffic ; and in the mean time the opium-trade went on " like fun."

Mr. Stanton was still a prisoner at Canton.

An kndian paper gives the following account of the action in Upper Scinde between the Belooches under the command of Nusseer Khan and the forces commanded by Colonel Marshall and Captain Teesdale-

" Captain Teasdale's party went round by the pass of Pen Chuttur, a dis- tance of twenty-one miles; and Colonel Marshall advanced about six miles in

a direct line between two irregularly formed hills, which were covered by the Brahoes in lines, their heads and shoulders just appearing above the ridges. The rebels were estimated at 3,000; 1,500 being their best warriors, the rest followers of the camp. The position they had taken up was extremely strong ;

but the Sepoys fought nobly, exposing themselves in the most fearless way, and cheering each other on with the watchword of Lieutenant Loveday's fate. The enemy at length were driven up a steep hill to the right, and proceeded to crown it, waving their flags. Here the bruut of the affair fell upon Captain Ennis ; but by the gallant conduct-of our Sepoys and their leaders, the rebels, notwithstanding their advantage of position on the summit of a hill broken by gullies, ravines, and scarps, were compelled to put their Korans on their heads and cry for quarter ; when 132 were taken prisoners, among whom were four of the most influential chiefs. Nusseer Khan, with two followers, unfortunately escaped, climbing over the summit of a lofty bill; where he was seen, followed by a small mountain-pony; it is supposed Gool Mahomed was of the party. Our own loss consisted of one officer, (Mr. Lodge, of the Twenty-fifth, who was shot through the leg, and bled to death in a few minutes,) eight Sepoys, and one horseman. The wounded were from thirty to forty men, with one or two officers slightly hurt by spent balls."

Fuller accounts had been received of the attack in which Dost Mo- hammed was defeated, in the valley of the Purwan Harrah. They confirm the previous intimation that some of the troops had behaved ill. The scene is thus described by an eye-wituess-

" About daybreak, the advance-guard moved off: such a country as we tra- versed I shall not forget in a hurry. The morning was a heavenly one, and the whole country, adorned as it is with yellow foliage, with a bright autumn sun shining on its face, appeared as it were a shining mass of gold. But our road was difficult in the extreme—immense canals, ravities, deep water-cuts, and every possible obstacle that could present itself to our army. We reached the Goorbund river between eight and nine a.m.; here we had considerable difficulty in crossing the guns. This surmounted, we ascended the'high land under the bills, and finding the fort occupied, and which had commenced firing on us, we formed into line and moved in this position a short distance ; where the river, issuing through the Purwan Pass, obliged us to reform mama. By this time, the villagers were flocking towards ns, calling loudly for mercy, and entreating us to move on quickly and save their property from the bands of Dose Mohammed's army, which was plundering them and preparing to decamp. Our cavalry advanced, crossed the ricer, and ascended the Rank on the opposite

side : Dr. Lord and Lieutenant Broadfoot accompanied them. After consi-

derable difficulty, we crossed the guns, which again stuck on the opposite bank, which was exceedingly steep. On our cavalry reaching the top of the oppo- site bank, Dost Mohammed Khan, at the head of an army of sonic 4,000 horse and foot, was seen breaking cover from the town and forts, and making the best of his way to some heights on the right, which lay at the base of a high mountain. The scene now became most exciting. Dr. Lord proposed moving on the cavalry, and taking up a position on the enemy's flank : his request was acceded to ; an& Captain Anderson's horse were ordered round to the left, to prevent the enemy turning our dank. The guns were now got up, and had joined the front part of the advance. We then moved on, and orders were sent to recall the cavalry. Before, however, the order reached, the enemy had begun descending on them. Captain Fraser, who commanded the regiment, gave front, and ordered the men to draw swords and advance to the charge. The first troop wavered, and the men began to fall back by eights and tens. The enemy were now close on them ; and the officers, so completely occupied with the enemy, who were moving on them at a slow and determined pace, never anticipating being left to

fight the Dost's army themselves, merely called out Come on ! charge! come on!' Will it be believed, that the men, led as they were in this gallant, this noble manner, by such officers as the Second are blessed with—that the men

went threes about, and cut like a flock of sheep, from a force far inferior to them in numbers. The second troop did stand better, but they never advanced; and the left squadron, though not the first to run, never attempted, nor made the slightest effort to support their gallant commanders, whom they saw surrounded and engaged hand to hand with the enemy. The Affghan cavalry were now

fairly in our ranks cutting and slashing in all directions Dost Mahommed

led his men down the bill ; was seen to take off his loongee from his head, and stand calling out to his brave followers, In the name of Girl and the Pro- phet, fight, drive those Fcringee Kaffirs out of the country, or I am a gone man.'. The cavalry were now seen coming towards the column in full retreat, as hard as the horse could lay legs to the ground, loose horses flying in all di-

rections, and the Dost's cavalry pursuing them. Captain Fraser arrived on

his horse, covered with blood : he had received a deep cut down his back, and, his right hand hanging to a bit of skin, detailed the disaster in a firm and collected manner, and was then taken to the rear. Captain Ponsonby was brought in : he had received a ball through his left arm, the top of his left thumb cut off, and a very severe sabre-cut across the face—cutting his right cheek-bone, dividing his nose, and extending across the left cheek. His sword (a superb Prosser, made to order for Captain Fraser) was nearly cut in two, and. backed considerably. The enemy had cut his reins, which rendered his horse quite unmanageable ; and one blow which was aimed at Lis loins cut his jacket and the cantle of his saddle. His charger was shot through the neck, and both ears taken off. Nearly all the killed and wounded, including three officers, were left on the field. Till within a few minutes of Captain Fraser's arttvai, we were congratulating ourselves on the pluck of the enemy coming down; and seeing all the charging and flashing of sabres, concluded that our cavalry had it all their own way. But, alas! the enemy's high red banner seen flying lb our ranks soon opened our eyes to expect another tale. The advanced-guard now formed into line, and our guns were drawn up in position to receive the enemy ; but they passed in front of us, at tao great a distance even for ourguns to touch. After some delay, the General ordered two com- panies of the Thirty-seventh and the cavalry to move round to the right and search for the missing officers; and directed two of Abbott's guns, under Lieutenant Dawes, and the three companies under Lieutenant Rind, to move to the left and attack the enemy, who were accumulating on a rocky hill on the flank. Both detachments moved off ; and Lieutenant Dawes opened fire on She enemy with most admirable precision. The high red standard- of the enemy was now carried up and planted on the top of the hill. This the Ge- neral thought rather too much of a good thing, and sent orders to Lieutenant Rind to move up with his detachment and take the hill from the enemy. The companies moved off, covered by the guns. The ascent was near to being im- practicable, and they were exposed to a heavy fire ; but, fortunately, most of the shot passed over their heads ; and in a short time the companies were np and in possession. of one of the ugliest-looking places I ever saw in my life. A grenadier of the Thirty-seventh was saved by his breastplate. A havildar and three men were wounded. After driving off the enemy and holding the hill for half-an-hour, the companies were withdrawn. Lieutenant-Colonel Salter re- turned with the bodies of his late Adjutant and Dr. Lord—the former without its head : both bodies were naked, and much cut. Lieutenant Bradfoot's was not found till night, when it was brought in, also without a head. The troops were now withdrawn, camp pitched, and we retired to rest all fully accoutred, with the full prospect of having a precious warm night's work. Daybreak came without a shot being fired from our side. The enemy had decamped, and were said to have gone in the direction of Charikar."

The conduct of the Second Native Regiment is variously accounted for : one ascribes it to Dost Mohammed's having excited their religious bigotry against their Christian rulers ; another to the summary execu- tion of a trooper of the regiment, under " doubtful circumstances," by order of Sir John Keane ; a third, to dislike of the English sabre, with which they u ere armed ; while others profess to consider it a mystery.