jfortign anti eolonial. INDLL—The over-land Indian mail brings intelligence from
Bombay to the 2d October. All the interest is now concentrated in a new quarter ; for while there is no later news from China, and India is in general comparatively tranquil, there is a revolution in the Punjab. At Lahore, on the 15th September, the Maharajah Shere Singh was slain, with his son Purtah Singh and all the members of his immediate family, at the instigation of Dhyan Singh, his Minister ; and a child had been placed upon the throne. It may be remembered that our old ally, Run- jeet Singh, died in June 1839, and was succeeded by his son Kurrack. On the death of Karruck, his son, Nao Nehal Singh, succeeded; but he was killed at his father's funeral. The throne was usurped by Shere Singh, who claimed to be a son of Itunjeet ; but he was generally con- sidered illegitimate, as his mother gave birth to him during so pro- tracted an absence of Runjeet, that his paternity was more than doubtful. Shere Singh was addicted to intemperance, and recently, after a quarrel with his Minister, Dhyan Singh, he somewhat humbled himself in seeking a reconciliation, and endured the farther hu- miliation of a lecture from the other on his habitual vice ; which he promised to reform. Latterly, Dhyan had been observed to be very downcast ; anti it is supposed that he was jealous of the favour shown to General Ventura, an European officer in the Maharajah's service. With this preliminary explanation, we borrow from the Delhi Gazette the more circumstantial account of the murder of Shere Singh and the sub- sequent occurrences- " This event took place at the North gate of Lahore, about a mile and a half from the palace, at half-past nine o'clock on the morning of the 15th. The conspiracy was formed by Fakeer Azeez-ood-deen and Dhyan Singh; and it fell to the lot of Sirdar Ajeet Singh to execute it ; Sirdars Golab Singh, Lena Singh, (Majeeteea,) and Soochet Singh, were also concerned. Dbyan Singh made the arrangement by proposing to the Maharajah to inspect Ajeet Singh's troops; which the Maharajah said be would do the following morning, and orders were accordingly issued. On the Maharajah's Arrival at the parade- ground, he found fault with the appearance and condition of some horsemen purposely placed to attract attention : when Ajeet Singh became saucy, words ran high, and drawing a pistol from his bosom, he (Ajeet Singh) shot Shere Singh through the head, the ball having entered his right temple. General Ventura and his party attacked the murderer; but, being opposed by a power- ful body of troops, were defeated. Ajeet Singh cut up the Rajah's body, placed his head on a spear, and on entering the town met Prince Partaub Singli's suwarie, which was immediately attacked, and the Prince killed. The palace was taken, and Dhulleep Singh, the only remaining son of Runjeet Singh, a lad ten years old, proclaimed to the throne. The treasury was thrown open, and the troops paid up their arrears of pay : every child and all of Shere Singh's and Prince Purtaub Singh's wives were then brought out and murdered; among the rest, one of Shere Singles sons, only born the previous evening. Troops were sent off to guard all the ghauts, and all the opposite party (except Ven- tura, who-escaped) made prisoners. "Ajeet Singh, after having killed Shere Singh, was returning to the fort, and met Dhyan Singh; he told him he had done the deed, and asked him to return; he got into Dhyan Singh's carriage, and when they got near the gate of the fort, Ajeet Singh stabbed Divan Singh, and sent his body to his brother, Sooehet Singh, and his son, Beers Singh. These two individuals surrounded the city with their troops. The people inside continued plundering all night. "In the morning, (16th,) Heera Singh, having entered the fort, seized Ajeet Singh, Lena Singh, and others ; and having put them to death, exposed their heads in the plain and threw their bodies into the bazaar. Dhulleep Singh has been put on the guddee, and Beers Singh made Vuseer. Six hundred men were slaughtered on both sides."
The population of the territory subject to the Maharajah is estimated at 4,000,000; its revenue, at 2,000,0001. or 2,500,0001. sterling, with 40,000,0001. accumulated in the treasury! The new outbreak of course excites the greatest interest in India, and the " annexation " of the territory is already discussed. Lord Ellenborough had ordered an "army of exercise" to assemble on the banks of the Jumna, for what object was not very apparent ; but certainly, say his enemies, it could not have been in anticipation of these events, though the preparation is opportune. It was supposed that Lord Ellenborough, who was still at Barrackpore, would repair to the North-west, to be near the scene of disorder.
At Gwalior and in the Bundelcund matters were comparatively quiet ; though there was much uneasiness and incertitude. In the Nizam's territory the excitement had subsided; the able, but worn-out and lavish Prime Minister, Chundoo Lall, having been quietly removed, and a relative put in his place.
Scinde also was tranquil ; the periodical inundations having pre- vented all military movements, and the cooler weather materially bene- fited the health of the troops. Shere Mohammed, the most refractory of the Ameers, was supposed to be in the hills near Candahar ; the Murrees not having espoused his cause so readily as he hoped. From Cabal the reports grow more conflicting than ever. One is, that Dost Mahommed had opened a friendly correspondence with the British Government; another, that he had threatened the King of Bok- hare with an expedition to recover Turkistan to the kingdom of Cabal; a third, that he contemplated a movement to recover Peshawar, while the Punjab was in confusion ; and it is said, that the Ghilzies and other tribes disputed his authority nearer home. Sutler Jung, the son of Shah Sujah, had escaped from prison at Candahar.
EGYPT.—Letters from Alexandria, of the 16th October, state that Ahmed, Pacha of Soudan, had declared himself independent of Mehemet All who had given orders to place 40,000 men under arms, to reduce his contumacious subordinate to obedience. Ahmed is forty-five years of age, cool, and "as brave as a lion "— "In his youth," says the Times "he was purchased with other Circaisian slaves, by Mehemet Ali. He was erought up a soldier, and was enrolled in the first regular regiment ever raised in Egypt. He first served in Arabia and the Hedjaz; was promoted to the rank of Colonel, and subsequently sent to Candi*, and finally to St. Jean d'Acre, where he particularly distinguished himself for his brilliant courage. He followed the fate of the Egyptian army in Syria ; his regiment having been ever distinguished for its bravery and discipline. In the year 1836 he was made Minister of War at Cairo. The Pacha wished to deduct from the pay of the army all the expenses of arms and artillery which Lad been consumed in the wars of Syria. Ahmed was of a contrary opinion, and expressed himself in the following terms—' After having exposed their lives, should the troops pay for the materials consumed ? Impossible !' This observation was sufficient to cause his disgrace. He was ordered to confine himself to his house : but he was beloved by the entire army, and was finally appointed Pacha of Soudan, a species of honourable exile. The revolt of Ahmed has caused Mehemet Ali serious uneasiness, because in attacking Ahmed he attacks the Porte." Mehemet An had sent presents to Constantinople—a carriage and four horses for the mother of the Sultan, six horses for the Sultan him- self, and two for his ministers.
GREECE.—A letter in the Augsburg Gazette, dated "Frontiers of Poland, 25th October," says—" I can now announce to you, without the fear of contradiction, that the Emperor Nicholas has formally ex- pressed his displeasure at the Greek revolution; and that he has de- prived M. Katakazi [the Russian Minister] of his situation, and ordered that his conduct in having manifested too lively a sympathy in the new order of things be submitted to a court of inquiry. It is added that the troops concentrated at Kiew be directed to march to the Pruth." The Moniteur Parisien adds, that a Commissioner Extraordinary has been sent to Athens with a protest against the revolution. It is also said that the King of Prussia has recalled his representative.
ITaLy..—It is denied that there has been any movement of Austrian troops on the Bolognese frontier : a body of soldiers only went, at the request of the Duke of Modena, to share in some military parade ma- nceuvres ; and then they returned to quarters. The guerilla warfare against the Governments of Rome and Piedmont continues ; and the efforts to put it down are trifling and inefficient. Austria waits an in- vitation to interpose.
The Due d'Aumale, after visiting the King of Sardinia, arrived at Civita Vecchia on the 28th October, and went to Rome to visit the Pope.
SPAIN.—The intelligence from Spain is singularly uninteresting, and may be dismissed in few words. At Madrid, the Committees of the two Chambers of the Cortes had reported in favour of declaring the Queen's majority. Some advantages have been gained by the Govern- ment over the insurgents : Saragossa opened its gates to Concha on the 28th October ; while in Barcelona the revolutionists are weak- ened by dissension. On the other hand, Gerona still held out on the 2d instant, and Prim was waiting reinforcements ; disorders gained ground in Gallicia ; at Vigo, the Government troops had yielded to the insurgents, who were masters of the place on the 4th, and there are reports of a fresh conspiracy at Seville.
A new journal appeared at Madrid on the 2d instant, the Interna- tional, in the French language.
Maxtco.—The West Indian mail-steamer Severn, which left Nassau on the 13th October, arrived at Southampton on Monday, with no news worth notice from the British Colonies, but with the intelligence of some new unpleasantness between Mexico and this country. The Mexicans celebrated the anniversary of the surrender of the Spaniards in September 1829, and another victory on the 27th of the same month. On the former of the two days, there was a ball, at which several cap- tured flags were exhibited. Among them was an English flag, which could not possibly have been a trophy taken by the Mexicans ; and Mr. Percy Doyle, the British Chargé d'Affaires, insisted that it should be removed. S. Bocanegra, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, applied to the President, Santa Anna ; who refused compliance, and all the Englishmen left the hall. The flag was again exhibited on the 27th; and in consequence, Mr. Doyle declared that the diplomatic rela- tions of the two countries were suspended. It is supposed, also, that Mr. Doyle had communicated with the Admiral on the West Indian station.
Thaszre...—Advices have been received from Rio de Janeiro, to the 17th September, announcing the safe arrival of the Emperor's Neapo- litan bride, in good health. The marriage was solemnized with great rejoicings, on the 4th.
POLYNESIA.—We have received a copy of the Honolulu Temperance Advocate and Friend, of the 31st July 1843, announcing the complete restoration of the monarchy of the Sandwich Islands to King Kame- hameha ; who had temporarily ceded his authority to the British, under compulsion. Admiral Richard Thomas had arrived in the Queen's ship Dublin, and had entered into a treaty with the King, by which British subjects were placed in all respects on the footing of "the most favoured nation" ; certain acts of aggression on British subjects, especially a kind of confiscation of the property of a Mr. Charlton, in his absence, at the suit of another foreigner, were cancelled ; the protection of Britain in vindicating the fulfilment of the treaty being guaranteed to the King ; and various other privileges of access to his Majesty, and of appointing a Consul, were accorded to the British. As a crowning grace, the King passed an act of amnesty for all offences committed against his government in the interregnum, with ten days' holydays for reloicings.
The Temperance Advocate also contains a notification to the British in the Society Islands, by Captain Toup Nicolas, of the Queen's ship Vindictive, dated Tahiti, 20th June 1843, declaring that British sub- jects need not recognize any French authorities or courts, and that the British Government intended to maintain the independence of the So- ciety Islands.
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