Bolan Pass, and then through Scinde. The forces left in the Affghan territory were placed under the command of general Nott and colonel Sale, of whom the former had to direct his attention to Candahar and Quetta, and the latter to Cabul, Jellalabad, and Ghuznee. Dost Mahomed, at this time, had ceased to excite much alarm. His power seemed to be completely broken, and the impression made upon the minds of the chieftains of India by the exploits of British arms in the late campaign deterred them from rallying round his standard. He had retired across the Hindoo Koosh, the passes of which were guarded, and the chiefs of Balkh and Bokhara refused to join him.

When that portion of the army of the Indus which was under the immediate command of Sir J. Keane arrived within the Peshawer's territory, the governor-general (lord Auckland) issued a geneal order, dated, "Camp, Pamput, November 18," in which he "offered publicly his warmest thanks to the commander-in-chief, and to the officers and men who had served under his command, for the soldierlike spirit and conduct of all ranks throughout the late campaign;" and he congratulated them on attaining the great objects of national security and honour for which the expedition was undertaken: "The plans of aggression by which the British Empire in India was dan. gerously threatened, have, under Providence, been arrested. The

chiefs of Cabul and Candahar, who had joined in hostile designs against us, have been deprived of power, and the territories which they ruled have been restored to the government of a friendly monarch. The Ameers of Scinde have

acknowledged the supremacy of the British government, and ranged themselves under its protection. Their country will now be an outwork of defence, and the navigation of the Indus within their dominions, exempt from all duties, has been opened to commercial enterprise. With the allied governments of the Sikhs the closest harmony has been maintained; and on the side of Herat the British alliance has been courted, and a good understanding, with a view to common safety, has been established with that power." The governorgeneral then went on to express, in the warmest terms, his sense of the valour, discipline, and cheerfulness under hardships and privations of the army of the Indus, and its conciliatory conduct to the inhabitants of the countries through which it passed, whereby it had earned respect for the British name; and he stated the gratifying fact, that the native Sepoy and European soldier had vied with each other in effort and endurance.

In testimony of the services of the army of the Indus, the governor-general resolved that all the corps, European and native, in the service of the East India Company, which proceeded beyond the Bolan Pass, should have on their regimental colours the word "Affghanistan," and such of them as were employed in the reduction of the fortress of that name the word "Ghuznee" in addition; and in behalf of the queen's regiments he, in the same general order, stated, that he would recommend to her majesty that the same distinction should be granted to them. Besides this complimentary notice, lord Auckland ordered that a donation of six months, full or field batta, should be given to the officers

and fighting men of every rank attached to the army who advanced beyond the Bolan Pass.

But, although the prowess of British arms and the terror of the British name had wrested from the hands of Dost Mahomed the throne in Affghanistan, and seated Shah Soojah on it in his stead, the latter was by no means secure of retaining it a moment longer than he was supported by European aid. All accounts concur in describing the feeling of his subjects at this time towards him as that of perfect detestation, and even the people of his own particular tribe were said to entertain such bitter animosity against him, that his life would not have been safe with them had it not been for British protection. The Affghans openly declared, as the army of the Indus was returning through their country, that they would rather be under the rule of the British than that of Shah Soojah, whom they abhorred as the man who had sold their country to the Feringees. It was not long before a specimen was given of the precarious nature of the tranquillity which was supposed to have been established in the north-west of India, and of the general outbreak that might be anticipated so soon as the British forces had evacuated the countries where they had so signally triumphed. At the beginning of the present year the chief of Koona, Syed Hoshein, who had already signed the treaty of allegiance to Shah Soojah, sent a letter to his majesty, couched in the most insulting terms, and stating, that as he heard the Russians were advancing, it was his intention to join them. On receiving news of this, sir Willoughby Cotton, who commanded one division of the

force which was returning under sir John Keane, despatched colonel Orchard from Jellalabad, with a body of European and native troops, to attack the fort of Pooshut (forty or fifty miles from Jellalabad), where the Koona chief had taken up his residence. The weather was dreadful; the rain fell in torrents, and the cold was so intense that the men were benumbed by it, the snow lying around them in great depth on the neighbouring hills. The gate of the fortress was battered down by cannon, and the troops were on the point of rushing in, when it was discovered that there was a second wall and a second gate. A murderous fire now opened from the fort upon the attacking column, and as the powder as well as muskets of the men had become wet from the rain, not one of them would go off twice, and they were obliged to retire and shelter themselves from the guns of the fort. An attempt was then made to blow up the inner gate with powder, which was laid in great quantities for the purpose, but this, too, was so damp that it would not explode. The troops then retreated, in the midst of heavy rain, expecting to renew the assault on the morrow, but, during the night, Syed Hoshien evacuated the place, which was taken possession of by our troops on the next day, the 18th of January in this year. It was found to be a fortress of considerable strength, and, like Ghuznee and Khelat, much more capable of a desperate defence than had been anticipated. An attempt was made to follow and capture the fugitive chief, but the guns of the attacking party got so firmly fixed in the mud that they could not be moved. The troops on this occa sion behaved with great fortitude

as well as gallantry, for the state of the weather, which was extremely cold and wet, subjected them to very severe hardships. In this enterprise nineteen European and Sepoy rank and file were killed, and thirty-nine wounded.

Lord Keane arrived at Bombay in the latter end of February on his way to England, and the officers of the Bombay division of the army of the Indus took this opportunity of purchasing the magnificently ornamented sword, formerly belonging to prince Hyder Khan, which had been taken at Ghuznee, and presenting it to him. Lord Auckland also returned on the 11th of February to Calcutta, having left Mr. Robertson in charge as governor of the north-western provinces. The reason why the governor-general was anxious to be at head quarters again, was to superintend the fitting out and despatch of a strong armament against China, consisting of menof-war steamers, and a large body of troops. The command of the British squadron destined for Canton was taken by sir J. Gordon Bremer, as commodore, until the arrival of admiral Elliot, who was then at the Cape. Lord Auckland was most active in getting every thing ready to enable the armament to sail as soon as possible, but this was useless before May, as the south-westerly winds which prevailed during that month in the Chinese seas, would carry it to its destination as soon if it sailed then, as if it left India at an earlier period.

In the meantime, however, the state of Affghanistan remained very unsettled; Dost Mohamed was employed with restless activity in intriguing among the native princes, with a view to

recovering the throne which he had lost, and the condition of our troops which had been left in the territory of Shah Soojah, was described as one imperatively demanding refreshment and

repose.

A disastrous incident occurred in the hill country of north Cutchee early in May, whereby lieutenant Clarke, who was escorting a body of 500 camels with seventy sepoys and fifty horsemen from the Muzzee fort of Kahan to Llohree, was surrounded by a large body of Beloochees as he was entangled in some dangerous defiles, and he himself was slain and his troops cut to pieces by the enemy. The Beloochees were about 2,000 strong, and lieutenant Clarke had most imprudently, and against the advice of his guides, refused to push on for the open country, where he would have been in comparative safety. The sawars and sepoys, who constituted his force, did not on this occasion behave with their usual firmness and gallantry, but almost immediately fled before the Beloochees, and lieutenant Clarke fell the victim of too great rashness in underrating the courage and strength of his opponents.

We have alluded above to the conduct of Syed Hoshein, the chief of Koona, in setting Shah Soojah at defiance, and declaring his expectation of Russian assistance. This had reference to the movement of the Russian arms in the direction of Khiva, against which Russia had formally declared war in the month of December last year. Khiva is governed by a khan, and is on the borders of the Caspian sea. It is bounded on the north by the steppes called those de Kerchifs, on the south by Per

sia, and on the east by the provinces of Taran, Bokhara and Balkh. The latter borders on Affghanistan, the capital of which, Cabul, had recently been taken and occupied by British troops, when they established Shah Soojah upon the throne. The vicinity, therefore, of Khiva to that terri tory to which our interference had extended, rendered any movement of Russia towards its acquisition a matter of grave importance.

The manifesto of the Russian government in declaring war, stated that for a long time past the insults and provocations that had been practised by the inhabitants of Khiva, had called the attention of the imperial government to that country. As this document gives a somewhat interesting account of the state of Khiva, and the nature of the injuries complained of, we insert it at length here. The views and pretexts of Russia in establishing a footing in the north western provinces of India, however remote from the territory subject to British dominion, must be full of interest to every one who contemplates the future destiny of our Indian empire.

"Khiva, which borders on Kergis-Kaissakes, the inhabitants of which are Russian subjects, has constantly, for a series of years, shown by acts of hostility the little esteem it entertained for a power with which, for its own sake, it should have kept up a friendly intercourse. Our trade with the provinces of Central Asia was a source of prosperity for the inhabitants of Khiva, who drew from it their principal resources, and possessed through it in Russia the rights and privileges granted to the other inhabitants of Asia; but Khiva, far from appreciating ad

vantages and benefits, has been guilty of the most flagrant disloyalty and unparalleled audacity. It daily harasses the wandering tribes that encamp on our frontiers, interrupts the intercourse the other states of Asia keep up with us, detains the caravans of Bokhara on their way to and from Russia, obliges them to pay extravagant duties, and compels them by main force to pass through its territory, and there seizes a considerable portion of their merchandize. These insults to foreigners holding commercial intercourse with Russia are, however, of less importance than the attacks which have been made on Russian caravans. Not one of these can now cross the deserts without danger. It was in this manner that a Russian caravan from Orenburg with goods belonging to our merchants was pillaged by the armed bands of Khiva. No Russian merchant can now venture into that country without running the risk of losing his life or being made a prisoner. The inhabitants of Khiva are constantly making incursions into that part of the country of the Kerguis which is at a distance from our lines, although the Kerguis recognized the sovereignty of Russia under their khan, Abul Chaix ; they destroy their camps, lay them under heavy tributes, excite them to disobedience against the legal authority, give an asylum to those who revolt, and to crown all these insults they are detaining several thousand Russian subjects in slavery. The number of these unfortunate wretches increases daily, for the peaceful fishermen on the banks of the Caspian are continually attacked and carried off as slaves to Khiva. The unfortunate condition of so many victims has