paid,) he at last sold it for 12,000 pagodas to the aforesaid gentleman; 6,000 pagodas were paid to the Registrar to give up the mortgaged receipt; the other 6,000 he received in money.

'Much ingenuity and address had been used to accomplish this bargain, which I will not detail to you, but pass on to its conclusion, which was this: a few weeks after the Registrar's friend had got possession of the documents, an advertisement appears in 'The Government Gazette' here, from the commissioners, stating that the final award of this very claim had just been received from England, from which it appeared that the sum of 34,000 pagodas was payable to the holder of it. This advertisement bears the signature of the Registrar; and, after considerable difficulty, the Armenian traces out, from undoubted authority, that the award had arrived here, and was in the hands of the Registrar some time previous to his friend purchasing the claim to it for 12,000 pagodas. The Armenian then goes to the person to whom he had sold it, who affects to be extremely concerned about it; but says, it is really one of those unlucky occurrences that will sometimes happen. He deplores it much; but what can he do? He was so straitened for cash himself soon after he made the purchase, that he actually sold it to a friend for the same sum that he had paid, and this person had drawn the 34,000 pagodas. The fact comes out, that it had gone through two purchasers' hands, and then came into those of the Registrar, (for whom, in fact, it originally had been bought,) in this circuitous manner. Thus had he, by taking the advantage of his situation, and imposing on an unsuspecting individual, cleared 22,000 pagodas, or near 80,000 rupees, (8,000l. sterling.)

"The poor Armenian, thus duped out of his money, has been recommended to commence an action against the executors of the Registrar, and the other two persons who lent themselves as parties in this nefarious transaction; the result of which I shall communicate to you.

'The instance you gave, in the number of your 'Oriental Herald ' for March, 1827, of the gross imposition carried on by the Commissariat officers in the purchase of horse grain for the army, is allowed to be perfectly correct, and several in that department are not a little annoyed at it. However, the Commissariat is, I find, in some instances, a money-making concern; particularly in supplying the European soldiery with arrack, the liquor commonly used by these men in India. It yields, in many instances, a clear profit of 200 per cent. to the Honourable Company; it can always be purchased by individuals, at Madras, at something less than one rupee per gallon; it is issued at the rate of half a pint daily to every European soldier in India, for which the soldiers pay at the rate of three rupees per gallon, giving their Honourable masters, for whom they remain here in a manner banished, a clear profit of two rupees. As a great quantity of this liquor is used by country-born and half-caste

people, as well as by Europeans, the profit from it yearly must be very great, besides what is made by the Commissariat servants, who originally purchase it for the army.'

BOMBAY.

THE latest letters from Bombay state that the British are in amicable relations with the Native Princes in different parts of India; that is to say, with the assistance of the bayonets employed for this specific purpose; and, as far as externals can indicate, things promise a lasting quiet. But, under all this quiet, measures are in progress which, it is thought, will originate a flame, the intensity and destructiveness of which few will venture to predict, but which all will contemplate with alarm.

It appears that Lord Hastings, in his Exposé of the Financial State of India,' at the period of vacating his government, either wilfully deceived the world and the Court of Directors, with respect to the surplus revenue of the country, or was deceived himself by his inaptitude for accounts. The blind following the blind has produced the usual disastrous consequences; and the mental opacity, and weak confidence, of his Lordship's successor, in relying on resources which he did not possess, have involved the Government in India in pecuniary difficulties, which will probably end in bankruptcy, unless the most speedy and energetic measures be adopted for reducing the expenditure, to an extent that must necessarily affect the efficiency (if not something more) of every branch of the civil and military services. The Presidency of Bombay is dependent on that of Bengal for supplies. The Bengal Government is incapable of meeting the wants of the sister Presidency, and has directed the expenditure of Bombay to be diminished, instantly, in a specific sum, the magnitude of which is so great that, in saving it, reduction must be carried to an extent paralysing general efficiency, disregarding the claims of individuals, involving injustice to the troops, (in case it be necessary to touch their pay,) and originating universal discontent and disgust. What the consequences of all this may be, time will show. But the necessity for reduction is so conclusive, that it becomes more imperative than any order could make it. Every effort, therefore, is necessary to proceed with the greatest caution, to effect the object with the least possible sacrifice of efficiency and influence; for this purpose, civil and military committees were sitting in Bombay, composed of the most talented men in both services. We shall see whether or not they sacrifice themselves, as well as their friends. Mr. Elphinstone, it is said, on receiving the despatch from Bengal, ordering this retrenchment, paid into the General Treasury the sum of 45,000 rupees, being the amount of pay and equipment of an increased number of Government-house peons, which had been kept up for the last two years. The reductions are to embrace liberal institutions, all works and departments of a scientific as well as of a political nature, and those connected

with internal government, finance, police, justice, army, and marine. With the same precipitancy, want of judgment, and recklessness of consequences, which characterised Lord Amherst's rushing into the Burmese War, has he ordered the present reductions. The sums to be reduced are fixed, and it matters not, it would appear, at what risk; but such sums are to be saved, the manner of it is left to the Bombay Government. The suddenness of these reductions will be found a great evil to the army and public servants generally: and when it is considered that our power in India exists only on the confidence and fidelity of the Native Army, any extended measures, affecting the interests of such an important body, should be carried into effect with great caution. It may be said, indeed, that the measure is imperative, as the expenditure exceeds the revenue; but it should be recollected that the increased expenditure originated in circumstances which are not likely to recur, that the expenditure will be partly reduced by those circumstances ceasing to operate, and that, for the rest of the increased expenditure, it might be gradually and imperceptibly reduced. At the present time, it is believed that the troops are already too weak to secure efficiently the perfect internal tranquillity (such as should exist under a well-organised Government, for the security of persons and property) of our extended territories in India.

The English in that country have had some melancholy proofs lately, how powerless they are in the hands of the Natives, when they choose to act against their officers individually. Two officers were, not long since, murdered in Bengal, on the Ganges; one (a Mr. Dallas) has been lately murdered at Nagpoor; and, still more recently, two distinguished officers were assassinated in another part of India, the one, Major Wallace, of the Second Madras Cavalry, who was shot dead on the parade, by one of his own troopers; and the other, Major Evan Davies, of the Bombay army, who commanded a body of Reformed Horse, consisting of several regiments in the service of the Nizam. He was desired to extend some of our reforms in his troop; a party of his men fell upon him on parade, and he died covered with seventeen wounds!

The following is a copy of the report of a Court of Inquiry held on the subject, the accuracy of which may be relied on:

At a Court of Inquiry, of which Colonel Sayer was President, assembled at Mominabad, the 25th of May, 1827, to ascertain the cause of the mutiny in the 3d regiment of Nizam's Reformed Ca→ valry. On the 6th of May it appeared that, about the 10th of March, the young officers had commenced their endeavours to get the Mohammedans to shave their beards. Shortly previous to this date, the Havildar Major, on being reproached for shaving the holy hair on his chin, replied, that he should soon see every man in the regiment like himself. On the 10th March, the Havildar Major gave

out the orders for the day, that every man in the regiment should be shaved. In consequence of which the Mohammedans assembled at the Resalder's house, in great distress, and would not be pacified till a Jemadar returned from the Adjutant, to say it was a mistake.

'Next morning Major Davies ordered a parade, and himself explained to the men that there was no cause for alarm; that some worthless person had spread a false report, and there was no desire for any of them to be shaved. In the order-book of each troop was found entered, on the 10th of March, an order, expressly prohibiting officers from interfering with the hair, and explaining, that every man might shave or not, as he pleased.

'Nawab Allum Allec Khan said, that he obtained the order of the 10th of March, and that it was written the instant he acquainted Major Davies that the men were unhappy, under the apprehension that they must be shaved. The order and wishes of Major Davies were entirely counteracted, in this and in other respects, and the feelings of the men were totally disregarded. Personal indignity was practised in numerous ways, to all ranks, till, on the 5th of May, two Mohammedans were held by low-caste horse-keepers, and forcibly shaved. The regimental officers of the brigade striving, by every means, to shave their men, it would be no great wonder if a faithless, ignorant, irritated Musulman doubted the sincerity of his Brigadier to preserve his holy hair, when persecution, and even violence, was used, by his own nephew, to deprive him of it.

'About two o'clock on the morning of the 6th of May, Havildar Khodyar Khan, being on duty, collected ninety men with arms, and told them they must go with him to Major Davies, to complain of the oppression under which they suffered. Emissaries were sent to the first regiment, but no one could be prevailed on to join them. A little before day, they moved from near the Durgah to the Bri-, gade Parade, nearer to the town and the ravines; and, during the movement, their numbers decreased to about thirty-five, most of them boys and recruits. At three o'clock the assembly was reported to the European officers, and five men of a troop of the 3d regiment were ordered to parade to keep them in check. Major Davis, at day-break, called up Nawab Allum Allec Khan, a pensioned Risalder, in a tent in his garden, and told him what had happened. He said that the boys had spoiled every thing, but he would try to put all to rights, and mounted his horse to go to pacify the discontented. He then went to Dr. Morgan, and asked him to accompany him; yet went off before he was ready, and very soon came back, happy in the belief that they had returned to their duty, and never suspecting that they had only changed their ground.

'Mr. Tucker, the only officer with the third regiment, rode to the lines at day-light, and, at the distance of sixty yards from the irre

gular assembly, dismounted, and threw his sword upon the ground. He tried to persuade them to return to their lines. In reply, they stated their grievances, and requested their discharge. He desired them to go to their lines, and the same should not happen to them again; but they replied,' We cannot go to our lines; take our pay, and all we have, but give us our discharge and our arms. You have, on a former occasion, made us promises, and we can no longer place confidence in you.' The men were cocking their pistols, and Lieutenant Tucker sent a Jemadar to Major Davis to say, that some of his men had assembled, and would not listen to any one, and he desired he would come and speak to them. A

'Major Davis was with the Nawab in the garden, and instantly rode to parade, as required, with Brigade Major Reynolds. He ordered Lieutenant Tucker to form a foot parade, which extricated him, and removed the supposed cause of their perturbation. He then asked the men the reason of their assembly, and they replied, We have been tyrannised over, and forcibly deprived of our beards, by Derhs.' Major Davis inquired, whose beard had been shaved? and Mohammed Azeem Khan came forward. Major Davis said, You have certainly been oppressed, but I will do you justice; go on one side.' He then asked, who brought out the standard and nagara?They exclaimed, they had all done it; but this, 'he said, was impossible, and could not be admitted. He ordered the standard to be thrown down, which, after being repeated once or twice, was obeyed. Lieutenant Reynolds explained to them that they were required to give the name of the person who brought out the standard, and to go to their lines, and nothing more should be done to them. Major Davis added, I am your security in this.* Still hesitating to give up the name of the person who brought out the standard, Lieutenant Reynolds was sent for the first regiment, and Major Davis still tried to prevail on them to name the person who brought out the standard. The trumpet of the first regiment sounded the trot, and Major Davis turned his horse towards it, when Havildar Kodyar Khan, seeing he could not escape, put his pistol to Major Davis's breast, and shot him before he apprehended danger. The Havildar calling out, 'Fallon,' was answered by a discharge of carbines and pistols from the mutineers. The Havildar and another attacking him with swords, Major Davis fell from his horse to receive numberless sabre wounds. The party of the third regiment which had been formed to keep the discontented in check, about two hundred yards distant, charged and dispersed the murderers. Six were killed, three died of wounds, one lost his hands, eight are missing, some of whom were wounded, and seventeen tried by a Court Martial. Lieutenant Sterling is severely wounded. Lieut. Tucker had the waistband of his pantaloons blown off, and a stroke, aimed at his neck, was guarded off by Lieutenant Harrington, whose horse was shot between the ears, as he reared up at adurgah, in