na into the Doab; major-general approach; their flight was therefore unencumbered, and the fatigue which our horses had sustained, the late hour of the day, and the nature of the country, prevented a farther pursuit. Above 30 of the enemy's colours fell into our hands; among the number, two golden standards, which were carried by the Yekus, a body of chosen men attached to the person of Meer Khan. Three of Meer Khan's principal sirdars were killed; two wounded, one of whom is now in our camp. Meer Khan himself escaped; but the best and bravest of his troops suffered. [ feel infinitely indebted to the whole of the officers and men under my command, for their gallant, steady, and praise-worthy conduct. I have the honour to inclose a return of our loss. The wounds received by the officers are, I am sorry to say, severe, but, I trust, not dangerous. I shall continue to pursue the enemy in whatever direction they may proceed. "John Smith, maj.-gen. Camp, six miles from Ufulghur, March 3. Total-Killed, 10 rank and file; wounded, 1 major, 2 captains, 1 lieutenant, 5 serjeants, 1 trumpeter, 37 rank and file.-Officers wounded, major Carden and captain Burke, 29th light dragoons; captain Gore, and lieutenant and adjutant Bunce, 27th light dragoons. Captain Hutchinson, in a letter dated Currawal, February 27, states his having, with 160 Sepoys, taken the fort of Bommon Gong, its garrison, comprising 300 men, having deserted it during the night, in consequence of a breach having been made, and the storming party formed in the ditch to make the assault in the morning. On the 25th he ad vanced against Curraval, which was garrisoned with 1100 men ;-being joined by 150 Sepoys, which augmented his force to 310 native troops besides artillery, and having made a breach, the storming party was led on by lieutenant Grant about six o'clock in the evening of the 26th; but as our gallant party entered the fort in one direction, the enemy fled from it in another. We had on the occasion a serjeant and eleven men wounded. In the course of these dispatches, the following officers are mentioned in terms of particular commendation: major-general Smith, brigadier-general Monson, lieutenant-colonels Don, Need, and Taylor; majors Salkeld and Menzies; captains Welst and Grant; lieutenants Grant, Alder, Purvis, and Nicholson. In the letter of the governor-general and council, transmitting the foregoing accounts, is the following paragraph: On the 24th of February, the commander in chief took up a new position on the North-east side of Bhurtpore; and his excellency is prepared to recommence the operations against that place as soon as he should have received supplies of stores and ammunition, which are advancing towards the army from the stations within the company's provinces at which they had been collected. The commander in chief expresses a confident hope of obtaining possession of. Bhurtpore before the conclusion of the season for active military operations in that quarter of India. The rajah, it is said, proposed liberal conditions of surrender; namely, to pay all the expences of the war, and give three lacks of money to be dispersed among the troops. These offers were rejected, and an unconditional surrender is said to be insisted upon by the British general, who is desirous of making an example which shall deter the native powers from future warfare. The rajah, who defends Bhurtpore, has indeed every thing at stake; his life, his liberty, his family, his propertyand he has fought nobly in their defence. At the date of the latest advices he had accumulated all in one spot, and expressed his determination of blowing up altogether, should the English obtain a footing in the place. Major-general Smith, with a detachment of cavalry under his command, having effected the expulsion of Meer Khan from Rohilcund and the Doab, rejoined the army of the right hon. the commander in chief before Bhurtpore on the 23d of March. Meer Khan having recrossed the Jumna, had arrived at Futtypore Seckree, two days before general Smith's arrival at Bhurtpore. This chieftain had been abandoned by his troops, with the exception of a small body of cavalry. The whole of his infantry and artillery quitted his service about the period of his incursion into the Doab, and have since been employed by other chieftains. Meer Khan himself is gone off in search of employment, attended only by a few hundred predatory horse. On the 29th of March, his excellency the right hon. the commander in chief, with a column of cavalry under his lordship's personal command, and a column of infantry, under lieut.-col. Don, marched at two o'clock in the morning to surprize the cavalry of Jeswunt Rao Holkar, which was encamped at the distance of a few coss from Bhurtpore. The apprehension of being surprised surprised had induced the enemy to encamp in several separate divisions; and the operations of the British troops were directed against 2 of his principal encampments. His lordship, with the cavalry, took a circuitous direction to the right under the hills; whilst lieutenant-colonel Don, with the infantry, proceeded to the left, by the direct road to the position of the enemy. The enemy, having received information from his hircar. rahs of the approach of the British troops, was prepared for flight when lord Lake reached his camp. The enemy, however, suffered some loss in his retreat, from the fire of the column of infantry; and, notwithstanding the rapidity of his flight, a charge was effected by the British cavalry, in which about two hundred of the enemy were destroyed. A quantity of baggage and cattle, consisting chiefly of about 50 camels, 100 horses, 2 elephants, and 20 hackeries, was captured by the British troops. Lord Lake, after pursuing the enemy to a considerable distance, returned to camp at eleven o'clock on the same morning.-On the 1st of April, lord Lake received intelligence that Jeswunt Rao Holkar, having retired to a great distance from the British army, had assembled the greater part of his troops and baggage at a position, eight coss from Bhurtpore in the di. rection of Futtypore. Lord Lake, in the expectation that the vigilance of the enemy would be diminished in consequence of the distance to which he had removed, determined to attempt to surprise his camp. His lordship accordingly marched at one o'clock on the morning of the 2d of April, with the whole of the cavalry, the horse artillery, and the reserve of the army, and arrived in the neighbourhood of Jeswunt Rao Holkar's camp before the dawn of day. Jeswunt Rao Holkar had received intelligence of lord Lake's approach about two hours before his lordship had reached the vicinity of his camp; and had sent off a part of his baggage. The enemy was posted round a high village, with his front covered by cultivated fields, surrounded by high inclosures. It was still dark, but the fires of the enemy enabled lord Lake to make his disposition for the attack without waiting for day-light. The cavalry formed in two lines moved round to the right, whilst the reserve and the horse artillery, under lieutenant-colonel Don, was ordered to gain the left of the village with as much expedition as possible. The cavalry advanced at a trot, and when arrived within a short distance of the enemy, the right squadrons of each regiment in the first line were ordered to charge, supported by the remaining squadrons, and by the second line. The enemy, on seeing the advance of the British troops, made every possible exertion to escape, but was charged with success in various directions, and suffered great loss. The British cavalry continued the pursuit to a very considerable distance, and did not desist until the enemy were entirely dispersed. The enemy is said to have lost upwards of 1000 men on this occasion. Upon the return of lord Lake to camp, a body of infantry, with colours, was observed moving in the direction of the jungle which surrounds the town of Bhurtpore. This body of infantry was immediately charged by a squadron of his majesty's 8th dragoons, under colonel Vandeleur. Upon the approach of the squadron, and after after a few of the enemy had been cut down, the remainder threw down their arms, and were made prisoners. The colours of this corps were captured ; and it proved to be a body of Meer Khan's infantry, which, having quitted that chief, was proceeding to offer its services to Runjeet Sing. Lord Lake returned to camp at 1 P. M. after a march, including the pursuit of the enemy, of upwards of 50 miles. A detachment composed of the 1st battalion of the 25th native regiment, six companies of the 24th native reg. 1 battalion of irregular infantry, and the Agra irregular horse, the whole commanded by capt. Royle, marched from Agra on the 26th of March, to dislodge Hernaut, the Chelah of Jeswunt Rao Holkar, who, with the remains of Holkar's infantry and guns, and a body of Holkar's cavalry, under Baboojee, had occupied a position between Bharee and Dholpore. Captain Royle's detachment, after a march of 12 coss, came up with the cavalry of the enemy under Bapoojee, on the 31st of March, and succeeded in completely defeating this corps. On the 6th of April, captain Royle received information that the principal body of the enemy of which he was in pursuit, had taken up a strong position under the walls of the fortified town of Adawlut-Nuggur.This body of the enemy consisted of between 3 and 4000 men, cavalry and infantry, and three guns. Captain Royle arrived at Adawlut-Nuggur, at eight o'clock on the morning of the 7th of April, and found the enemy advantageously posted, having the fort of Adawlut-Nuggur in his rear, and his front and flanks covered by the deep ravines, occupied by troops. Captain Royle, with great spirit and judgment, immediately formed his detachment for the attack, and advancing under a very heavy and well-directed fire from the enemy's artillery, and from his troops stationed in the ravines, compelled the enemy to abandon his guns, and to retreat with the loss of all his artillery and baggage. The Agra horse under colonel Pohlman pursued the fugitives to the distance of 5 coss from Adawlut-Nuggur, and killed great numbers of them. On this occasion were also captured upwards of 20 stands of colours and a great number of musquets, of European manufacture, match-locks, spikes, &c. The conduct of the troops in this action was highly exemplary; and especially that of the newly-raised battalions of the 24th and 25th regiments of native infantry, which had not been embodied for more than a period of 5 months. His excellency the right hon. the commander in chief having completed his arrangements for the recommencement of operations against the town of Bhurtpore, changed the ground of encampment before Bhurtpore on the 9th of April, and took up his final position for the attack. The reduced condition of Jeswunt Rao Holkar's power, and the manifest inutility of continuing to afford support to the declining fortune of that chieftain, added to the preparations for the attack of Bhurtpore, had previously induced rajah Runjeet Sing to sue for peace on the 25th of February, and to offer terms, which, after some negociation, were, with certain modifications, accepted by lord Lake, under the authority of the governor-general. An agreement was accordingly formed on the 10th of April, by which Runjeet Sing has ceded to the honourable company company the fortress of Decg, and has restored all the districts which were conferred upon him by the British government after the conclusion of peace with Dowlut Rao Scindia. Runjeet Sing has also engaged to pay the sum of twenty lacks of rupees to the company; of this sum, three lacks of rupees are to be paid immediately, and the remainder by instalments, at stated periods. The son of Runjeet Sing was delivered up to lord Lake ou the 12th of April, as an hostage for the due performance of these engagements. Lieutenant-colonel Holmes, of the Bombay establishment, with a valuable convoy of provisions and stores from Guzzerat, and treasure to a large amount, for the use of the Bombay army under major-general Jones, marched into camp before Bhurtpore on the 10th of April.Colonel Holmes had marched from Guzzerat to Bhurtpore, without having met any material interruption; and since he passed Kotah he had not seen any enemy. It appears by the most authentic accounts, that Jeswunt Rao Holkar is reduced to the greatest distress, and that his force is nearly destroyed. The troops which remain in his service are not more than sufficient to form a guard for the protection of his person, and even these are entirely dispirited, and harrassed by the several defeats they have recently experienced, and by the continual state of alarm in which they have been kept by the persevering activity and vigilance of the commander in chief. The dominions of the company in Hindostan are in a state of tranquillity; and the bands of robbers which had disturbed certain districts in the north-western provinces have been expelled. Interesting Account of the Loss of his Majesty's Sloop Arrow, and Acheron Bomb, in a Letter from Captain Farquhar, to IV. Marsden, Esq. dated in Malaga Prison, February 3. Proceedings of his Majesty's Bomb At day-light two strange sail were seen from the mast-head, bearing about E. S. E. of us; at eight A. M. they had considerably neared us; we were at this time in the rear of the convoy. About half past 10, the Arrow asked, per telegraph, my opinion of ships to the eastward; l'immediately wore ship and stood towards them; observed the headmost ship to shorten sail, by hauling down the studding sails; made signal 642 to the Arrow, then hoisted the private signal, and continued upon a wind standing to them; at quarter past eleven made the signal, for their being suspicious (they not having answered the private signal). I was now so near as to be able to observe they were frigates, and at half-past eleven to discover that they had their spare anchors in their main chains, which immediately led me to suppose that they were French. |