adopted so successfully in the North-West Provinces by Mr. Thomasson, who took things as he found them, protected the weak against the strong, and ascertained by careful survey the quality of the soil in every field, however small, and the extent to which various parties were interested in the property. He (Sir J. Hogg) admitted that there were evils attaching to the present system of tenure which ought to be remedied; and he had no doubt that Lord Dalhousie, if he found it necessary, would send persons thoroughly acquainted with the subject to institute an inquiry in the presidency of Madras. He hoped it would not be thought advisable to send out from this country commissioners whose knowledge of the matters to be investigated must necessarily be limited, and thus to supersede the Governor-General in the main points of his government- the care of the people committed to his charge, and the raising of a revenue in the manner most profitable to the state and least oppressive to the people.

Mr. Bright said, the hon. baronet the member for Honiton had charged the member for Poole with going to Madras and allying himself with a native association. He (Mr. Bright) would like to know with what party in Madras it would have been more proper for the hon. member to have allied himself than with an association formed of intelligent natives, anxious to communicate to parliament such information as might advance the interests of their country? It could not be attributed as a matter of blame to the hon. member for Poole that, as he went through the country, crowds of people came round him, and certainly if, as had been said, they never saw an Englishman but a tax collector, it must have been a refreshing sight to have found out an Englishman in India who was not a tax collector. The real question before the House was as to whether the Government should appoint a commission to proceed to the presidency of Madras to gather evidence on the spot as to the condition of the people, as connected with the tenure of land and the taxation on the land. He was not going to contend that it was of much importance as to whether this commission should go out; something might be said in its favour, and something might be urged against it, and, no doubt, they might choose two or three men in India as honest on this question as any who could be chosen in England, and who, doubtless, from their position, would have more easy access to information, and who would probably draw up as satisfactory a report as any other gentlemen. But he would not quarrel with the president of the Board of Control if he did not send out this commission, but he would fail in his duty if he did not, as a result of this discussion, promote the inquiry recommended, with a view of bringing about the improvements which even the hon. member for Honiton had admitted to be necessary.

Sir C. Wood would not, in the brief observations he should make, follow hon. gentlemeu in the discursive discussion they had entered upon, but confine himself altogether to the point which the hon. and learned gentleman, in his temperate speech, had propounded, namely, the tenure of land in India. He admitted that, generally speaking, the assessment was too high, but that did not alter the tenure of the land, to which, so long as a man paid his assessment, he had an indefeasible right, and he hoped that by a large expenditure upon public works-by an improvement in the system, not of the tenure of land, but of the land revenue, and by the extension of irrigation, before long Madras would cease to be called the benighted land of India.

Mr. Mangles said that the question was one of over-assessment, and not of tenure. The ryotwarry system prevailed in Canada, and yet that province was in a most flourishing condition.

Mr. Henley expressed his astonishment that no member of the Government had contradicted the assertion of the hon. member for Manchester, that torture was applied in order to compel the natives to pay the tax.

Sir C. Wood explained that, having heard the allegation for the first time that evening, it was impossible for him to answer it without referring to Madras.

Mr. Mangles said it was difficult to prove a negative, but he could solemnly declare that, during many years which he passed in India, he never heard of torture being applied in Madras for the purpose of collecting the revenue.

Mr. Elliott confirmed what was said by the hon. member (Mr. Mangles). During thirty years of Indian service, he had never heard of torture being used for the purpose of collecting rent, and he did not believe such a thing ever did exist in their time. The House then divided, when the numbers were :

JULY 14.

OFFICERS OF THE INDIAN ARMY.

Mr. Otway put a question to the President of the India Board, relative to the recognition of the rank of Indian officers in this country.

Sir C. Wood said that it was not a question which the India Board could decide. With respect to their rank in the militia, the officers of the East-India Company's service were put on exactly the same footing with those of Her Majesty's service.

THE EGYPTIAN RAILWAY AND OVERLAND ROUTE.-Overland travellers have now the advantage of being conveyed between Alexandria and the Nile, a distance of sixty-six miles, by the railway. The first departure from Alexandria occurred on the 4th instant, with the passengers who arrived on that day by the Ripon, and the canal, the most tedious part of the journey through Egypt, is now avoided altogether. The whole of the line between Cairo and Alexandria is expected to be completed in another year.

ANOTHER HIPPOPOTAMUS, but of the feminine gender is being conveyed to England by the Ripon steamer, to be a companion to the male hippopotamns in the Regent's Park Zoological

Gardens.

THE SON OF ABBAS PASHA.-El Hainee Pasha is at Mount Sinai, and on his return to Egypt, will proceed on a visit to England in the Egyptian steam yacht Faid Gihaad.

SHIPPING. ARRIVALS.

JUNE 28.-Prinula, Collins, Bombay; Hempsyke, Howes, Bengal; Robert Small, Walker, Akyab; Mobile, Ponsonby, Bombay. 29. Queen, Bell, Bengal; James Willis, Baxter, Bengal (at Havre); Albert, Care, Mauritius; Nemesis, Hamilton, Shanghai; Earl of Hardwicke, Pope, Madras; Prince of Wales, Hopkins, Bengal; Sutlej, Peppercorne, Bengal; Nimrod, Pearse, Bengal; Vigilant, Toby, Cape.-30. Vernon, Consitt, Bombay; Sir George Anderson, Sedgwick, Bengal; Julia, Brittan, Java; Willing, Bertram, Akyab; Pasha, Milton, Mauritius; Minden, Crawford, Madras.-JULY 1. Prince, Thomas, Algoa Bay; Yarra, Roy, Manila; Lady of the Lake, Scott, Algoa Bay; Earl Balcarras, Morice, Bombay; Standard, Blyth, Bombay; Amy Louisa, Hutchins, Mauritius; Bangalore, Morgan, Shanghai; Constantia, Kaleshook, Akyab; Van Dyk, Ketelsen, Akyab; Scandia, Treve, Maulmain; Harponeer, Morice, Mauritius; Rienzi, Toylor, Bengal; Oscar I. Lilliehook, Mauritius, Rockliffe, Duncan, Bengal; Bonanza, Burnett, Ceylon; Africa, Omnann, Maulmain; Grouville, Faye, Mauritius; Activ, Iljarne, Algoa Bay.-3. Japan, Green, Mauritius; Walmer Castle, Pryce, Hong Kong; Lady Kennaway, Young, Bengal; Duke of Argyll, Suckling, Mauritius; Seringapatam, Hillman, Madras and Coast; Clara, Jarman, Maulmain; Colonist, Somerville, Cochin; Alexander, Burron, Mauritius; Agra, McLean, Ceylon; Asia, Robertson, Bengal; African, Pollock, Bengal; Calphurnia, Geere, Singa pore; Oxnard, Hickley, Bengal; Fanny Chapman, Cunningham, Ceylon; Warrior Queen, Stephenson, Mauritius; Whampoa, Kramer, Java; Abbot, Ferguson, Hong-Kong; Georgia, Small, and Audubon, Arthur, Bengal; Swithamley, Hamilton, and Patriot King, Wise, Bombay; Ino, Warwick, Madras; Alert, Smith, Hong-Kong; Evangeline, flutton, Hong Kong; Lockett, Valentine, Shanghai; Nymph, Le Couteur, Akyab; St. Helena, Cottier, Akyab; Tippoo Saib, Cornforth; Ardencraig, Conry; and Fatima, Child, Bengal; Christabel, Fyack, and Courier, Arthur, Mauritius; Conservative, Waterson, Madras; Woodland Castle, Barclay, Singapore; Charles Kerr, Potts, Maulmain Oithona, Taylor, Akyab (at Antwerp); Calcutta (steamer), Goodall, Bengal and Cape.-4. Jabez, Smith, Mauritius; Bolivar, Foote, Saldanha Bay; Richard Young, Smith, Akyab; Duke of Lancaster, Major, Madras; William Shand, Morris, Bombay.-5. Jane, Mearns, Akyab (to Bremen); Granville, Burrows, Bengal.-6. Abrota, Ogier, Mauritius.-7. Ann Lockenby, Stanley, Mauritius.-10. Cyprus, Bartley, Mauritius; Janet Wilson, Barr, Bombay; Lady Bruce, Simpson, Akyab; Carl Ritter, Subbe, Batavia.-11. Secret (late Irwin), Akyab; Magellan, Jones, Ceylon; Free Trader, Wade, Penang.-12. Mooltan, McCracken, Mauritius; Lucy Sharp, Gibbs, Penang.-15. Thomas Blyth, Maxwell, Mauritius; Coromandel, Byron, Bombay.-17. G. F. D. Munsoorcottah; E. A. Soullard, Thomas, Manila.

PASSENGERS ARRIVED AT SOUTHAMPTON.

;

Per General Screw Company's Steamer Calcutta, July 3.- Mrs. Thornton and 2 children, Mrs. Sewell and 3 children, Mrs. Causley and child, Mrs. Bell and child, Miss Denniss, Mrs. Kean and 2 children, Miss & Ainger, Maj. and Mrs. Mercer, Capt. and Mrs. Fraser and child, Mr. and Mrs. Dodd, Mr. Maclean and family, Capt. and Mrs. Richards, Capt. Bonamy; Lieuts. Milligan, Reynolds, Glanville, Reade, and Dickinson; Mr. Johnson, Mr. Sandeman, Mr. Constable, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Holme, Col. and Mrs. Miller and family, Col. and Mrs. Neill and family, Maj. and Mr. Bower and family, Capt. and Mrs. Jacobs and family, Mr. and Mrs. Fullerton, Mrs. Tripe and family, Mrs. Maltby and 2 children, Mrs. Nicholls and family, Miss Prendergast, Lieut. Hill, Lieut. Lodge, Lieut. Bristow, Lieut. Gerardot, Lieut. Mason, Lieut. Mackechnie, Ens. Sladen, Ens. Chambers, Mrs. Leggett, Mrs. Whiting and family, Mrs. Fogerty and family, Capt. and Mrs. Henderson, Capt. and Mrs. Hall, Capt. Corfield, Hon. Mr. Hobart, Mr. Kaye, Mr. Ireland, Mr. Marsh, Mr. and Mrs. Tondeur, Mdme. de Torney and family, Sir G. Cathcart, Col. Seymour, Hon. Capt. Elliott, Lieut. Greville, Col. Pinckney, Mrs. Cooper and family, Mrs. Wray and child, Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Cox, Rev. Mr. Lloyd, Mr. and Mrs. Elder, Mrs. Corfield, Mr. and Mrs. Mason, Mr. and Mrs. Noke and child, Dep. com. gens. Power and Robinson, Mr.Bang, Mr. Rudd, Mr. Boyce, Mr. Stewart, Mr. Pean, Mr. Delta.

PASSENGERS EXPECTED AT SOUTHAMPTON,

Per steamer Ripon, JULY 22.-Mr. Levestre, Lieut. Isaache, Capt. Davooch, Maj. Singleton, Capt. Coote, Mr. Macaulay, Mr. Claure, Dr.

Caldwell, B.N.; Sir A. Oliphant, Mr. Milne, Lieut. Mackenzie, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Cornish, Mr. Bravay, Mr. Sinain, Mr. and Mrs. Acoscanie, Mr. Cohen and infant, Capt. Robertson, Mr. Schutz, Mrs. Randolfe and child, Mr. Herring, Rev. W. B. Blys, Mr. L. Bliss, Mrs. Col. Haly and 3 boys, Mrs. Reid, Capt. Chamberlain and infant, Mr. and Mrs. Lane, Capt. Calder, R.N.; Col. Browne, Capt. Darling, 2 Miss Browns, Mrs. Gifford, Miss Stevens, and 2 children.

PASSENGERS DEPARTED.

Per steamer Tagus, from SoUTHAMPTON (July 6), to proceed per steamer Ganges from SUEZ.-For MALTA.-Mrs. Buckley, Miss Buckley, Mrs. Browne, Lieut. Dunn, Asst. commy. gen. Horne, Mrs. Horne and 4 children, Mr. Richards, Capt. and Mrs. Ormsby, and Mr. Smith. For ADEN.-Mr. Jamieson and Mrs. Haines. For SUEZ.-Mr. Burn and Dr. Buist. For CALCUTTA.-Mr. Willock, Mr. Dobbin, Mr. H. De Borbel, Mr. E. B. Thornhill, and Mrs. Beatson. For MADRAS.-Mr. B. F. Schomberg, Mr. W. J. Bell, Maj. Monro, Lieut. Jary, Capt. Tribe, and Mr. Levinge. For HONG-KONG.-Mr. Caldas.

DOMESTIC. BIRTHS.

BEATSON, the lady of Capt. 1st Bengal cav. s. at 23, Victoria-road, Kensington, July 11.

DELAMAINE, the wife of Lieut. col. c.B. Bombay cav. d. at 13, Queen's-road, Jersey, July 11.

FRASER, the wife of Capt. J. E. 4th Bengal N.I. d. at sea, on board the General Company's steamer Calcutta, July 4.

HERBERT, the lady of Abraham, d. at Coundon, near Coventry, July 9.

HORNIDGE, the wife of Marmaduke, d. at Harrow-on-the-Hill, July 1.

PRYCE, the lady of Capt W. B. d. at sea, on board the Walmer Castle, May 5.

RAWLINSON, the wife of the Rev. W. C. d. at Chedburgh Rectory, Suffolk, June 28.

VIVIAN, the lady of Col. R. J. H. Indian army, d. at Pont de Brigue, Boulogne, June 26.

WIGRAM, the wife of Money, jun. d. at 10, Southwick-crescent, Hyde-park, July 1.

MARRIAGES.

ABBOTT, Rev. T. J. to Anne, d. of the late Rev. Edward Swatman, rector of Fransham Parva, Norfolk, at Beccles, Suffolk. ABDY, John T. s. of Lieut. col. formerly of_the_Madras art. to Marian, d. of John H. Hollway, at Gunby, July 7. BAILLIE, William D. H. 24th regt. to Hannah M. A. d. of John Greensell, and niece of Maj. gen. Roberts, C.B. Hon. E.I. Co.'s serv. at West Thurrock church, Essex, July 11.

CARR, Rev. Henry, M.A. Malta Protestant College, to Selina E. d. of the Rev. Guy Bryan, at Woodham Walter, Maldon, Essex, July 13.

COOPER, Edward M. G. 13th Bombay N.L. to Annette, d. of John C. Saunder, at Brompton, July 5.

MORGAN, W. D. 22nd Bengal N.I. to Ellen A. widow of the late G. Ross, H.M.'s 14th Light Dragoons, at St. John's, Nottinghill, July 8.

MORRIS, Sarah, d. of the late William R. Bombay civ. serv. at Sidcup-place, Kent.

WESTON, Capt. Henry, 14th Bombay N.I. to Adine B. d. of the late William Burgess, at St. Nicholas Church, Brighton, July 12.

DEATHS.

BALNEAVIS, Georgina, wife of Lieut. gen. C.M.G. K.H. at Malta, July 1.

BELL, Adam, M.D. at Venice, on his way from India, July 9. BOURDILLON, Edmond G. at Holybourn, Hants, aged 85, June 20. CORSELLIS, Maria, widow of George, late of the H. E. I. Co.'s civil service, at Colchester, July 2.

JAMES, Maj. gen. John P. Madras army, at George-street, Devonport, aged 63, July 5.

JAMES, Ellen M. H. d. of Col. Bombay army, at Bayswater, aged 16, July 14.

OSBORNE, Fanny, d. of the late Lieut. col. H. R. Bengal army, at Farnham, Surrey, aged 13, June 30.

PEMBERTON, Henrietta P. widow of the late Capt. Robert B. Bengal army, at the residence of her father, Gen. M'Leod, 3, Clifton-place, Sussex-square, Hyde-park, aged 43, July 10. SPENCER, Rev. J. Leigh, rector of Barfreystone, Kent, on his passage home from Calcutta, on board the Mauritius, May 14. THACKER, William, at Muchall-hall, near Wolverhampton, aged 87, June 25.

WEST, Lieut. col. Charles Augustus, lieut. govr. of Languard Fort, at Aberdeen-place, Maida-hill, aged 88, June 20.

MILITARY.

Bengal Estab.-Col. D. Williamson; Lieut. cols. B. Bygrave, Sherer, H. Rowcroft, J. Pond, F. B. Corfield, and P. T. Cautley; Major F. C. Minchin, retired; Brev. maj. J. Sleeman, 73rd N.I.; Capts. J. E. Fraser, 4th N.I., A. H. Corfield, invalids, and W. Master, invalids; Lieuts. A. G. Austin, artillery, J. T. Watson, 12th N.I., W. D. Morgan, 22nd N.I., G. J. Glanville, 2nd Eur. reg., F. M. Martin, 52nd N.I., J. C. Bonamy, 32nd N.I., and G. Milligan, artillery; Surgs. A. Keir and - Turnbull; Assist. surgs. W. G. W. Cleminger and Lee; Veterinary, C. J. Dawson.

Madras Estab.-Col. B. R. Hitchens; Lieut. cols. A. T. Cotton, J. Millar, and J. G. Neill; Majors H. Bower, 52nd N.I., and J. Smith, 13th N.I.; Capts. F. G. S. Lascelles, 4th cavalry, F. H. Sansom, 3rd Eur. reg., T. Lavie, artillery, W. Wroughton, invalids, and H. J. Nicholls, 25th N.I.; Lieuts. J. Bristow, 8th N.I., W. D. Chapman, 17th N.I., D. Mackechnie, 16th N.I., and T. M. Lane, 40th N.I.; Ensigns E. H. Chambers, 30th N.I., and J. L. Reynolds, 36th N.I.; Surg. J. Middlemass; Assist. surg. C. M. Duff, M.D.

Bombay Estab.-Lieut. col. J. Jackson; Major T. Jackson, retired; Lieuts. R. Cowper, 1st Eur. reg., the Hon. W. A. Hobart, 3rd Eur. reg., P. Dods, 9th N.I., J. Anderton, 19th N.I., and E. H. Bacon, 25th N.I.; Surgs. R. Woosman and C. Morehead; Assist. surg. W. F. Clay.

MARINE.

Bengal Estab.-Mr. J. Sandeman, pilot service.
Bombay Estab.-Lieuts. W. M. Pengelly and E. Peevor, and Mr.
J. A. Turner, Indian Navy.

PERMITTED TO RETURN TO THEIR DUTY.

CIVIL.

Bombay Estab.-Mr. J. R. Morgan.

MILITARY.

Bengal Estab.-Major R. McDonell, 10th cavalry; Brev. major W. P. Meares, 42nd N.I.; Capts. S. Greville, 1st fusileers, R.C. Tytler, 38th N.I., J. Hood, 49th N.I., H. D. Maunsell, 62nd N.I.; Lieuts. T. H. Salt, art., A. E. Osborn, 45th N.I., F. Mackenzie, 26th N.I., E. G. Langmore, 27th N.I., D. Briggs, 17th N.I., R. J. Stannus, 16th N.I., A. Taylor, 25th N.I., and A. H. Paterson, 68th N.I.; Ens. A. J. Dashwood, 48th N.I.; Surg. J. C. Brown; Assist. surgs. J. A. C. Hutchinson, M.D., J. Harrison, M.D., and J. Hooper.

Madras Estab.-Lieut. col. J. F. Bird; Brev. Lieut. col. T. P. Hay, 2nd Eur. reg.; Capt. C. G. Cottell, 45th N.I.; Brev. Capt. A. L. Steele, 6th N.I.; Lieuts. J. G. C. Fraser, 1st Eur. reg., R. C. T. Nicholls, 6th N.I.; and J. C. Buttler, 49th N.I.; Ens. W. H. L. Fuller, 4th N.I.

Bombay Estab.-Major E. Hallum, invalids; Capt. E. M. Macgregor, 2nd cavalry; Lieuts. S. J. Thorp and A. W. Graham, 4th N.I.; Assist. surgs. H. Coles and R. Dent.

GRANTED EXTENSIONS OF LEAVE.

CIVIL.

Bombay Estab.-Mr. T. A. Compton, 3 months.

MILITARY.

Bengal Estab.-Brev. Col. P. Grant, c.B., 6 months; Major H. Vetch, 54th N.I., 2 months.

Madras Estab.-Lieut. col. G. Logan, Lieuts. G. B. B. Holmes, artillery, W. C. Phillips, 44th N.I., J. H. Evans, 4th cavalry, H. P. Cambridge, 8th N.I., 6 months.

Bombay Estab.-Capt. C. F. Grant, 3rd N.I., 6 months.

MARINE.

Bombay Estab.-Messrs. E. H. Pennington and W. Collingwood, Indian Navy, till end of the present year.

RESIGNATION OF THE SERVICE ACCEPTED.
MILITARY.

Bengal Estab.-Lieut. W. W. Saunders, 7th It. cav.
Madras Estab.-Ens. J. T. Thorp, 39th N.I.

PERMITTED TO RETIRE FROM THE SERVICE.

MILITARY.

Bombay Estab.-Capt. George Wingate, engineers; Capt. C. H. Morse, invalids.

APPOINTMENTS. MARINE.

Bengal Estab.-Mr. William Ross, admitted a volunteer for the pilot service.

Bombay Estab.-Mr. E. A. S. Mignon, now at Bombay, admitted a captain's clerk for the Indian Navy.

ADDISCOMBE.

Mr. John T. Hyde has been appointed, on probation, for one year, to the office of assistant professor of fortification at the military seminary, in succession to the late Lieut. col. Jacob.

DEPOT-WARLEY.

Lieut. R. J. Mallock, of the 16th Bengal N.I., has been appointed orderly officer, in the room of Lieut. H. Birch, resigned.

HAILEYBURY.

The undermentioned gentlemen have been appointed members of the Company's Civil service in India, for the presidencies hereafter stated, and with the rank expressed in their respective certificates, viz. :—

Anthony John Rickards Bainbridge, Richard Gwatkin Melvill, James Simson, Wilmot Lane, Robert Paton Martin, Edward Waterfield, James Davidson Gordon, Bazil Francis Hall, Henry Houlton Robinson, Charles George Wynch, James Duff Ward, Thomas Edward Fairfax, James Casamajor Robertson, Edmund Bensley Thornhill, and George Boileau Willock, Bengal; Frederick William Morris, Madras; Robert William Hunter, Theodore Bosanquet, George Frederick Sheppard, William Mant Coghlan, Arthur John de Hochepied Larpent, Bombay.

CHANGES AND PROMOTIONS

IN H.M.'S REGIMENTS SERVING IN INDIA.
WAR OFFICE, 7TH JULY, 1854.

22nd Foot.-Capt. John Breton, from the 53rd Foot, to be capt. v. Maycock, who exchanges.

25th Foot.-Capt. Charles Miller Layton, from the 35th Foot, to be capt. v. Brown, who exchanges.

53rd Foot.-Capt. Joseph Maycock, from the 22nd Foot, to be capt. v. Breton, who exchanges.

EMBARKATION OF TROOPS.

Per Charlotte, for Bengal, from Cork, June 20.190 troops, H.M.'s 27th foot. Capt. Stapleton, Capt. Warren, Ens. White, Asst. surg. Kidd.

Per Soubahdor, for Bengal, from Cork, June 20.-230 troops, H.M.'s 27th foot. Major Touzel, Capt. Molesworth, Capt. Creagh, Lieut. Carnegie, Lieut. Murphy, Ens. O'Loghlin, Asst. surg. Cameron.

Per Windsor, for Bengal, from Gravesend, June 28.-224 troops. Lieut. Chadwick, Cornets Mackenzie and Drew, of H.M.'s 14th Dragoons; Lieut. Coryton; Ensigns Blackhouse and Bingham, of H.M.'s 70th regt. ; Ensigns Wood, Floyd, and Speedy, of H.M.'s 81st regt.

Per Barham, for Bengal, from Cork, June 30.-300 troops, H.M.'s 27th foot. Major Durnford, Capt. Rhodes, Capt. Manby, Lieut. Downing, Lieut. Newton, Lieut. Grisson, Lieut. Pinwell, Surg. Mostyn.

Per Southampton, for Bengal, from Cork, June 30.-216 troops, H.M.'s 27th foot. Lieut. col. Williamson, Capt. Langley, Capt. Thomas, Lieut. Chester, Lieut. Twemlow, Lieut. Barnardiston, Lieut. Patton, Paymaster Kidd, Adj. Cooper, Qr. mr. Mr. Trevor, Asst. surg. Trevan, Lieut. Nott, 75th foot.

BOOKS.

A History of India under the two first Sovereigns of the House of Taimur, Baber and Humáyun. By William Erskine, Esq., Translator of Memoirs of the Emperor Baber. 2 vols. 8vo. London, 1854. Longman and Co.

THIS is a book destined to live. It is a highly valuable contribution to a portion of history but little known to general readers, but to which the volumes before us will no doubt attract many students.

We lately met with an article in the Bombay Times expatiating and enlarging upon a text in the Mofussilite on the vast and inconvenient multiplication of books, in the course of which commentary, our brother of Western India exclaimed, "Of the hundreds of volumes published monthly in England, how many, we wonder, are read! Of the hundreds of books monthly got up, how many are merely got-up books,

containing nothing new, incapable of expressing or impressing a single truth half so well as has been done before!" All reasonable men must participate in the feeling of the Indian Journalist on this monstrous evil, an evil for which no remedy is discernible. On first thought we might catch a gleam of hope, from the apprehended dearth of paper; but recollecting that this will stop the progress of good books as well as bad ones, we resign ourselves again to despair, admitting of no alleviation but that derived from the occasional appearance of such a book as that of Mr. Erskine, which may take its place by the side of Gibbon's great work. It displays an equal measure of research, an equal determination to exhaust the treasures of authority, while it is free from the meretricious allurements and the insidious sophistry which disfigure the otherwise noble production of the elder author. Passing to our own times, and to Indian history, we may observe that in carefulness of research, Mr. Erskine may be compared with Mr. Elphinstone, without any injustice to that great man, while in regard to style, that of Mr. Erskine will perhaps be generally preferred, as being less curt and more flowing.

It is only when we meet with such a work as this that we have occasion to regret the smallness of the space that we can devote to books. We should like to extract largely, were it not impracticable; but, to show that matter of exciting interest, as well as information, may be found in these volumes, we quote a brief narrative of female generalship. The heroine was the wife of Yúnis Khan, one of the princes of Moghulutári, previously to the union of the divisions of the empire under the Turkish dynasty of Taimur :

"It appears that Yúnis Khan's Amírs, being discontented with him, had entered into a conspiracy with Sheikh Jemáleddín, to whom the whole Ulús of Moghuls submitted as their chief. The Sheikh, to add insult to injury, bestowed Ais-doulat Begum, the Khan's wife, and mother of the betrothed wives of the Sultans of Samarkand and Ferghána, on one of his officers. The Begum, when this unseemly transfer was notified to her, uttered not a word. Her intended husband, arriving in the evening, entered the house; his attendants remaining without. The Begum's female slaves closed the doors behind him, and barred them within. They then fell upon the unhappy bridegroom and put him to death with their knives. In the morning his body was ignominiously cast out of the house. When Sheikh Jemáleddín sent to call the Begum to account for this murder, 'I am the wife of Yúnis Khan,' she replied, and of him only. Sheikh Jemál has thought fit to give me to another. He knows whether this is in accordance with religion and law. I have killed the man; let Sheikh Jemál kill me, if he chooses.' Jemál was loud in her praise, and allowed her to return with honour to her husband."

A hair-breadth escape is always captivating, so we treat our readers to one:

"Shah Ismael soon after quitted Herát on his return to Irák; and Shah Beg was left to linger out his life in prison. But when some time had elapsed, Mahter Sambal, one of his attached slaves, believing that the first vigilance of the gaolers was relaxed so far as to afford him hopes, by patient perseverance, to gain an interview with his lord,-repaired to the fort of Zefer; and, having learned how matters were then conducted, opened a pastry-shop close to the tower in which Shah Beg was confined. In the course of his calling, by his conciliating manners, joined with occasional little presents of his sweetmeats and pastry, contriving to form an intimacy with the guards, he went quietly and steadily on, omitting nothing that could forward the design he had in view. By frankly associating and mixing with them, he lulled all suspicion; gradually gained ready admittance into the tower; and, having first put the prisoner on his guard by signs and hints, at length succeeded in speaking with him privately. Shah Beg being thus prepared, twelve of his faithful retainers bound themselves to each other by an oath, either to deliver him from prison and convey him to Kandahár, or to perish in the attempt.

"When everything was arranged, the conspirators repaired to the castle, at different times, and were one by one received into Sambal's shop, where they lay concealed. At night Sambal, who had prepared some sweetmeats and pastry for the occasion, in which he had mixed a strong narcotic, disposed of them as usual among the guards, who were thus in a short time rendered quite insensible. He then passed the sleeping guard, accompanied by two of his associates; made his way good to Shah Beg's room; and, by means of some ropes, which they brought for the purpose, assisted him to descend on that part of the tower which opened on the outside of the fort of Zefer. The rope, however, having broken, he fell from some height, and, in the fall, his manacles, from which they had not been enabled to disengage him, knocked out one of his teeth. In spite of this accident, his friends, who were waiting below, got him mounted, and they all set out on horses, shod, it is said, backwards, to mislead the pursuers. They rode incessantly for two nights and a day, when, getting a change of horses, they resumed their route, and went on without halting, till they arrived on safe ground. As soon as the keepers of the tower recovered their senses, and found the prisoner gone, a hot pursuit commenced,

but in vain. The fugitives were already too much ahead to be overtaken."

Although the following is somewhat longer than is perfectly convenient, it illustrates the manners of the time and country so forcibly, that we cannot forbear extracting it. The period of its occurrence is fixed by the name of Baber:

"When Báber took Kandahár, whole families of the Arghún chiefs fell into his hands, and among others Máhchuchak Begum, the daughter of Muhammed Mokím, Shah Beg's brother. This lady, as Báber himself informs us, was married a few months after to Kásim Gokultásh, an officer of distinguished merit, to whom Báber was much attached, and to whom, at a subsequent period, he owed his life. But this alliance, formed in captivity, seems to have been painful to her relations, and was probably considered as not suitable to her rank. By Kásim she had only one daughter, Nahíd Begum, who afterwards became celebrated in the history of Sind.

"The disgrace of having a princess of their illustrious house in a secondary situation in a foreign land, rankled in the minds of the ladies of the harem. On Shah Beg's return from Síwí, in the midst of the rejoicings which took place on the occasion, Mokim's widow presented herself in the garb of a mourner, standing upright in the doorway of the palace, with a coarse black woollen cloth thrown over her head, in sign of her deep distress. She laid hold of the skirt of his garment as he entered, and with loud lamentation and tears besought him to have pity on her daughter, all that was now left of his beloved brother, and to release her from her shameful bondage. Shah Beg, moved by her misery, and by the remembrance of his brother, who had died not long before, thus forcibly brought to his mind, expressed his willingness to attempt whatever could be done to effect the object of her wishes. Success was not easy; and the consultations which he held with his nobles produced nothing satisfactory. A plan was, however, devised by the ladies in the harem, and met with his acquiescence. It was arranged that some one should be sent to open an intercourse with the princess; and, when she was fully prepared, that means should be taken to carry her off from Kábul into the hills of the Hazára country that were nearest that city; secure that, when once among the friendly mountaineers, she would soon find her way in safety to Kandahár.

In pursuance of this plan, Doulat Kitta, a female who had been a servant in Mokím's harem, was despatched to Kábul; but before setting out, in compliance with the demands of Eastern decorum, she was married to one Doulat Khan. On arriving at Kábul, she contrived to introduce herself to the Begum, as a helpless stranger; and, when a safe opportunity offered, discovered herself and revealed the plan. The princess, surprised and alarmed, refused to enter into the plot, and expressed her fears that, should she reach Kandahár, her proud relations would consign her to the grave, to bury deep the stigma brought on them by her captivity. Doulat Kitta relieved her apprehensions, by taking the most solemn oath that no such intention was entertained; and that, on the contrary, the warmest welcome awaited her from her mother and her uncle. Máh Begum was at last prevailed upon to consent; the news was conveyed to Kandahar; and a select body of the first warriors and chief nobles of the kingdom was secretly despatched on the service. They took their way through the country of the Hazáras, and pushed on for the capital, having arranged with the chiefs of that tribe that they should take post on the point of their mountains nearest to Kabul with a body of their followers to be ready to support the party on its return. On getting near Kábul they rested for two or three days, at a short distance from the town, to refresh their horses, and, it is said, to have them shod backwards.

"When everything was in readiness, Máh Begum, on the day fixed for the attempt, left her house about the time of afternoon prayers, to repair to the bath, the great place of recreation and freedom for Mussulman women. Having waited till the moment when the streets were covered with the crowds leaving the mosques, she mingled with them; and, protected by the impenetrable disguise worn by Mussulman ladies, which covers the whole body, leaving only an opening for the eyes, made her way, unnoticed, among the throngs that were passing to and fro. She reached in safety a convenient spot that had been fixed upon, where she was mounted on horseback, and conducted by Doulat Kitta to the party which waited her coming. Her daughter, Nahíd, then a child of only eighteen months old, and unable to bear the fatigue of the flight, was of necessity left behind. The instant she appeared, the whole party, delighted, leaped on horseback and set out along with her. All that night and the next day, and the night following, they held on their way. In the course of the succeeding day, they arrived at their halting-place. Here, having rested awhile to recruit their exhausted strength, they went on for a day and night more, by which time they had escaped from the dangerous ground, and found themselves in safe quarters among the friendly Hazáras.

"They now halted for a few days, that the princess might rest from her fatigues, and then went on to Kandahár. As she approached that place, the grand scene of her hopes and fears, Shah Beg came forth to receive and welcome her, with every demonstration of joy; saluted and embraced her affectionately as his brother's daughter, treated her with every mark of honour, conducted her to the palace, and there, taking her by the hand, placed

her in the arms of her mother and her nurse. It was a day of general rejoicing, as for a great victory. All who had been engaged in the enterprise were rewarded with presents of horses, arms, or dresses of honour. In adventures and rescues such as these the Arghúns delighted, and their predatory habits taught them, like our borderers, to manage them with the utmost address and sagacity.'

The allusion in the last sentence reminds the reader of Mr. Erskine's country. One more anecdote, illustrating the character of a faithful and devoted servant, and we will conclude :

"Kásim Gokultásh had attended Báber in his wars beyond the Oxus against the Uzbeks. It happened on one occasion, that the Emperor, while alone, was surrounded and taken by a party of the enemy. His troops were not near enough to assist him. The gallant Kásim, with admirable presence of mind, going up, and personating the Emperor, exclaimed, 'How dare you touch a servant of mine? Do you not know your prince?' Deceived by his words, they let go Báber to turn to what they supposed a richer prize; and, in the scuffle that ensued, the Emperor escaped. The Uzbeks put Kásim to death; but Báber ever after cherished and protected his family, and all his dependents, with the most affectionate care."

Remarks upon Sir William Napier's Pamphlet regarding the Duke of Wellington's Letter. Extracted from the Bengal Hurkaru of the 13th, 14th, and 17th April, 1854. Calcutta,

1854.

ALL interest in the rabid effusions of the Napiers has now passed away. The atrocious attack on the GREAT DUKE has been consigned to eternal oblivion, and its writer to no matter what. The reprint before us is a regular crusher, and did the question discussed still require settling, would settle it with a vengeance. Argument, spirit, and humour, alike contribute their aid. Fugitive Pieces. By FRANCIS WILLIAM STONE. London, 1853. Hookham and Sons.

In the dedication prefixed to this volume the author speaks of its contents as the effusions of a "youthful muse." This claim upon the forbearance of the critic is never urged in vain upon our notice, and we cheerfully quote the following lines to a lady "On the Birth of a Daughter," as affording an agreeable specimen of Vers de Société :—

"Dear lady, let me offer

Gratulations on the birth,-
The springing of another flower
In the garden of the earth.
And may the little maiden

Grow up in love and beauty
With bounteous graces laden:
Adorned with filial duty,
Be to thee in Life's probation
A blessing and a pride,
Gracing the appointed station

By her loved mother's side."

GOVERNMENT CENTRAL MUSEUM, MADRAS.-The report of this institution for 1853, with a supplementary communication, which appeared in the Fort St. George Gazette, 13th April, 1854, brings down the history of the establishment almost to the present time. Its progress appears to be very creditable to Surgeon Edward Balfour, who has the charge of it. It seems to be rich in specimens of the marbles of India, and of many other objects of natural history, and economic geology. It is satisfactory to see this word 66 "" economic prefixed to "geology." If inquirers will take the trouble of describing rocks and strata, and their uses, rational men will be glad to listen to them; but when they aspire to tell the time (if time then were) when the world was made, and how it was made, it will be felt that these would-be philosophers have no experience of such matters; seeing that worlds are not made every day, their dissertations are entitled to just as much attention as would be due to a lecture on colours from a man born blind, or on sounds, from one who had never enjoyed the faculty of hearing from the moment of his entrance into the world. Surgeon Balfour's turn of mind appears to be practical, and his industry and care are obvious.

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