COLONIES AND DEPENDENCIES.

THE Overland India Mail has brought intelligence
of some interest. The Sontal insurrection still continues;
but the government appear, though tardily, to be taking
effectual measures for its suppression.

The embassy to Ava was received by the king on the
17th September. The whole party rode to the palace
on elephants; each member of the embassy paired off
with a Burmese official of corresponding rank. The
scene in the throne-room is thus described:—"The
throne room is a large wooden building, wholly gilt
inside, even to the ceiling, surmounted by a large spire,
which in the distance is not unlike a church-steeple.
A long clear space, in length about one hundred feet, and
breadth about fifteen, brought us in the presence of the
throne. We had Brussels carpets to sit down upon, or
rather to lie down, as you are supposed to sit sideways,
resting on your hand facing the throne, with your legs
drawn close up under you,—a most uncomfortable
position for one not used to it. After being seated in this
way a few minutes, paun was brought in, in small gold
cups, and offered to us; water, also, of a very disagreeable
taste was given us. About six or seven minutes
after this, the sliding-doors at the back of the throne
opened, and the king appeared, with the first queen a
few steps in his rear: they came up, and he seated
himself, with his queen on his right and a little behind him.
The queen had a China fan, with which she now and
then fanned her lord and master; but neither the king
nor the queen spoke a word. He was dressed in a
gorgeous kind of over-coat, so studded with jewels that he
could hardly walk under it, and a pagoda-shaped hat.
The queen had much the same sort of dress, but a hat
something like an inverted cornucopia. Immediately
in front of the embassy were some very pretty children
lying flat on their faces; these were the children of the
royal family. In front and to the right was the heir
apparent, and our supposed enemy. The letter of the
governor-general was read out, the lists of presents, and
the names of the members of the embassy. Presents
were then made. Major Phayre received a valuable
ruby ring and a gold cup. . . . . Shortly after, the king
retired, and we left the palace, went down and amused
ourselves with looking at the tumblers, dancing girls,
&c., and then visited the white elephant. Contrary to
my expectations, he turns out to be a noble beast: he is
not white, but of a muddy colour; is about sixty years
old; and had very fine jewels about him, the handsomest
being on his forehead—a gold plate with a large
emerald. The whole visit, from the time of entering
the place to leaving it, occupied less than an hour."

The accounts from Oude are contradictory. It was
uncertain whether the fanatical Moulavie, Ameen Ali,
was marching on Fyzabad, or had returned broken in
spirit and credit to Lucknow. But the danger of a
religious war had greatly diminished.

The titular Nawab of the Carnatic died on the 7th
October, at Madras, in the thirty-first year of his age.
His life had been spent in rioting and debauchery. He
was the last of his line.

The West India Mail has brought advices from
Jamaica to the 27th November. The legislature was
still in session when the packet left, and appeared very
dilatory in proceeding with the business of legislation.
They had passed a Clergy bill, with a duration of
fourteen years, whereby a saving of 12½ per cent. on the
salaries paid to the clergy has been effected, or about
£3000 per annum. A message from the governor had
been presented to the house, accompanied by a despatch
from the colonial secretary, proposing to send out a
geologist and mineralogist to the West India colonies, at
the expense of the imperial government, providing each
colony would pay 20s. per diem towards his travelling
expense, when actually engaged in such labour. The
proposition had been agreed to by the house.

There are advices from Melbourne to the 13th of
September. Trade in the colony was in a depressed state.
Diggers were still producing rich yields. The price of
gold was £3 16s. per ounce. At Geelong complaints
were being made of the difficulty of obtaining title-deeds
to crown grants. A meeting was held there on Sept.
10th, to make arrangements for sending a number of the
unemployed single females to different portions of the
interior. Ballarat was fixed on as the place to start the
experiment.

Accounts from New Zealand to the 12th August state
that the colony was prosperous and flourishing.

NARRATIVE OF FOREIGN EVENTS.

FROM the accounts from the Crimea it appears that
military operations are suspended, probably not to be
resumed till the spring. The hostile forces continue to
occupy their positions in Sebastopol and its neighbourhood,
which have been already described. The following
is now the staff of the British army in the Crimea:
—Commander-in-Chief, Sir W. Codrington, K. C. B.
Aides-de-Camp to the Commander-in-Chief: Capt. the
Hon. H. W. Campbell, Rifle Brigade; and Capt.
Ponsonby, Grenadier Guards. Chief of the Staff, Major-
General C. A. Windham, C. B. Aides-de-Camp to the
Chief of the Staff, Major Lewis and Captain Erle.
Quartermaster-General, Col. the Hon. Percy Herbert.
Assistant Quartermaster-General, Col. the Hon. A.
Hardinge. Deputy Assistant Quartermasters-General:
Capt. Willes, 77th; Capt. Torrens, 23rd; Capt. Vacher,
33rd; and Capt. Hammersley, 14th. Military Secretary,
Lieut.-Col. Blane. Assistant Military Secretary, Major
Boyle, 89th. Surgeon to Commander-in-Chief, Dr. F.
Smith. Adjutant-General, Col. Pakenham, C. B. Deputy
Adjutant-General, and Deputy Assistant Adjutants-
General: Lieut.-Col. Kennedy, 18th; Capt. Thompson, 4th;
Capt. Luard, 77th; Major Dowbiggin. Principal Medical
Officer, Dr. Hall. The escort consists of a troop
of the 11th Hussars, under Capt. Vansittart, and of two
companies of the Rifle Brigade, under Major Fyers.
Col. Wetherall succeeds Col. M'Murdo in the command
of the Land Transport Corps till the latter can return to
his command.

The disposition of the Russian troops is stated to be
as follows. There are still eleven divisions of infantry
remaining in the south, two having gone north.
Immediately after the fall of Sebastopol, when the French
went down towards the Upper Belbek, a great number
of troops were sent that way, so that from the pass of
Aitodor down to Albared and Kutshuk Sioren there
were seven divisions, the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and
13th reserve; and the 15th, 16th, and 17th were on the
Mackenzie heights, the 4th and 5th at Inkermann, the
12th in the Severnaia, and the 11th on the Belbek.
When the demonstrations from Eupatoria forced the
Russians to show front in that direction, the 4th and
5th were sent there; the 11th came down from the
Belbek to take their place; and the 8th was sent to
replace the latter. Since the fall of Sebastopol, not a
man of regular troops is said to have arrived in the
Crimea—only about 20,000 militia. These latter were
of those enrolled in April last. Probably, in order to
work on the religious feelings of the new conscripts,
they were all enrolled during the holy week—twenty-
three in 1000. They were of all ages, from seventeen to
sixty—boys and old men—no distinction was made;
whether they were married or not, they were taken
according to the will of their owners, who naturally sent