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The Governor-General will be gratified if His Excellency the Governor in Council of Bombay should see fit to grant one step of rank to the jemadar, Mookunjee Naick, of the 15th regiment of Bombay native infantry, who commanded on the occasion of this gallant defence made for three days and nights, by a small party of sepoys, against large numbers of Beloochees, and likewise to the havildar, the two naicks, and the six sepoys named by the jemadar, as having particularly distinguished themselves.

The Governor-General requests, that His Excellency the Governor of Sinde will cause the jemadar, and the several non-commissioned officers and sepoys, who composed the detachment engaged, to be informed, that their very brave conduct has been brought to his notice, and receives his especial thanks.

By order of the Right Honourable the GovernorGeneral of India,

J. THOMASON,

Officiating Secretary to the Government of
India, with the Governor-General.

Evidence of Jemadar Mookunjee Naick, 15th Regiment N. I., relative to the Attack on his Detachment, Strength as below,* by a Party of Beloochees, estimated at from 800 to 1000 Men, on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of February 1843.

ON the morning of the 19th February 1843, about 11 A. M., a party of Beloochees, consisting of about 25 horse and 50 foot, fell suddenly upon my party, when we were quietly cooking our dinners, without the slightest suspicion of any

* 1 Jemadar, 1 Havildar, 2 Naicks, 28 Sepoys.

attack, or of any enemy being near us. The enemy rushed into the lines with loud shout of "Deen," 66 "Deen," Alli," "Alli," and at once killed Mr. Barnes, the sub-conductor, and his wife, who were in their house close to the lines. On hearing the shouts and seeing the enemy, I called out to my men as there was no possibility of "falling them in" to fire away from their houses, and that now was the time to acquit themselves like men.

The sepoys immediately obeyed my orders and killed nine of the enemy at the first discharge; two of whom were chiefs, and one of whom I shot myself. The enemy upon this retreated from both sides of the huts, having killed two of my sepoys and wounded five others. As soon as they had retreated to a short distance, I fell in the detachment, and looked about for some defensible position, but seeing none, I ordered my men to take up the wounded, and with our arms and ammunition only, we marched to a large boat which was moored to the bank, about thirty paces from our huts, of which we took possession with the consent of the Tindel, "Buskoo," who was on board, and rendered us every assistance. Immediately we were all on board, I cut the cable and pushed off into deep water under a very heavy fire of matchlocks. The enemy by this time amounted to at least 300, and their number was every moment increasing. In getting on board the boat I had three more of my men wounded, and, but for the high sides of the boat, which sheltered us from the storm of bullets, we could not possibly have escaped. After leaving the bank, we floated up the river about half a coss as the tide was rising, and anchored the boat in deep water, the Beloochees keeping a heavy fire upon us from both banks. On seeing us get on board the boat, the Beloochees seized another large cotra which had just 1843.

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arrived from Cutch, and having embarked about 200 men, pushed off in pursuit of us, but the cotra, after proceeding about 100 yards, grounded; the enemy then procured a smaller boat, similar to the one we were in, and pursued us in that; on seeing them coming, we weighed anchor and floated up in the Tatta direction, occasionally returning the enemy's fire, which was very heavy, both from the boat and the banks. When the tide turned we cast anchor, upon which the Beloochees put out men to tow their boat up to us, upon which we fired upon the men who were towing, and thus prevented their boat approaching nearer to ours. The enemy then got out six jinjals from the cotra, and tried to sink us with them, but these had no effect, as they did not know how to use them. In this manner advancing, when the tide rose, and anchoring in deep water when it receded, we continued to fight incessantly for three days and nights. On the morning of the 22d, the enemy fled, and a banyan came on board our boat and informed us, that the English had taken possession of Hyderabad, and that the whole country had become ours. We thereupon returned to Vikkur, and, on the 23d, we proceeded to Annee Bunder, where we found the boat sent from Kurachee by Lieutenant Preedy, on the 17th, and which had arrived on the morning the fight commenced, and had been seized by the The Tindel of the river boat rendered us the greatest assistance, gave us food, and behaved most nobly. The whole of the detachment behaved most bravely, but the following six men particularly distinguished themselves :

enemy.

Lixman Sing,

5th Company.

Man Sing,

6th

Do.

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The jemadar reports that he had, for two or three days previous to the attack, observed bodies of men coming down the river and landing at Vikkur, and that he had enquired who they were, and was informed that they had come down by order of the Ameers, to collect the grain which is collected annually on account of Government; that he had doubted the truth of this, and had brought the assembly of these men to the notice of Mr. Barnes, but he had replied, that there was no danger to be apprehended. On the morning of the attack, the jemadar had again drawn Mr. Barnes's attention to the people collecting around the village; but the conductor had again assured him, that he need not be under any apprehension. The jemadar states, that the river boat, in which he and his party fought, was much injured by the enemy; the Tindel should, therefore, be reimbursed for the loss sustained.

The following articles were broken or thrown overboard by the sepoys, to make a clear deck foreand-aft, in which to fight, viz. :

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Whitehall, May 9, 1843.

The Queen has been pleased to direct letters patent to be passed under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, appointing Walter Francis Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry, K. G.; the Right Honourable Henry Pelham Pelham Clinton (commonly called Earl of Lincoln); Robert Aglionby Slaney, Esq.; George Graham, Esq.; Sir Henry Thomas De la Beche, Knt.; Doctor Lyon Payfair; Doctor David Boswell Reid; Professor Richard Owen; Captain William Thomas Denison; James Ranald Martin, Esq.; James Smith, of Deanston, Esq.; Robert Stephenson, jun. Esq.; and William Cubitt, Esq. to be Her Majesty's Commissioners for enquiring into the present state of large towns and populous districts in England and Wales, with reference to the causes of disease among the inhabitants.

The Queen has also been pleased to appoint Henry Hobhouse, Esq. to be Secretary to the said Commission.

Downing-Street, May 9, 1843.

The Queen has been pleased to appoint Brevet Major Childs, of the Royal Marines, to be Superintendent of Norfolk Island.

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