ther. There was especially a desire
existing in America of entering into a commercial treaty on the basis
of mutual reductions of import duties; so that it was clear that
the Americans saw, equally with the English, that it was their best
interests to avoid that dread ultimatum--war.

THE STATE OF INDIA.

The events of the present year in India, although not so exciting as
those which occurred in the last, possess deep interest. In Affghanistan
nothing of importance occurred after its evacuation by the British,
except that Dost Mahomed, who had been permitted to leave our
territories when we left Affghanistan, concentrated the chief power of
that country in his own hands, and became in effect its ruler. A more
important event occurred in the annexation of Scinde to our dominions
in the East. Scinde lies between the 23 deg. and 29 deg. of N. latitude, and the
67 deg. and 70 deg. of E. longitude. It is bounded on the south and south-east
by the Indian Ocean and Cutch; on the west by Beloo-chistan; on the
north by the southern portion of Affghanistan and the Punjaub; and on
the east by a sandy desert, separating it from the districts of Ajmeer.
The river Indus flows nearly in the centre of the country, through its
whole extent, from north to south; and a little below the city of Tatta
is divided into two great branches, between which lies a delta, through
which smaller channels force their way. Scinde had recently been
governed by four chiefs of the Beloochee tribe called Talpoor. The name
of the eldest of these chiefs was Futteh Ali Khan, who had the principal
direction of affairs, inasmuch as he had been the chief instrument in
overthrowing the dynasty of the Caleras, on the ruins of whose throne
the Talpoor chiefs sat. The brothers of Futteh Ali Khan were Gholam
Ali, Kunn Ali, and Moorad Ali; and the four brothers enjoyed a joint
sovereignty over Scinde, under the name of the _Char Yar_, or the "Four
Friends." All these rulers died by the year 1833, the whole leaving male
issue except Kunn Ali. Their deaths were followed by a civil war between
the sons of the deceased chiefs, which resulted in a distribution of
territory amongst them. They were distinguished respectively as Ameers
of Hyderabad, Khyrpore, and Meerpore. At the beginning of the present
year, the Ameers of Scinde consisted of the following persons:--at
Hyderabad, Nusseer Khan, Shabad Khan, Hussein Ali Khan, Mahomed Khan,
and Sobhdar Khan; at Khyrpore