h had to encounter there was the climate, owing to which a
distressing sickness prevailed among the troops. In consequence of this
several Bengal native regiments were ordered to march on Scinde; and,
although they at first refused to march, from an impression that they
were destined for foreign service, they finally marched thither, with
the exception of the thirty-fourth native infantry; and that regiment
was ignominiously broken at Meerut, in presence of all the troops at the
station.

During this year a governor-general was appointed over our recent
acquisitions in China, in the person of Mr. Davies, well-known for his
admirable work on China, and who had resided many years at Macao, as
chief superintendent under the East India Company. Mr. Davies arrived on
the 7th of May at Hong Kong, the seat of the new government; and, at the
end of July, Sir Henry Pottinger, whose mission to that empire had been
attended with such complete success, sailed for England.

PROCEEDINGS AGAINST MR. O'CONNELL.

It has been seen in the last chapter that the trial of Mr. O'Connell
and his associates for a seditious conspiracy was postponed till the
commencement of the present year. It was intended that the trial should
commence on the 15th of January; and, although the defendant sought to
obtain a postponement of it till the 1st of February, this intention
was carried out. On that day the Court of Queen's Bench was crowded
with barristers and spectators, in the expectation that the trial would
commence. Before the jury were sworn, however, Sir Coleman O'Loghlen,
on the part of Mr. O'Connell, challenged the array, on the ground of the
irregularities in the preparation of the jury lists, stating at the same
time that the challenges of the other counsellors, or traversers,
as they were called, because they had traversed the indictment,
were identically the same, and would be handed in very shortly. The
attorney-general demurred to the challenge; on which the question
previously debated was re-argued. The judges, however allowed the
demurrer; and then the court adjourned without swearing the jury. On
the 16th, after some delay, twelve jurymen were sworn, when Mr. Napier
opened the pleadings; after which Mr. Smith, the attorney-general,
opened the case. The court adjourned at five o'clock; and next day the
hearing of evidence commenced, which continued up to the 11th day of the
trial, January 26th, on which day the case for the prose