COLONIES AND DEPENDENCIES.

THE north-west frontier of India is still disturbed, nor is it likely that even an attempt will be made to
reduce the insurgents during the present season. The passes between Kohat and Peshawur continue
closed, and the last mail brings mention of another British officer and his servants assassinated by the
Affreedees. A singular origin is now stated for the sudden rising of this wild tribe, who occupy, as the
reader may discover who glances at the map, one of the most inaccessible and inhospitable heights in the
whole mountain range of Asia. They are said to have been made rebels by the very species of tax (upon
salt) which maddened the French peasantry some eighty years ago, and drew forth from the far-sighted
father of Mirabeau the prophecy of the "general overturn." It will be best to satisfy justice in this matter,
if injustice has been done, and not to content ourselves with simply putting forth the strong arm of
retribution and revenge. The vicinity of Affghan may well remind us of what, some ten years ago,
seemed but a silly local riot, and subsequently shook our Indian Empire. The news, commercial and
political, from other quarters, is to be accounted favourable; notwithstanding a slight reverse to our arms
in helping one of the friendly native princes, and the entire failure, for the present, of the enterprise of
introducing railway communication into Bengal.

Our North American Colonies are quiet and tolerably prosperous; and the newspaper started six months
ago in Upper Canada, to keep together and extend the annexation party, is become extinct. The active
bishop of that province, we may add, is now in London; with the reported design of obtaining funds for the
establishment of an Episcopal University at Toronto, on the plea that the late government interference, by
which what is called the provincial university was thrown open to the various sects in the province requiring
education, has left the Church without a field of educational exertion wherein it may be dominant and exclusive.
These proceedings should be watched. There is no reasonable ground for another university endowment
in Upper Canada.

A fourth detachment of sixty female emigrants sailed on Monday for Australia, equipped from the funds
raised by Mr. Sidney Herbert; and the latest intelligence from these colonies is so generally satisfactory as
to call for no remark. Frost has received a conditional pardon in Van Diemen's Land; Meagher of the Sword
is become an active and successful cultivator of the soil; O'Donohue has started a newspaper; and Smith
O'Brien continues to sulk. Let us merely add, for the hopeful future that seems to shape itself from such
announcements, that the average annual emigration of the last three years has been lately ascertained to be
not very far short of the whole annual increase of the population of the United Kingdom; the excess from
Ireland being sufficiently great to leave England and Scotland with their usual proportions tolerably undisturbed.
The most gratifying circumstance apparent in these three-years' returns is the steadiness which
marks their gradual increase, and which would seem to imply at least a fair result to the adventurous
enterprise of the earlier exiles.

The last Overland Mail brought dates from Bombay
to April 17, from Calcutta to April 6, and from Hong
Kong to March 29.

No further military operations have taken place
against those daring freebooters the Affreedees. But
fresh outrages have been committed by them. On the
20th of March, Dr. Healey, attached to the 1st Punjaub
Cavalry, when on his way to Kohat with a small escort,
was attacked near that place; two of his attendants
were killed on the spot, and himself so wounded that he
died immediately after reaching Kohat.

A singular circumstance took place at Wuzeerabad;
on the 13th of March. The Commander-in-Chief, at the
end of a review of the troops there, detained one regiment
—the 34th Native Infantry—on the ground, and,
addressing the corps through an interpreter, told them
he had received an anonymous petition complaining of
oppression by the commanding officer, and desired those
who had complaints to come forward and state them.
A number of the men did so; and then Sir C. Napier,
addressing the commanding officer, said that he had
nothing left but to order a court of inquiry into the
charges. A court of inquiry, accordingly, was sitting at
the date of the account.—Another characteristic trait of
the Commander-in Chief is related. In confirming the
sentence of a court-martial held on a field-officer, who
had entered into a correspondence concerning an order
issued by a superior authority, instead of at once obeying
it, Sir Charles remarked, "those who imagine this
army is a debating society will find themselves very
much mistaken."

The last West India mail brought dates from Jamaica
to the 1st inst., Trinidad 20th, and Demerara 18th April.
There is no remarkable intelligence. In Jamaica
affairs were improving; owing to an increased demand
for coffee, several estates that had fallen out of cultivation
were to be re-worked. An important improvement
in the manufacture of sugar had been discovered. Crops
were very promising; that of sugar was estimated at
40,000 hhds. At Bermuda the potato disease had made
its appearance. A number of fires had taken place at
Barbados.

There are Accounts from Sydney to the end of
January.—The Colonial revenue was in a satisfactory
state, the increase in the quarter, as compared with the
corresponding period last year, being above 20 per cent.
Such was the abundance of the last harvest that wheat
was selling at 2s. 6d. to 3s. a bushel. The out-turn of
wool also promised favourably. A new seam of coal
had been discovered, and a further reduction in the
price of coal was expected. Accounts had been received
of the complete destruction of the settlement of New
Caledonia, and there was reason to fear that many lives
had fallen victims to the ferocity of the natives. An
English vessel, which arrived there in December, had
found the place deserted, and the buildings destroyed
by fire. A letter was found, enclosed in a bottle, from
the overseer of the settlement, Mr. David Miller, stating
that he had been attacked by about 2000 natives, and
though he had killed numbers of them, they continued
at him day and night; and as his ammunition was
getting short, and all the surrounding hills were
covered with natives, and also as two of his men were
badly wounded, he thought it advisable to take to his
boats and proceed to windward, to a place called
Balletto. Nothing further had been learned of their fate.

Advices have also been received from New Zealand,
Van Diemen's Land, Western Australia, Port Philip,
and South Australia. They are of a favourable
complexion, but contain nothing of special interest. The