The Press. — London, England, 1858-03-13 00:00:00

dance with the opinions of his constituents and those of the majority of the people of England, and added that four charges contained in Count Walewski's despatch were hateful to Englishmen, and could not be substantiated. He further held that the present law was sufficient for all purposes required, as at i ncre ase in penal servitude from two to fourteen years would not deter such men as those who had been guilty of the late attempt at assassination— men who would stand before and dry at the fire the fulminating powder that might blow themselves to atoms, rather than not accomplish their object. Lord Henry Lennox then said, though willing to consider favourably any measure of reform in the representation which might be proposed, he would not vote for universal suffrage, nor yet would he support the ballot. With reference to the Church as connected with the State, he considered it an ex cellent institution, and should not on any account vote for a separation; at the same time, he trusted that some measure would be brought forward whereby the scruples of Dissenters to pay church rates would be respected. All he asked in favour of Lord Derby's Government was that they might have a fair trial, and he reminded the electors that though the Whigs, on taking office six years ago, had promised peace, retrenchment, and reform, they had involved the country in two wars, and an Indian muting, added 25,000,0001. to the expen diture, and carried forward no measure of reform. His lordship proceeded to say he did not think it reasonable to expect Lord Derby's Ministry to bring forward a Reform Bill this session, and, alluding to the tone of the Times upon the postponement of a Reform Bill, said : The Times in November last stated that a Reform Bill in 1858 was not possible, "simply for this reason (quoting the Times), that no person in the house except the very few with whom such reform happens to be a crotchet or a personal affair will bo able to attend five consecutive minutes to the subject." On November 18, in criticising the Roebuck Reform Manifesto, the Times observed " that such a confluence of considerations suggests the postpone ment of parliamentary reform, that the difficulty lies not in stating them, but in stating all of them, in doing justice to their number and force, in not omitting some while we mention others." The Times (continued his lordship) then proceeded to point out the folly of postponing Indian legislation in preference to parliamentary reform, and con chided with a passionate appeal to reformers that Parlia mentary reform bad better wait even fur the sake of parliamentary reform itself, so as to enable us to secure an effectual settlement, instead of a corrupt bargain." Now, he ( Lord Lennox) adopted those conclusions. When Lord Derby left office in 1852 what did Mr. Richard Cob den say ? He said this:— I think that the Conservative Government would give them a better chance of reconstructing an honest party both in this house and in the country. I look back with regret on the vote which I pave on•the motion which changed Lord Derby's Go vernment. I regret the result c that motion, for it has cost the country 100,000,000 of treasure, and between 20,000 and 30,000 good lives. He only asked them not to be led away by prejudice. The Government certainly was not composed of the great Whig families, but such names as Disraeli, Henley, and Pa. kington were associated with it, and, although they might not be nobly connected, their names were honourably known. They ought to give to Lord Derby's Government a fair and impartial trial. Fair play was the right of every Englishman, rich or poor. (Loud cheers.) LORD OF THE TREASURY. DUBLlN.—Colonel Taylor, a Lord of the Treasury, was re elected for this county on Thursday without opposition. A MEETING OF VESTRY DELEGATES to consider the great " Drainage Question " was held at the London Coffee-house on Thursday. The general tone of the meeting, as evinced by the resolutions adopted, was in favour of a " cheap " and "nasty" system of drainage. Mr. Warre, the chairman, was of opinion that " the Legislature " should institute " a general inquiry " into the subject. Mr. Brown was of opinion that the drainage schemes proposed were " of a doubtful character," and that a large ex penditure on drainage was "perfectly unnecessary" to secure the health of the metropolis, which he assured his hearers was "never better." Mr. Owen was in favour of the sewers running into the Thames. All that was needed was to carry them down to.low water mark. Mr. Freeth did not consider the pro posed scheme "at all necessary for sanitary pur poses." Mr. Preece thought the Thames water " wholesome " ; he bad drank and enjoyed it for a number of years ; and Dr. Barnes was decidedly of opinion that of all senatorial sites the banks of the Thames were the, best. "In cases of fever patients got on remarkably well "; and as for foul water and effluvium it was all a myth. He had little doubt that in a short time " the drainage scheme " would be " spoken of only in terms of condemna tion." A remarkable unanimity characterised the proceedings of the meeting, which terminated by the appointment of a committee to consider the best /Nang by which the complete drainage of the Inetropelia could be delayed. THE PRESS, MARCH 13, 1858. INDIA. THE Bombay mail of the 9th February left the commander-in•chief with a small but healthy army still at Futtyghur. Sir Colin Campbell was awaiting the arrival of a powerful siege -train, with ordnance stores, &c., escorted by 800 men, from Agra. The army to be collected at Futtyghur would consist of some 15,000 men and 100 guns. Nothing was known of Sir Colin's future movements. From his central position he was enabled to observe at once Rohil ound, Oude, and the Doab ; and if nothing happened to prevent it, Sir Cohn, it was hoped, would be free to advance on Lucknow about the 25th of February. Meanwhile the insurgents, still about 100,0.10 in strength, were fortifying Lucknow to the uttermost. The Rajah of Mynpoorie and the Nawab of Furruck abad had both reached the city with " a considerable following ": The streets are being barricaded and the walls loop holed everywhere. Earthworks have been thrown up, and garden within garden strengthened, and the haughty Bengal sepoy, who would not touch a basket, mattock, or spade in our service, and who in the Punjaub mounted guard while the Europeans were throwing up intrench ments, now shows what he can do when he has no longer the indulgence of English officers to fill back upon. It is doubtless in consideration of this Sir Colin Campbell delays advancing until he has accumulated an artillery so overwhelming as to avoid as far as possible the necessity of a hand-to-hand conflict with an enemy posted with such advantage. With all the display of determination, the Lucknow insurgents are said to be losing heart. A proposi tion of conditional surrender is said to have been received, with the reply that every mutineer would be shot or hanged, that the rest must depend upon our mercy. Sir Colin Campbell is in excellent health, and enjoys extreme popularity with the army. The fol lowing extract of a letter dated Futtyghur, Jan. 9, is characteristic :—" Sir Colin is a brick, and manages these fellows capitally. The other day, when we were in Lucknow—when we had no tents, and had to bivouac every night—although there were plenty of places he might have slept in, and made himself comfortable, be never would sleep anywhere but in the open air, and generally in the most windy and uncomfortable place, much to the disgust of his staff, who had t., remain with him. He is always in the thickest of the fight. At Cawnpore the other day he galloped up to our battery, which was in action in front of the line ; asked if we did not want infantry to advance; and then, it quite did one's heart good to see the old chief take off his hat and cheer on the Sikhs, Chulo, Seik Log, chulo '—(‘ Come on Sikhs, come on ')—and away he went at their head, with the shells bursting over his head and the round shot whistling round him. With such a jolly old fellow who would not go in r Letters of the 10th January from Futtyghur men tion that all the gun•carriage works, even to the workshops and engines, have been found untouched, and the houses inside the fort unburnt. The cloth ing agency has also escaped. The enemy left be hind them all but two of their guns, which were subsequently recovered at a village seven miles off. The Nawab set fire to his own palace, and whet remained was blown up by one of our own engineers. His wuzeer set himself up as king the same day our army arrived; he was handed over to the Naval Brigade by the Furruckabad people the next day, when the sailors made him eat 4 lbs. of pork, after which he was taken down to the Kotwallee, stripped naked before the whole of his loving subjects, and flogged severely, when he was made over to two sweepers, who hung him on a tree, where he remained two days ; and so ended his reign. Numbers of the rebels have been shot and hung here since the arrival of our forces, and several were being exe• cuted daily. IValpole's brigade, which crossed the Ganges into Itohilcund, appears to have halted in its advance towards Bareilly, and had not up to the 23rd of the month been engaged with the enemy, who are re ported to be in force. Possibly it may be waiting to cover the crossing of the main army under Sir Colin. At Cawnpore matters were tolerably quiet. The 34th had been despatched to reinforce Ontram at Alumbagh. At Calpee, however, the wretch Nana was known to hold a force of some 5,000 men and thirty guns. It is quite possible that at a critical moment he may attempt to force his way into Onde, or advance on Futtelipore. The latest news from Cawnpore states that an advanced guard of these rebels, 2,000 men and fifteen guns, had crossed the Jumna into the Doab, and were plundering and burning villages within twenty miles of Cawnpore:— First the 316, and when they were recalled the 88th (all but two companies, occnpving Nana Sahib's palace at Bithoor), went out against them, and 400 lades marched op for the same purpose from Futtebpore. Ws 249 have not yet heard of any action in this quarter, but we look to do so ere long, for the Bays, the 7th Hue ears, and 79th Highlanders have all been moved up to Futtehpore from Allahabad, which looks like the dis covery of an intention on the part of the Calpee rebels to attempt a passage into Outle in foroe.—Times cor. - - On the eastern frontier of Onde, Jung Bahadoor was moving upon Fyzabad. His advanced guard reached the banks of the Gogra on the 21st Jan.:— The rest of their force was moving up to the front, and would watch the left bank of the river downwards towards a point in the Azimghnr district, where toe line would be taken up by Colonel Rowcroft, with the head quarters of the 10th Foot, and sailors, Sikhs, and Ghoor kas. This latter party is one of Brigadier Franks's columns, of which there are three more at other points of the b order downwards towards Allahabad, and of which the united strength comprises the 10th, 20th, and 97th Regiments of Foot, with about twenty-four guns, and detachments of sailors, marines, Sikhs, and Ghoorkaa, the latter 4,000 strong. The important town of Gornekpore, recovered for us by Jung Bahadoor, was already on the 12th of January rapidly returning to its former quiet condition. The rebel leader, Mahomed Hossein, has escaped into Oude, but a traitorous. official under the English Government, by name Mosharruf Khan, was caught and executed. Below Allahabad, down the valley of the Ganges, nothing of importance has occurred. The Dacca, Chittagong, and 34th mutineers were dispersed and starving, and being hunted down and destroyed man by man. A vagabond, Kurruck Singh, who farms the elephant tracks, bad fed and supplied the Dacca mutineers with stores, &c. An attempt to seize the traitor failed : We tried to nobble him by offering so much for him, dead or alive, but could not, so the colonel of the 73rd sent out a party under Lieutenant Wawa and Ensign Norton of that regiment, to try and chopao him. They had to go to his residence at a place called Chorabundur, a distance of about twenty-three miles. The party left in the after noon of the 29th ult., and about eleven p.m. baited for a little to rest, when it was discovered that three men of the party were missing. Lieutenant Wilcox instantly pushed on and found that he was too late. Kurruck Singh bad obtained information of his advance, and had bolted. It was a near thing, as his house was in confusion and his bed warm. The house and other things in it were set on fire and destroyed. The three spies werelcaught the next day in a tope of trees, tried by court-martial, condemned, and blown from guns in twenty-four hours. It Central India affairs are progressing favour ably. Sir Hugh Rose has captured the important fort of' Ratghur (a second Bhurtpore), and has effected the relief of Sensor. Ratghur was attacked on the 26th and 27th of January, and the rebels, who had declared that they would die or hold the place (which is very strong, in good repair, and supplied with a year's provisions), lost heart when they saw the siege artillery brought up to a position which they thought impracticable, and making a breach in the curtain of the fort. Two hours before daylight, on the morning of the 28th January, a desperate attempt was made by a strong body of rebels to raise the siege. They were repulsed, and on the morning of the 29th the garrison abandoned the fort precipitately, letting themselves down by ropes from the rocks, &c. Part of them thus effected their escape, and part attempted to sally out of the main gate of the fort, were driven back, the fort captured, and the chief:, Full Khan and another rebel nawab, hanged over the gateway at sunset. Sir Hugh Rose, leaving Ratghur in charge of the troops of the Queen of Bhopal, the next day pushed on in the direction of Sensor. The enemy were understood to be concentrating at the village of Banda, eleven miles in advance of Ratghur, with a view of cutting off our communication with Mbow. They were at once attacked and driven with loss from their position in difficult broken ground and jungle, which they obstinately defended. Captain Neville, of the Royal Engineers, who had distinguished him self in the Crimea. and bad here volunteered as aide• de-camp to Sir Hugh Rose, was killed by a round shot. On the 2nd the force marched for Sensor, where it arrived the following day. This fort had been beleaguered since June, in constant fear, and not infrequent danger. It was reached and relieved without opposition ; upwards of one hundred women and children being amongst the number of those shut up. Twenty prisoners caught en route were executed on the spot. " It was a sickening sight," writes an officer en marche, "to see the devastation these villains had caused over the face of this magnificent country— for it is beautiful in the extreme in its villages and hills, and streams and woodlands ": Whole towns are destroyed by fire and looted ; their poor inhabitants lodging in nullahs and fields, bereft of every thing hut the clothes on their backs ; dead bodies covering the plains—some headless—showed where the struggle had occurred ; and' now and then we came upon the bodies swinging on the village banyan-tree. So near towards the Jumna has Sir Hugh edvaneed, that little wonder if the rebels at Calpee are flattered at the news of his coming. In the race t 3 Saugor, Whitlock'6, or the Madras column, has, es ice 'midi• mrP 7