The Press. — London, England, 1857-10-31 00:00:00

INDIA. THE FALL OF DELHI. The Nubia arrived at Suez on the ISth. The dates are Calcutta, 25th Sept.; Madras, 30th Sept.; Galle, 3rd Oct.; Aden, 12th Oct. The Pekin arrived at Suez on the 10th, with Bombay dates to the 4th of October. GOVERNMENT I)ESPATCEI. The following telegram was received at the Foreign office (through the Commissioners for the Affairs of India) on the 27th October, at 10.30 a.m. : Dalin was assaulted on the morning of September the 1-Ith, find the northern part of the city taken. On the 10th the magazine was stormed ; and on the 20th the whole city was occupied. The King and hie sons escaped disguised as women. The attack on the 11th was made with four columns, one of which, composed of the Cash mere Contingent, was repulsed—the other columns were successful. An entrance was first effected at the Cash mere Gate. An advance was then made along the ram parts to the main bastion and Cabal Gate. The resistance was very obstinate, and our loss was computed at 000 killed and wounded, including fifty officers. CANNPORE AND LUCKNOW.—The garrison and Lucknow still hold out; and General Havelock had recrossed the Ganges on September 10, expecting almost immediately to be joined by General Outram's force. A detachment of the latter force under Major Vincent Eyre had, on the 11th September, with the greatest gallantry, defeated a party of the enemy, which had crossed from the Gude side of the Ganges, for the purpose of harassing the advance of General Outram. _ All continues quiet in the Ptinjaub. AORA.—The Hon. J. R. Colvin, Lieutenant-Governor of the North• Western Provinces, died at Agra on the 9th of September. SAUDOR AND NERTIUDDA. TERRITORIES.—The 52nd Bengal Native Infantry (mutinied?) on September 18, and deserted in a body, doing no injury to their officers. The Banda insurgents have seized Nagode, and have been joined by the 50th Betio' Native Infantry. RAJPOOTANA.—The mutineers of the Joulpore Legion defeated the Rajah of Joudpore's troops, killing the general and taking three guns, on the 9th of September; they then joined the rebellious Thakoor of Arrah. General Lawrence proceeded, or. the 18th September, with a detachment from Bewar, and attacked the rebels. He compelled them to take refuge in the town of Gya, but found the place too strong for an assault to be risked,and accordingly fell back on Bewar. Captain Houck Mason, the political agent in Jondpore, was killed in endeavouring to join General Lawrence's force. The Bombay Government has sent up her Majesty's 89th Regiment, and other European troops, to the Nor thern Division, to enable General Roberts to reinforce General Lawrence. INDORE AND GWALIOI2.—MaIWa is Still in a disturbed state, but nothing worthy of note has occurred. In Gwa lior, Scindia is stated to be raising a force of 15,000 men, for the purpose of intercepting the fugitives from Delhi. A portion of the Mhow and Indore rebels are reported to have crossed the Chumbul. SCINDE.—The company of native artillery at Hydrabad, having been suspected of disaffection, was disarmed on the 9th Sept., and the guns secured. The 21st Native Infantry at Kurrachee was disarmed on the 13th September, information having been given by two native officers of an intended outbreak. Conspiracy is believed to have been confined to a few men. Twenty five deserted, but have been almost all taken and executed. At Shikarpoor, on the 21st September, a aubadar and a havildar of the 111th Native Infantry were arrested on sus piciod of plotting a rising in that regiment. On the night of the 23rd September, eleven men of the Native Company of Artillery seized the guns ; they were not joined by others, and the guns were retaken by a company of the 16th Native Infantry, the rest of the Artillery Company, and the police ; four of the mutineers were killed, and the rest got away in the dark. The Bombay Government has sent a wing of the 4th Foot, just arrived from the Mauritius, to Kurrachee. The Commissioner in Scinde had previously sent detachments of his very small European garrison from Kurrachee to Hydrabad and Shikarpoor. Khelat is in a very disturbed state. All is quiet throughout the Bombay Presidency and dominions. All is quiet in the Nizam's country. In conse• quenee of the mutinies at Jubbulpore the Commissioner in Nagpoor has applied to the Resident at Hyderabad for some squadrons of the 16th Lancers; the Resident has complied with the requisition, and has been reinforced by some squadrons of the 3rd Madras Cavalry from Sholapore. MAinies.—All is quiet just now in the Madras Presi dency. H. L. ANDERSON, Secretary to Government. Bombay Castle, October 3, 1857. The fall of Delhi is at length announced. The city was assaulted by General Wilson on the 14th of September, a lodgment was effected within the walls, and, after six days' desperate fighting, it is believed that complete possession of the city was obtained by our troops. THE PRESS, OCTOBER 31, 1857. The actual proceedings of the lith, 15th, and 10th of September we're kn3wa officially at Bombay on the 3rd of October, by telegraph from Lahore, but beyond those dates the statement of th 3 capture of the city rests only on native report and on an express from the Rajah of Jeypore of the 23rd S'pt., an nouncing the complete occupation of the city on the 20th. As' the natural sequel of the opratioas of the previous days, the statement seems worthy of credit. Much of the heroic tale of the capture of the city must remain untold until next mail, but meanwhile we have received sufficient intelligence to enable us to give a general outline of the movements of our army. After the battle of Nuzuff4hur, on the 26th of August, in which General Nicholson defeated the rebels in their attempt to seize our siege train en route from Phillour, matters remained tolerably quiet in camp up to the 31st, when the rebels sent in a flag of truce to ask for terms, of fering to give up all actual murderers. The answer was as follows :—" The British Govern ment will hold no terms with murderers, rebels, and mutineers. Surrender must be uncon ditional. Any other rebel coining to propose other terms will be hung. All future negotiations will be carried on at the muzzles of our guns." The siege-train arrived safe in camp on the 4th September. It consisted of between thirty and forty heavy guns, howitzers, and mortars, with large quantities of ammunition, escorted by the remaining wing of the Bth Foot, two more companies of the Gist, and a wing of the Ist Beeloch battalion of the Bombay army. On the 6th, from Meerut., a most valuable reinforcement of 200 of the 60th Rifles and 100 artillery recruits joined General Wilson; to the latter were added 45 men of the 9th Lancers. On the following day the army was further strengthened by the 4th Punjaub Rifles, under Captain Wilde, and by some troops of the Jheend Rajah. On the night of the 7th, the advanced batteries intended for the destruction of the Moree Bastion and the adjacent curtain were armed with ten heavy guns, at about 650 yards from the bastion, and an inclosure within half that distance of the walls, called the Koodsea Bagh, was occupied by a detachment of infantry and artillery. In these operations we sustained a loss of something under fitly killed and wounded, two officers being among the former. The neat day was marked by the opening of the advanced batteries on the Moree Bastion acd by the arrival in camp of the Jurnmoo or Cashmere Contingent. Meanwhile the engineers were hard at work in the erection of other batteries. On the 11th, a mortar battery opened on the Moree from the Koodsea Bagh at little more than 300 yards, and upon the Cashmere and Water Bastions a fire was commenced from sixteen heavy guns and howitzers and ten large mortars, planted at two points in front of the inclosure known as Ludlow Castle. On the 12th the attack on the Water Bastion was strengthened by four 18-poun lers and two light (5;!-inch) mortars (increased afterwards apparently to eight of the former and twelve of the latter), planted at 200 and 250 yards from the wall and the Custom-house Min • pound near the river. The enemy replied to our fire with igreat vigour and determination. On the " 10th and 11th they attempted two sorties, but were repulsed. Fur two days longer our artillery con tinued to play on the city, until, on the 12th, the Cashmere Bastion and half the adjacent curtain were in ruins. Preparations were now made for the assault, and General Wilson, in an order issued a few days previous, laid down the line of conduct to be pursued by the troops. No quarter was to be given to the mutineers, but the women and children were to be spared, while all the booty taken was to be handed over to the prize agents of the regiments. This arrangement seems to have prevented Indiscri minate plunder, and to have kept the army in hand. On Sept. 12th and 13th the following despatches reached Lahore: — It was before reported that the eighteen-gun battery, No. 11., in front of Ludlow Castle, had, with the aid of heavy mortars, quickly silenced the Cashmere Bastion. That bastion has not since replied, and heavy salvoes are continually directed against it. No. I. battery con tinues to fire into the Moree: it is a heap of ruins, but the gunners manage to fire light guns from different parts. No. 111. at the Custom-house has not yet opened. Some alterations nail to be made in it. It is expected it will be ready this evening. The enemy have not made any more sorties, but they keep up a brisk fire of musketry in front of the bastions from rifle-pits and among the jungle, and they have a flanking fire from field-pieces on the right, and from a heavy gun and mortar on the other side the river. Selimghur and the Water Bastion also fire on the left and centre batteries. Rockets are occasionally fired from a martello tower in front, an-. there are single light guns on two others. All this does not retard the progress of the siege, or lead to any interruption of fire. And, though the delay 1053 - about No. 111. is certainly a disappointment, there is still every reason for congratulation. A position has been seized and maintained for breaching purposes which, if worked up to according to rule, would not have been ours for some time, and our fire is very destructive. A party of the enemy's cavalry, 209 in number, got across the cut of the canal yesterday, to cat off our camels. They retired on seeing a force coming against them, and might have got off, but they were met by eighty of the Guide Cavalry under Captain Sandford, and two ressaldars and twenty-five sowars were killed on the field. The rest got off to Delhi. The sense of impending danger has roused the energies of the Pantiles, and they talk of nothing but defence, and are making dumtliimniss near the magazine and between the Cashmere and Cabul gates. But experience has hitherto show that those energies fail when the moment of action arrives ; and I think it is generally a so iree of congratulation that the rebels are not availing themselves of the many avenues of escape. The population appears quiescent. Major Campbell, of the Artillery, was wounded by a grapeshot in the lug in battery, and Lieutenant Lockhart is also wounded. The enemy was quieter last night, an t the casualty return for the last twenty-four hours is, T hope, moderate. The erections of No. 111. cost a good many men. AU quiet above. Delhi, Sept. 13. After I wrote yesterday, the left batteries opene 1 against the Water Bastion and curtain, with one gun bearing on the causeway leading to the bridge, and have continue,' in full play. They have to en lure a warm musketry tire from the walls, and shot and shell from Seliinghur, anti from across the river. _ Tne army has suffered a severe loss in the death of Captain Eagan of the Artillery. Re was an admirable officer, and has been the life of the camp. His daring was unbounded, and he could not be restrained from exposing himself over the breastwork to observe the line of fire from the new battery, and was shot through the head. The other casualties are Lieutenant Earl, Artillery, and Chancellor, 75th, wounded. The loss among the men is held to be moderate. _ . _ The centre batteries have continued an increasing fire against the Cashmere Bastion an 1 curtain, au 1 the in tars keep up a searchin4 fire on its nei;hbourhood. No. I. still grinds away at the 11Ioree. The enemy have mounted a heavy gun in two places on half.moons in the wall, and aro persevering in their enfilade from the right, and ars: doing their best to defend the place. The officers never leave the batteries, which are open to the sky; but the only men who are dispirited are those whom sickness or wounds keep in camp. I have had no intelligence from the town since the evening of the filth. oneral Ni :tuition will command the moveable column to be sent from this. We may expect to hear of the assault in a day or two. On the morning of the 14th, soon after daybreak, the as,ault took place. The attacking columns were three in number, with one in reserve : The main point of asault was the breach at the Cash mere Bastion. One column however, consisting of Ohoor kas and the newly arrived Jummoo Contingent, was directed to make a diversion by attacking the Kishengunge suburb, which lies outside the Lahore Gate on the western side of the city, and if it succeeded in carrying the snburb, to assault the gate itself. But the suburb was occupied by the enemy in force, with a battery of heavy guns. The Cashmerian troops behaved indifferently, and in spite of the efforts of the brave Gboorkas the column was repulsed. Its commanding officer, Major Reid, of the Sirmoor batta lion, is among the wounded of the day but on the northern side of the city all went well. The troops en tered at the breach with no serious opposition, and spread ing to the left and right occupied the " whole line of de• fences from the Water Bastion to the Cabul Gate, including the Cashmere Gate and Bastion, the Moree Gate and Bastion , the English church, Skinner's house, and the grounds about." The principal loss snstained by the assailants was due to the obstinate resistance the} met with in clear ing their way along the ramparts to the Cabul Gate, and afterwards in an attempt to penetrate beyond that point into the denser parts of the city in the direction of the Jumma Musjid. In all the loss amounted to about 500 killed and wounded.—Times cur. Captain Eden, at Jeypore, sent, by an express dated the 18th, the following from Colonel Young, written from head-quarters, Skinner's house, Delhi, 15th The assault took place yesterday morning soon after daybreak, and the storming was entirely successful. We were soon in possession of the end of the fort, with tho Cashmere, Cabal. and Mores Gates, which we now hold, with the clench, college, and other large buildings near this one, in which the head-quarters are. Preparations are making for heavy batteries to knock th mutineers out of those parts of the city in which they now are. Many of the city people have come in for and received quarter; sepoys wanted to come, but not permitted. Casualties said to be heavy. No artillery officers killed or wounded. A great many of the mutineers escaped. Cavalry left last night, it is said, towards Rewaree. The following extra of the Delhi Gazette, pub lished at Agra on the 18th of September, gives further details of the storming operation on the 14th : Delhi, Sept. IL—Mr. Greathed writes : Delhi was stormed this morning, and the British forces are in possession of the line of defences from the Water Bastion to the Cabul Gate, including the Cashmere Gate and Bastion, and the Moree Gate and Bastion, the English