The Press. — London, England, 1857-11-14 00:00:00

1102 A native of Ricer (?) and a sepoy, having been convicted of treason, were blown away from the guns at Bom the 15th of October. Predatory tribes in the Punjaub, between Moultan and Lahore, have given some trouble lately, but the disturbance appears to have been suppressed. The Emelt arrived at Suez from Australia on the 3rd instant. having been on shore near Aden. The Hindustan arrived at Suez from Calcutta this morn ing, with Calcutta dates of 9th of October, Madras 11th of October, Galle 18th of October. News via Bombay confirmed. This inttlligence received from Acting-Consul- General Green at Alexandria, No►ember 5, 1857, for the Earl of Clarendon, Consul CRAIG. LYONS, Admiral and Commander-in-Chief. Cagliari, Nov. 10, 10 30 soir. The following was received shortly afterwards, on the same day, at the India Board:— THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 14,1857. Honiton. John Nicholson was born at Virgemont on the 11th of December, 1822, and having received his early education at the Grammar•school of Dungan non, county of Tyrone, obtained from his uncle a direct appointment to India early in 1839, where he arrived in the July of the same year, in time to share in the famous Cabul campaign. The conquest of Cabul was followed by the revolt of the Affghans. At the period of the murder of Sir William 11I‘Naghten and the massacre of the British troops at Jugdulluck, Nicholson was in the fortress of Ghuznee, under Colonel Palmer, and shared with him the dangers of the siege. There is no need to recapitulate here the details of that event ; it is enough to say that the British force found themselves shut up in the citadel, and, having suffered the extremities of hunger, were forced to capitulate on honourable terms. How those terms were broken and how Nicholson was forced to give up his sword is now a matter of history, as is also his imprisonment with his comrades in Cabal and his subsequent restoration to liberty on the arrival of the gallant Sir Robert Sale and Sir G. Pollock, the red heroes who retrieved the disasters of Lord Auckland's Indian administration. We next find General Nicholson serving in the Sutlej campaign of 1845-46. At the time of the outbreak of that war he rendered important service to Sir Henry Hardinge by watching and reporting the movements of the Sikhs. He was also present at the bloody battle-fields of Mood kee and Ferozeshah, and received a medal for his gallantry in action. In the second Punjaub campaign, holding the post of Assistant-Resident at Lahore, while the siege of Moultan was still proceeding, Nicholson was sent to seize the fortress of Attock, an act which be accomplished with credit to himself. As soon as his services could be spared he accom panied Lord Gough in his advance, and was able to render Sir J. Thackwell some material assistance in transporting his forces across the Chenab just previous to the battle of Ramnugger. This gallant and distinguished general expressed his sense of Nicholson's services in flattering terms to the Government. After the battle of Chillianwallah his friends had the additional gratification of seeing his services in that engagement acknowledged in Lord Gough's despatch side by side with those of the late lamented Sir Henry M. Lawrence. Nor was he lass distinguished on the field of Goojerat, where Lord Gough finally routed and crushed the Sikh forces, and after which he particularly recommended, in his despatch addressed to the Governor-General of India, " that most energetic political officer, Captain Nicholson," as deserving of reward and promotion. For his services in the Punjaub campaign Captain Nicholson was promoted by special brevet to the rank of major in the army, and received the additional honours of' a medal and a clasp. He had been en gaged in civil employment in the Punjaub for some few years before the outbreak of the recent mutinies, having bad under his charge the Dera Ishmail Khan district since January, 1852. Of his activity and energy in his civil capacity in the Punjaub, and of his gallantry in defeating the rebel forces sent out to intercept the siege -train on its way to Delhi, we have spoken too often recently to make it necessary to add any fresh meed of praise. The previous mail, it will be remembered, brought home tidings that Colonel Nicholson was among those who were wounded in the storming of Delhi, and now we deeply regret to have to enumerate his name among those who have since died of their wounds. Colonel Nicholson's corn misssions, we should add, hear date as follows : Ensign, February the 24th, 1830 ; lieutenant, January the 13th, 1842 ; regimental captain, with rank of lieutenant colonel, March the 20th, 1848. LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES GEORGE SMITH NEILL, of the Madras Fusiliers, was a native of Scot land. and was one of whom his native county, Ayrshire, will be proud. He was the eldest son of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Smith Neill, of Barn weill and Swindridyemuir, was born about the year 1811, and entered the Ist European Fusiliers (Madras) in 1826. He first saw some active service in the first Burmese war, under the Governor Gene ralsbip of Lord Amherst, when he was for a time in the Adjutant General's department. For a short time, about the years 1835 and 1836, he held the command of the escort of the Resident at the Court of his Highness the Rajah of Nagpore, and about the same time he married Isabella, daughter of Colonel Warde. More recently he took part in the second Burmese war under Lord Dalhousie. On the outbreak of the war with Russia in 1854 he volunteered for active service in Turkey, and showed considerable ability while in command of the Turkish Contingent. Returning to India at the close of the war, he took the command of the Ist Madras Euro pean Fusiliers, one of the most gallant and dis• tinguished regiments belonging to the service, though recently characterised by Sir Archibald Alison in his speech at Glasgow as i‘ new to fame." On the To SIR J. MELVILL. Alexandria, Nov. 5 1R57. Delhi was entirely in our possession on the 20. h of September. The King and Queen were captured on the 21st by Lieutenant Hodson. Two of the King's sons were killed. No official account has yet been received, but our loss is much greater than was at first supposed. The mutineers have gone towards Rohilcund and Muttra, and some to Oude, being followed up by our troo pa. Mr. Greathed, Commissioner of Delhi, died 19th Sep tember of cholera, and General Nicholson on the 23rd of wounds received in the assault. Lucknow relieved September 225th; particulars not known. Our loss was severe; about 500 killed and wounded. General Neill among the killed. The relief just in time ; the enemy having advanced their mines, which would have placed the garrison at their mercy. Advanced guard of the Madras columns defeated the mutineers of the 5.2nd Bengal infantry, near Jubbulpore, on the 25th, killing about 150. The Malwa country is in a disturbed state. Ithopawur has been burnt. Dhar, Amjheera, and Mundesar are disaffected. Forces are moving towards :Mow. All is quiet in Scinde, but the state of the frontier is not satisfactory. General Jacob proceeds immediately to Scinde. There has been an outbreak of Bheels in —, and a plot discovered at Bombay. The Deccan and Southern Mahratta States all quiet, as also the Nizam's country and Madras Presidency. Cagliari, Nov. 10, 10.45. THE MAILS. The whole of the Indian mails will be in London to-day. The Bombay portion (brought by the Van guard) left Marseilles Thursday night at ten o'clock, and may be expected here at an early hour this morning. The Calcutta portion (brought by the Valetta) left at ten o'clock yesterday morning, and may be expected here this afternoon. We must refer our readers to the Postcript (page 1110) for the latest Indian intelligence received up to the time of going to press. The Ghoorkas appear to make excellent soldiers. An officer, writing from the camp at Delhi, tells an anecdote or two of their coolness and courage : The Ghoorkas are very steady unOer fire, and retire beautifully. One dsy they could not bring away all their dead, so they hid them with branches of trees, and went out the next morning to bring them in. The other day a rifleman of 2nd E. B. Fusiliers and a Ghoorka were standing together in a breastwork, when the enemy were out, and our Pandy had crawled up close to them, under shelter of a piece of rock, and they could not hit him, as he just put his musket over the stone and fired ; so the Ghoorka put down his musket and drew his " Kookree," or heavy hunting-knife, and crawled up to this stone, and as soon as he saw the musket over the stone he jumped up, seized the man and cut his head off, before he knew anything about it : this was told me by an eye-witness. Up in the batteries, one day, a native artilleryman said he was going down to drink some water, got over the parapet, and went down the hill towards Delhi ; a Ghoorka saw him, and said, " That man is going into Delhi, I go and look after him ;" and sure ennngh the brute was going into the city, little thinking a Ghoorka was stalking him like a deer ; the man got close to the walls, when he was shot b 3 the Ghoorka, and the little fellow came back justly proud of his feat. THE LATE BRIGADIER GENERALS NICHOLSON AND NEILL. GENERAL JOHN NICHOLSON, of the 27th Bengal Native Infantry, who is reported to have died of his wounds received in the assault of Delhi, was the eldest son of the late Dr. Alexander Nicholson, who owned a small landed property in the county of Down, and who died a few years since, having prac t ised with considerable success as a physician at Virgemont, county of Dublin. His mother was a sister of Sir James Weir Hogg, late Chairman of the East India Company, and formerly M.P. for Beverley and breaking out of the recent mutiny, being sent up to Calcutta with his regiment, he relieved Benares, and pressed on with forced marches to Cawnpore, in the capture of which be assisted. Our readers will not have forgotten his decision in the matter of the high• caste Brahmins of that place, whom he forced to degrade themselves by washing with their own hands the bloodstained floor which was the scene of the atrocities of Nana Sahib. During the subsequent absence of General Havelock he held the command of Cawnpore, and was recently intrusted with the command of a brigade. He is represented to us, by those who knew him of old, as a strict disciplinarian, but at the same time one who never spared himself, and was always ready to share with his men every danger, difficulty, and privation. He attained the regimental rank of major in 1850, and became a major in the Madras army, with the rank of lieut.- colonel, in December, 1853. OUR readers will have observed with regret the announcement of the telegraph that GENERAL A. WILSON, for whom it was reserved, after so many other leaders had been obliged to relinquish the un dertaking, to bring to a glorious close the operations of our army before Delhi, has now himself been compelled t, retire from the command, the fatigues of which had proved too much for his strength, already impaired by long and active servitude. His successor is General N. Penny, C. 8., a most dis tinguished officer, of whom we may be assured that he will follow in the steps of his able predecessor, and be wanting neither in energy nor skill. Bri gadier-General Archdale Wilson was a cadet of 1819, arriving at Calcutta in September of that year. He served with distinction at the siege of Bhurtpore, under Lord Combermere, in 1826, and from that period until the second Sikh war held appointments in command of the artillery, at Saugor, Neemuch, Lucknow, and Cawnpore. In the second Sikh war, which was commenced in 1848, and which was decided in our favour by the battle of Goojerat, called " emphatically an artillery battle," we find the late Sir H. Wheeler recommending Colonel Wilson for honorary distinction for his services. His claims seem, however, to have been unaccountably over looked. The next appointments held by Colonel Wilson were those of commandant of artillery at Jullundur and Dum Dum, the latter close to Calcutta, and the most important artillery command under the Bengal Government. In May, 1855, he again visited England, this time for a few months only, for in March, 1856, he was promoted to the command of the artillery throughout the Presidency, with the commend of the station of Meerut, whither, since the time of Sir Charles Napier, the head-quarters of the regiment of artillery had been removed. He was further promoted, since the outbreak of the late mutiny, to the command of the Meerut division, in supercession of the incapable and imbecile General Hewitt. On assuming command he was at once ordered to Delhi, the capture of which has been greatly owing to his skill and experience. BRIGADIER-GENERAL NICHOLAS PENNY, C. 8., who now succeeds General Wilson in the command of the Meerut division and the troops at Delhi, is many years his senior, having been appointed to the army in 1807. He was for a time unfortunate in his promotion, having been a subaltern of native infantry for no less than eighteen years and a quarter. During this time, however, he saw much active service, having been present in the Nepaul war in 1814, 1815, and 1816, in the Mahratta war of 1816 and 1817, and at Gurra Kotch in 1818. At the siege of Bhurtpore, in 1826, he prominently dis tinguished himself, and, though hut just promoted to his company, was recommended for a brevet majority ( which he obtained) by the commander-in-chief, Lord Viscount Combermere. For his services during this arduous siege Captain Penny received the " India medal." In the year 1830 we find Major Penny an assistant-adjutant-general in the Dinapore division, whence in 183 k he was transferred to the more important post of assistant-adjutant-general at the Presidency. Having thus fully qualified himself for the general staff of the army, Lieutenant-Colonel Penny was placed in the comparatively independent position of commandant of the Nusseree Battalion, his nomination to which bears date 2nd June, 18.11. In the Sutlej campaigns he commanded at first the 12th Brigade of the Fifth Division, and the 2nd In fantry Brigade on the breaking up of the 12th. He was present at Aliwal in the thickest of the fight, and was mentioned in the following terms by Sir Harry Smith, in his despatch addressed to the Governor General, dated Aliwal, Jan. 30, 1846 : • The intrepid little Ghoorkas of the Nusseree and Sir moor battalions, in bravery and in obedience, can be ex ceded by none. I much regret that I had no brigade to give to Brigadier Penny, who is in orders for one. 1 can only say that when be gets his brigade, if he leads it as he did his gallant band of Ghoorkas, it will be inferior to none. ------- He was again engaged at Sobraon, where be was wounded, and Sir Hugh Gough, "in the most earnest manner," recommended him to the Governor-