The Press. — London, England, 1858-01-09 00:00:00

INDIA. DEATH OF GENERAL HAVELOCK. The following important despatch has been re ceived this week from Malta. It is said to contain the political intelligence by the Nubia, which reached Suez, Jan. 1, 1858 : FROM HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S CICE•CONSUL, SUEZ, TO ACTING-CONSUL -GENERAL GREEN, ALEXANDRIA. (To Sir J. Melville.) General Havelock died on the 25th of November from dysentery, brought on by exposure and anxiety. On the 27th of November an affair took place near Cawn pore between General Windham and his division and the Gwalior mutineers, in which the British troops retreated, with the total loss of the tents of the 134th, 82nd, and 88th Regiments, 3,000 in number, which were burnt by the enemy. The Otth Regiment is reported nearly cut up. A message received by the Governor-General from Sir Colin Campbell, of the 7th of December, contains an account of an action fought by him with the Gwalior Con tingent, near Cawnpore, in which the latter were totally de feated, with the loss of sixteen guns, twenty-six carriages of different sorts, an immense quantity of ammunition, stores, grain, bullocks, and the whole of the baggage of the fo^ce. The British loss was insignificant, one officer only being killed—Lieutenant Salmon. Al the women and children, sick, &c., from Lucknow have arrived in safety at Allahabad. The Calcutta Gazette Extraordinary contains an inte resting detailed account of the defence of Lucknow, being the official report of Brigadier Inglis. The privations endured by the heroic garrison, and particularly by the ladies, were fearful. Colonel Rooke, 19th Regiment, died at Calcutta from cholera on the 30th November, and Captain Day, of the litth. is reported killed at Cawnpore. The following regiments have arrived at Calcutta : The Bth Regiment, 87th, 79th Highlanders, 7th Hussars, 2nd Dragoon Guarda, 3rd Battalion Rifle Brigade, and a detachment of Artillery. Vary little news from China. The Adelaide, with the last detachment of 500 Marines on board, passed on from Siuigspore on the 2nd of December, and an attack on Canton was expected to take place on their arrival. This telegram arrived at Malta by her Majesty's steam vessel Caradoc at noon on the Oth of January. A despatch, word for word similar to the above, was also given oat by the Government as having been received at the Foreign office. The letters and papers by the mail may be expected to arrive in town on Monday or Tues day. The Carodoe, which reached Malta on Wednesday at noon, only conveyed the telegram forwarded from Suez to Alexandria on the Ist in.dant. The boat conveying the mails would leave Alexandria some time on the 3rd, arriving at Malta on Thursday, and at Marseilles on Sunday or Monday. Tar. Gazette of Tuesday publishes several despatches item India, some of which contain the last tel - graphic announcements from Cawnpore and Luck now which the Calcutta officials received previous to the departure of the last mail. The statements they contain have already been published, but Ri the latest telegram then received from Sir Colin Camp bell is of some importance, as indicating his inten tion to evacuate Lncknow at that date, we giro it verbatim . _ _ TELEGRAPHIC MESSAGE. VIE COMMANDER IN-CHIEF TO THE GOTER\OR• GENERAL AT CALCUTTA. Camp, Lucknow, 20th November, 6 p.m. The garrison of Lucknuw has been removed, and 1 am nuw engaged in conveying the womei and wounded to the rear. I propose to more the whole force to an open position outside the Sown, without further loss of life. The despatches, which are from Captain Peel, Captain Boileau, and Captain Banister, relate details of the three separate engagements with the rebels and mutinoussepoys at Kudjwa Mundree, and Jeerun. The despa►ches are important, because they serve to show not only the nature of the enemy with whom we have to deal, but the disposition of our allies upon whom we have to rely. Captain Peel, in his account of the battle fought at Kudjwa by a small force en route from Allahabad to Cawnpore on the 2nd November, states that the enemy numbered in all 4,000 men, of whom " only 2,000 " were sepoys. Our force mustered about 700 men, including 103 of the Naval Brigade. After detailing our advance, the men marching seventy-two miles in three days, Captain Peel states that the enemy were posted in front of the village of Kudjwa, and their position defended by three gu ns A round shot, coining down the road, opened the battle at about 2.20 p.m., and the column was ordered to edge to the right, and advance on the guns through the cornfields THE PRESS —the skirmishers of the 03rd and the Royal Engineers pushing up on both sides of the road. The enemy's artil lery was well served, and did great execution, and the flank fire of musketry was very severe. The gallant Colonel Powell himself, on the left of the road, pressed on the attack, and had ust secured two guns of the enemy, when he fell dead wit h a bullet through his forehead. In the meantime the Naval Brigade had advanced on the right of the 53rd, and carried the enemy's position in their front. It was then that the death of Colonel Powell was reported to me, and I was requested to assume the command. The great force of the enemy, the long line of their defences, and the exhaustion of both officers and men after such long marches, rendered our position truly critical. The front of the battle had become changed to the line of the road, and the enemy, with all their force be hind their embankments, threatened to intercept our rear. I left Lieutenant Hay, R.N., supported by the two nine pounder guns, to hold the position which his party had gallantly carried, and which secured our Rank ; and col lecting as many fresh troops as were available, assisted principally by Lieutenant Lennox, R.E. (Captain Clarke being unfortunately severely wounded ), and by Ensign Truell of the 53rd, we rushed across the road, and passing round the upper end of the embankments, divided the enemy's force, and drove them successively from all their positions. The enemy then retired in confusion, leaving us masters of their camp, and with two of their guns and a tumbril in our possession. The late hour of the evening (half -past four when the enemy fired their last shot), and the excessive fatigue of the troops, prevented any pursuit. We therefore spoiled their camp, and leaving it with cheers, formed on the road by the bridge near the village, and sent out parties to col lect our dead and wounded. With the body of the colonel on the limber of the gun he had so gallantly captured, we then returned, and encamped near the village of Bunker. Our loss was severe, amounting in all to ninety-five killed and wounded. The despatch from Captain Boileau relates the defeat, by the Ghoorkas, of a body of rebels at Mundree. The coarage of the Ghoorkas is especially to be noticed. The enemy we►e strongly posted, the village of Mundree covering their centre, and exten sive fields of sugar-cane (then at its greatest height) protecting both their flanks, with a grove of mango trees in rear:— They had received no notice of my approach, and I am told that many parties had quitted their camp in search of plunder—the number left amounting to not less than 1,000 men with three guns. When within a quarter of a mile of their position, the Ghoorkas broke into five columns, and advanced with great rapidity and spirit to the attack, rushing straight to the guns, receiving their fire, and capturing them in less than ten minutes after the first shot was fired. The insurgents retreated at once, and were pursued for nearly three miles, losing men at every step. They finally dispersed in the sugar-cane. The country is covered with fields of this plant, and afforded an admirable sheter to the enemy, whose loss on this account was much less than it would otherwise have been. We were also un able to make use of our guns against them, as, owing to the rapidity of the advance, they were unable to keep up with the troops. Captain Boileau " estimates " the loss of the rebels at some 200 killed. Our loss was two killed and twenty-six wounded. The third despatch, from the camp at Neemnch, is not so satisfactory as the preceding, for it unhappily relates a check we received in the attempt to capture the fort at Jeerun. As an illustration of the nature of " fort-fighting " this instance is worth notice. Captain Banister writes: — Our main body arrived in front of the walls of Jeerun at *boa half-past seven a.m. The enemy were assembled 200 yards in front of the walls on the brow of a hill, when our column first saw them. They remained till our 9-pounders moved forward and fired a few rounds ; they then retired slowly, taking up a stronger position behind some huts. At about this time I was sent with a squadron to the other side of the town to cut off stragglers, and consequently did not see the action ; but, on returning after the action, I was informed that our infantry hail at first failed to dislodge the enemy from their position ; that in their advance fur this purpose Captain Read, command ing her Majesty's 53rd detachment, had been killed, and Captain Soppit, commanding 12th detachment Native Infantry, had been dangerously wounded ; that both in fantry detachments, seeing their commanders fall, made a momentary retreat ; that the enemy, emboldened, rushed upon them and took one mortar and were nearly on the guns, when Captain Simpson, with Lieut. Blair, Lieut. Le Geyt, and Ridingliaster Steers, charged with a squadron upon the enemy, retook the mortar, and dispersed the rebels, who fled to the fort. In this charge Captain Simpson was very severely wounded in the head, Lieutenant Blair was wounded severely with a sword, and Lieutenant Le Geyt slightly by a ballet. The day was now fast coming to a close, and we heard some reports that another column of the enemy was ad vancing on Neernuch from another direction. Captain Simpson being unable to perform his duty, the command devolved upon me. I omitted to state, which is an important point, that a great part of the ammunition of the mortar was never re covered, but fell into the hands of the enemy. For this reason, as well as on account of the great natural strength of the place, which would have rendered it impossible, with the small force at my command, and no breaching guns, to take the town, also on scount of the fagged state of the men, the want of offices to command the detach meats, and the necessity of returning to protect Nee much, I ordered a retreat, which we effected before night closed in. Our loss in this untoward affair was three killed and fifteen wounded. Since then we are glad to say the rebels have evacuated the position, which has been occupied by our troops. The Delhi mortality returns of June and July are also published, with thoselfor Havelock's force since leaving Cawnpore to 29th September. The Gazette of last night publishes farther re turns of "persons killed by the rebels." JANUARY 9, 1858. THE MUTINY AT DACCA. The private letter of which the following k an extract comes, we are assured, from " a perfectly trustworthy source ": Calcutta, Nov. 25. It was in the newspapers this morning that three com - panies of the 34th N. 1., stationed at Chittagong, bad mutinied, and, after having fired their lines and the bun galows in their neighbourhood, had taken themselves off— it was expected in the direction of Dacca. Since the express closed I have heard of a portion of the 73rd, stationed at Dacca, having gone also, so that now there is not one single regiment of the Bengal army, undisarmed, which has not mutinied. The 73rd Regiment has often been reported as shaky, and great tact must have been used in keeping them together so long; but on the news of the decadence of the 34th reaching Dacca it was th might unsafe to leave them with their arms longer. The only Europeans at Dacca (fighting men I mean) are sailors ; and they, with a few volunteers , were sent oat to disarm the company of the 73rd. The latter resisted, were beaten, and took to the jungle. Fifteen of the sailors are reported to be killed, and forty of the sepoys. It does seem infatuation in these mutinying at this late hour of the day. No black face is trustworthy. With these men going it is difficult to believe that the Madras and Bombay troops will not yet go. For the troops still on their way out there will, I fear, be plenty of work yet. Old Sir Colin is said to be urging the Government to posh up reinforcements, or he will be in the 08me position that Havelock and Outram were. The following letter from Calcutta contains matters of interest. The refusal of Government to avail itself of the offer to raise a troop of horse is a remark. able fact : You will have heard of the result of the application made by the Indigo Planters' Association to Government for com pensation for losses during the rebellion. The reply is as stiff and heartless as most other things emanating from the Government, and comes to this :—" The Governor- General in Council is not prepared to admit the claim which the sufferers by the late disturbances intend to pre fer." This short and sweet negative to men who have lost their all by the utter neglect, stupidity, and mismanage ment of this Government, is worse than was generally expected, as it cannot be doubted for a moment that Go vernment, instead of losing, will benefit immensely by the rebellion, from the great number of confiscated estates, resumed kgeers, discontinued pensions, &c. When it was seen bow unable Government was to protect property, S— offered his services, and proposed to raise 300 sowers or Irregular Cavalry to act in concert with fifty Europeans or Sikhs, as you will see by the inclosed printed paper, copy of a letter which be addressed to the Hon. F. J. Halliday, the lieutenant-governor. These Irregulars be proposed to raise from his own rynts, whose relations were I known to him as respectable and trustworthy, and who bad lands and interests in his own villages. And the objects he proposed were : Ist. The capture of Baboo Cower Singh, and his brother Umar Singh. 2nd. The capture of muti neers and deserters, a considerable number of whom were lurking in his district. 3rd. The capture of prisoners who were liberated by the mutineers; and 4th, the general pro tection of the district from marauders. Up to this date, three weeks after the proposal was sent in, no answer has been given to it, and in the meantime Cower Singh and Umar Singh continue at large, spreading terror and ruin wherever they go. All the remaining property of the Europeans has been reduced to ashes, and the fine dis tricts of Behar and Shahabad continue in a state of anarchy and misery which it would be difficult to describe. The sth Irregular Cavalry, after beating and nearly destroying Captain Rattray's Sikhs at Bore Gyah, came to the °yeti station, looted it (a second time), burnt the gaol, and came towards Doudnugur, looting all the country round without the least opposition; they encamped six days at Doudnugur, burnt to the ground several factories, looted several villages, and the seventh day creased the Sone, &c. Had the Lieutenant-Governor accepted the proposal of 5 in time, all this probably, or a great deal of it certainly, would have been averted ; the bth Irregulars would not have crossed the Sone unopposed as they did, and the chief rebels might have been captured long ago. Instead of encouraging and appreciating the services, good feeling, and the co-operation of Europeans, they are all treated as S— has been ; not even an answer deigned to a highly meritorious proposal. I have described this as an example of how things are managed by Messrs. Halliday, Beadon, and Co. Although Delhi has fallen, or been re taken, and Lucknow relieved, do not imagine things are getting on better ; the whole country is undermined, and may in one moment explode in a more fearful manner than the first explosion. We have lost the charm teat kept the country down—the opinion, the esteem, the prestige is gone, because the governing classes have done all in their power to bring all Europeans oat of the service into contempt. Those " interlopers, the " sweepings of Europe " (as the native Government tutor an d curator of the infant malts of Bengal styled them), the natives have