The Press. — London, England, 1857-08-15 00:00:00

INDIA. THE OVERLAND MAIL. RESISTANCE OF DELHI.-SPREAD OF THE REBELLION. TnE following telegraphic messages in antici pation of the mail have been received in town during the week : TRIESTE, Wednesday. The steamer Bombay arrived here this day at eleven o'clock a.m., having made the passage in 118 hours from A lexandria. The dates of this intelligence are from Bombay to the 14th of July; from Calcutta to the sth of July ; from Ceylon to the 14th of July ; and from Hong Kong to the 24th of June. Delhi had not fallen up to the 27th of June. The rebels had made several desperate sorties, but each time had been repulsed with great slaughter. The city was reported to be full of sick and wounded, and the cholera was prevalent. Reinforcements had begun to reach the British camp. Farther mutinies are reported from several districts. The Bombay and Madras armies continue firmly loyal. The Punjaub remains quiet. At Sirsa, General Van Cortlandt had attacked and completely defeated the insurgents, inflicting heavy loss upon them. General Woodburn's column had crushed the re bellion at Aurungabad. The Simoom had arrived at Calcutta with the sth Fusiliers. T HE PRESS, AUGUST 15,1857. Colonel Hartley's force was to reach Delhi to day, having reached Lassonli at the last account. _ _ _ Several ressalahs of Punjaub horse have been despatched from Lahore, and are now on their way to join the force before Delhi. R. MONTGOMERY, Judicial Commissioner. The men of Major Knatchbull'a battery have been dia. armed at Meean Moer. (From the Lahore Chronicle Extra, Jane 29). Judicial Commissioner's Office, Lahore, June 29. It is reported from army head quarters that the muti neers made several attacks on our pickets on the 27th, but were repulsed with loss, there being but trifling casualties on our side. The rains appeared to have set in. The bridge at Baghput has been broken, and the river has now become swollen by the rains. Intelligence has been received from Peshawar that the 10th Irregular Cavalry has been disarmed at Nowsheta. A. considerable body of Jowanah horse have reached Lahore on their wayto Umballah. . _ The number of irregular horsemen despatched from Lahore during the last month is fully equal to the strength of three regiments. R. MONTGOMERY, Judicial Commissioner. (From the Lahore Chronicle Extra, June 30.) Judicial Commissioner's Office, Lahore, June 30. Some further brief details have been received by tele graph of the skirmishes which occurred before Delhi on the 27th. It is stated that our artillery did great execution, while the killed on our side did not exceed twelve. Lieutenant Harris, of the 2nd Fusiliers, was wounded, and Lieutenant Chalmers, of the Guides, slightly. A letter received from Delhi, from the political agent at Bhurtpoor, dated the 22nd, states that all was well at Luck now and at Allahabad up to the last advices ; and at the latter station it is stated that the mutineers were very severely dealt with by the Sikh regiment stationed there. The letter further mentions that a large force of Europeans was collected at Benares, which will, doubtless, have moved upwards ere this. It is reported that the mutineers of the Gwalior Con tingent are endeavouring to coerce the Maharajah, but their ultimate intentions are not known. Further details have been received of the action at Delhi on tho '.:3rd, on which occasion the efforts of the mutineers were more determined than on any previous one. It is said that their dead at the close of the day were counted by hundreds, their aggregate being estimated at not less than 1,000. The gardens and buildings out• side of the city, in which they had sheltered themselves and given us much annoyance, have been taken posses• sion of by us; and it is said that, since the above date, they have in a marked manner evinced less boldness in their attacks than heretofore. R. MONTGOMERY, Judicial Commissioner. Camp before Delhi, June 24. I am sorry it is not in my power to give you any news front this quarter. Yesterday the enemy attacked us in great force from the Subjee Mundee side, and fought most desperately the whole day long. They had a strong posi. tion in a village and among the garden walls. Our loss has been great for us, but the loss of the mutineers has been very considerable. We have been quiet today ; how long it will last it is impossible to say. Ever since the day we have arrived here have the troops been more or less knocked up by exposure to sun and fatigue, &c., but the men, notwithstanding, keep up their truly British spirit, and it is surprising how cheerfully all endure this harassing work, and how manfully, through God's blessing, we have repulsed every one of their desperate attacks. We have now been here sixteen days. A small portion of the reinforcements arrived yesterday, and Brigadier Chamber• lain came in, I hear, to-day.--From the Delhi Gazelle Extra, June 27. The head•gnarters of the 9th Irregular Cavalry reached Umhallah on the morning of the 25th instant, and is ex pected to be at Delhi by the 30th.—Ibid. The let Regiment Punjanb Cavalry reached Ferozepore on the 25th, and marched again on the 20th en route to Delhi.—lbid. Camp before Delhi, June 21. About our two attacks, yesterday and the day before— the second was made early in the morning. They plied us with round shot, but halted as soon as we began to advance. Our reports from the city to day are much better; they are said to be disheartened, and deserting in great numbers, and to wish to make overtures. They say, "What's the use of going out to tight? they always get the best of it." W e certainly did them considerable damage in the attack on the 19th—the ground was horrid to look at. - _ - We shall have 400 more Europeans two days hence, and a few dais later another reinforcement. Our supports are coming from Ferozepore, Jullundur, and Lahore. . . Colonel Becher's wound in the arm is not serious, and he will be fit for work in a few days. We are sorry to learn, from later letters, that on the 19th the Nnsserabad mutineers, with some (said to be six) guns, contrived to get in rear of oar position, and created great confusion. They were of course driven hack with a heavy loss of killed and wounded and two guns, but our loss was also severe, and when we consider that common precaution would have averted this loss, we feel bound to state that there must be great incompetency somewhere ; and the sooner the valuable lives of our brave soldiers are intrusted to other care the better. The losses we have to deplore are Colonel Yule, H.M.'s oth Lancers, Captain Alexander, 3rd Mr. Humphrey, and ten men killed; Colonel Becher, and several others wounded. If our brave men, the heroes of our country, are to be made targets of after this fashion we see no policy in de laying the assault. It would surely be better to loss them and gain the city of Delhi, and the punishment of the traitors within it, than to lose them and gain— two guns ! The wing of her Majesty's 61st Regiment reached Loodiana on the morning of the 19th en route to Delhi, and expect to join Head-quarters' Camp on the 22nd; the men all in good health and spirits—anxious to have a charge Against the enemy. The wing is armed with the Enfield rifle, with which, they say, they can make good practice at 100 yards; they are dressed in dust-coloured The force at General Barnard's disposal (says the Bombay Times) has doubtless been inadequate for the reduction of the place, but as important reinforcement* must have joined his camp long before this, we enter• tain a confident hope that our next advices will announce the fall of the place. Meantime the force has not been idle. Animated by the courage of despair, the mutineers have made the most desperate sorties, but ever with the same result. They have been driven back into the city with terrible loss on every occasion, to find eventually, as we trust, their tomb within its walls. Our columns contain ample details of these several actions, and to attempt to summarise them here would swell our epitome to an inconvenient length. General Van Cortlandt, who is marching upon Jhanst and Hisser with the Buttianah Irregular Force, has had two engagements with the rebels in the neighbourhood of Sirsa, defeating them in each instance with severe loss. The last action was a very decided one, and the rebels fled in disorder, leaving 200 men dead upon the field, besides many prisoners in our hands. The troops of the Bikanir Rajah, 2,700 men of all arms, have joined General Cort landt's force, though what reliance can be placed on these men remains to be seen. Major-General Nicholson's moveable column was at Jullandur at the date of our last advices, vii Lahore. The whole Punjaub remains quiet, thanks to the ener getic conduct of the Commissioner and the men in com mand. Many of the disarmed native regiments have begged the restitution of their weapons, and to be led. against Delhi; but it would be madness, after what has transpired, to listen to such prayers. The men may be loyal in their present mood, but, in the presence of an. example such as that offered now at Delhi, would yield to the dangerous influence to a certainty. Of the whole country of Rohilcund, Futtehgbur (Fur ruckabad) was the last station to rise. The sepoys of this corps do not appear to have offered any violence whatever to their officers, but a most melancholy rumour prevailed in Allshabad on the 23d inst. as to the fate of the unhappy fugitives after they left the place. We (Bombay Times) take it from the Englishman of the 29th ult.:— Did the report of the massacre reach you of the Futtehghnr fugitives? It surpassed in atrocity all that has hitherto been perpetrated. 132 Europeans, men, women, and children, is fifty boats, left Futtehgbur for this place. They were all the non-military residents of the place. On arrival at Rhitoor the Nana Sahib fired on them with the artil lery the Government alloweci him to keep; one round sho t struck poor Mrs. —, and killed her on the spot. The boats were then boarded, and the inmates landed and dragged to the parade ground at Cawnpore, where they were first fired at, and then literally backed to pieces with tulwars. Report says not one escaped. lihitoor is a little place a few miles to the north of Cawnpore, and we sadly presage a confirmation of this intelligence, in view of the state of matters in that neigh bourhood. A bloody reckoning will surely be exacted of these fiends in human shape. At Mhow the 23rd Bengal Native infantry have mutinied „ The number of Europeans slain is at present unknown, but it is said to be four. The officers are holding a for tified square in the place, where the ladies and all the other Europeans have taken refuge. If the 3rd Nizam's Cavalry prove staunch, they will soon be relieved, as Cap tain Orr was within fifty miles of Mhow some days ago. We know little of the state of matters at Indore, beyond the fact that the two regiments of the Maharajah Holkar have openly mutinied, and proceeded with the Bengal regi ments towards Ctljein, on their way, as is supposed, to Delhi. The Maharajah seems to be in no way implicated in this business, but to have acted with the same good faith that has characterised the conduct of the Gwalior Prince. A Gomashta, who left Cawnpore on the 18th, has written from Allahabad to the effect that Sir Hugh Wheeler was not only holding his ground but would probably continue to do so, as the insurgents were quarrelling among themselves, and many of them had dispersed. This man mentions that the Mahratta chief of Bittore and other rebels had put to death nearly two hundred Euro peans, including above a hundred fugitives from, he says, Nynee Tal, but more likely from Futtehghnr. Sir Hugh Wheeler, having been annoyed by a gun brought against him by the insurgents, sent out a party of twenty men to spike it. This they nut only suoceeded in doing, but killed a good many of the enemy besides.---Phierrix, June 30th. The intelligence from Hong Kong is np.to the 24th June. No further operations had taken place beyond the capture of the Chumpu fort, about five miles below the Bogue. General Astiburnham had arrived, and Lord Elgin was daily expected. LETTERS TO OFFICERS IN INDIA.--Many persons who have friends and relatives amongst the officers of Indian regiments that have mutinied, and been disbanded and dispersed, are at a loss how to address their letters. If the whereabouts of the officer is not accurately known, they should still continue to men tion the number and name of the regiment, and also the Presidency to which it belonged. GOVERNMENT DESPATCH. The following despatch was communicated by the Forei;n•office to the evening editions of Wednesday's papers : From Vice• Consul Raven, dated Trieste, Wednesday, August 12, noon—received 5.26 p.m. Subjoined is a message to Sir Jas. Melville, Lon don, forwarded by me from Captain Johnson, Alex andria, under date from Alexandria, August 7. The Indian mail . has arrived, with news from Bombay to July 14. Delhi had not fallen up to the 27th of June. There bad been a good deal of fighting outside the fort walls. The rebels were repulsed with loss on every occasion. General Van Cortlandt, when marching upon Jhansi and Hisser, bad two engagements with the rebels near Sirsa, the last being a very decided one. The rebels fled in disorder, leaving two hundred dead on the field, besides prisoners. The I'unjaub remains quiet. General Woodburn's column crushed the rebellion at Aurungabad. Intelligence has been received of the mutiny of the troops at Moradabad, Fyzabad, Seetapore, Agore, Nowgaon, Banda, Futtyghur, Mhow, and Indore. _ _ . The Governors of the Presidencies are at their respective seats. The Money Market was in a very unsettled state. Money difficult to be had on any terms. Govern ment securities have given way considerably. Im port market very quiet ; business done to a moderate extent. Freights advanced a little. The first batch of China troops arrived in Calcutta, per Simoom, about the 2nd of July. (Signed) R&VEN. Intelligence from Marseilles states that the com mercial letters by the mail announce the destruction by the rebels of many hundred boats coming down the Ganges laden with corn. Sir Colin Campbell arrived safe and well at Aden on the 28th July. Peshawur was reported to be " disturbed." Three more regiments had been dis armed. The Bombay papers corroborate these state ments in full. The mutinies at Mooradabad, Fyzabad, and Futtchghur were marked by sad results. Tho following official despatches aro taken from the Lahore Chronicle, June 27 : Lahore, June 27. Intimation has been received from Umballah that all re mained quiet at Delhi during the 24th and 28th. The loss of the mutineers during the Sght of the !Z3rd is stated to have been 400.