The Press. — London, England, 1857-10-03 00:00:00

058 THE PRESS, OCTOBER 3, 1857. exhibited among the sepoy regiments of both the minor Presidencies, which convince us that, although they may not break out into open mutiny, they can scarcely be trusted to fight against their rebellious countrymen. "In the Southern Mahratta country," writes the Times correspondent from Bombay, " one cannot but see that the discipline and loyalty of the Bombay army are slowly but surely giving way under the strong temptation." " The state of the Deccan," writes the Daily News correspondent, " has not improved ": I have reason to believe that unless Britith troops reach us within a few days, so as to allow reinforcements to be sent to Sholapore, we may anticipate some very dangerous movements on the frontiers of the Nizam's territories. Had it nut been for the sudden arrival of European troops at Vizistlroog, the mutiny of Kolapore would have ex. tended itself in all directions. The appearance of the tt:trd and 2nd Bombay Fusiliers saved us fir the time. More British are required to overawe the Deccan. Cul. Jupp's Horse, at Poonah, are at present in a most unsatisfactory state. The 25th Bengal Native Infantry, at Mhow, are all but in open mutiny, and the 12th Bengal Native Infantry have actually been disarmed at Nusseerabad. Should other regiments follow these examples, our small European force will be unable to act with much effect; fur it is already too much parcelled off into detachments, and the country people, although they bring us mutineers, because they are worth so many rupees a head, are not to be trusted. Round Baroda, Surat, and Ahmedabad, lies a disaffected popula tion, against whom it is found necessary to march bnial parties. At Puenah it is thought not safe to go to church unless a battery of artillery guards the sacred edifice. Fear, it is true, still cows the rebellious spirit of the Deccan. The South Mahratta country is frightened by the presence of English detachments and the punishment of the 2. - ith Regiment, but no one can tell how long this fear will operate, or how long the Bombay Presidency will remain quiet. On all sides we hear of nothing but fresh mutinies and disarmaments, though happily nowhere of any further massacres. Front the Punjaub, from Itajpoo tana, and from the Bengal, Bombay, and Madras Presidencies, this alarming intellig:.tnce is brought. General Havelock, from "exposure, fatigue, sick• ness, and constant fighting," has been compelled to retreat once more to Cawnpore, and for the time to relinquish all hope of relieving Luckuow. Agra, safe on the 11th of August, was in want "of urgent assistance ; and Delhi, up to the 14th of August, was still in the hands of the rebels. And first for Delhi. General Wilson, acting strictly on the defensive, had intrenched his position and held his ground—but no more : These breastworks entirely prevent surprises in our rear, such as we have hod to repel on more than one occa• Rioll. Behind them our pickets have remained since the 30th of July without being allowed to do more than repel the incessant attacks of the rebels, who come out day and night and lose numbers of men in futile efforts to harass and tire us. Between the 23rd, when they attacked us and killed Lieutenant Law, of Coke's Rifles, and severely wounded Major Drought and some other officers, and the 30th July, they remained quiet, apparently taking time for a grand rush. On the 31st they came out all round, and kept up a good deal of desultory skirmishing, whilst a large force moved out in columns, with elephants and gulls, towards Itohtuck, in our rear. The living stream poured out behind the Led tiah without ceasing front seven in the morning till noon. Parties moved also from the north. western or Cashmere.gate, and wnen they cleared the town the entrances were closed. The rebels intended to re-establish in our rear the bridges over a deep nullah which we destroyed some time ago. They threw as many as seven, but the stream swelling carried them off, so that the force returned to Delhi without effecting anything. Their line marching in and out afforded our gunners ex• cellent practice, and notwithstanding the heavy firing from a couple of 9.pounders in position near the Cashmere-gate, and from the western bastion, our centre and left battertes made some capital shots. After a desultory attack, during which the rebels approached as near as a hundred yards to our breastworks, they returned into Delhi. Buttons cut off from the uniforms of the dead proved that we had to deal on this occasion with the IHth Bareilly Regiment, the 57th Ferozepore Regiment, and the 7th Uwalior or Nutt ! seerabad Itegitnent.—D. News cor. That same evening, the canal party having rejoined the force in front of our position, a combined attack upon our advanced posts was at once made. It lasted uninterruptedly for upwards of forty hours : Never before had the enemy displayed so great an amount of determination as in this prolonged engagement, Covered by the fire of several tield•pieces, and animating each other with loud cries of " Chalo bhai ! " (" On, brother !") they came nearer to our breastworks than they had ever done before, though their courage failed them for the final rush. Our men were kept well under cover, and with slight loss to themselves inflicted heavy punishment upon the enemy. When, about noon on the 2nd, the rebels at length drew off and the firing ceased, their dead and wounded lay in heaps before our works, and long strings of carts were employed all the rest of the day in removing them to the city. On our side fell Captain Travers, of the Punjaub Rifles, an officer of note in the warfare with the tribes of the Affghan border, and nine men. Thirtysi of all ranks were wounded.—Times cor. The noise in camp (says another writer) was most alarming, and the roar of the guns from either batteries, the incessant crack of musketry, the yells of the enemy, and the shouts of our men gave the idea of a sanguinary fight raging through the hours of darkness. In the morning, however, it appeared that we had only lost twenty•two men in killed and wounded, sod that the enemy never advanced nearer than twenty yards of our breastworks. They were madtlened by bhang (says another writer), and came tolerably close to the breast works :-- During the night they had bugles sounding the advance the whole time, but it had nut the power of pushing them forward; they shouted and called out to each other " Chalo bind ; " they wasted a considerable quantity of 9-pounder ammunition, as they were tiring all day ou the Ist, all night of the same, and all the 2nd. The pickets held their own all night; the 60th Mlles made some excellent shooting. Panay never shows more than his head ; his musket generally has a good elevation. Musketry was going on on both sides all day with scarcely any casualties on our side, though many a Pandy bit the dirt. The alarm went early on the morning of the Ist ult.; but, after falling in, it proved to be a false one, and our men returned to their tents. However, there was a good deal of firing all day, and at about six p.m. we were again turned out. Such a fee denier as was kept up all night has not been heard since the old Crimean days : the enemy fired shot and shell into our batteries all night. You might see as many as six shells bursting in the air at one time. We could not sleep much, as you may well imagine, as we expected a general turnout every moment. How ever, in the morning we found out what had occurred. The enemy, no doubt, bhanged up to the eyes, attacked our pickets three or four times, but were driven back by grape as often as they came on, leaving their dead and wounded as a memento of their stupidity. They fired musketry by the voley, scarcely touching, a man—at daylight, getting more plucky by our not advancing, they got pretty close, when the grenadier company of the gallant (list and the Rifles leaped on the breastwork with a yell, and polished theta off in style, bayoneting and bulleting about fifty before they had time to run for it. The tire kept up through the whole of the 2nd and the night of the Ist with scarcely ten minutes' intermission, principally on the side of the enemy—our fellows holding hard till they could make it tell on them. They were seen carrying away their brethren nearly all day yesterday, and they are supposed to have lost somewhere between 200 and 800. Our loss altogether, killed and wounded, as far as I learn at present, does not amount to above a dozen or so. On the day following that of their bloody repulse the 3rd, the enemy, dull and dispirited, never fired a shot. So on the 4th and sth. On the 6th they exhibited a little renewed vitality. An attack on the pickets was but feeble, and the party that made it soon returned to the city, but the fire from their artillery lasted some hours, and cost the life of an officer, Lieutenant Brown, of the 33rd Native In fantry, attached to the Kumanti battalion. Their in activity lasted till the 6th, when 2,000 of them made a slight attack on the Metcalfe picket. But this was soon relinquished. During the day the rebels made rapid progress in the erection of a new battery under the walls of a serai between the Cashmere-gate and our Metcalfe picket. This work was shelled con tinually by our artillery and much injured. A more serious affair for the mutineers was the explosion of the powder manufactory, which blew up in the middle of the clay. Five hundred men are reported to have perished by this accident. The Kotwal, or chief native judge, of Delhi, appointed some months ago by the King, deserted to us. On the Bth the mutineers were again out, and skirmishing continued all that day and the next night. The new battery opposite Metcalfe-house opened, and was almost immediately silenced. Brigadier Nicholson from the Punjaub joined the camp on this day, having pushed on in advance of his column, which was expected about the 13th, and which consisted of the 52nd Light Infantry, the remaining wing of the 61st, Bourchier's field-battery, a wing of the 6th Punjanb Regiment, and some Mooltanee horse and foot, the whole escorting a powerful siege train from Feroze pore, which included several 10 inch mortars and howitzers. The oth, 10th, and 11th were spent in skirmishing, with a small loss of men wounded on our side. On the 12th (says the bulletin), as the guns of the mutineers placed between the Cashmere-gate and Metcalfe picket had for some days annoyed on pickets, it was determined to attack them, and they were taken by surprise by a force under Brigadier Showers, at daybreak, on the morning of the 12th. The affair was most successful. The guns captured were one 21-pounder howitzer, two if and one pounder, all safely lodged in park in camp. Our loss was heavy-112 killed and wounded. The official returns from Lahore supply all re maining intelligence known of the position of affairs : A Meerut letter of the 10th inst. mentions that num bers of the mutineers were leaving Delhi. A body of about 600 of them were seen crossing the Ganges at Gurmuchtesur ghat five days previously, anti 250 more were seen at Keeper making for Rohilcund, all unarmed. Allyghur occupied by an agent of the King of Delhi. thiruokpore has been abandoned by the civil officers, with the whole of the Glioorka force. They were or dered on the 11th to bold both Gorucl:pote and Azim glair if posNible, otherwive to bring the whole force to Aziaighitr and hold it, instead of moving on Allahabad as they intended. NATIVE STATES IN CENTRAL INDIA— BUNDELCUND, RAJPOO lAN &e. Colonel Durand, the officiating agent, was last heard of on the 3r.1 inst. H ilk it is believed to be quite loyal , though appearances were tqainst him. Of Scindia we have no truitwarthy information ; it is certain that he has taken the regiment of the Gwalior Contingent into his own pay, but with what purpose we do not yet know. At Chore, in the Bhopal State, the Bhopal Contingent is re ported to have seized some guns and a howitzer, and to have raised the Malioniedan standard. Ainjehra Rajah revoked, and took possession of Mehidpore ; he has been partially coerced by Heiken The chief of the Jliabooa has behaved well in protecting Captain Hutchinson, th a Ilheel agent, and the other Euro peans; he has been thanked. The Rajah of ltewah is thoroughly true, and is aiding us in every way. The Punnali chief and others of Bundelcund are be lieved to be loyal. The conduct of the .Iyepore and lihurtssore.Sirdars is reported by the Lieutenant Governor to have been very questionable. All the other native States in ltajpootana were all right, and Ajmere quiet on the 31st ult. BENGAL AND BEHAR. Major Eyre, with three guns and about 150 Europeans, ikfeated the rebels under Kover Singh on the llth inst., and relieved the Euror.!ins who had been for some days besieged in a small house at Arralt, and with the aid of fifty Sikhs hsd gallantly defended tltemselves. Kover Singh has fled over the bill towards liobtas. On the 19th he was at Akburtore Eteits Rohasgurgh ; his brother, Amur Singh, was in the hills flanking the Grand Trunk Road, and in its neighbourhood there is no security, consequently. All quiet, however, between Benares and Sherghotty. Seven lees of treasures at Gayah have been brought into Calcutta by the collector, Mr. Alonzo Money, with the aid of a few Europeans and about 100 Sikh soldiers. The stations of Chupra, Chumparun, and Mozufferpore, which the civil officers had abandoned by order of Mr. 'lay lor, the commissioner, have been reoccupied, and tran quillity may soon be restored. Since the last mail left the sth Irregular Cavalry mutinied in the Sandial district, are en route to Arrah ; and it is not known where they now are. A party of the Dinapore mutineers has been heard of about eighteen miles south west of Mirzapore, as making for the Jutuna somewhere about Calpee, with the intentions pro bably of joining the Gwalior mutineers, and ultimately the Oude insurgents. Some itewali trocps-7:50 infantry, 300 cavalry, and fonr guns—had been detached by the political agent, to inter cept them, if possible, either at the Soliages (Mat of the Jonse or at Sorce. In the direction of Allababad, the Kuttra Pass was defended, and it is hoped that by one force or the other they may be attacked and dispersed. CALCUTTA. Lord Clarendon's message, dated 13th July, to Consul at Marseilles, and Sir Charles Wood's dated 1 hh, to Consul at Cagliari, received. Upwards of 103 seamen and marines, and twenty officers of her Majesty's frigates Shannon and Pearl, have been formed into a naval brigade, and detached to the upper provinces. Th.: brigade is furnished with ten 60. pounders, and two or three field-pieces, taken from the above vesse►s. All left Calcutta on the 18th inst. by steamer. All quiet at Nagpore and Hyderabad. PUNJAUI3. By latest accounts the Punjaub quite tranquil. The 14th Native Infantry at Jhelum, who refused to give up their arms, destroyed. The 46th Native Infantry and wing of 9th Cavalry mutinied at Sealkote, and killed three or four officers, the majority finding shelter in the fort. The mutineers were attacked by Brigadier Nicholson on the I•2th, and again on the I6th,and hardly any escaped. Their spoil fell into our hands. The revenue in the Punjaub has been paid to the last farthing, and the most loyal spirit prevails not only among the Sikh sAdiery but the population generally. The only apprehension is a failure of funds. At. the end of Septem• her or October the Government will give its attention to this; meanwhile the local authorities have invited advances on loan for one year, at aux per cent. ; result not yet reported. (Signed) G. F. EDNIONSTONF., Secretary to the Government of India. RAVEX. Trieste, 11.40 a.m., Monday. The serious nature of the news brought by this mail will be fully comprehended by the public at large. Far from having seen " the worst phase " of this rebellion, every fact points to the very opposite conclusion. The rebellion is spreading surely and swiftly. "The flame of rebellion," writes the Bom bay Times, " which was thought to be dying out, burns with as much fierceness as ever ": We had at first congratulated ourselves that the armies of Madras and Bombay were stanch and loyal, and that they could be depended on in the conflict with their incur. gent brethren; but symptoms of disaffection are now being