The Press. — London, England, 1858-03-13 00:00:00

250 gated, been beaten, but it in pushing up towards Jub bulpore. A party from Kamptee has relieved the beleagured little garrison in the Sumbulpore jungles to the eastward, and has returned to take part in the coming attack upon the stronghold of the chief of Bijrajooghur, where the enemy are said to be up wards of 5,000 strong. The only other affair of importance is the capture of Awah, in Rajpootana, by General Rohm ts' column. Like Ratghur, Awah was evacuated on the night previous to the day fixed for the assault : Here a violent storm assisted the manceavre of the rebels. Their guns, sixteen in number, however, and ammunition and stores, were left behind, and about 176 prisoners were tsken, whose trial and execution were at once proceeded with. The portion of the Rajpootana field force en was that under Major Raines , of the 93th ( a wing of is own regiment, and one of the 10th Native In fantry), and detachments of the 83rd, 12th Native Infantry, Mode Horse, and Ist Bombay Lancers, from Nusseerabad, under Colonel Holmes, who commanded the whole, with fourteen guns. After destroying the place, the force would return to Nusseerabad. The 51st Light Infantry are leaving their garrison for lisjpootana by wings. The Bth Hussars have completed their number of horses at Bhooj, in Cutch, and are now ready for service under General Roberts. Sir Hugh Rose is being fed from Bombay by means of a bullock train, which conveys forty men a day in carts on each six-mile station from the railway terminus at Wassind to Mhow, thus doing good service. The head-quarters of the 88th had gone up in this way, and the 71st Highlanders, arrived from Suez, were to follow. " The only disturbance in these parts is, or will be," writes a correspondent, "at Shorapore, in the south-western corner of the Nizaro's country, and not far from our station of Beejapore and Sholapore ": The petty Rajah of that plsoe—T have mentioned him before—is levying men, and assuming • defiant attitude ; but be will speedily be extinguished. The Nizam's troops are moving on him from Lingasagoor, Madras troops from Human! (left on the 2nd), and Bombay troops from Xulludghee and Beejapore. No actual deed of violence had taken place at Shorapore up to the Ist. The rest of India appears tranquil. Scinde is quiet, the Punjanb at rest, and Bombay and Madras gradually resuming their habitual confidence in the supremacy of our rule. In Oude, however, very severe fighting was anticipated. An officer of high rank in Oude writes, " There is much work still to be done in India, and I fear the force at present in the country is scarcely adequate to the task ":-- There is much desperate fighting still in store. These men know well they are fighting with halters round their necks, and there are but two alternatives left—to die like soldiers, or to be hanged like a felon or shot like a dog. It is easy to see which they would prefer. There are still some 100,000 fighting men, of whom some 50,000 are, I fancy, sepoys, regular and irregular, whom we have still to dispose of. ls it to be supposed that these men will tamely lay down their arms when they know the fate in store for them ? And is it likely, on the other hand, that we should offer pardon, or anything but unconditional surrender, to the murderers of our countrywomen and children ? So we are fighting with a mutual understanding: no quarter to fighting men. It is true, most of these, in fact all, are beaten troops, and, as such, disheartened and even more disorganised than they were at first; but still, as long as they have powder and shot, and food, and trenches to sit in, and brick walls to fire from, they will be to a certain extent a formidable enemy, and it will not be so easy a task as the Times considers to lash these ruffians into obedience, or sweep them from the face of the earth as a foul blot on humanity. What, after all, are 40,000 men to spread over a vast country like this, convulsed through- out with the same shock? and how few remain united of this scattered force to conquer a country like Oude, whose whole population is inimical to our rule ? It will be done, like everything England undertakes, under God's blessing, but not in such a way as to preserve her prestige, unless prompt and energetic support is given from home. Already we have accepted assistance from some nstive chiefs, a proceeding which, however politic and useful in one sense, will not improve the moral weight of our authority. From Delhi we hear little but " growls " from the siege soldiers who have been " cheated " out of their lawful prize money, and rewarded in lien thereof with a paltry six months' b*tta. l'he following is an extract of a letter from a young officer who served at Delhi:— Six months' batta is only some twenty rupees for a European soldier, and he is to get this after being in the field in some eases for seven months—after taking Delhi and getting prize therein to the extent of more than half a crore of rupees—not from the private property of Euro peans or Government stores and guns, but aetual " loot " dug up and taken from the houses of the murderous fiends of Delhi. This same loot or booty would give a subaltern some 4001. The battik gives him 701., which in moat cases will not pay his field expenses, to say nothing about what the force has done and suffered. . . . . . General Wilson appointed prize agents, and in his order said the men were to make over their booty to them, and that it would be afterwards divided among the force, according to the prize rules. So, as a point of honour among t'aem• selves, all " loot " was made over to the prize agents as the property of the field force. However, the GovernorGene nl's lawyers say we are not to have it. What a delightful piece of intelligence for men who dug up bags of gold THE PRESS, MARCH 13, 1858. mohurs, and made them over to the prize agents, and how very encouraging to our gallant troops for all they have done and suffered ! Had they anticipated this gracious act of Lord Canning, I expect the prize agents would have whistled for their booty. However, I expect the Court at home won't allow this, or, at any rate, give compensation, as I hear the Governor-General has only power to give six months' batta. Another officer writes from Meerut, January 28th, 1858 : There is much discontent about prize money not being allowed for Delhi. I should imagine the people at home would be very indignant. Lord Canning seems to consider that six months' batta is ample reward for the troops who captured Delhi and defended Lucknow. If there are any legal objections to the prize money being given, they should give every officer and soldier at Delhi and in Luck now twelve months' pay clear, and allow them to count one year's service for every month they were under fire. Another writer, a sergeant in the Bengal Artillery, writes from Meerut, January 11th : We are all very indignant up here just now. Govern ment will g've ns no prize money for Delhi. They have laid hands on about fifty-three lace the prize agents had got together, and offer us six months' batta. Mine (a ser geant in the Bengal Artillery) will come to 38r. It cost me four times that for clothes during the campaign. Another young officer in India—one of those who " stormed the breach and forced his way into the accursed city "—writes : December 20, 187. What do you think the Government have been asking their lawyers? Whether the property taken from the mutineers (i.e. , out of Delhi) can be lawfully considered as prize! The exact wording of the paragraph in the newspapers is, " Whether the property recovered by the military authorities from the mutineers can be considered as lawful prize by the army !" Did you ever here anything to equal this—the commencement of the attempt (which I always feared) to rob us of our prize money? Take every means to make this known. lam stare it will strike the people of England as something very dirty and low. What a glorious Government to serve ! _ _ December 31, 1857. They have bagged the prize money, and given ns six months' batta instead. Six months' batta for a soldier is 36 rupees, 10 annas (31. 13s. 61) The men at Kurrachee have written all about the place—" Delhi taken, and India saved for 36 rupees 10 armee!" Do you hear anything of a Delhi and Lucknow medal? The old King of Delhi was gradually recovering his health, and was to be tried very shortly. The Nawab of Furruknugger was hanged on the 23rd of January. The order of admitting natives into Delhi came into force on the 18th of January. Instruc tions from Calcutta had also been received, ordering the defences to be at once destroyed, and intimating that after the present year Delhi will not be a Euro pean station. _ _ - A supplement to the London Gazette of Tuesday was published on Thursday, containing the corre spondence reporting the operations of Colonel Wilson, commanding at Cawnpore, against a division of the Delhi fugitives, mustering 3,000 men and eight guns, whom he attacked at Gheorajpore, twenty-two miles from Cawnpore, and completely routed. The supple ment also contains the lists of the officers and men of the Malwa Field Force killed and wounded from 21st to 24th November, the list of Europeans killed or wounded by the hands of rebels, prepared from papers on record in the Military Department, in con tinuation of the list forwarded to the Foreign Depart ment, dated 24th December, 1857 ; a return of Euro peans killed and wounded within the Benares Divi sion, and a list of Europeans killed or wounded by the bands of rebels, in continuation of the list for warded to the Foreign Department, Jan. 8, 1858. jortign Intb goionial 3nttlitgtrat. FRANCE. The Moniteur of Thursday states that on the 24th nit. arrests were simultaneously made in various parts of France, which defeated culpable projects, and led to the discovery and the seizure of arms, ammunition, and compromising correspondence. The number of arrests, however, has been exaggerated. They are limited to fifty principal ringleaders at Paris, twenty at Lyons, twelve at Marseilles, and four on an average in forty departments. In spite of this precaution a gathering took place at Paris on the night of the sth of March. Firm and vigilant mea. sures caused it to prove abortive, and led to twenty new arrests. An actual affray occurred at Chalons last Saturday evening. A small infantry guard was surprised by the rioters, but this temporary advantage was lost in a very short time by the advance of a strong detach. went of troops from the barracks. The insurgents were dispersed with ease, and the greater number arrested. The despatch from Lord Malmesbury has been communicated by Lord Cowley to Count Walewski. The appeal of Orsini and his accomplices to the Court of Cassation was rejected on Thursday. -- -- - -z---. The report of the Commission on tho Princi palities is not expected at Paris before the end of this month. An important part had been confided to the English Commissioner, and his work has been interrupted, it is said, by various causes. Since the change of Government, however, his task is getting rapidly towards its completion. AUSTRIA. Authentic intelligence from Vienna states that an "excellent understanding " has been established be tween the Courts of St. James and Vienna. RUSSIA. According to letters from St. Petersburg, hopes are entertained in that city that the accession to power of Lord Derby's Cabinet will put an end to a certa i n slight coolness said to exist in the diplomatic inter. course between Russia and England. It is thought that under the new Ministry Baron de Brunnow, the Russian Ambassador in London, may more readily improve the relations between the two countries. These hopes and opinions are, no doubt, very well founded. The Emperor has instituted a central committee for the question of the emancipation of the peasants. This committee, which will be presided over by the Emperor himself, is composed of thirteen councillors of the empire, among whom are the Grand Duke Constantine, Prince Orloff, and Count Bludoff. PRUSSIA. The health of the King rot permitting his Majesty to resume the high duties of his office, the Prince of Prussia will be continued provisionally. SWITZERLAND. The despatch of Count Walewski to the Federal Council of Switzerland has been published. The French Minister complains of the evasive replies of the Swiss Government, and renews his application for the removal from the Swiss frontiers of "men who openly conspire against the life of the Em- peror." The despatch concludes in these words:— "In the event of the Helvetin Government not taking into consideration the means of satis fying our just requirements, it would incur a grave responsibility, and would only have to attribute to itself the consequences which its determination might entail." Letters from Berne state that the Federal Com missioners have demanded the dissolution of the Italian Mutual Aid Society, and have resolved to re move all refugees into the interior. THE WESTERN PROVINCES OF TURKEY. The Turks and Montenegrins continue to fight, and M. de Budberg, Russian Minister at the Court of Austria, has declared to the Cabinet of Vienna that his Government highly disapproves of the conduct of Prince Danilo, in not preventing the Montenegrins from taking part in the insurrection in the Herzegovina. The Prince of Montenegro has been recommended by the Russian Government not to give support to the insurgents in the Turkish provinces. AMERICA. The political intelligence is without importance. Members of Congress appear at present to be entering upon a phase of duel. In fact, a duel mania was prevalent, and fights had or were to come off between Mr. Merrill and Mr. Birge, Lieut. Bell and Lieut. Williams, and, among others, between the Hon. J. B. Clay and Mr. Cullom. The latest intelligence from Mexico is that Comon fort had taken refuge at New Orleans ; General Zuloaga had inaugurated a Conservative Government at San Luis de Potosi ; Gen. Alfaro had proclaimed the Dictatorship of Santa Anna. Orizaba was in the power of Gen. Lazarus, and the Castle of Perata in the hands of the Progresistas. The Congress was convoked at Guana Prato, and preparations were on foot for marching on Mexico; whilst, in the south, Alvarez supported his nand'. dature by arms, and, in the west, Gen. Vidauri was endeavouring to found a republic. THE ITALIAN DELEGATES have held several meet ings, during the week and disoussed many resolu tions, the most important of which was one expres sive of the horror and detestation of the Italian refugees at the recent attempt to assassinate the Emperor Napoleon. The delegates have also issued a public address to the sovereigns, princes, and statesmen of Europe, showing the claims of Italy to enjoy a nationality, and demanding for each State a Constitutional Government, that Government to em brace a Representative Assembly and a House of Peers, freedom of speech and liberty of the press, rights of public assembly, the appointment of municipal guard, the organisation of the municipal authority on a " liberal elective system," and, lastly, open courts of justice. The delegates groun d these claims upon the gratitude, the humanity, the justice, and the interests of the European powers.