The Press. — London, England, 1857-08-29 00:00:00

THE PRESS, AUGUST 29, 1857. The mounted officer, a jemadar, who commanded this troop, and who was one of the principal instigators of the affair, here broke out, " It is not good ; it is all false ! " Abbott drew his pistol, and would have shot him as he stool, for speaking in rank is equivalent to open mutiny ; but the general turned to him and said, " Captain Abbott, I desire that you will not fire on your own men." So Abbott put up his pistol and went on with his harangue. After another minute the jemadar broke out again, " It is not true ; it is all false. Brothers all, prime and fire !" Upon this, with a clash, out came all their pistols ; and, had they fired, we six must have fallen, as we were not five yards from them. My pistol, a revolver, was in my hand in a moment, and as 1 was next to the jemadar I feel con fident I could have shot him before he had time to raise his. But a panic seized them, and they bolted towards their lines, and we rode back behind the guns. Wool comhe had dismounted, and was pointing a gun at them himself ; the portfire was lighted, and one word only was wanted to blow every soul of them to the four winds, and thus strike a decisive and terrible blow, which would never have been forgotten ; but the word was not given. The general allowed them to get to their horses, and then, as they stood in a group mounting, some 260 yards off, Wool combe ran to another gun, armed and pointed it, and losing his patience at not being ordered to fire, sung out, " May I fire, sir ? " If any answer was returned, certainly no order was given ; and the rascals got to their horses and were up on them and away in a moment. Then came the order to fire just as they were getting under cover of some build ings; some twenty-nine shots were fired at them, but without effect, only killing some few horses and a poor Ghorawallah. The dragoons were then ordered to charge, as the mutineers had by this time cleared their lines, and were drawn up in a line on a plain to our right, out of shot of the guns. Forward went the 14th at a gallop, and the men of the Ist waited in line till the 14th were tolerably near them, and then broke up, and each man turned his horse's head and dispersed in every possible different direction. The dragoons caught and cut down some half dozen, and the rest got away. The mutineers of ,Indore, after plundering the town, upon being remonstrated with, declared it was all for " deen " 'faith). Hulkar, according to the letter of " 0 meid Singh " ( one of his Ministers) to the officials at Mairas, was completely helpless, but he behaved well to the English residents and their friends : The mutineers dictated their own terms to the Maha rajah, and, not satisfied with receiving all they wanted, they proposed to him the hard terms of cutting off and sending to them the heads of a few poor Europeans and Christians to whom he had given protection in his own palace. together with those of his advisers who were in the British or " Kafir's " interest. Of these, unfortunately, I was one, and Ratuchucier, Kooman, and Gunish. and von can conceive his Highness's situation; but he firmly denied to yie dto any such terms. He said he would as long as he lived never consent to give up his European proteges, dead or alive, nor those of his courtiers, and though he knew his troops had deserted he would yet die manfully if they did not cease plundering. The rascally mutineers had also philosophers and historians among them ; they reminded the Maharajah of his illustrious ancestor Jeswunt Rao Holkar, that he ought yet to take the " batuho " upon his shoulders and proceed to Delhi with them ; that the star of the British in the East had set, owing to their pride and faithlessness, and his High ness must not prove himself to be a coward. But to all this harangue his Highness made proper answers. He said he had no strength of his forefathers, that he did not think rapine ant the murder of poor women and children a part of any religion, and that he could not, therefore, make a fit companion to them. He then came home, and the plundering in the town ceased. On the evening of the 4th they plundered the British Treasury to the extent of ten lacs, and with about six of the guns which i had been given over to the mutineers marched on towards Dewar. Omeid Singh concludes : The authorities were told months before there was danger, yet they could do nothing. I am yet alive, but momentarily expect my head to be cut off, owing to old enmities and being known to be in the British interest. Pray do came out soon or Malwa is gone ; your presence is equal to five regiments. I can't write more.—l am, your obedient servant, ONIEID SINGH. P.S. Should I survive this row I will write again, hut there remains very little hope ; his Highness's troops are completely disorganised and disaffected. Major Timmins has gone again from Mahilpore, and Mr. Keating from Mundlaisir. The delay in General Woodburn 's arrival has been serious. A correspondent of one of our contemporaries draws attention to the position of Nagpore : Having observed that one of your correspondents, in allusion to the Indian army, speaks of the misfortune of leaving the great arsenal of Northern India without a guard of Eon - means, I venture to trouble you with another case in point within my own knowledge, where the arsenal is intrusted to native guards. I refer to it rather to show the great danger we have recently incurred from leaving the Nagpore force denuded of a European corps since 1848, although, as any one may see, it is a central and most im- portant position, while the city of Nagpore, after the annexation at the death of the Rajah, has been in a disaf• fected state. The arsenal, containing guns, arms, and ammunition, with large military stores of every descrip tion, is established eleven miles from our force at Kamptee, at Seetabuldee, within hail of the city said to have a population of 80,000, some of the most influential of whom have been known to be constantly intriguing with wet cloths over our beads, but the deaths from sun• stroae continue large; that dreadful scourge cholera has also broken out, and we have lost already seventy fizliting men. We buried twenty three nights ago at one funeral, and the shrieks of the dying were something awful ; two poor ladies who were living over the hospital died, I be. lieve, from fright. We have now got about 400 men out• side the fort, and the disease is certainly on the decline. Up to today we have had little to eat ; indeed, I would not have fed a dog with my yesterday's breakfast, but our mess and the headquarters' arrived yesterday, and our fare was much better today. All the village people ran aws), and any one who had worked for the Europeans these murder. era killed, so if the population was to a man against us we should stand but a bad chance. A poor baker was found with both his hands cut off, and his nose slit, because he had sent in bread to us. I need not say how anxiously we all look for a large army from England. We can hold our own well enough till it arrives, but India was never in such a mess, and it requires many a strung arm and a wise head to put it in order again. The Bengal army is to a man against us, and I sin very nervous about Madras and Bombay; one single mischance, and those two armies follow. I tully expect to go on in advance with the first party 0) Cawnpore, so shall finish this off hastily, as we only get a few hours' notice. I have written to my poor wife, begging her to go home as quick as sae can, for I cannot bear the idea of her being in such a country at such a time, and I would give all I have to know she was on her way. We cannot leave this for the next two years at the earliest, and this mutiny might spread at any moment, so I long to hear of her being in safety. lam thankful to say lam in sound health and lit for a campaign, though itis one I least expected, and almost envy Mortimer his high stool. I had a terrible march last week, concluding with a mile and a halt' in the lry sand of the Ganges in the middle of the day. I never felt anything like it in my life. One man actually laid down and died at the end of it. So much for soldiering. An artillery officer writing from Peshawur, June 26th, gives an amusing account of the disarming of the 10th Irregular Cavalry : We managed to get these doves, as they are called, dis mounted within a hundred yards of the guns, sent a party to seize their horses at their pickets, then commanded them to lay down their arms, then sent searchers to relieve them of their paraphernalia, made them take off their coats, then ordered them to take off their boots. Fancy a cavalry regiment hard at work taking off each other's boots, under the influence of artillery ! Each man was then given eight minas (12d.), the whole secured, marched off to the river side, where they are to be embarked in boats ani sent down the Indus, where I expect every mother's son will have a chance of being drowned is the rapids. To night we pick out horses to complete the battery from the dis banded cavalry. We had a night alarm a short time since; you know we (the artillery) all sleep at the guns. I awoke and heard " boom," " boom ;" hearing gnus fired (for so it seemed) at regular intervals from the tort, we thought the city had arisen, and a night alarm all through the can tonments was the consequence ; we were all at our rendez• vous in no time. This was caused by the exp.osion of little mines in the city in honour of a wedding. Well, next morning the persons concerned and those who worked at the mines were tied up and received Ruch a flogging as they will not easily forget. In these times of danger and treachery we don't bother about the quirks of law, but hang, shoot, or flog as circumstances arise. We stand no non• sense here. The general swears he will maintain dis• cipliue. And lie gives us in a postscript, as a curious illustra tion of the value of the electric telegraph, a remark able instance of the deep complicity of the natives in this vast conspiracy : What a wonderful mercy the telegraph communication has been kept up in the Punjaub ; here is a use it was pat to :—A letter was intercepted at Pindee, which " Three natives of high rank (giving names) sit in council to morrow to decide what to do against the English." Telegraph said. " Let a spy attend and report." This was done, and in a few minutes after the outlines of the plot were before Lawrence. Telegraph again, " Hang them all three." In fifteen minutes more they were hung. Short work. The mutiny at Aurungabai does not seem to have been met with docision. There was a want of promptitude in the measures takes for its suppres sion. A gentleman from Ahmednuggur, June 28, writes:— Two guns and a squadron of the dragoons were left to guard the bridge in case of a rising of the Nizam's artillery or infantry, and we went on up to the cavalry lines, which we reached at twelve. A long line of white tents, with horses picketed in front, showed us where they were, and the general galloped over the ground to select a good posi- tion. All the officers were of course with their regiments, so that in the general's staff were only his Aide•de Camp Macdonald, Deputy- Adj titan t•Geneml Coley, Mayne, Abbott, and myself. The cavalry bugles were sounded, and men ordered to fall in on foot except their mounted (native) officers. Abbott then rode past them, and ordered the few men who had remained faithful to fall out of the ranks, leaving the mutineers in a body in front of their lines. The guns of Woolcombe's battery were then ordered to be loaded with canister, and drawn up within thirty yards, and the general, with Abbott and the other four of us, rode up to the ranks. Abbot was then ordered to speak to the men, and be did so, asking them their reason for disobeying orders and for mutinying, reminding them that Govern ment never dreamt of attempting to make them change their religion, and of the punishment which awaited them. 839 against ua. It is most gratifying to know at the present cr;sis that the force is of Madras troops. comprising European horse and foot artillery, but these last do not furnish guards for the arsenal. Close in front of its gate. way is the treasury of the province, which by the last accounts had nineteen lees of rupees in hand. Seeing this to he the case, one may suppose the great and important prizes these two valuable posts must have presented to the mutineers to obtain. It is true that both the arsenal and treasury are situated outside, and at the foot of the fortified hill of Seetabuldee, under range of some of the guns; but the walls are in such a dilapidated state as not to bear the discharge of the guns. This having been brought to the notice of the Supreme Government plans and reports were duly called for, and furnished, and 11,000 rupees eventually passed, to put the walls in order. Two years were allowed to slip away and nothing has been done, perhaps owing to the annexation of the province. The following extract of a letter 1 have received will show how matters were passing at Seetabuldee "July 2. " On the 30th three native officers of the Irregular Cavalry were hung in presence of the troops and an im• mense concourse of people from the city. Our guns loaded with grape (ten guns) and portflres lit awed the multitude. The city and Suddur Bazaar at Kamptee are to be disarmed this week. The Irregular Cavalry were disarmed last week. and the others had a narrow escape; the signal for rising was to have been the n.cent of a balloon ; somehow the balloon would not rise. Guards had been posted to prevent flight into Kamptee. The river on the 24th was higher than ever it had been at Kamp. tee. We are all well." The following is a copy of a letter from Adolphus de Kantzow, who so greatly distinguished himself at Meerut : Mynpooree, June 19. The following is a correct copy of a letter from the Grovernor•General to me, just received via Agra. The dile was the last from Calcutta, and just before the road was closed " Government-house, Calcutta, June 7, 1R,57. "My dear Sir,—l have just read, in a report from the magistrate of Mynpooree, the account of your conduct upon the occasion of the mutiny of a portion of the 9th Regi ment of Native Infantry at that station on the - Ind nit. I have read it with an admiration and respect I cannot adequately describe. " Young in years, and at the outset of your career, you have given to your brother soldiers a noble example of courage, patience, good judgment, and temper from which many may profit. " I beg you to believe that it will never be forgotten by me. " I write this at once, that there may be no delay in making known to you that your conduct has not been over looked. You will,of course, receive a more formal acknow ledgment through the military department of the 9rovern ment of your admirable service. —I am, my dear air, yours very faithfully, " CANNING. " Lieutenant de Kantzow, 9th B.N.L" The following is the lieutenant's own account of his exploit : I was returning from reconnoitring, when information was brought me that five troopers of the 7th Light Cavalry were coming along the road. An immediate pursuit was of course ordered by me, and my 39 troopers tore away at full speed after me. I was just coming up to them, and had already let drive among the murdering villains, wh. n b ! I came upon 200 of their comrades, all armed will' swords and some with carbines. A smart fire was kept up at a distance of not more than twenty five yards. What could 39 do against 200 regular troopers well horsed and armed, partitul , trly when walked into by the bullets of 100 of the infantry? I ordered a retreat, but my cavalry could not get away from troopers mounted upon good stud•bred horses; so were soon overtaken, and then commenced the shindy in earnest ; twelve troopers surrounded me; the first, a Mahomedan priest, I shot through the breast just as he was cutting me down; this was my only pistol, so I was helpless as regards weapons, save my sword ; this guarded off a swinging Pitt given me by No. 2, as also another by No. 3 ; but the fun could no, last. I bitterly mourned not having a couple of revolvers for I could have shot evcri man. My sword was cut down, and I got a slash on the head that blinded me, another on the arm that glanced, and only took a slice off. The third caught me on the side, but also glanced and bit me sideways. I know not how I escaped. God only knows, as twelve against one were fearful odds, especially as I was mounted on a pony bare back. Escape, however, I did, and after many warm escapes too numerous to mention I got back here. Fourteen of my brave fellows were killed, tour vounded, six missing; total, 21, out of 89. Good odds, was it not? He says in another letter (referring, it is fancied, to his saving the gaol at Mynpooree from destruction) that he has been praised by the Major-General, Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, and his doings brought to the notice of the Governor-General ; and he is now in command of the station of Mynpooree, and the remains of three native regiments there—an irregular force, in fact. An Indian officer, summing up the causes and results of this mutiny, writes from Calcutta: — So much for the European war—so much for our alliances—so much for our navy—so much for the want of a Nelson to have led our navy to victory at once without that unpardoneble delay—so much for the fall of Kars, and