The Press. — London, England, 1857-09-26 00:00:00

936 hit me sideways, and the folds of cloth I had round my hat saved me. August 1. T have just heard that about thirty men came in last night who got separated from us in the dark, and wan dered to the river, where they got off in a native boat. The aulhentio return I have just seen; 150 men killed, the rest wounded, except about fifty men who escaped un touched. I suppose audit a disastrous affiir was never heard of before in India—most dreadful management throughout. Another writer says On a sandbank they all landed, with about 50 Sikhs, nearly 404) men in all, and 17 officers. They marched to Arrah, a distance of fourteen miles. When they were going along quietly in the dark, and near the gates of Arran, there was a volley poured into them, which nearly annihilated them, and then such a scene commenced— firing and retiring for fourteen miles. They had to swim a branch of the Ganges besides. The company I belong to lost 25 men killed and 12 wounded. Our loss in the two companies is as follows:-78 killed and wounded, viz., Captain Dunbar killed; Ensign Erskine, died of wounds ; Lieut. Sandwith, wounded ; Captain Meilhurst, wounded; 48 privates killed and 30 wounded. No joke out of two companies; but if you had seen the state of the poor fellows when they arrived yesterday, you must have pitied them. There were four officers of her Majesty's 37th killed. I don't know how many men, but should say nearly as many as the 10th lost. There were eight officers killed and four wounded, volunteers the whole of them. It was a general massacre. There were great deeds of bravery performed, but what was the use, they were over whelmed by thousands in a strange country. They fought from eleven p.m. until eleven a.m. the following morning, without bit, bite, or sup, since leaving this. Ilow so many came to be killed was, the sepoys beat out their brains after they fell wounded. The mate of the steamer was also killed. When our fellows came to the branch of the Ganges, the boats were there, but they could not got them off the sand, at least they only got off a few. There was one boatload of ors wounded men burned to death by the sepoys. Some had to swim it with three wounds on them. It was a horrible affair altogether. The 10th had just got the Enfield rifle served out that day, and they did good work ; they killed about 600 sepoys. After the first volley they broke into skirmishing order, and our chaps couldn't get them in a body at all to charge them. I could fill two sheets of paper. only I am pressed for time and room. The men have been belted ever since ; we expect them to be down on us every moment from both aides of Patna and Arrah. The four regiments of sepoys, besides alt the villagers, are against us. In the dead of the night it was horrible, they kept banging after them from every bush and tree. One of our men ha.l two shakoes shot off his head, his pouch blown off, and his firelock smashed, and even the heel of one of his boots was shot off. One officer of her Majesty's 37th Regiment was wounded twice in the foot, and he had to fall ; so he drew out his revolver, and shot himself. Another of our men was flayed alive by the brutes, and then his body was burned. One of the drum. niers of the regiment fired, and retired, for about six miles, with two wounds in his shoulder, then he got a third through the body and dropped. Ile again got up and fired his last shot at the sepoy who shot hint, and immediately fell back and died. Captain Dunbar got riddled with balls. We have two companies and two guns at present at Patna. A very descriptive letter is the following from a lady, the wife of a civil engineer. Et is dated "Boat off Dinapore, July 28th." We presume that her residence was some miles up the Ganges, beyond Dinapore On the evening of the 25th we got a private note from the brigade•major in Dinapore, under official cover, to say the troops were expected to mutiny every moment, and to make our arrangements accordingly. We had been so often frightened before that we did not think so much of it, but got a boat anchored close to our house, and got as many of the ferry boats on our side of the river as we could. Went to bed, and about four o'clock in the morn ing heard that sepoys were gathering on the opposite banks; did not believe it, but got un and went to the boat, saw nothing unusual ourselves, so went home again. Presently another alarm came, and we all coolly walked to the river side, and, to our dismay, saw something very like sepoys opposite. Before we knew where we were, they had many of them got into boats and were firing et us, and we saw the honses and works beginning to smoke. We got into our boat half dead with fright, and got off as fott as strength could get us. It was awful ; ten minutes more and we could not have escaped, or if our villagers had proved treacherous nothing could have saved us, as we should, if we had got from the banks, have been fired at on passing. as they have done but too effec tually in many places. We took the river for Dinapore, and all the way down we saw nothing hut fires—bun galows, villages, anything the villains could fire. We got near Dioapore and found all the aepoy lines in a blaze, and after about six hours me g.it the n•-ws that three thousand of the native troops had mutinied, made direct for poor Knoekar, on their way up to Arrah and all the stations upcountry. And, fancy! the old woman of a general let these three regiments mutiny, help them selves to sixty rounds each of ammunition, and would not allow the loth t o fight. All Dinapore is perfectly incensed about it, and what should we be? The first thing they fired on the east side was our new house, and then they destroyed everything and every building belonging to the works ; crossed, but before that butchered a poor inspector, wife, and daughter, burnt, robbed, and committed all imaginable atrocities; my poor pet buggy horse killed in his stable, and every living thing destroyed, as far as we can learn, except J—'a riding mare—that we have some slight hopes of, THE PRESS, SEPTEMBER 26,1857. and some of Mr. P—'s horses, which most likely, if they are alive, ran away. They fired the coal heap, and threw the sheep, &c., on the top. Out of all the houses and immense works and materials collected fur the bridge, not a stick is left. What the sepoys could not take or destroy, the villagers made up fur. We had no time to get the treasury from the Knocker house, and it of course is gone. It is a sad thing, the work of years, and property to an enormous extent. All our European inspectors escaped, mostly without a single thing save what was on their backs, except one, a fine young man; poor fellow he was butchered—was too late to get into the boats. There have been dreadful accounts from upcountry; official reports of engineers' deaths—wives and all, in some cases. The country is in a fearful state all over. Patna expected to go next. What we shall do or where to go I know not; the steamers going down are too full of up country refugees to leave room fur us. Dinapore is so full that for any amount we could not get a single room. We have no help but to live as we have been doing, which is, I must confess, very wretched—tive of us in an open boat, with a thatched bamboo chopper over part of it to keep off the sun. I need not tell you we are very harassed both in body and mind, but if God gives us health we shall be very thankful. It' we are spared to come home, what scenes shall we have to talk over and tell you! Our turn has come at last to suffer, but our lives, so far, are spared, so we should turn to Him with grateful hearts, and not murmur. I can scarcely realise the narrow escape we have had— one ten minutes more, and we could have had no hope. Our beautiful Guards all fled like wild things, and the Santhal men, so it is well we had no real trust In them. All said they would not fight armed sepoys; not one servant has turned up, so we suppose they Save joined the rebels. My poor dogs ! I could fret myself sick it' I thought much, but we saved Bobby quite by good luck ; he was put in the boat when we had no tear early in the morning, and we did not take him out again. I have a few clothes and a little box with our silver, my watch and " Graham " are all we have left—not a pin's worth besides, to the best of my belief. I rushed at Graham, for I thought it might be useful if we were sick in the boat; all our other books, — everything we had in the world is gone. Oh, those vile wretches ! I could shoot at them myself. From the petty revengeful things they did with our property we can imagine how we should have fared. The details, if I could only give them, would disgust you. Please God all goes well, I will write again this mail. Excuse this (1 am afraid) not very legible scrawl. lam writing at the bottom of the boat on my knees, half eaten by niusquitoes, flies, Sm., and grilled with the best. We have plenty to eat and drink, but everything is frightfully dear. Of all the letters published, we have not read one which so clearly pictures the miserable plight to which our people are exposed, and at times suddenly reduced. Matters looked black for the gallant little garrison of Arrah, but they held out bravely, and r n the 3rd of August Colonel F,yte reached them from Buxar, anti, thrashing the rebels, relieved the Europeans and Sikhs. The following is a copy of a letter from one of the little band who defended themselves so gallantly at Arial), and were at length relieved by Colonel Vincent Eyre from 13uxar Arrah, August 3, 10.90 a.m. I received your letter this morning just after a couple of men came in to tell us relief was at hand. Yesterday the troops had an engagement with the enemy, some 2,0 00 in number, and beat them back in charging. On Tuesday night we expected relief from Dinapore, as we heard heavy tiring, but our men got caught among some topes and were so mauled that they had to retire. They had no guns with them, We have kept this house with forty six Sikhs—splendid fellows, and fifteen Europeans and half castes; not a man on our side killed, and only one wounded dangerously, notwithstanding the enemy brought small guns against us ; we wete very nearly undermined, but we ran a counter one. hank God, for sending us well and in safety out of this, fur I never expected to leave the house alive. We must have killed and wounded more than fifty of the enemy. They expected to starve us I fancy, but on e have enough for another four or five days, having got in a sortie some sheep, and we dug a well inside. I write in an awful strte of dirt and confusion, as the Goralog (Europeans) are expected every minute. P.S.—Of course we have nothing left in the world ; but we must not mind as we have our lives. To return now' to that portion of the Dina pore rebels which marched upon Gayah, fifty five miles to the south. Twenty miles still to the south of Gayah is Sherghotty, a town through which the Great Trunk Road from Calcutta t Benares passes, and where on the 30th a rising was imminent. Sherghotty (says a writer in the Daily News) is connected with Patna and Dinapore by a branch of the Great Trunk Road wllich passes through Gayah. The distance from Calcutta to Benares by the Great Trunk Road is about 430 miles. About 240 miles from Calcutta and 100 from Benares, a branch, twenty miles in length, leads southward from the Great Trunk Road to the military station at Hazareebagh. Two corn panics of one of the regiments which mutinied at Dinapore were stationed at Hazareebagh, and as soon as these received intelligence of the mutiny, they rose also. The following letter is from one who bore a part in the scenes he describes. The writer was one who endeavoured to make his way up country, but was forced to return : I When we got information of the Hazareebaeh outbreak, and of the liberation of the desperadoes cotifi::ed the re , with the chance in prospect of hating the enemy in front ' and on both flanks, it was determined to retreat on Sher ghotty, and off we went. That place was reached on the evening of the 31st; and here we were joined by Messrs. Solana, Landelle and family, Campbell, senior awl junior, and family, two railway guarrys-men, and several indigo planters, assistants from the N.W. bank of the Sone. These brought intelligence of the rise of the Shaballid districts and its concomitant horrors —arson, murder, and plunder. During the day news reached us that the Euro peans at Gayah had retreated on Dinapore, taking with them the detachment of her Majesty's 04th Regiment, and leaving the treasure behind. In the evening came a Mr. Winkle, from Gayah, in a pink coat and high state of funk and fever, caused by an idea of his that he had been chased by hordes of the mutineers; end shortly after came more bad news, that the detachment of Sikhs and Europeans sent against Arrah had been defeated with heavy loss by the mutineers, aided by the guns (21) and hordes of Koour Singh, Mr. Halliday's ei-devant pet. Retreat on Calcutta was the order of the day. The magistrate left his cutcherry and the telegraph people their " needles ;" the postmaster pitched his responsibility to the winds, and " devil take the hindmost " was the cry, lint when everybody wanted to start it was discovered that the waggons had been left on the other side of the river at Sherghotty, and the bullocks allowed to " roam at large," all of which was owing to the clear foresight and excellent arrangement of that " forcibly feeble" officer, Lieutenant L—. The uproar and confusion at the different rivers we crossed was immense. However, soldiers and fugitives reached Marra, fifteen miles east of Sberghotty, on the following day, and here we halted. It. is seen that those who reached Sherghotty found the Europeans there paralysed by consternation at learning that they themselves were surrounded by insurgents —at Hazareebagh, at Gayah, and through. out the district of Shaliabad. At Sherghotty there was only a small force of some eighty Europeans, and with these it was proposed to march and arrest the progress of the mutineers at Gayah. A detach ment of 130 Europeans had been stopped on their way up the river at Gbazeeporo, and sent hack to Buxar, with a view to check the advance of the mutineers upon Benares; it might prevent them front advancing, but could not well do more. At the time when the last mail was despatched, not only the whole of the Great Trunk Road between Hazareebagh and the meridian of Buxar, a distance of J4O miles, but the whole of the surrounding dis tricts, was in the possession of the insurgents. One route, therefore, by which reinforcements could be forwarded to General Havelock was, for the time, effectually closed. If we cross the Ganges, we hear of the mutiny at Segowlie, which the following extracts from letters in the Englishman fully detail : You have heard of the mutiny of the 12th Irregular Cavalry at Segowlie on the night of the 23rd, and the massacre of their officers and of their wives and children. The rascals proceeded to Sewsn, a subdivision of Cinue, whence Mr. Itl'Dontiell, the sub deputy opium agent, and Mr. Lynch, the deputy magistrate, have miraculously es owed. They left the place at eight o'clock on the 26th, and reached Dinapore at nine last night. I suppose the ('hupra folks must come in now unless their little band of fifty Sikhs, fifty sepoys of the 40th N.I. who did not join the mutineers, and about a dozen sth Irregular Cavalry men, will fight well. The toilowing is an extract of a letter from Meer pore Factory, dated July 25 : When about to write to you yesterday with my reports, we w ere obliged to fly for safety. The irregulars at Segowlie mutinied on the evening of the 25th inst., and killed all their officers' wives and children, except one little girl of Dr. Garner's. This news came to ltaikes shout nine a.m. yesterday morning, and the scoundrels were expected immediately, but we all left the station and came on here immediately we could get our conveyances, and should have gone on to Kunabuna, in Nepaul, about ten coss from this, but we have information that the scoundrels, after doing all the mischief, and destroying what they could, went off in the direction of Govingunge, though after we left the station some troopers came there, and we are not sure where they went to. I left the factory in the hands of the servants entirely; made over the cash and facto?) , pipers, tOr fear of the bungalows being set tire to. T hope, please God, we shall soon be able to retain the magistrate and shall return as soon as we hear the troopers have left this aide of the Gunduck. Now let us contemplate for a moment the effect of this mutiny. That cantonment is situated near the Nepaul frontier, about 1:20 miles north of Dinapore. Chupra is situated cn the north bank of the Ganges, about twenty four miles to the west of Dinapore. The Segowlie t mutineers, after cros , ing the Gunduck, had advanced to within twenty miles of Chupra, and threatened it with an assault ; and by this► movement they thad brought themselves into the immediate vicinity of the mutineers and insurgents in the British districts of Azinighur and Jautipore in Oude. On the north of the Ganges, there fore, as well as on the south, any land routes that might exist for the advance of troops from Calcutta to the north-west were for the time closed against the English.