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

INDIA. CAWNPORE-DELHI-ARRAH. CERTAINLY the position of affairs in India, as ex hibited by the ample details we have at length re ceived by the Calcutta mail, is fa: from reassuring. Delhi not only yet in the hands of the rebels, but our army —if it had not retreated —is literally besieged within its own lines and driven to act strictly on the defensive; Agra and Luck now left to their fate ; Patna and Bcnares on the eve of revolt ; a horrible disaster at Arrah be falling our troops ; fresh extensions of the mutiny throughout Southern Bengal; the stoppage of all up country communication; and panics at Bombay and Calcutta. Where is it all to end? LDrd Elgin had arrived at Calcutta, followed by some 1,700 men, and these infused fresh confidence into the hearts of the European residents, hut a crisis at the Mohur rum was greatly feared. Everywhere the natives were becoming insolent, and openly boasted that the town befcre long would be their own. Arms were purchased in vast quantities; the "gun trade," writes a correspondent, "is most active." Clever natives "plan and sketch the fort, count the guts, and even take their bearings ;" lead and percussion caps are permitted a free sale, the police conniving; and in the midst of all this the authorities " potter and humbug," declare there is no danger, and, ex tsperating the European residents into a frenzy by their indifference, introduce altogether a new element into affairs. "If more energy is not shown," writes a correspondent from Calcutta, August 7th, "by next mail you will hear one of two thing- , —a vigi lance committee, or a mutiny among the European troops" : Lord Canning does not like severity ; thus he has been implored to proclaim martial law, because all Calcutta and the country around has been for some time openly disaffected, and of course he refuses. Man after man is brought to him, discovered in some treasonable corre spondence; he is only to be reprimanded ; his own private moonshee was to have stabbed him after breakfast one fine morning, and gets a severe reproof, but neither flogging nor hanging. Two men were caught in the act of hauling down the colours in Furt William and hoisting the green flag of the holy Prophet; this was to have been the signal for 13,000 nice young men to make a dash at the fort. Nothing but fears of a mutiny among the European troops wrung from Lord Canning the order for their execution, which was carried into effect this very morning. in all this of course there is much exaggeration, but it shows the tendency of public feeling in Cal cutta, both among Europeans and natives : At Calcutta (writes another correspondent) everyone is now alarmed at the awful position which we are placed in, and in which we must remain until we have an army large enough to sweep every rebel from the country. A great many Madras sepoya arrived in the Hooghly yester day, but the experiment of using them for our defence is considered very generally a dangerous one. The Go vernor's body-guard, numbering 200 or 300, and consist. ing of picked fighting sepoys, delivered tip their arms yesterday of their own accord ; but they knew that guns would be pointed at them if they did nut. The Calcutta inhabitants and merchants had con vened a meeting, and drawn up a petition to Parlia ment praying for a change in the Government. We have published the petition elsewhere. Suffice it to say here that it calls for the transfer of the govern ment of India to the Crown, and breathes the most gloomy anticipations. Nobody doubts the ultimate result, or disputes our power to reconquer the country ; but that, we humbly submit, is not the question. It is rather —had we any right, to lose the country? Besides, how many years would it take for us to reconquer Hindostan, in the face of an army and a people op posed to us? Has that ever been the condition of affairs since the days of Clive and Hastings? No one who is intimate with the history of the rise of British supremacy in India can fail to acknowledge that that supremacy was obtained solely through those dissensions of the native princes which gave us an opportunity to interfere, and by supporting one portion of the people and army against the other, ultimately to overcome both. Divide et impera that was our policy then ; but to assert that the reconquest of India would he easy—with the native princes and population opposed to us, as they will be if ever we are driven to so" melancholy a position — is to exhibit such ignorance and folly as no man in his heart can consciously sustain. From Bombay we have no further intelligence of importance. Time will show whether the Kolapore mutiny was a solitary instance of disaffection or the commencement of the rising of Southern India. THE PRESS, SEPTEMBER 26,1857. At Madras everything was tolerably quiet, and L)rd Harris had taken every precaution. At Secun• derabad they were aitir, the Rohllias hiving risen and attacked the Residency at Chutleraghattt and l3olaru►u. The most important intelligence is the mutiny of the Dinapore regiments, simultaneously with the rising at liazareebagh and Segowhe. CMVNPOItE. Every scrap of news or detail connected with the victories of Havelock, the fate of the captives of Cawnpore, and the hopes of the besieged in Lucknow, is so eagerly sought after, that we shall be excused for devoting so much space to a subject of such intense interest. General Havelock left Allahabad on the evening of the 7th July, with a force of 1,100 men, of whom 800 were English. Major Renaud, with 700 more men, hal started in advance. As the little army marched out of Allahabad for Futteypore " the inhabitants lined the streets and swarmed on to the house-tops in gloomy, silent crowds, to behold the first really offensive demon stration of their Feringhee masters since the com mencement of the outbreak. Most of the undoes appeared to be either indifferent or apprehensive; but wherever a Mahomedan was seen there was a scowl on his brow and a curse in his heart." On the 12th the advanced guard under Major Renaud was overtaken, and the army, "passing here and there evidences of our people's handiwork in the shape of men hung by fours and fives on the trees by the roadside," encamped about four miles distant from the city of Futteypore. A small party of volunteer horse was then formed to reconnoitre : The main body of the force had marched twenty-tour miles that, morning, and the general hope was for break fast rather than a fight. Men and officers had lighted their pipes, and a cluster of us were assisting at the manufac ture of a brew of tea, when one, who had been employing himself with his field-glass, drew the attention of his neighbours to our small party of volunteer horse, who were returnini s before their time. A moment after a large body of cavalry in white emerged from the distant trees on the edge of the plain in full pursuit. Instantly the bugle sounded, the ranks fell in, and we stood all ready. Meanwhile a large body of infantry followed the cavalry, and now debouched on the plain. They were accompanied by guns, which moved forward and opened tire at long range on the small handful of English horsemen riding quietly down the road towards us. - - The general order for an advance was given. The rebels, after a brief struggle, fled from their guns ; our men pressed on, captured three, drove the enemy from another post, and keeping on a running fight entered Futteypore with the ft gi ives. An immense quantity of baggage and treasure was plundered by the troops, and by twelve o'clock the whole affair was over, the rebels in full retreat, Futteypore captured, and our men encamped out side the town. The rebel cavalry appear to have skirmished well. Our irregular native horse would not act. An artillery officer writes During the action the mutineer cavalry had all the time been hanging on our fl inks, trying to get round to the rear and cut into the baggage train; but, being everywhere met, and repulsed, they at length drew off round to the right of the city, where the Ist Fusiliers, accompanied by the irregulars, had a most fatiguing trudge after them through the swamps. At one time they got so close to a party that the irregulars were ordered to charge. Tha horsemen went forward, then turned, and came back at a gallop, with the enemy's cavalry hard after them, leaving their native commandant—the only man amongst them who was known to be really true to the English--dead on the ground. It was evident the irregulars would not act against their mutineer comrades. The activity displayed by the enemy's horsemen in the preceding action was very remarkable. They moved round our force, menacing us at different points, with extraordi nary rapidity ; and in so far as the manceuvring in the field went, this cavalry was perfect. Now I wish to draw par ticular attention to this fact, because these very men were our own regular troopers mounted on our own regular cavalry horses, but armed and equipped after their own instead of after the regular cavalry fashion. The regular Bengal cavalry, equipped and overloaded with their accou trements, have never been of any particular use in the army hitherto ; but this shows what they might be made under a better system. On the 14th the army was once more on the march, picking up on their road good " loot" in the shape of forty barrels of porter the rebels in their haste bad left behind. The next day, soon after dawn, the rebels were found intrenched at a village called Ooug Directly we came within range of their guns, they opened fire. The artillery and skirmishers on our side m wed out to the front, as before, with the main body of troops following. The mutineers came out from the vii. 1 ige and garden inclosures towards us in perfect skit-- flushing order, and both sides were soon hotly engaged. 933 After a smart skirmish our guns silenced the enemy's artillery, and our men began to gain ground, driving the mutineers hick upon the village. At this juncture their cavalry came out from behind the inclosures and moved forward through the trees, menacing our right, and pressing down unpleasantly close; but the guns were immediately turned on them, and it was only after some well-thrown shrapnels had emptied a score or more of sa Idles that they could be made to keep their distance. Failing in this attempt they rode away to our rear, and had it not been for the cool gallantry of the hospital sergeant of the 78th, would have cut up our baggage; but he, collecting all the invalids and stragglers in the rear, formed a small rallying square of about a hundred men, and receive I them with such a fire of musketry that they rode off discomfited, leaving many dead behind them. Meunier - le the fight went on through the village. The rebels fought fiercely, even after their guns were taken, and it was some little time before our men could clear them out ; but this was at length effected, the artirery pissed through, and the whole force halted to bicathe and drink water on the other side. But our work was only half done as yet —there was another intrenchment, with two heavy guns, to be taken. They were placed in a position that swept the road for a mile, just oil the other side of the Pandoo Nuddie, a large difficult stream, spanned by a bridge of three arches, which if broken down—and we knew it was mined—would most seriously have checked our progress. Nothing could save it but pressing the enemy hard, so on we went again. The heat was, as usual, frightful, but the men bore up, having the excitement of battle on them. After proceed ing another two miles—just as the head of the column wound out from amongst the mango groves, at a turn where the road ran straight across the plain—two puffs of white smoke burst from a low ridge in our front, followed by the reports of two heavy guns, and a couple of 21-pound shot, beautifully thrown, crashed right into us, wounding men and gun-bullocks. Another and another followed in rapid succession; the fire was heavy and most accurate. Our light field•pieces were no match for the enemy at this game of long bullets, so the order ARS given for the artillery to advance and engage when within practicable range. The guns went steadily down the road, under a continuous fire of round shot, varied as we drew nearer by shrapnel, till a fair range was gained; then the guns rapidly unlimbered and opened fire. The effect was mar vellous. Our heavy opponents ceased firing almost im mediately. We could not understand this at the time, but discovered afterwards, when we went up to the in trenchment, that our shrapnel bullets had smashed their sponge•staffs almost at the first fire, so that they could no longer load their guns. Their skirmishers were mean time giving way before ours, and our guns now turned on their cavalry, who were massed in front. The Enfield riflemen, too, were creeping forward, and soon the whole rebel force turned right about and went off. It was just as well we did press forward that day, for as we crossed the bridge we found that they had tried to blow it up, but failed for want of time—the explosion had only thrown down the parapet walls, leaving the arch sound. It was universally remarked (says the artillery' officer) how much closer and fiercer the mutineers fought that day. It' they had only been under a competent leader, it would have been a much more serious affair, for the inferior details of their movements—such as depend upon the mechanical training of the soldiers—were perfect ; but the master mind was wanting. Hence the sepoys always came into action very well, but, as the battle went on, got bothered, and made a mess of it. Our want of cavalry in these actions was most severely felt—a couple of squadrons even would have been of the most incalculable use. On the 18th a still harder fight was in store for the little band of heroes, but nothing disheartened them. The enemy were twenty-two miles otr. Goneral Havelock decided on a flank movement, marched fourteen miles before dinner, an l attacked in the afternoon. The flank march, under a burning morning sun, was terribly severe, but the battle was glorious : This I believe to have been one of the mast severe marches ever made in India. In the full midday heat of the worst season of the year did our troops start, each man fully armed and accoutred, with his sixty rounds of ball ammunition on him. The sun struck down with frightful force. At every step a man reeled out of the ranks, and threw himself fainting by the side of the road. The calls for water were incessant all along the line. At length came the point for the flank movement, and the column turned off into the fields. It had not proceeded half a mile before the enemy caught sight of us, and opened a fierce, well-directed fire from their heavy guns, by which the 78th and lilth suffered some loss. Through this storm of round shot and shrapnel the troops quietly pro ceeded till the turning point of the flank march was gained, and then, forming up in line, with artillery in the intervals, advanced steadily down upon the enemy's posi- tion. The artillery first moved forward and env:4rd the heavy guns, which were pelting into us all this time, and the remainder of the troops, with the exception of the skirmishers, who were hotly engaged on our flanks, lay down. _ _ After a few rounds at different ranges, it was found that the enemy's guns in the village were so well sheltered by walls and houses that our artillery could not silence them. They kept up as hot a tire as ever, and their infantry, too, from behind their cover, kept up a constaat fire. H upon the 78th were ordered to advance and take the vii• lage. The Highlanders rose, fired one rolling volley as they advanced, anti then moved forward with sloped arms and measured tread, like a wall—the rear rank lucked up as if on p trade—until within a hundred yards or so of the village, when the word was given to charge. Then they all burst forward, like an eager pack of hounds racing in