The Press. — London, England, 1857-08-22 00:00:00

THE REBELLION IN INDIA. REGARDING dispassionately the important facts re lated, in the full details this week received from India it is impossible to arrive at that degree of confidence and satisfaction affected to be felt by the Ministerial journals of this country. The " mere military mutiny" has resolved itself into a reli gious war of extermination against the whites. Everywhere we see symptoms or proof of the rebellion extending, nowhere of its real suppression, and in more than one spot of its influencing the hesitating conduct of, if not positively em bracing, the princes of India ; while, from the positions the rebels have taken up in Oude and Rahilcund, and the plan of operations which they appear to develop in their determination not to cross the Ganges, it is clear they will fight for the possession of Bengal in case of the fall of Delhi. Un fortunately in several instances the Sikh irregular troops and contingent forces attached to the native princes have joined the movement, and, in fact, every native, and every native soldier in Bengal, from the very confines of the Bombay and Madras Presidencies, is either in active revolt or passively mutinous, waiting his opportunity. " The whole country has risen as one man," writes an officer from Benares. " The whole country has risen up against the British Government," writes another from Mhow. " There have been for a long time incendiaries all over India, and secret understandings with the King of Delhi to encourage the mutiny," writes a third; and be adds, "The King of Oude and his Ministers were too glad to have an opportunity of doing what he considered so advantageous for himself at such a time to get back Oude, and heartily joined to assist his co-reli• gionists, the Mahomedans of Persia, Delhi," &c., and then he continues : The leaders of the mutiny are Mabomedans, not Hin does, though the Hindoos have been led to join them. The disaffection has spread throughout India; there are some few exceptions where sepoys have stood firm, but they are few and not to be trusted one minute. Moulvies (Ma• homedan priests) have been very active in seducing the Mahomedans to rise and leading them on. Of Hindoos, too, the .3rahmins (priests) have instigated the Hindoos also. And yet, in the face of such statements as these, made by practical men upon the spot, and well able to judge, the Ministerial papers declare that the mutiny cannot " expand," that the worst has come, and that now we may tranquillise our minds ! The commercial authority is of some little weight in matters regarding India, and we subjoin the TRADE CIRCULAR of one of the most eminent houses in Cal cutta, and beg the attention of our readers to its statements : The mutiny amongst the sepoy troops has become all but general, and it is believed by all who are not interested in hiding from the public the real state of affairs, that the whole material of our native army, regular and irregular, are at this moment, with some few exceptions, in a state of open or passive mutiny, ready to break out at any moment. The mutineers at the several stations from Delhi down• wards to Calcutta have been almost unchecked, and will, if allowed to progress much further, have the effect of causing the whole army, of every branch, to declare for the new rule prophesied to commence one hundred years after the anniversary of Plassy, which took place June 23, 1757. This prophetic dynasty, it is said, will succeed the rule of the British in India, which will cease in 1856 or 60 I The truth of the prophecy is believed in by both Hindoo and Massultaan, and has been published for months past, and generally received as of divine origin by the natives of all creeds. The fact of the mutineers being in possession of Delhi, the ancient Hindoo and Mabomedan capital of India, fulfils a large portion of the prophecy, and the rest they blindly and confidently believe will be accomplished "by the aid of God and Mahomet his prophet." Every Masontown holds himself bound to respond to the call now made upon him to fight for the recovery of the kingdoms given as an inheritance to the faithful, and which they say have been removed from their keeping for a time only, as a punishment for the sins of their fathers. It has been asserted by those connected with the Govern. meat of India that the moral force of opinion is the power necessary to secure the allegiance of the millions, and that no other means can command it. Matters have now assumed an entirely different aspect, and the time has ar rived when the inefficiency of the East India Company's government becomes se(f•evidenl to every Englishman in the East. India must have a large introduction of the English element, military and civil, throughout its length and breadth, and her Majesty's Government supersede the Company'a rule. The farce of ruling a conquered race by the race themselves must be no longer enacted. Let force be permanent. It is the only power that can effectually secure to us protection for life and property. Sir Charles Napier years ago saw this mutiny looming in the distance, and provided for it, as far as he was permitted to do so, by an address to the Government of Lord Dalhousie and the Court of Directors. The attention given to his advice by those who comprised the Government of India and the T It ES S, AUGUST .0, 1857. Court of Directoes is well known ; and we see that, had his views been carried out, India would now be in a state of repose enforced by the presence of available British bayonets, whereas at the present moment, even here in Calcutta, we do not know but that this may be the last peacable hour we shall have for months to come. Every Englishman in the city has armed himself, and will fight, if necessary, to the last for the possession of the land won by our fathers. These are the men, however, it is pro. posed to coerce by the introduction of the Black Act, a law which will render them amenable to courts presided over by Museuhnans and Hindoos, and by the servant, of the East India Company, who are untrained as judges. If we object to be tried by English gentlemen, how much more so should we object to be tried by natives of any creed, possessing at the very best but the most limited knowledge upon any subject except the acquisition of money? Our liberties have been further attacked by an act just passed to gag the British press. A memorial against this is in course of preparation by our able advocates at the Black Act meeting, and we have no doubt it will receive the warm support of every independent Englishman in Bengal. The financial position of the country, and the more speedy progress of our railways, demand the immediate attention of Parliament. The present losses from plan. dared treasuries, deficiency in opium, deficient collections of revenue, expenses of moving European regiments and the introducing fresh ones, cannot be under ten millions sterling, or a permanent additional tax of half a million annually. It may be received as a fact that, if the East India Company opened another loan of even six per cent., they would get no money here. Our hope is in England, and in the opening there of en East Indian four per cent. loan, guaranteed by the British Government, for our urgent requirements. The resources of this vast empire are so great and mag• nificent that, with good government and an open represen- tative council, there is no burden—by way of interest on loans for the present emergency, be the amount ever so great—that the country coull not meet. There is no article of commerce produced by other countries that India cannot supply, and, when the want of any is felt at home, British India comes to the rescue. The war with Russia saw us indented on for seeds; we responded by an export of 39,83,805 mounds in 1855.6 and 31,08,172 maunds in 19516, against 1,63,199 mann& only in 1835.36; and wheat, cotton, sugar, end tea would meet with a like re sponse whenever the home necessities demanded our help. With better laws, and land tenures giving encouragement to English enterprise, it is not in times of scarcity alone that our resources would be made available, but a laudable competition with other producing countries would be a rale in the trade of India, and not an exception, only called forth by exorbitant prices, The disturbed position of the country is retarding the arrival of up-country produce, and many just fears are entertained for our rice crops. These, coupled with the heavy exports of rice to China, exceeding 10,000 tons, within the last fortnight have greatly increased the local value, and given rise to fears of scarcity. The import market is at a standstill, the whole Hoon dian finance operations of the Marwarrees and Shroffs being disorganised, and all postal communication towards the north-west cut off or uncertain. Natives are exchanging bank notes for cash, and secreting it for safety. The treasure in the Bank of Bengal amounts to Rs. 1,65,00,000, or a million and a half sterling, but will now be daily diminished by withdrawals. The King of Oude, and his Prime Minister, Nawab Alee Nuckee Khan, are prisoners in Fort William, it having been discovered that the latter has been a chief mover in the late sepoy revolt; the complicity of the old King of Delhi in the conspiracy is also certain, and the Nawab of Moorshedabad and others of less note are believed to be likewise implicated. Delhi is still held by the rebels, bat news of its fall is hourly expected. We solicit your active aid with the British Parliament for the protection of your fellow-countrymen's rights„life, and property in India. From this, at least, may be gathered the real feel ings of the English residents and of the native people, and we doubt if much that is satisfactory or consoling can be extracted. But to hasten to the seige of Delhi and the preparations for the first campaign. Before Delhi the statements relative to the ad vantageous position we were declared to hold are not unanimous. The Times correspondent writes : We have nothing from Delhi later than the 27th or 28th of last month. But wo learn from various points of the Punjaub that at that date reinforcements of troops of all arms were rapidly converging upon Delhi. By the end of the month the general expected to find himself strength. ened by fully 3,600 men, including the Bth Foot and a wing of the 81st, a troop and two batteries of artillery, and some Punjaub and other irregulars, horse and foot. Within a week or ten days from his receiving this aug mentation to his force—that is to say, in all probability two or three dais ago—he would, it is believed, deliver the grand assault. No regular approaches had been, or would be made. there has not been strength enough for that ; the affair would, I am credibly informed, be managed by blowing open a gate and entering at the point of the bayonet. This "blowing open a gate," and " entering at the point of the bayonet," looks simple upon the face of a Bombay correspondent's letter, but fortified cities in India, ordinarily defended and well supplied, have not, from the days of Seringapatam down to Delhi, 813 been so easily captured. An officer in the camp be- fore Delhi writes, dated Tune 24: These rascals are giving us an immense deal of trouble. We are just where we were a fortnight ago, with the excep tion of having built a few batteries. The mutineers fight like demons, and, being about six or seven to one, attack us every day. We have lost a great number of noble soldiers and officers, and have killed an enormous number of the enemy; bat we are not strong enough to go in at them behind their fortifications. They all sneak behind oralls—if we could only fairly see them I think we could easily exterminate them. Of our little body of uppers -180 natives, 41 Europeans, and lit officers—we have lost 16 natives and 5 Europeans killed and wounded; yet, wonderful to say not an o ffi cer touched, though of course we always lead tie way. We got a little reinforcement yesterday of 400 or 500 Europeans, but I don't think now we are more than 3,000 strong, be sides three native corps of 600 each. These are the Guides, one Sikh regiment, and the Ghoorkas—the last are little bits of men from the hills, like Chinese, but first-rate soldiers ; they think it great fun, and say it is better than killing deer or tiger*. The other two corps are splendid fellows, nearly all Sikhs, who will go anywhere or do anything. Out of five officers in the Guides, in one day one was killed and three others wounded. All these three regiments ought. to be remembered for ever by Englishmen. Yesterday we had a very hard brush with the " Pandys,' as we call them, but, as usual, polished them off. They say they are getting very disheartened in the city, bat we sadly want more men, and shall have to stay here till we get them. This is the first scrimmage in India where the enemy have had an unlimited supply of artillery of every description. They are splendid gunners, and pitch their shells with most disagreeable precision. One round shot the other day killed one officer and six men, and wounded two others, I believe mortally, besides a few others who were bruised by the stones it knocked up. I was sitting in the battery the day before yesterday smoking a pipe, when a shell came bang behind and burst in the parapet. It knocked me well forward, but did not even upset a sandbag, to my great joy, for I was rather afraid that the battery was too thin. If they don't give us a medal when this is over, I will never speak to a director again l or two, by all appearance. I hope the men won't get ill in tents. Another correspondent remarks:— I fear Delhi will not fall without a great sacrifice of valuable life, as the place is strong and well defended by at least 14,000 men of our mutinous corps, and we have comparatively a small force. Our communicaticins are' cut off from Agra, Cawnpore, Lucknow, and all stations east of this. We are anxiously looking out for the arrival of European regiments from Calcutta, as several mast be well up country by this time, but none as yet have been heard of. e A part of the 4th Cavalry are here. A guard of forty troopers were sent towards Delhi on some duty or other, and more than half went over to the enemy. is here, and —at Umballah. I would advise them to keep their eyes open, for these are strange times, and no natives can be trusted. I only wish I could get dear and the children to the hills, but there is no stirring into the district; the whole country is up between this end Mussoorie. We heard yesterday that a part of the 4th Irregular Cavalry bad murdered their °Meets at Mosuffer nuggur (near this) and had left for the imperial city, where God grant they may come in for the retribution they so richly deserve. I can fancy the commotion all this will cause in England. I hope they will send out some 20,000 men immediately. June 28th.—News reached ns last night of there having been a hard fight before Delhi on the 23rd. It lasted from sunrise till sunset. The enemy were repulsed with con siderable loss. It seems to be hard work for our troops, for these sorties take place sometimes twice a day, and the exposure to the sun knocks many up. The siege is not progressing so satisfactorily as we expected, partly owing to the heavy ordnance we have made the rebels a present of, our gnus being of less calibre than theirs, and consequently there is no silencing their fire. Reinforce ments are now pouring in I am glad to say on our side, and the rebels I hear are getting disheartened at their repeated defeats, but my opinion is they will stand to the last, as they are all fighting with halters round their necks and will of course sell their lives as dearly as possible. The correspondent of the Daily News, whose last; Indian letter is sound and lucid, observes upon the position of General Barnard : General Barnard hu been placed under the obvious disadvantage of fighting against a well•provided enemy with short and inadequate supplies of ammunition. The siege train which he took with him from Phillour was furnished with a limited quantity of shot and shell, and, strange to relate, was unaccompanied by artillerymen enough to work the guns. It was found necessary, at the latest moment, to draught a number of gunners from the various stations of Lahore, Ferozepore, Loodhiana, and other places, with the painful certainty that lives so pre cious cannot for the present be replaced in case of loss by wounds or sickness. The necessity for economising am munition has not been confined to the artillery, but extends to that of small arms, now also likely to run short. The enemy, aware, no doubt, of these deficiencies, have harassed the besieging force by daily sallies, knowing that, even when repulsed, they are inflicting incomparably greater injury on us than we can do to them. Nor is this the only danger under which we labour at Delhi. The regi ments which mutinied at a distance have reached the ground in the vicinity of the city in large numbers, and, taking up positions in our rear, they render still more unsafe a position already full of dangers. To meet the exhaustion of our numbers by death, we have now . at Delhi little or nothing to tall book upon, a ft er the juselairs