The Press. — London, England, 1857-09-19 00:00:00

INDIA. DELHI-DINAPORE-LUCKNOW. The following despatch was received from Trieste on Thursday : The steamer Jupiter arrived with the Indian news at Trieste on the 17th at a quarter past five o'clock a.m. The Jupiter was ready to leave when the Australia arrived at Corfu. The news arrived some hours in advance. She brings the following despatch : ALEXANDRIA, Sept. 11. The India, China, and Australian mails leave to morrow at daybreak with intelligence from Calcutta to the 10th of August, Madras to the 17th, Ceylon to the 21st, Hong Kong to the 25th of July. A detachment composed of 350 men of her Majesty's 10th and 37th and 50th Regiments bad gone in pursuit of the Dinapore mutineers. They attacked the enemy at Arrah, but were overwhelmed by numbers, and obliged to retreat, with the loss of 200 killed and wounded. General Havelock, after having advanced to within one day's march of Lucknow, had been obliged to fall back upon Cawnpore, and there to place his wounded men and captured guns in safety. Cholera bad broken out among his small force. The 12th Itregular Cavalry had mutinied at Segowlie, and had massacred their officers. A plot has been discovered and thwarted to massacre the Europeans at Benares and at Jessore. The 03rd Native Infantry and 11th Irregular Cavalry had been disarmed at Berhampore. The 14th Bengal Infantry had resisted the order to disarm at Jhelum, and been cut to pieces by a detachment of Europeans. The Governor-General's body guard had been disarmed. There had been severe actions with the rebels at Agra and at Azimghur. Her alajesty's ship Shannon arrived at Calcutta on the Bth of August with Lord Elgin and staff, and with 380 marines and a company of the 59th Regiment. The Pearl and Lance.*ld had also arrived with troops from the Transit. Martial law has been proclaimed in Behar. Sir James Outram is appointed to command at Dina pore. A report is mentioned to the effect that General Reed is dead, and that the ravages caused by cholera had compelled the British force to retire from Delhi to Agra. (This reaches me from Ceylon alone, and seems unauthenticated). The following telegram, dated Marseilles, September 14, 1857, was received at the Foreign-office from her Majesty's Consul at Marseilles, September 14, 9 p.m.: — Bombay mail arrived ; leaves for London at 10.30 p.m. BOMBAY, August 14. News from Delhi to July 29. Sorties repulsed on the 14th, 18th, and 23rd of July, with great loss to rebels; 500 killed and wounded on our bide. Brigadier Chamberlayne severely wounded on 14th ; doing well. Since 23rd no fighting. Neemuch mutineers arrived at Delhi. Brigadier Nicholson expected at Delhi 15th August from Punjaub with reinforcements. General Reed relinquished command to General Wilson, from ill heal h. ..1 sib Agra, nothing important since battle of sth July. Havelock occupied Bhitoor 17th July without re sistance; thirteen guns captured. Nana Sahtb escaped. Defeated, 29th July, 10,000 men on the road to Lucknow ; captured fifteen guns. Our loss not supposed great. Cawilpore butchery confirmed. No authentic details. Havelock expected at Lucknow 30th July. Punjaub.—Sealkote mutineers destroyed by Gene ral Nicholson, July 17. 20th Regiment mutinied at Meenniessapore (?) Spencer murdered. Dinapore, three regiments mutinied ; dispersed by 10th Queen's. Calcutta quiet. Hyderabad quiet on the 14th August. Mhow, Indore.—Brigadier Stuart arrived at Mhow on the 2nd of August. Holkar remains faithful. Bombay.—Mutiny of the 27th Regiment at Kola pore suppressed. Six companies of Queen's 33rd and one of Artillery arrived from Mauritius. At .= TEIrIatILL• THE PRESS, SEPTEMI3ER 19,1857. This despatch was followed by others on Monday and Tuesday from Marseilles, con taining some details which we print in full elsewhere. On Thursday, the following most important telegram was received at the Foreign-office, through the Admiralty, Septem• ber 17, 8.33 a.m TO THE SECRETARY OF TEE ADMMALTY, LONDON. CAGLIARI. The Bentinck arrived at Suez on the 9th inst. at 10 p.m. The dates are, from Calcutta, 10th August; Madras, 17th August; Point de Guile, 21st August; Aden, 3rd September. Lord Elgin reached Calcutta on the Bth August in her Majesty's ship Shannon, accompanied by her Majesty's ship Pearl ; these vessels had 300 extra marines and 300 soldiers on board. After the mutiny at Dinapore, a small force, consisting of 160 men of her Majesty's 10th Regiment, and about the same number of the 37th, was de spatched to relieve some eight Europeans besieged by the mutineers at Arrab. The expedition was not successful, and our loss very heavy. General Lloyd has been removed. from his command, and General Outram invested with the command of the Dinapore and Cawnpore divisions. The 63rd N. L Regiment was disarmed at Berrampore on the Ist of August. The 11th Irregular Cavalry and the Governor-Gene ml's body guard have also been disarmed. The Himalaya left Calcutta on the 10th August for the Mauritius. This intelligence received from Acting Consul- General Green, at Alexandria, under date 11th September, 1857, 10 p.m. For the Earl of Clarendon. (Signed) M. STOPFORD, Rear-Admiral. Consul GREEN. On the same day, at the East India House, this despatch was received : TO SIR JAMES C. MELVILL, E.C.R. ALEXANDRIA, Sept. 12. General Havelock bad advanced twenty five miles from Cawnpore towards Lucknow, but after defeating the mutineers in three engagements, with loss of twenty one guns, he was obliged to retrace his steps to Cawnpore, for the purpose of leaving his sick, considerably increased from cholera, and was waiting for reinforcements. At Agra, the Kotah Contingent and other rebels had been entirely dispersed. A detachment of her Majesty's 10th and 37th Regiments, 300 strong, bad made a night attack upon the men of the Bth and 40th Native Infantry, who bad mutinied at Dinapore, but was repulsed, with loss of 200 killed. The Irregular Corps at Segowlie had mutinied, and killed their officers. A plot to murder the Europeans at Jassore and Benares had been discovered at Midnapore. The Shekawatti Battalion was wavering, but had not been disarmed yet. Martial law bad been proclaimed in Behar. Great uneasiness was felt in Calcutta of an out break during the approaching Mohurrum, and the body guard had been disarmed, but allowed to retain their horses. Lord Elgin arrived on the Bth of August, with 400 marines and a company of her Majesty's 59th Regi ment; and another steamer had brought some of the troops of the Transit. The Bcntinck met two steamers coming up the river with troops. The Himalaya left on the 10th for troops from the Mauritius. The report of General Havelock's retreat comes by the Suez telegraph. The Calcutta Englishman of Au 3. Bth does not mention it. F. JOHNSON. RAVEN. Trieste, Thursday, 5.55 a.m. In the absence ,of the details of the Cal cutta mail, if we have not that full intelligence we may expect, we have sufficient to enable us to form a definite opinion upon our position in India. A calm consideration of all the events detailed to us by this mail will show us whether or no we have sound reasons for congratulation. The alarming state ment that our army has retreated from Delhi, though it must be received with caution, we fear may be true; but as it is at present only a rumour which requires confirmation, we will hasten to other impor. taut events also pregnant with peril. The glorious victories of Havelock have not led to the relief of Lucknow. Within a day's march of' Lucknow he has been compelled to retreat to Cawnpore, unable to force his way through the hordes of rebels opposing bis advance. Then there is the first outbreak in the Bombay army, the certain spread of the conspiracy, the doubtful position of Bombay, with only four hundred European troops and sixty artillerymen, the hazardous situation of Agra, and above all the tardy arrival of reinforce meats. 0 ' Discontent of the most formidable nature," 909 writes the correspondent of the Daily News, alluding to the despatch of "four regiments, by the loth July, to suppress the mutiny," exists in the two Presi dencies : It has been with feelings of disappointment that we re ceived the intelligence from Europe of the 10th of July. To us who have witnessed the fatal effects of over-confi dence in the Supreme Government at Calcutta, the preva- lence of the same feeling in our rulers at home is a source of increased anxiety The despatch of four regi ments to meet such a movement as the present is in itself insufficient, and little better than a premium on a rising yet more general and more fatal than any that has yet taken place in this country. It needs no spirit of prophecy to predict that small reinforcements at such at time as this can only add to the dangers of defeat; and the Court of Directors, in asking for four regiments, have shown either that they were misinformed of the state of India, or blind to the consequences of this rebellion. The Government of England will soon learn to believe that there is ground for the charge made against it of neglect for not having applied timely remedies to the state of Indian government, and it may have bitter cause to regret that the renewal of the last charter was not made an occasion for altering the constitution of the governing body. Such is the feeling among Europeans, and we may rely upon it the natives will not be slow to appreci ate the value of that time which has been given to them by the supineness of the Government in the early stages of the rebellion. A letter from Mirzapore, in the Leeds Mercury, draws, we fear, too truo a picture of the perils of our position : Mirzapore, August 3, 18.57. T send you by this mail the Friend of India. Our posi- tion in this country has materially altered for the worse since the publication of the Friend, or any other paper you can receive from India by this mail. You would see that General Havelock marched from Allahabad to relieve Cawnpore, and after that Lucknow, where our garrison were besieged by the mutineers. He arrived too late at Cawnpore ; the garrison, all the ladies, and most of the railway engineers and contractors' people, have been murdered. Havelock fought a battle there, sad defeated Nana Sahib—at least that is our version. Atter that he crossed the Ganges to relieve Lucknow. He fought his way to near that place, and expected to relieve it, but news has just come in that he has been obliged to fall back without accomplishing anything. He had only about 1,300 men with him, many of whom must have been killed or otherwise disabled. Nana Sahib crossed the Ganges in the rear of Havelock, who is by this movement placed between two fires. Most serious fears are entertained for his safety, for all the north•west depends upon the success of Havelock's expedition. We have later news from Delhi than is possessed in Calcutta. The real fact is, our forces are besieged there, instead of besieging that place. Our forces ( British) are believed to have been reduced to 2,200, and as it was intended that Havelock should march to reinforce that army after relieving Luck now, great fears are entertained for its safety. It is sur rounded by thousands of the enemy. Of the Punjaub we can bear nothing, as the communication is in the hands of the rebels. You will probably get intelligence by the Bombay side. We are throwing up intrencbments here, but have only 100 English troops. Intrenchments are also being thrown up at Allahabad, outside the fort, and also at Benares. We have only about 500 men at Allaha bad, and 44.10 at Benares, so if Havelock fails at Lucknow, we shall have the Nana and the Oude rebels, numbering some 30,000, marching simultaneously on all these places It is said the Dinapore mutineers are marching on this place, and have been joined by about 7,000 men belong ing to the Rajah of Duitierou, near Buxar ; we are prepar ing for them. My object in writing to you is to give you the true state of matters, of a much later date than you will get from Calcutta advices. The introduction of new elements into the rebellion is matter for the gravest apprehension. The Bombay troops, upon whose fidelity such fulsome praise has baen lavished from the first, have at length become infected with mutiny, and we have practical proof of the wide extension of the conspiracy throughout the Bombay Presidency, by the discovery of a vast plot among the Mussulmans of the Southern Mahratta country, having for its object a general rising at Poonah, Belgaum, Sattara, Kolapore, and Darwar, and the massacre of every European and Christian throughout the districts, to be followed up by an attempt upon Bombay itself. Little appears to be known of the movement, but it seems that on the 31st July, the 27th Regiment of Bombay Native Infantry, stationed at Kolapore, sud denly broke out into open mutiny on the eve of the Mohamedan festival, murdered three officers, and marching down from cantonments, camped outside the city. At daylight they were attacked by Colonel Manghan and retreated to Belgaum and Dar war, where the 28th and 29th Regiments were stationed. No further intelligence is given of their movements, beyond the very serious statement that they have since returned, and there has been " obstinate fighting." This is all that is known with any certainty. The Government of Bombay sup press all details, and preserve the most scrupulous secrecy as to the movements of the rebels. The excitement of the surrounding districts is spoken of as very great, and the fidelity of tire 24Ji and 29th Regiments at Belgaum and Darwar much doubted