The Press. — London, England, 1857-12-12 00:00:00

Officers known to have been ki'led at Luck now under Outram and Havelock :—General Neill; Lieutenant-Colonel Bazeloy, Bengal Artillery; Major G. L. Cooper, ditto; Lieutenant Webster, 7sth ; Lieutenant Bateman, (filth ; Major Simmons, sth ; Lieutenant ILaig, ditto ; Captain Johnson, ditto ; Lieutenant Carter, ditto ; Lieutenant Maybury, 81th ; Lieutenoat Warren, Irregular Cavalry; Brevet- Major Perrin, 00th; Lieutenant Prsaton, 00th; lieutenant Graham, 90th ; Lieutenant Nevin, 00th. From Delhi we learn that the life of the King is to be spared : His life is to be spared, for the ollicer who arrested him, in violation of orders, gave him a pledge to that effect. The blunder is disastrous in the extreme. The hoary scoundrel deliberately ordered the murder of forty-eight English women and children, and his exemption from punihhment will be interpreted by every native into fear. They will only laugh at the story of the pledge as an in vention to conceal the inability of the Government to carry out its will.—Tines cur. It is related that one of his sons, on being led to execution, cried out, " I die happy, since I have defiled English women, and seen them walking naked about the streets." From Delhi we have little further news. Our troops are complete masters of the town. Some further incidents of the siege, however, have come to light, and among them one, writes the Times correspondent, " which has driven every European, except the higher ofEcials, almost frantic. The sepoys took all the wounded Europeans they could catch during the siege, and burnt them alive. The charred bodies, tied to stakes, were found by the stcrmers, with the Queen's buttons still recognis• able." "Dear parents, believe me," writes a private soldier in giving an account of the assault, " I have oft times almost given up the ghost to see my brave comrades falling around me, and other regiments, our supports, retire and leave our poor fellows dying in the streets of the city ": We of course lugged away as many as possible, but I regret to say that we had to leave many a fine soldier to the cursed Pandies' mercy, and that was to carry them off and cut out tongue and eyes, and subject them to other disgusting outrages, which I feel adhamed to mention. The cannibals say they want revenge, and yet the cowardly monsters will not stand to have a good tussle with the bayonet. It they had resisted three days longer we never should have got a chance of living in the Marble Palace, for I must give them credit, they stood pretty middling for seven days, but the miserable wretches have retired to Muttra, fourteen days' march from Delhi. The cry for " revenge" alluded to here is a curious proof of the spirit animating the rebels. It serves to explain the horrible tortures inflicted on our wounded. It appears to be prove(' that there was at least one European at Delhi who lent aid to the muti. neers Many letters report the capture of an Englishman in the dress of a native officer. He was a sergeant-major of the 24th Native Infantry, and formerly an artilleryman. He rendered, it is said, important services to the besieged, and was created a general of artillery. He has not, been executed, and, despite appearances, I am indisposed to credit the stories of his guilt. It seems incredible that a European should have (deliberately aided the fiends who were burning his wounded countrymen. I hope it will be found that he was simply a man of weak nerves, unable to face the dread of death by torture. It is in his favour, also, that the Portuguese drummer. Antonio Seraphim, who was kept to play to the general, and who escaped at a very late period of the siege, does not accuse him, but considers him rather a prisoner. Four Europeans at Moradaba l turned Mussulmans to preserve their lives. These five appear to be the only Christians about whose conduct during the rebellion there is even a suspicion. Nearly 6,000 of our countrymen were exposed to a danger to which that of death is trivial. One may have yielded, four more purchased life by a temporary apostasy, and that all, while hundreds have met death or torture as calmly as reward, fighting like Tucker after hope had gone, or, like Mrs. lioyse, clinging to her husband's breast to shield him from the balls. I question if, since the day when the Christian persecutions ended, the world has seen such another spectacle; and, remember, these are the men whom England was accustomed to call dissolute, haughty Angloandians, and to suspect of sanctioning torture. As they are now so they were then. An extract from a letter by a young officer of the Ist Fusiliers, from Delhi, serves to show the good feelings which pervaJed our army at the period of assault : Caslimere•gate, Delhi, Oct. 111._ You will have seen in the papers an account of the assault of Delhi after a siege of three months and sixteen days. The papers generally give a correct version of all that happens, and now that all is over I cannot sit down and enter into details of endless engagements and fights with murderers and the blackest villains. Suffice it to say, I have been in every light (some twentythree or twenty-four) and in the assault, and through the merciful goodness of the Almighty have come out unhurt. Four different times I have baen struck, and ones blown up, but each time escaped unhurt. The nights I have wi nessed are beyond description--t thrill of horror comes over me at the bare idea of them. The soldiers behaved moat kink to the women and children; they were Dew patting THE PRESS, DECEMBER 12,1857. them on the back and telling them not to be frightened, that they would be well treated. Another correspondent writes to the Times that letters have been received from Lieutenant Osborne at newah, dated 10th October, stating that reinforce. ments had reached him. Agra appears now to be safe, the defeated rebels moving towards Culpee. Jounpore and Goruckpore, however, are in " a terrible condition, great bands of ruffians marching everywhere and committing horri ble atr3cities." On the 3rd of October one band, about 1,200 strong, was overtaken by Jung Baha door's Ghoorkas in Jounpore. " The brave little men, with their short carved knives, dashed at the foe lik3 tigers, closed, slashed away, and in ten minutes were driving them behind them in heaulong rout." The insurgents left 250 dead on the field. The following despatch from Agra had been re ceived at Calcutta : FROM W. MUIR, ESQ., TO G. F. EDXONSTONE, ESQ. From Ah,ra, Oct. 22, via Cawnpore, Oct. 27. Showers column occupied Dadree on the sth, taking six guns. Nawab came out to meet Showere, and pro• raised aid in seizing the mutineers on the 16th. The Cashmere troops, under R. Lawrence, joined the column on the i7th. They moved towards Jhujjur. The Nawab came out and surrendered himself. . . Opposition was expected at Jhuijur ; bat the canton ments were found evacuated. Twenty-one guns and much ammunition. R. Lawrence, with Cashmerees, takes charge of Jhuijur. Joudpore mutineers have moved to near Saingliai Lake, supposed to contemplate a flight to Rohilcund. Indere mutineers at Futtehpore side have Red towards Beane, in the direction of Rsipootana. All our own provinces to the north-west generally quiet. FROM W. MUIR, Esq., TO 6. F. ROMONS'TONE, Esq. From Agra Oct. 20, via Cawnpore, Oct. 28. Wednesday, 5.50 p.m. Showers' brigade took possession of Kanoond with five lacs, cutting off 400 of Nawab's troops on the 20th instant. The following has been received from Govern ment : . Extract from a letter from Mr. Muir, dated Agra, Oct. 20, l8.)7. 500 Muzbee Sappers and Miners left Delhi for Agra by left bank of Janina, under command of Captain Tuylor, on 10th inst., as a reinforcement for us. Tire force that had a second time attacked Nynee Tel has retreated. All quiet here and to the north west. The Times correspondent tells a good story of the Highlanders : En passant, I may remark the extraordinary effect pro duced on the native mind by the appearance of the High landers. The sepoys on this side of India have never seen them. At first they took them fur women sent out to avenge the massacre of the ladies at Cawnpore. The battle of Onao disabused them of that ides, and the High landers were pronounced " petticoaten devils." Still they were a puzzle. The sepoys could understand the existence of devils, but could not comprehend why they should be barelegged. At last the truth came out. The devils were barelegged in order more conveniently to break sepuys across their knees! A sepoy of the 73r.1, who hap pened to be in Calcutta on their arrival, reported on his return to his regiment that the English were sending out monsters, with legs like elephants, faces covered with hair like wild beasts, and blood-red eyes. The Highlanders are, in truth, a singular contr ist to the people of the low country. On the arrival of the altnd a sircar or Bengalee clerk had occasion to go on board the vessel. A High lander stepped up to lutn, and looked at him long and curiously; tben, catching him by the waist, he held him above his head, exclaiming, with a chuckle of amaze ment, " Sandy, be thae the things we're to fecht wi'?" I need scarcely say that a sepoy is very different from a Bengalee, heing usually taller than an Eudlishman, though he weighs less. Indian papers (Nos. 4 and 5) of considerable in terest have been published this week. They con tain copious local details of events between the 15th August and the 7th October. With respect to the rising at Patna, it is said that a plot was rife for months before the revolt., and that money was dig. tributed and men regularly paid to excite the people to fight " for religion and the Padishah of Delhi ;" while the letters found in Peer Ali's house disclosed an organised Mussulman plot to reestablish man supremacy and to overthrow the British Go vernment. The Patna rising was directed (as it is thought) from Oude. Narratives also of the re capture of Cawnpore, the fall of Delhi, and the engagements before Lucknow, are given, but all these have been anticipated. Perhaps the most interest ing of the papers is a memorandum by the acting commander-in-chief, Sir Patrick Grant, dated the :25th of July, in reference to the future 'movements of General (now Sir Henry) Havelock : I entertain a decided opinion (writes Sir Patrick Grant) that Brigadier• General Havelock, after relieving Lucknow, abould remain in Oude and restore order and re-establish British authority in that province. If he merely relieves the beleaguered garrison at Lucknow, and, after accoro plishing that object, instantly recrusses the Ganges into our own provinces, it will be thought and believed through out India that he hail signally tilled to reconquer Oude, and that he was driven out of that province by force of Tho insurg tnta, though beaten before Lucknow, would assuredly collect again, and follow up the retiring army, prevent, supplies from coming into camp, sail retluoe 1201 our troops to great straits and hazards when recrossing the Ganges, the passage of which, when wholly unopposed, the brigadier-general describes as having been a very difficult and tedious operation Now, if the passage of the Gauges was so difficult and tedious when no opposition was offered, there can be no question that the operation would be exceedingly hazardous, if not impracticable, with an enemy, numerically vastly superior, in hot pursuit; but, it' it was perfectly successful, I con• eider that withdrawing from Oude would be a false move, and in every way injurious to our interests and reputation. No longer overawed by our troops and entirely freed from their presence, and the province of Oude completely in their hands, the rebels, in all probability, would pour into our territory, and there is nothing to prevent them from overrunning the whole country between the Ganges and the Gunduck, from Jounpore, Azimghur, and Goruckpore on the Oude frontier, to Sarun, Tirhoot, Chnprah, and Purnesb. Surely nothing short of the most imperative necessity would justify our running such risks as I have described, and I maintain that nu such necessity exists. But the mo,t important item in these papers is that showing the confidence felt and the arrange ments made at Calcutta for the transport of troops from England overland. Lord Canning and his Council felt so confident that troops would be for warded immediately via Suez, that they actually made arrangements with the Peninsular and Oriental Company to have them brought on to Calcutta from that port. In a despatch of the Governor-General in Council to the Directors, dated the 7th of August, the following passage occurs : We are in communication with the Peninsular snd Oriental Steam Navigation Company for the conveyance from Suez of the troops that may possibly have been de spatched to India by that route soon after the intelligence of the mutinies reached England. It is understood that the ordi.►ary mail steamers of this company can bring 400 men from Suez each trip, and more if there ere few passengers. Instructions have accordingly been given for preparing the Bentinck, the steamer which conveys the present mail, for the reception on board of that vessel of as many men as she can convey, in addition to the ordi• nary passengers. The only preparations necessary on board are the preparation of additional cabooses and cook ing vessels for the men, and the adoption of arrangements for their cleanliness. The Commissariat Department has been ordered to provision the vessel. Similar prepara tions for the conveyance of troops will, for the present, be made in every succeeding mail steamer. What has been done with the Calcutta boats of the company, could have been done with all the regular steamers from Suez to Bombay, China, and Aus tralia. But Lord Palmerston and his colleagues thought the scheme attended with too much " incon venience." Some excellent suggestions for the management of troops hi India daring a campaign have been pub lished to the army by order of Sir Colin Campbell. They refer to marching, bathing, food, and the use of stimulants ; and under each head are the most valuable instructions laid down in plain terms for the preservation of health. The instructions conclude as follows . Recourse is bad in too many cases to stimulants ; brandy is taken in large quantities to prevent the approach of sickness ; exercise and the ordinary methods adopted in other countries to keep the frame sound and vigorous are neglected. Many become the victims of their own imprudence and rashness, and their premature death is erroneously ascribed to the effect of the Indian climate. With ordinary precaution and attention to the common laws of hygiene Europeans may live as long and preserve their health as well in India as in Britain. The neglect of these precautions rapidly produces fatal results. The mortality from disease far exceeds that caused by the enemy; and it behoves every officer to study carefully the means of preventing sickness. The Gazette of last Friday publishes a number of documents, extracts from most of which have already appeared in our columns. They consist of de spatches from the general officers in commantl in India, giving official details of actions with the enemy, some as far back as July last. As a record this number of the Gazette is most interesting. It gives Brigadier General Nicholson's report of the Sealkoto mutiny, Major Eyre's report from Jugdis po:e, with Captain L'Estrange's communications, and an official hat from General Wilson of the killed and wounded before Delhi during the siege. The following despatch trom Colonel Greathed will be read with interest, as it has not yet appeared in extenso (No. 41.) LIEUTENANT-COLONEL E. GIIZATIIED TO Til& DEPUTY ASSISTANT ADJUTANT-GENERAL, DELHI. Comp, Agra, Oct. 11. - . Sir,--I have the honour to acquaint vou, fn. the infor mation of the Major-General Commanding, that, in conse quence of urgent letters from Agra, I marched from Hat rasa at six p.m. on the 9th, carrying the European infantry on elephants and carte, and encamped on the Brigade Parade-ground at this place about eight a.m. Yesterday at half past ten o'clock my camp was suddenly attacked in the front and right flank. I galloped to the front and found the artillery getting iuto action, and her Majesty's 9th Lancers in the saddle. I proceeded myself with her Majesty'e Bth Regiment and the 4th Punjaub Infantry to the right flank, for the purpose of dislodging the enemy and talOuo tbeir ((qui, which were raking our mop. Q