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

but what matter? their comrades have got the plunder for them. Since then ei communication with Agra has been cut off. The Ohoorkas at Simla have quietly taken ion of the station and the treasury ; ditto Kussowr egi All the ladies made a clean bolt to Dughshai, poor things, and have taken shelter in the barracks. The troops have all moved down to Delhi. Some of them ran down khuds, and, after twenty hours' continual march, reached Dugh shai. Others, on foot and in every conceivable way, made their way to the 'Jame place with only what they had on their backs. Here we are hanging every day and the gibbet is in full work. We must decimate the half of the population before we can get our prestige back. Next year will be a year of famine, I antioipate. Plague and pestilence follow. Every one, from the ryot to the zemindar, is plundering and murdering, and if this state of things last where will be the harvest? lam afraid that from scarcity this city - will be hard to held. The roads are all closed, and there is no income of grain. Another correspondent, detailing the mutiny at Benares, gives a lively description of the affair, and at the same time shows how contagious is the spirit of revolt. At Benares, the Sikhs were relied on as a good balance to the sepoys. The result shows how little they too were trustworthy : We had long known that the 37th were mutinous, bat were waiting for more soldiers to disarm them. The mutiny at Azimghur, however, precipitated matters. On the news reaching us, a parade was ordered for the even ing. The hour came—the fellows smelt a rat. Instead of obeying orders, they began popping at the soldiers (viz., the 37th Native Infantry did). The Britishers went at them. The blackies retreated into their lines, and from hat shelter kept up firing. The 4 pounders were then brought to play, and graped them. The lines were then set fire to to drive them out, which was done. All this time the Sikhs stood spectators, drawn up in open ?made. They then wavered ; first attempted to murder their com mandant, Colonel Gordon, who was saved by ono of his own men, who received the bail in his arm and was imme diately removed to the Mint. The Sikhs then sent a volley at the gunners, who wheeled their guns round and hammered them wild grape; they were mowed down like rotten carrots, and bolted like the 37th. Meanwhile Cap tain Guise, in command of the 13th Irregulars, called upon his troopers to charge, and went off at a gallop. Not man stirred. Captain Guise was shot by the 37th, and it is said had his head split open afterwards by some of hie own troopers. Two other officers of the 37th, young sters of only sixteen and eighteen, were desperately wounded; one given up since. A third was wounded severely. Ten or twelve rank and file were killed and wounded, of whom we have buried three. It was a providential thing that we took the initiative, for otherwise they would have risen at night, as afterwards discovered, and perhaps very few of us would have been alive to tell the tide. God has indeed been gracious to us, and by visible signs shown His presence and protection to us. It is said the whole thing was precipitated, but if so, it only shows that it was not man's judgment or fore sight which saved us. Since our mutiny the Sikhs at Jaunpore mutinied, and deliberately shot their commanding officer. Only five minutes before they were shaking hands with the Euro pean residents, and swearing to defend them with their lives. The residents were congregated at the collector's office. Besides, Cuppage, the joint magistrate, was mur dered, and Threspland and his wife. These two latter were shot before a peon of mine. He says they fell on their knees, pleading for life ; the reply was a volley, which put an end to their existence. There were children, too, but no one knows what has become of them. The rest eseaped to a factory, whence they were rescued by a party of volunteers, accompanied with twenty-five soldiers sent from here. The commandant's wife died through fright at the factory, and was buried there. The other murdered ones lie at Jaunpore, unburied. The 6th Native Infantry at Allahabad subsequently rose at nine o'clock at night, and have murdered nearly every one of their officers. They were at meas. The house was surrounded and every one of them butchered. Every other man, woman, and child out of the fort have been moat cruelly butchered. - - Dr. Batson, the late surgeon of the 74th Bengal Native Infantry, and now with the force before Delhi, in the account of his escape from Delhi, gives us a " horrible and heartrending " de scription of his sufferings. It will he seen from his account that the Mahomedans murder the British upon every opportunity. After detailing the first movement of the mutineers at Delhi, he continues: — I rushed across the parade ground, and was fired at twice by the sepoys. I got as fur as the garden near the canal, when I was seized by some villagers and deprived of every particle of clothes. I proceeded, naked as I was born, towards Kurnaul, in the hope that I might overtake the officers and ladies who had fled in that direction, but before I had proceeded a mile I saw two sowers, who had evidently failed in overtaking their officers. They rode up to me with drawn swords, and exclaimed, " Ferunges ! by ! mare, /taro!" I threw myself in a supplicating position, and, being intimate with the Mahomedan religion, and speaking the Hindostani, I commenced uttering the most profound praises in behalf of their prophet Mahomet, and begged they would spare my life if they believed that Iman Mendheo would come to judge the 'world. I made every moral appeal to them (atter escaping the fist cut they made at my throat, which I did by falling down—they, THE PRESS, AuGusr 22, 1857. being mounted, could not well reach me), my entreaties were listened to, and they let me go, saying, " Had you not asked for mercy in the name of the Prophet, you should have died like the rest of the Katfirs." I was dreadfully excited and could scarcely stand, but as I felt that I must proceed I continued my journey. I again met a lot of Tifahomedans, who rushed up to me and said, " Here is a Ferungee ; kill the Kaffir." They then said to me, " Yon Ferungees want to make us all Christians." They then dragged me away to a a village about a mile or more from the road, and tied my arms behind me, after which one of them said, " Karreem Buz, go and fetch your sword, and we will cut off the Kaffir's head." While Korreem Buz was gone to fetch his sword that was to launch me into eternity a cry of" Dhar, dhu," was made by the villagers, and the Mahomedans who were keeping me ran off to look after their own interests. I rushed off and ran with all my strength to the road again, and escaped from those un merciful beings. I continued to run along the road towards Kurnaul ; I was again stopped by some ironsmiths who were employed in the Delhi magazine, when one of them said, " Sahib, don't fear, come with me to my village, and I will find you food; if you go on you will surely be murdered by the Mahomedans, who have turned out from the villages to rob and kill the Ferungees." I went with the ironsmiths to their house, and was most humanely and kindly treated, one giving me a dhotee, another a cap, another some milk and native bread; I felt my life was safe, I was much excited and could scarcely speak ; they gave me a cot, on which Ilay down, but could not sleep. At Jhansi fifty-five Europeans held their ground bravely in the feat till their principal defenders were killed, when the rest surrendered. It would have been better for them to have died " in harness ": From the evening of the 4th until noon of the Bth the gentlemen in the fort kept good their position, the ladies assisting them in cooking for them, sending them refresh. manta, casting bullets, &c. There were fifty-five in num ber altogether (Europeans), inclusive of the ladies and children, and they began to get very much straitened for want of provisions, dtc. Behind all the gates they had piled high heaps of stones to strengthen them, and kept up so good a defence that one of the cannon which had been brought too near the gates was abandoned, and it was only by fixing ropes to it in the night time that the mutineers were able to regain possession of it. Lieute nant Powys was the first person killed in the fort. The way be met his death was this :—Two men, brothers, in Captain Burgess's employ ( one was his jemadsr) declared that they would go out. They were told that they would be shot down if they attempted it, but they said they might as well be shot as stay there to be starved, and accordingly commenced undoing the fastenings. One was shot immediately; the other turned on Lieutenant Powys, who happened to be near him, and cut him dos n with his talwar. This one also was directly shot by Captain Burgess. The only other person killed inside the fort was Captain Burgess himself, who received a bullet in the head, after having, I am told, with his own hand, killed no less than twenty-five. All the natives spoke of his great skill as a marksman. The mutineers at last, having forced the ranee to assist them with guns and elephcnts, succeeded in effecting an entrance at two of the gates, and they promised the gentle men that if they laid down their arms, and gave themselves up quietly, their lives should be spared. The gentle. men unfortunately trusted to their word and came out. They were tied in a long line between some trees, amt after a short consultation had their heads struck off. Such ladies as had children had to see them cat in halves before their own turns came. The suwars, it appears, bore the principal part in all these atrocities. This took place on the afternoon of the Bth June. Other private letters detailing at length the matinees at Mhow, Meerut, Allahabad, Jhansi, and Bareilly repeat only the same tale of horrors, or, if they relate the miseries of escape, bring promi nently before us the terrible fact that the villagers on all sides, if in a few individual cases rescue the poor fugitives, in general rob or murder them. One writer from Mhow gives ns a graphic description of the horrors and excitement of the scene : About haltpast nine p.m. we went to the lines, having had our tent pitched two or three yards in front of the main guard. Brooks and I in one bed, after looking at our horses all ready for action, went to try to sleep. Bat there was a presentiment on my mind ; about ten o'clock a small bungalow in front caught fire. I went with one or two sepoys, who had stuck by me in the morning, to see who had done it. The men with me cocked their pistols and looked ominously at me. I returned to the guard. Martin was in the centre of all the men, talking to them. I pined him, and observed one man in my troop, a villain ; he had his carbine, and began to cavil with Martin about some men Brooks and I had killed in the morning. I, feeling sleepy, said to Martin, " I'll turn in ;" but, good God! I had hardly turned my back and got to Brooks's tilde, when an awful shriek arose from the men, and the bullets whizzed around us in torrents. The man I had observed lifted his carbine first, and fired either at myself or Martin. I leaped out of my tent and saw Martin rushing across the parade-ground, the wretches shrieking after him. I reached him, and Brooks followed. We felt our last moment was come, but we ran for it. I led, and only screamed, "' l'o the fort," a mile off ! The men kept following us, and the bullets fell thick. Having got across the parade-ground, about 500 or 000 yards, we came to the hill with the church at the top, and, when at the top, Martin caught hold of me, exclaiming, "For God's sake, stop !" I caught hold of his arm and said, Only keep up and follow ;" but at this moment I felt I was done. We parted, as I thought, only to meet in death. But, thank God, I rushed on and reached a bun galow about a quarter of a mile from the fort. By this time the infantry had all risen, and as I ran the ground was torn up with bullets, and they fell thick around me. Their lines were in a direct line between the fort and ours, so that we, poor fellows, had to run the gauntlet of both fires. I felt when I got to the bungalow quite sick and done. Wonderful Providence ! I saw two natives, and rushed up to them, and simply took their hands, hardly able to speak, and said, " Save me !" They did. To them I owe my life. At the moment the infantry were coming screaming around. They hid me in a small house. Oh, those moments ! for I could not trust the man, and felt sure he would give me up. Some sepoys came, but did not find me. At last there was a hill. I opened the door and ran for the fort, my nigger friend having wrapped me in his own clothing to disguise me. Can 1 ever make you feel the deep thankfulness that was in my heart as I ran across the open plain, up the hill, to the fort? The artillerymen were manning the walls, and the sentry's call was never more thankfully received, and I cried, " Friend, friend !" and found myself safe, safe inside. My native friend had escorted me safely; but when I turned, as soon as 1 recovered, he was gone, and I have never seen him since. Can you realise the scene? I am too excited, and in fact overdone, to write fully now. The excitement has been immense. Oh ! we shall have • bloody time before us indeed, and I can only leave my life in God's hands. As to the atrocities committed upon the women and children, they are such as never before entered into the heart of man to conceive. A terrible retri bution will no doubt be taken, as it is deserved ; but a tremendous responsibility rests upon that Govern ment which, by its neglect or ignorance, has brought upon our unhappy countrymen and women these heartrending disasters. VrotttVings in V arliamtnt. HOUSE OF LORDS-MONDAY. The royal assent was given to a great number of bills, and in certain cases in which the Commons had made amendments their lordships determined to accept them. On the Dulwich College Bill, how ever, they determined to " disagree " upon the amendments for o'nstituting the governing body of the college. The Scotch Lunatics Bill was passed, and several other bills were forwarded a stage; and the Appro priation Bill was read a first time. Their lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS-MONDAY. DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL CAUSES DILL. At the morning sitting the committee was resumed at clause 28. The ATTORNEY. GENERAL, in reply to a question from Mr. Henley, explained that the 27th and 28th clauses, as well as the 29th, were proposed for the purpose of authorising the court to ascertain whe ther there was any collusion in uncontested cases, and it would be the duty of the court to see that there was no connivance or combination to obtain the divorce. Mr. BovILL proposed that instead of making con donation an absolute bar to divorce, it should be left to the discretion of the court to decide whether it should be so. The amendment, having been accepted by the Attorney-General, the clause was agreed to. Clause 29 " decrees dissolving marriage." Mr. Bovn.r, moved an amendment, that no decree should be issued by the court wherein the petitioner should have been guilty during the marriage of misconduct or neglect towards the other party to the marriage. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL agreed to accept the principle of the amendment, if the words were so altered that the decree should be refused where the adultery of the wife bad been caused by the miscon duct or neglect of the husband. Mr. Bovw. consented to this modification, and the amendment so altered was inserted in the clause. He then moved another amendment, to the effect that the decree should not be granted where the parties should have been living apart from each other by consent, previous to the adultery. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL agreed to insert words to carry out the object. The words were introduced without opposition. Mr. Bovll.L, in order to give to the new court the same discretion as was now possessed by the House of Lords, moved the insertion, after the limitations for divorce in the clause, of he words "or where the petitioner could not as heretofore have obtained a divorce." The amendment was negatived without a division. .it ,,