The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1858-01-26 00:00:00

THE INDIAN MUTINIES.

The following is from an officer on the staff of the
force which relieved Luctmow, under General Have-
lock :

"Camp, Cavnipore, Dec. 1, 1857.
"My dear , You must not blame me for not
writing to you, for it has been quite impossible to send
letters in the position that I have lately been in. When
we were on the point of advancing with Sir James
Outram's force from this place to Lucknow on or about
the 19th of September last, I sent you word what we
were going to do. Since that, and when we communi-
cated with the Lucknow garrison, and indeed saved
them by the additional men we threw into the place,
the only means of sending letters was by men who were
paid by Government to risk their lives, and the letters
were all written in the Greek character and put into
small pieces of quill, as being easily concealed in this
way. You therefore can imagine we had not the power
to send private correspondence, all that was despatched
in this manner being of public importance; and I, in
common with all others, wag oblig.d to trust to our list

of casualties to inform you, and all who knew me, that
I was unhurt throughout the trying work we have been
through. We crossed the river Ganges, and on the 21st
of September engaged these scoundrels at a village called
Mungurwara, some three and a half or four miles from
the left bank of the river. We drove them from their
position, with scarcely any loss on our side, taking aix
of their guns and marching on about 14 miles. Next
day we moved on again without any opposition to
Bunnee, about 15 miles further, and on the 23rd we
movad to Alumbagh, where we engaged the enemy
again, driving them off, and taking some of their guns.
These two days and the day following were the closing
of the rains, which fell as heavily and continuously as
one ever sees in the height of the season. We were un-
able to pitch tents, for the whole country was under
water, and we had to put the force into the deserted and
ruinous villages. On the 25th of September we ad-
vanced into Lucknow, and, after forcing the bridge over
the canal, we took the enemy by surprise by marching
round to the eastward through the suburbs, whereas
they expected us along the usual macadamised road
straight through the town. After hard fighting all day,
and running the gauntlet through heavy fire from guns
and musketry from loopholed houses, we in the evemng
reached the Residency intrenchment. Next day and
the two following were fully occupied in driving out the
enemy from the neighbourhood, and taking possession of
some large palaces and houses, when we were again en-
closed by their numbers, and shut up, almost as corn.
pletely as the old garrison we had come to relieve,
which, however, we had saved from utter destruction by
our junction. From this time until the 16th of Novem-
ber we were besieged, and under a centinual fire of shot
and musketry. On that day Sir Colin Campbell re-
lieved us, having had exceeding head fighting through
the town to come near us ; we at the same time assist-
ing his movements by keeping up a tremendous fire
upon the town, and taking by storm some large palaces
in the direction he was approaching us by. We then
destroyed all that we could not remove, and, carrying I
away everything in the shape of guns and ammunition,
and some round shot, taking with us 23 Into of treasure
and some 40 lacs of the King's jewels, which had been
previously seized by poor Sir H. Lawrence, we marched
out of the place at night, Sir Colin removing his force
immediately afterwards to a position about four miles
from the Residency. We then marched to Alumbagh,
which had always been held the whole time we were
shut up, and which had been as much shut up as we had
been. From Alumbagh we marched towards this place,
carrying with us all the poor Lucknow women and chil-
dren (some 500 or 600 souls), and all the treasure, ano
munition, ko., leaving Sir James Outram with a force
of about 3,500 men and 25 guns occupying a position
near Alumbagh, which he has also possession of. The
possession of Bunnee he also holds; the reason of our
marching so expeditiously was because the Gwalior
rebels, amounting to some 12,000 men, with 35 or 40
CillewsetrerailgTllo. tteCrlver, starting iindayhlrgdhlmaiM
getting into camp by dark, having gone from 29 to 30
mile,s—a long march, hampered as we were with all
those poor families and long trains of treasure, fix. On
reaching this we found the Gwalior rascals in possession
of the town, and our troops under the Redact hero
(General Windham) shut up in the intrenchments we
had made on the river bank. By reat exertion we
crossed the river, and encamped on this side during yes-
terday. The enemy still hold the town, and all the
ground on the opposite side of the canal, near the church
and old infantry parade grounds, stretching away up the
river towards Bithoor. We shall have to turn them out
of course, and I have no doubt shall give them a precious
good licking. In the meantime the rascals have stopped
our Mc and telegraphic communication with Allahabad,
and I am extremely doubtful of this letter ever reaching
you, but write in the hopes it may do so."

HAVELOCK MONUMENT—The committee appointed to
receive subscriptions for the erection of a suitable memo-
rial to the late General Havelock and his brave com-
panions in seine held their first meeting on Wednesday,
when it was decided to invite the co-operation of the
municipalities of all the chief provincial towns in carry-
ing out the object in view. It is understood that the
Government have been applied to to grant a site in
Trafalgar-square for a statue to be erected corresponding
with that of Sir C. Napier on the west side of the
square. The amount of the subscriptions has been per.
pouchy left unlimited, with a view to afford to all classes
the opportunity of doing honour to the memory of that
great man whose words after the battle of Bithoor most
appropriately head the advertisement of the committee :
—" England shall sweep through the land. Soldiers!
in that moment your labours, your privations, your suf-
ferings, and your valour will not be forgotten by a grate-
ful country. You will be acknowledged to be the stay
and prop of British India in the time of her severest
trial."
HAVELOCK MEMORIAL FUND.—The people of Eng-
land will gladly learn that a memorial fund is about to
be raised in honour of their favourite Indian hero. A
committee, which has for vice-presidents the Duke of
Argyll and Viscount Combermere, has already been
formed for the purpose of carrying out this object, and,
we have no doubt, that the most complete success will
attend its labours. It is proposed that the funds to be
received shall be devoted to the erection of a monument
in commemoration of the services of the illustrious
general.

A correspondent of the Daily NewB speaks of Have-
lock as the " model of a Christian knight," and says :
" It may interest your readers to be told that even on
such arduous service as the Affghan campaign and the
siege of Jellalabad—where he was almost the only officer
who supported Broadfoot in maintaining, against the
opinions of both Sale and Macgregor, that Jellala-
bad should be defended and not surrendered—even
there Havelock invariably secured two hours in the
morning for reading the Scriptures and private prayer.
If the march began at six, he rose at four ; at four he
rose at two. Is it any wonder that he was raised tp as
a deliverer to our people, almost like one of the Judges
of Israel?

THE LATE GENERAL NEILL.—The following particu-
lars respecting the death of General Neill were received
on Friday, being the only account that has yet reached
his friends of Lucknow :—A letter from a brother
officer, who writes in deep grief, states that he crossed
the river at Cawnpore on the 19th of October, in com-
mand of the Ist Brigade. The enemy, who were in
position near the river, were at once driven back. On
the 21st and 22nd they again fell in with the enemy,
when his brigade was again led by him to victory. On
the 25th they advanced on Lucknow—the lot Brigade
leading through a constant raking blaze of fire from
9 a.m. to? p.m., when, just at the last, a fatal shot
from a loophole struck his head. He thus died a
soldier's death without pain, his noble spirit passing
away from the fearful conflict at the moment of success.
His body was placed on a gun carriage, and taken with-
in the intrenched camp, and was next day buried by his
own regiment, one and all of them showing how deeply they
felt the loss they had sustained.

THE LATE LIEUTENANT CAIRNES.—In the Guardian
of the 16th of December we recorded the death of a
brave young officer, Lieutenant Cairnes, of the lot Euro-
pean Bengal Fusileers, son of the late Colonel Cairnes,
K.H., of Portesewart, and in the seine publication it
was our painful duty to chronicle the decease of his
widowed mother. The number of Blackwood's Maga-
zine for the current month contains a short but well-
written sketch of the doing of his regiment during the
Delhi campaign. They played a distinguished part in
the actions that preceded the storming of the city, and
also in the grand assault, when several officers and
men of the corps fell bravely fighting the battles of their
country. Honourable mention is made of Lieutenant
Cairnes, who, at the early age of 23, yielded up his
heroic spirit, the victim of malignant disease, after hav-
ing shared in the conquest of the city of the Great
Mogul :—" On this evening, the 23rd of September,"
says the writer, "Lieutenant Cairnes, who had gone
through the whole campaign without missing one turn
of duty, and had ever been foremost when work was to
be done, was taken ill of cholera, and died in a few
hours. He WM much beloved by the men, and re-
spected by his brother officers." This gallant young
soldier was a worthy descendant of the Cairnes of Knock-
many, who took a prominent part in the defence of
Derry during its ever-memorable siege, and who after-
wards represented this city for many years in the Irish
Parliament. —Belfast Guardian.