The Press.
London, England, 1858-01-23 00:00:00

place; but only those who really deserved it being
d while neither women nor children were
but
molested.
The Punjaub appears tranquil. From a letter of
Mr. Montgomery, judicial commissioner for the
Punjaub, on the trial and sentence of ten Sikh
sepoys of the 23rd Bengal Native Infantry, charged
with being implicated in the mutiny of that regiment,
we learn the real character and extent of the force
which surprised and was defeated by Greatbed's
column at Agra on the 10th of October. It is
generally supposed to have been a part of the
Gwalior Contingent, but it seems really to have con.
sisted mainly of the 23rd Native Infantry from Mhow,
with the addition of 200 sowers and 400 Ghazees.
It numbered altogether about 1,300 men, with eight
guns. Of these guns six were carried off from Mhow
and two were taken from the Rajah of Dholpore.
The man who gave this information to Mr. Mont-
gomery says that, hearing the force at Agra was
small and shut up in the fort, they determined to go
and plunder and occupy the city, and that, on reach-
and
the station, they were surprised, attacked, and
beaten by the Delhi force, of the existence of which
they had no knowledge. The " surprise " seems to
have been mutual, the incautious mutineers sl um-
bling upon our incautious troops as unexpectedly as
they were unexpected. The attack, however, ac-
cording to all previous accounts, came from their
side, but happily the victory was entirely on our own.
In Central India affairs seem to progress satis-
factorily, but the want of European troops is severely
felt. The Amgheera Rajah and his Ministers had
been tried and found guilty of rebellion. The
Ministers were hanged on the 20th at Indore. The
Rajah awaits the decision of the higher authorities.
Brigadier Stuart, in leaving Mundesore, ordered the
Hydrabad Contingent, under Major Orr, to stand
fast there, and Neemuch has been reinforced by 150
of li.M.'s 83rd, under Major Prescott; 150 of the
12th Regiment Native Infantry, two guns with
Golundauze, and thirty Lancers, in charge of a good
supply of ammunition and other materials of war,
which are much wanted. The detachment of her
Majesty's 83rd, hitherto at Neemuch, and the Lan-
cets, were to leave for Nnsseerabad, where General
Lawrence proposes to take speedy measures for
destroying the rebels of Awah. Thence his destina-
tion will be Kotah. This departure of the Mhow
force leaves Neemuch in a precarious position. A
correspondent writes from thence :
The Mhow force has now gone back to do some other
work, and Neemuch is in the same position as before—
merely a bait for the rebels, and quite unable to send out
and demolish any large force that might beard it from any
of the neighbouring walled towns and threaten another
attack. Reports are prevalent that the rebel King of
Mundesore has joined with the Bukshee of Nirobhaira and
the Khota Rajah, and has gone to Khota, where another
large force is assembling, with fourteen guns, for the pur-
pose of making another attack on Neemuch. It is to be
hoped that Government will soon send us a large force ;
but we see no sign of it. At Khota no one can tell what
number of rebels may not have assembled; it is quite
possible that great numbers of the mutineers of the Bengal
regiments may be there, and with artillery, too. Yet here
we must wait without troops to aid us, and stand whatever
the rebels may choose to plan for us. It is well that we
were enabled, by checking the rebels at Jeerun, to prevent
their intended attack on Neemuch at that season, for we
were teen unprepared with the requisite provisions in the
fort; and the position of the garrison at that period would
have been most precarious. The fortnight's interval
which we thus gained enabled us to lay in a stock of pro-
visions sufficient to allow of the garrison holding out for
the fifteen days with that determined vigour which sig-
nalised their conduct during the late siege. But, deter-
mined as the garrison were to hold their own, their condi-
tion must have been anything but pleasant--crowded in a
small fort, with 700 human beings and sixty horses,
besides cattle and sheep. It is to be hoped that the
Government, by seasonable reinforcements, will prevent
this garrison from having again to endure the great dis-
comfort, annoyance, and anxiety—to say nothing of the
danger—of such another siege.
The rebels that wore defeated at Mundesore are
said to have fraternised with the Kotah mutineers,
with the intention of making another attack upon
Neemuch. Fugitives from the victorious army in
the north are said to be collecting with the avowed
purpose of going to Nusseerabad and Ajmer-. One
thing (writes a correspondent) is certain, viz.—that
the whole of the fanatical Mahomedan population of
Rajpootana are our inveterate foes; and every day's
delay in sending troops up only accumulates the
number of the disaffected. Sir Hugh Rose, K.C.8.,
and Sir Robert Hamilton, had both arrived at
Mhow.
The South Mahratta country was quieter, and the
disarmament continuing.
From Madras there is no direct intelligence of
importance. A Calcutta correspondent writes :
" I don't like the quiet way in which at Madras they
are every now and then sending for more troops.
Something is brewing there, but Government keep
everything close." But beyond this we learn nothing.
In Calcutta every possible effort is being made
to despatch the troops up country rapidly, but, from
want of previous preparation, the city is kept full of