The Press.
London, England, 1857-04-18 00:00:00

INDIA.

The intelligence from India by the:last mail brings
reports of further mutinies among the native regi-
ments upon the great cartridge•paper ques►ion—
whether or no the paper was in its preparation
greased with beef suet or mutton fat, it being pollu-
tion for a Hindoo to touch the former. At Barrack-
pore, at Madras, and at Moorsbedabad, disturbances
had occurred. At the latter place the affair nearly
became serious. A correspondent writes :

The men of the 19th Native Infantry, at Moorshedabad,
heard of the dispute about the cartridge paper. By way of
expressing their feelings they held a parade on their own
account with their arms. The colonel commanding
remonstrated with the native officers, who, as usual,
adhered after a passive fashion to their superiors. The
men, however, were still refractory, and he called out a
regiment of cavalry and two guns. The two arms in
In as seldom coalesce, and the cavalry are usually as
trustworthy as marines on board ship. The men were
then ordered to ground their arms and return to their
barracks. They agreed if the colonel would send away
his cavalry. The colonel appears to have dreaded the
responsibility of en armed conflict, and acceded to the
conditions, for which he has been rebuked. It was
undoubtedly a serious error of judgment, as it was almost
impossible that the infantry should have ventured to
attack the guns, and there were 2,000 Sikh Irregulars
within forty miles. I can readily imagine, however, that
an old officer would from humanity alone be unwilling to
see his own regiment cut to pieces. Terrible sa the
necessity may be, however, I question if the difficulty will
be overcome without one severe example. This cartridge
question is travelling northward, and will excite every
Sepoy regiment in India, until in some station a deter•
mined brigadier gives the men the option of obedience or
death. There is on this subject no weakness either with
Government or among the public. Every man feels to the
bottom of his heart that the safety of the empire hinges on
the instant suppression of mutiny in whatever shape it
may appear. Some punishment will, 1 doubt not, be
meted out to this regiment. The papers have u story that
the King of Oude is at the bottom of it all. l need not say
this is absurd.

Another suggestive incident had occurred in the
north-west provinces :

A strange and to some observers a very disagreeable
incident has occurred in the northwest. A few nays
since a chowkeydar, or village policeman, of Cawnpore
ran up to another in Futteghur and gave him two chupat•
ties. These are indigestible little unleavened cakes, the
common food of the poorer classes. He ordered him to
make ten more, and give two to each of the five nearest
chowkeydars with the same order. lie was obeyed, and
in a few hours the whole country was in commotion with
chowkeydars running about with these cakes. The wave

APRIL 18, 1857.

swept province after province with a speed at which official
orders never fly. The magistrates were powerless, and the
chupatties at this moment are flying westward. Nobody has
the least idea what it all means. Some officers fancy it is
a ceremony intended to avert the cholera; others hint at
treason—a view encouraged by the native officials ; others
talk of it as a trifle—a joke. For myself, I believe it to
be the act of some wealthy fool in pursuance of a vow •
but its significance is this :—There are some 00,006
policemen in these provinces. If they should perchance
imbibe dangerous ideas, how perfect is their organisation.

Some slight disturbances were reported in Oude
and a trifling rebellion in Pegu. Goolab Singh was
increasing the burdens of his people in Cashmere
to such an extent that the inhabitants of the villages
were emigrating and taking refuge in the British
territories.