The Press.
London, England, 1857-10-24 00:00:00

The following letter gives an animated description
of the dash of the rebel Cavalry upon our camp on
the oth of July last:—

Camp before Delhi, July 11, 1857.

The commissioner having chartered a private
express enabled me to get to the camp before Delhi
on the Ist July. The reports of heavy guns first
gave notice of our approach to Delhi, and then the
remains of the conflict of the Bth of June which
sprinkled the roads and fields through which we
passed told us that we were near the small Sebas-
topol which had given, and promised to give, so
much trouble, and we soon found out that the cap-
ture of the place (as far as regards any means to
that end) was as far off as it was when our forces
first sat down before it. It was then equally capable
of being taken by escalade or by surprise through
the gates as it is now, and not a third of their pre-
sent force was opposed to us, and no defence then
had been token against a sudden attack, by mines or
street barricades, which are now, we are informed,
all ready. General A— was incompetent ; his
successor, B--, equally so ; and the man on whom
the command devolved, It—, of the —, is a poor
old, nervous, weak, and broken-down man. We
trust God will, in his mercy, raise up some one, for
our present indecision has the worst effect on the
native mind.

The communication of the enemy with their rear
by the bridge of boats, which is never broken in the
rainy season, gives them any amount of provisions,
and their communication with our rear across the
canal, and even on this side of it, and their holding
our road to Meerut, often enables them to cut off our
supplies. For a regular siege, we have not nearly
enough siege materials, and not half or a quarter of
the number of guns in position which the enemy
has ; for, you know, Delhi was our largest arsenal.
Our position there as a check on their advance is too
extended a one for our army. To hold it properly
would take 25,000 men, and we have not 0,000, in-
cluding Sikhs, and Ghocrkas, and Guides, who are
for us. Our left is on the river and our right is in
the gardens, which give us more to do than we can
well manage, for the enemy come out and occupy
them in force, and, as we are obliged to drive them
out (or they would get in the rear of our batteries
and turn our right), we suffer many casualties, and
valuable lives are lost which we can ill afford.

Our front rests on a line of hills, on which, and in
front of the enemy's batteries, we have erected a
number of batteries, and every other day and night
is spent by me on the Mound Battery, marked 17.
[The sketch to which this figure alludes is not with
the letter.] These little bills rise out of the plain
joined together, and forming a steep parapet on
three sides and an enticing slope on the fourth. We
hold several intrenebed houses on the rugged ad-
vancel ground beyond the batteries. The enemy
were turned out of their posts the day before yes-
terday (oth), after some sharp fighting. They came
on in two bodies (to decide who was to take the
command, which was to be given to the general who
might take the advanced heavy batteries or the
camp !) One party engaged our people at the Samy •
house (as the men call an inclosed musjiel) at our
right, supported by the Delhi batteries and some
guns which they brought out under the trees oppo-
site the Lahore gate. Our right battery, and espe-
cially the field-guns in position up the road (as 10
marked), were sharply engaged. We heard them ;
but actually the " turn out " was not sounded in
camp. It was a pelting rain, and old B— did not
like it At the same time a very heavy fire was
opened from the city on our batteries, and about a
thousand shells in two hours burst over and near
our camp without doing any damage. In these bat-
teries several men were killed. The fire of the mus-
ketry came to my ear, and I ran to my post sharps
Hardly any one else had gone, except Captain F—
of ours, who, wondering why the " turn-out" bugle
had not sounded, said "If I had command of the
enemy's cavalry, I would gallop them straight through
the camp and back, and all our servants would ruh
away." I was going after this to my tent when
galloped up and cried, " You are wanted at the
Mound. The enemy's cavalry are out in force."
My tent was en route, so I went in, buckled on my
sword, and was running from No. 25 to No. 7. When
I got about half across, say 200 yards, musketry
sounded beyond the Mound and picket No. 24, and
the bullets whistled over my head. At the same
moment I saw a movement among the two guns of
horse artillery, which, with some carabineers, were
where I have put ill( in (marked *1 *1). I was at
first rather startled at finding the enemy had got so
close to our guns, but seeing the horse artillery re-
assured me. Ina second, however, to my horror,
I saw the enemy's cavalry right among the guns,
cutting down the gunners. One limber started oil'
(leaving the gun) without any men on the horseat
end dashed off towards the hills, and the other gum
posed me et twill gallop, followed by the !We