The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-19 00:00:00

T H

the villain'F heart failed him ; be preferred the open
field and chances of escape to being shut up in a
fortress. Bhitoor was deserted.
The following message from General Havelock,
dated 20th July, tells the result :
Nana Sahib's followers appear to be deserting him. He
bas Bed from Bhitoor, which was occupied yesterday with.
out resistance. Thirteen guns were found in the place.
His palace is in flames. General Neill has joined me with
a strong reinforcement of British soldiers. Lucknow
quite sate for the present.
Our troops fired and blew up the palace, and
*started in pursuit. The next day General Havelock
telegraphed :
I sin free to cross the Ganges. Nana Sahib's force at
Bhitoor is entirely dispersed. We have brought from the
place sixteen guns and a number of anirn its, set fire to his
palace, and blown up his powder magazine. A portion of
lay troops and five guns are already in position at the head
of the road to Lucknow. The whole army is full of hope
that we shall soon be united on the left bank.
On the 22nd of July, General Neill, who had
pushed forward with all speed from Allahabad with
a reinforcement of 227 men Alth Regim.int, reached
Cawnpore, and on the 23rd the whole British force,
with its guns, crossed the Ganges into Oude. " It was
ascertained," says Mr. Tucker's official bulletin from
Benares, that the garrison then was safe, and that
the enemy's attacks had languished in consequence
of their want of ammunition." The enemy between
Lucknow and Cawnpore is estimated at 12,000 men,
with forty-two guns.
- - - - -

A letter from Cawnpore, dated July 19, states a
singular circumstance, but to which credit can
scarcely be attached. We are disposed to regard it
as a mere ruse of the Nana to escape pursuit ;
Intelligence einie in late last night that the Bhitoor
Usjah had destroyed himself in despair, that the sepoys had
all tied towards Delhi, and that Bhitoor was evacuated.
This morning the news is confirmed as actually true, and
a detached force of the Ist Madras Fusilier-3, Sikhs, and
two guns, are gone out to take possession of the place.
The whole force is now rested and in high spirits, feels
that its hard marching and fighting have not been for
nothing, and four days hence I hope we shall be in Luck-
now triumphant.
The accounts men give of the state of the cantonments
are fearful. They have visited the house where our women
were murdered. That house and well are described by men
of not weak nerves as the most fearful, sickening sight they
ever saw. Four women are saved, Mrs. Ureenway, wife of
a merchant, and three half castes.
- - -

General Havelock pushed on, and on the 29th
came up with the rebels, strongly intrencbed in the
village of Oonao.

The following substance of a despe.tch from the
general to the commanLler•in-chief in Bengal
explains subsequent operations, which ended in the
defeat of the enemy on two successive occasions :

Camp Bupeerul-Gunge, July 30.
Arrive ]at Ooneo 29th instant. The town protected by
a swamp, not fordable on its flank ; houses loophooled, and
defended by fifteen guns. I attacked and captured it, with
all the enemy's guns. The enemy were ailed by a portion
of Nana's force, commanded by JupaSitigh. Halted four
hours, and then pushed on to the town, which is also sun
rounded by water, and was defended by tour guns. The
road to its entrance was destroyed, and the gate
cannonaded. I assaulted and carried it with its guns
Enemy's loss heavy; my own severe, being eighty-eight
killed and wounded. Private Cavanagh, 04th Regiment.
would have been recommended for the Victoria Cross, but
lie was cut to pieces while setting a brilliant example. I
desire his relations may be pensioned. Madras Fusiliers
greatly distinguished tbetuselves, Lieutenant Dangertield
being first over the barricade; Lieutenant Bogle, 78th
Highlanders, was severely wounded while leading the way
into a loopholed house ; recommended to the notice of his
Royal Highness the General Commanding in-Chief.
Colonel Tytler, who was scarcely able to sit his horse, set
an example to all of activity and daring. Lieutenant Have-
loek's horse was shot under him. Lieutenant Seton,
.Madras Fusiliers, acting A.D.C., severely wounded. An
entire field battery of arms captured. Withont cavalry I
c moot secure horses or equipments. My volunteer horse
Improve
The latest accounts by letter fr.nn General Have-
lock's camp, duel 30th July, the day after the fight,
state that the enemy vrno about two miles in front.
Our force was at Bapeer•ul-Gunge, sixteen miles
from Cawnpnre, and fondly elpected to reach Luck-
now on the 31st ultimo :
I trust (observes a correspondent) he may have no
more such serious encmnters as the two last, else he may
arrive at Lucknow only to join the garrison, without a
chance of returning. You will now understand the serious
results which may ensue from the want of reinforcements.
Should any accident disable Havelock's force, we have
nothing for it but to yield up the country for a time. I
will not indulge, however, in the fears of a disaster, but
rather trust in the tried valour of our men, who have done
prodigies agaiust overwhelming numbers.
A correspondent of the Daily News adds an
ominous sentence in a postscript, at the last moment
of the mail closing

E PRESS, SEPTEMBER 19,1857

From what I have just heard Havelock seems to have
fallen back upon the Ganges, it is supposed to secure all
the guns he has captured, and which he cannot take on
with him. The enemy, moreover, are frightfully strong,
sill, of course, the Diaspora revolt will add to their
numbers.

This rumour is, unhappily, confirmed. Before
leaving the subject, the following particulars of
the massacre at Cawnpora, and the scenes enacted

previouseto that melancholy affair, may be interesting
to our readers. They are given by one, on the
authority of the Calcutta Englishman, who was
present throughout the whole affair :

He reports that some eight days before the mutiny
broke out, or say eight days previous to the sth ult.,
General Sir Hugh Wheeler, seeing the disaffected spirit
of the troops, applied to Nana Sahib of Bhitoor for a
guard for the protection of the treasury. This request
was promptly complied with, and the Nana sent two guns
and two hundred Nujeebs, armed with matchlocks, and
these were placed at the collectorate over the treasure. A
day or two before this Sir Hugh Wheeler had sent ele-
phants to remove that treasure, amounting to about seven
laws, to the intrenchment ; but the sepoys would not allow
this to be done, saying to the collector, who had told them
that he was apprehensive of the treasure being looted by
the budmashes and mutineers from the other stations,
that if there were twice the amount they would guard it
from danger.
On the sth ult., about three in the morning, the sepoys
and sowers commenced burning their lines and shouting,
and proceeded towards Nawabgunge, where the treasure
was, leaving one regiment to prevent the Europeans from
going to the relief of the collector. By-and-by, the treasure
having been packed on elephants and carts, this other
regiment joined the others, sunlit was then about mid-day,
and the mutineers set off to the westward in the direction
of Kullianpore and towards Delhi, accompanied by the
two hundred Nujeebs, with the two guns of the Nana
Salta), leaving the inhabitants relieved as it were by their
departure ; and up to that time there had not been either
destruction of property or loss of life.
In the morning of the following day, about eight o'clock,
the mutineers, headed by the Nana, with six hundred of
his followers and four guns (having, it seems, previously
made up their minds to destroy all the Christians, whether
European or native), returned to Cawnpore and halted
about two miles to the west of the intrenchment, planted
standards and took up a position, with loud beating of
drums. Immediately after, about fifty sowers were de-
spatched to the cantonments to slay all the Europeans,
and fifty Rowers to the town where the poorer people lived,
to kill all the native converts and clerks. During this
time the Nana Sahib hoisted two standards, one to the
honour of Mahommeil and the other of Hunatnan ; to the
former some 2,000 Mahotnedans repaired, to the latter
but a few Hindoos, none from the city, but some of the
budmashes. The main body of the insurgents first
attacked the Nawab's palace, and, having blown open the
gate with their cannon, they entered the place and gutted
it, and took the Nawab prisoner, the Nana Sahib being
under the impression that the Nawab had concealed some
Europeans. They then proceeded to the intrenchments,
and from two o'clock commenced the attack with cannon,
at first with two of the guns and on the following day with
six. It appears that the Europeans within the intrenchi
ments were not well supplied with ammunition, as it is
supposed they did not expect an assault with cannon, and
thus were only able to reply with one gun to twenty of
the enemy. For seventeen days continuously the muti-
neers used every now and then to make an assault with
four or five thousand men front all quarters, with the view
of carrying the intrenchment by storm, but were invariably
repulsed with heavy loss. thy this time the Nana's fcrces
had increased, with the addition of budniashes and muti-
neers from other stations, to about 12,0110 men.
On the 21st or 2-2nd ult. Sir Hugh Wheeler sunk under
the wounds which he had received, and the garrison, three
or four days after his death, being short both of provisions
and ammunition, and reduced in number by several casual-
ties, hoisted a flag cf truce. The Nana Sahib then stopped
the assault, and sent to inquire what was meant by the
flag. Answer was returned by the Europeans to the effect
that they had neither food nor ammunition, and they pro-
posed to give up the country to him on his allowing them
to depart. To this the Nana consented, and for two days
supplied them with food, and in that time prepared boats
for their departure. At the end of this time the Nana
gave the Europeans his word in writing, and he, his
officers. and head people confirmed it with an oath.
The Europeans then gave ua.their arms, and the tree•
sure iu the intrenchments, amounting to about three
lacy, and wire conveyed in Hindostanee gharees and
hospital dholees, most of the ladies being in the latter,
under an escort of sowers to the ghat, where they em-
barked in seventeen boats out of nineteen that had been
provided, with the exception of some thirty-two ladies,
with children.
As soon as the boats had pushed off from the ghat,
the boatmen jumped overboard and swam on shore,
and then the mutineers opened a fire on the boats from
a masked battery of eight guns, which had been pre-
viously erected for the purpose. All the boats were sunk,
and the people on board killed, with the exception of
one host that had passed down, and some twenty Euro-
peans who had managed to swim to the shore.
This boat was pursued by five hundred Nujeebs, with
two guns, who came up with it on the second day, and
sunk the boat and destroyed every one on board, off a
place called Gossheenka Seerajpore. The twenty and
odd Europeans who SWIM on shore at Cawnpore were
blown away from guns in the course of two or three
days, some each day.