The Press.
London, England, 1857-10-31 00:00:00

1054

church, Skinner's house, the college and the grounds
about. Preparations are being made to turn the guns
from the captured bastions on the city, and to bring up
other guns and mortars to commanding points.
The enemy for the present retain the Lahore and other
bastions, the palace, Selimghur, and the chief part of the
city ; but our hold of the position that has been secured
appears firm, and the fall of the remainder is to be ex-
pected.
General Nicholson, Colonel Campbell, 52nd. and Major
Reid, Sirmoor battalion, are among the wounded officers,
who are numerous. Lieutenants Bradshaw, 52nd, and
Fitzgerald, 75th, were killed.
A body of troops were observed to march off by the
bridge, but pursuit is impracticable until Selimghur and
the river front have been occupied.
The chief losses were experienced in attempting to
reach the Jumma Musjid and to penetrate beyond the
Cabul Gate.

The following description is from a letter from
Colonel Becher :
Tke troops entered at the breach near the Cashmere
Gate without serious opposition, and pined possession of
the large buildings in its neighbourhood, and advanced
along the ramparts to the Moree Bastion and Cabal Gate,
in progrvis to which the resistance was very obstinate, and
the loss consequently has been severe; but we are advanc-
ing within the city.
Large bodies of the enemy have been seen retreating
both in the direction of the Knottib and over the bridge.
Arrangements are in hand for batteries to be male in the
city, and their own heavy guns have been turned against
them.

Several messages rapidly followed the first an-
nouncement of the assault. Our troops made good
their ground first won, but in an imprudent attempt to
penetrate the town met with desperate resistance and
suffered severe loss. They were at length prudently
recalled from their too hasty advance into the close
lanes of the city, hivoqacked for the night in the comps•
ratively open space inside the Cashmere Gate, and the
walls which they had won upon either side of it.
Head-quarters were established in the house once
occupied by the renowned Irregular Horseman,
Skinner, and now known to us by his name, to the
natives as Secunder's. Preparations were at once
made for shelling the enemy out of the Palace, the
Selimghur, and the other strong places of the city,
and the firing commenced next morning, the 15th.
That day was spent in shelling the Magazine, which
is immediately to the south of the church, taken on
the 14th, and the Palace, somewhat further on
in the same direction. While this work was in pro.
grew), the guns on the Shah (or Moree) Bastion
and the tower near the Cabal Gate were turned upon
Burn Bastion and the Lahore Gate, positions to
the southward which had been taken up by the
mutineers. Throughout the day our soldiery con•
tinued to work their way slowly to the south ; and
by nightfall a practicable breach having been made
in the walls of the Magazine, it was resolved to storm
it next morning by daybreak. During the whole of
the 15th, bodies both of rebel cavalry and infaltry kept
leaving the city, but the greater part of the mutineers
continued resolutely to dispute our further progress.
At daybreak on the 16th the Magazine was stormed
by the 61st and a portion of the Belooch battalion,
and carried with little loss ; in it were cartured 125
guns. The shower of shells which throughout the
preceding day had been poured without intermission
on the Palace was kept up. The party advancing
along the ramparts compelled the enemy to abandon
the Kishengunge Battery, a little to the north of the
Lahore Gate. A battery on the other side of the
river, which had galled our soldiers in their advance,
was also reported to be abandoned. Towards the
afternoon it became apparent that the organisation of
the mutineers into regiments was fast being broken
up ; they continued, however, to fight in detached
groups in a spirit of the most determined inveteracy.
During the day they even made an attempt to retake
the Magazine, but were repulsed with little difficulty.
By nightfall the British had established a line of
posts from the Magazine to the Cabul Gate—that
is, nearly along the north bank of the canal ; at
once an indication of how much of the city they had
unquestionaoly wrested from the enemy, and of
the far greater and more important part which, after
three days' hard and incessant fighting, still remained
t) be taken.

For the rest we depend entirely upon the Jeypore
despatches, which run thus :

On the 17th shelling the Lal Kills (Red Fort; this
appears to be some other stronghold than Selimghur) and
city. Fighting all day; leaders and native officers in open
dissension, accusing one another, in presence of the King,
of cowardice. In the entl unanimity prevailed, and they
resolved to attack and fight as men without hope of mercy
or pardon. Friday, the 18th.—Shelling all night on the Lid
Kills. This morning fighting recominenced, and muti-
neers on some points successful, but constantly repulsed.
Rifles doing much mischief among the rebels. City
people, both rich and poor, running away. Suburb, where
Reid failed (the Kishengunge), is ours, end also the rebels'
battery there. King and two sons concealed. One bastion
of the Lal Kills, destroyed, and it will be taken. Captain
Eden adds, "The above is fromthe Durbar news•writer
to the Rajah at Jeypore."