The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-05 00:00:00

It was ascertained in this affair that the ammunition
of the rebels was scarce., some of our men having

been killed by slugs made of telegraph wire. Two
of the enemy's light field-pieces were disabled.
Their loss is given at 401 men. Colonel Hartley, ap-
pointed to succeed Brigadier Hallifax, left head-
quarters for Uinballab, and Hodson's Irregular
Horse was aspat,thed to restore the Bhagput-bridge
and the communication with Meerut. The Jheend
Horse, says the Daily News correspondent, whose
duty it was to keep the bridge, were frightened at
the rumoured approach of a force from Delhi, broke
the bridge, and fell back. Some military men, he
adds, see in this something little short of mut►ny

and treason.
The channel of the Delhi canal was successfully
diverted by our engineers, and the supply of water
cut Gfi from the city, the Jumna water not being
drinkable, from the strong impregnation of nitre.
Upon the 30th another sortie was made. A burst
of artillery from the walls, followed by a desperate
rush on our advanced works, brought up our men in
force, who after five hours' warm fighting drove back
the rebels.
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In the evening General Barnard went out with a
small force and set fire to a number of buildings
near the city. Fresh evidence was gathered as to
the rebels wanting ammunition, the shells they sent
up having portfires instead of fusees. The advanced
pickets succeeded in capturing a man in search of
percussion caps, who stated that the caps were worth
an anna each, and bullets valued at two annas 1,31.)
in the town.
On the next day, the Ist of July, there was ob-
served from the English lines on the ridge a large
encampment on the further side of the Jutnna, and
opposite to Delhi :
It was the whole body of the Rohilcand mutineers from
the three stations of Bareilly, Moradabad, and Shahjehan-
pore, four regiments of infantry, one of irregular cavalry,
and a battery of artillery. For a time it had been hoped,
as I wrote a fortnight ago, that they would find the Ganges
impassable, but the anticipated rise of the river did not
take place—it was crossed at Gurmukteser, the usual place
of passage, the //oat) was traversed, and Delhi was attained.
For two whole days our troops had the mortification of watch-
ing the lung train of men, guns, horses, and beasts of burden
of all kinds (for there was a large treasure with the rebels—
sag live Lacs, 50,00)L, at an average estiinate) streaming
across the bridge of boats into the city, without the possibility
of preventing or in any way annoying them. An immediate
attack on the part of the reintorcements was anticipated
from the known practice of the insurgents in regard to new
arrivals. Accordingly, on the afternoon of the 3rd they
came out in force, and threatened the right rear of the
English position. But, finding our men well prepared,
they drew off and marched away seveeal miles to our rear
along the Kurnaul road as far as Alipore, the place where
our army bivouacked the night before the advance upon
Delhi and the first brush with the enemy.
Finding no enemy to oppose them, they returned,
and though twelve guns, 1,00.) infantry, and two
squadrons of cavalry had been sent out by General
Barnard to intercept them, the rebels, after a short
artillery fight, continued to effect their retreat with
the loss only of a little baggage.
Upon the sth July General Barnard died, after a
few hours' illness, and Major General Reed, who is
in feeble health, succeeded to the command. On
the Bth a party was sent from the camp to destroy a
bridge over the canal at the village of Bussy, some
six miles from the city, and performed the work
effectually, closing up one, perhaps the principal, of
the avenues b) which the mutineers received sup-

plies :
Things are going on pretty much the same since
I last wrote. On Monday evening last a party of
sappers, under Lieutenant Maunsell and myself, went out
to demolish a couple of bridges over the canal, about three
miles from this, over which the enemy were in the habit
of taking their artillery and forces when they wished to
attack us in the rear. We were accompanied by a party of
100 infantry and 50 cavalry of the Guides (a fine set of
fellows, most of them Sikhs from the Punjaub, and capital
fellows to fight). We left camp about six p.m. and got to
the bridges about dusk, without meeting any adventures
except the capture of a few villagers. By 9.30 we had got
the mines in the nearest bridge real), for firing, and were
hard at work on the further one, when the sentries came
in to report that a large body of men were advancing on
us from Delhi, and distant about two hundred yards. We
had almost got the mines ready, and I was just lowering
the last powder barrel into its place, when a panic seemed
to strike the whole of the sentries, and horse and foot, about
twenty in number, came pouring across the bridge and
almost knocking the working party over, at the same time
firing hard at the supposed enemy. As soon as possible
(after dragging Maunsell out of the canal into which he
had been knocked by the rush of our men) we got our
men together and led them across the bridge, when we
found that our foes were nothing inure than a party of fifty
villagers removing their goods from the village in front.
Two of them were killed by our Sre, the rest had bolted,
leaving several ponies behind, which the Guides brought
in in triumph. After this gallant exploit we blew up the
two bridges, completely demolishing them, and got beck to