The Press.
London, England, 1857-12-05 00:00:00

THE PRESS, DECEMBER 5,1857.

Round them lie immense bands of armed sepoys and
peasantry, numbering in the aggregate at least 40,000 men.
With one exception, every landholder in Southern Oude
has declared against the British, not from any dislike, for
the same men saved British officers, but from a desire to
share the spoils of a falling dynasty. If General Outram
has or can obtain provisions he may hold out for any time ;
if not, lie must cut his way to Cawnpore, with, I fear,
frightful loss. Colonel Greathed has gone into Agra
again. Thence he proceeds to Mynpoorie, and so to Cawn-
pore. But he cannot hope to reach Lucknow much before
the end of this month, and meanwhile men, soldiers espe-
cially, must eat. There is no force to send to his aid,
except this column, and the whole question turns on its
arriving in time.—Times cor.

The statement last week in the Foreign office tele-
gram that two regiments had reached Lucknow is a
pure fiction. Not a man nor a biscuit has reached Luck-
now since Outram entered on the 26th September.
The convoy with provisions, sent off from Cawnpore
a short time after the departure of Havelock's force,
had not been able to penetrate beyond Alumbagh :
On the drd a convoy of WO men of the 64th, commanded
by Major Bingham, with provisions, left Cawnpore, but
were able to get no further on than Alumbagh, where they
left their supplies, returning to Cawnpore withont having
experienced any molestation either on their advance or
return. On the 11th a party of 130 arrived at the latter
place from the former, bringing with them a large number
of camels and elephants to assist in carrying back again
provisions. On the 14th a second convoy under Major
M'lntyre, of the 78th Highlanders, was despatched. He
was obliged, however, to intrench himself, when within
four miles of his destination, returning his stores, which
he was not strong enough to protect, and await reinforce-
ments. Alumbagh was now occupied by about 1,000 men.
The approaches are commanded by heavy guns, anti the
ground cleared anti exposed in all directions to the distance
of about 500 yards.

Whether the women and children are at Alumbagh
or still in the Residency it is impossible to say with
any precision. A writer from Cawnpore, Oct. 12th,
thus details the advance of the brigade from Alum-

bagh :
After our army had got well over the bridge cheers and
loud hurrahs rent the air, and handkerchiefs and pieces of
cloth were waved by the garrison, which, I am happy to
say, was shortly after joined and set free by the brave troops
come to their succour. This relief happened in good time,
for the rascally rebels had a part of the garrison intrenched
camp undermined, and ready for loading. Had we delayed
another day. there would, I doubt not, have been another
tragedy enacteJ, but, as I said before, the relief was well
timed. It is more than my pen can do to give you even
the most distant account of the meeting 'twas so pleasing
to behold ; I shall, therefore, leave it to your imagination.
The poor women, and the still more helpless children.
were in a most miserable plight for want of clean clothes ;
in fact, the whole of the garrison were hard up for a change.
Then he adds,—" The women, children, and sick,
were all sent to the intrenchment at Alumbagh, and
there they are now waiting for reinforcements ere
they can be trusted even as far as Cawnpore, distant
some forty miles or so." And he confirms this by
stating that " no sooner had the ladies and children
reached the intrenchment, and the escort joined the
main body in the garrison, than the enemy flocked
in rear of our advancing columns under Generals
Outram and Havelock, and destroyed the bridge" :
They then took up a position along the canal, to inter-
cept, obstruct, and prevent any communication, provisions,
and reinforcements passing to our army, now well up to
the walls of the town. This measure leaves our main
body, and the party in the intrenchment at Alumbagh, in
a strange pre licament ; and should any from the latter
sally out towards the broken bridge, he meets with a
warm reception from Jack Sepoy in the shape of a
dozen or so of bullets, and is, therefore, fain to stay within
doors.
That Outram's position is perilous, even this writer—
who takes such a cheerful view of the whole affair as
to permit the publication of his letter in the Indian
papers—admits :
Our general is crying out loudly for large reinforcements.
I believe he expects part of the force from Delhi shortly.
It will be impossible to send him a large force from Cawn-
pore under a fortnight at the very least.
' The report of Mann Singh and all the landowners
of Oude having declared against us is contitmed.
The rising of Maun Singh is thus explained by a
Calcutta correspondent, and the explanation is
curious as an illustration of the nature of that policy
which guides the Calcutta Council :
Mann Singh is one of the largest property owners in
Oude, but both by the late King and by our Government
he had been deprived of a considerable portion of his
estates. Throughout this struggle he had, up to a very
recent moment, remained neutral ; he had saved the lives
of several of our ladies and countrymen ; and he had
caused it to be intimated to our Government that on receiv-
ing • promise of being reinvested with his forfeited estates
he would exchange his neutrality for active co-operation.
Our Government was pressed to accede to this offer by
some of our ablest public eervants ; but they did not at all
like the proposal, and temporised. General Havelock's
early repulses, and the distressing accounts which came in
from Lucknow, caused them to reconsider the proposal,
and finally about a fortnight ago they agreed to it. Before,
however, their consent could 1 e conveyed to Mann Singh,
► that powerful vassal, despairing of ever obtaiuing it, had