The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-07 00:00:00

INDIA.

THE OPERATIONS OF HAVELOCK.
LUCKNOW-JUBBULPORE.

Tln have not been many letters of interest pub-
lished during the past week, and in the absence of
any further or later intelligence from India we will
confine ourselves to a selection of the most striking
points in the history of the operations of our troops,
or of the movements of the rebels, brought f.rward
by the different writers. With the fall of Delhi,
and in the absence of any details, the public interest
for the moment centres itself upon Lucknow.
We have all "serious apprehensions," as Lord Broug •
ham expressed himself last Tuesday, with respect to the
present safety or future fate of the three hundred
English men and women shut up in the fort of this
city and closely besieged by a population of fanatics
who detest the British rule and who are thirsting for
British blood. At the thought of Havelock and his
gallant few every heart throbs with the ardent hope
that he way be in time. But meanwhile what is the
nature of the obstacles which may impede his pro•
gress? In this case we may, perhaps with some
degree of certainty, anticipate the future by studying
the past, and this opportunity is afforded us by a co-
temporary, who has published a long and most inte-
resting letter from Havelock's camp, written by an
officer of rank. The writer describes wit h much minute-
ness of detail the operations of General Havelock in
Oude previous to the arrival of Sir James Outram at
Cawnpore. It will bo remembered that General
Havelock had crossed the Ganges by the 25th July.
On the 29th the advance towards Lucknow began in
earnest. The force moved off at daylight, and after
marching some four miles came on the village of
Unao, when three guns opened fire, and " a hue of
white puffs of smoke " from the orchard and garden
wall gave evidence that " the matchlockmen meant
to show fight." Our skirmishers carried these out-
posts with a dash, but when the troops attempted to
follow up their success and clear the village " they
were met by an opposition, and which," tells the
writer, "fairly astonished the English soldiers ":

These mud-walled villages of Oude and their fighting
inhabitants are among the most peculiar features of the
country. Every hamlet is at chronic feud with its neigh-
bours, and all of them look upon open rebellion against
the farmer of their taxes as a sacred duty. The conse-
(pence is, that a century of practical experience in the art
of seltdefence has converted these villages into almost
impregnable fortifications, and the villagers themselves into,
probably, the best garrison troops in the world. A
huudred Oude men will flee from ten on the open plain,
but. place ten of the same men behind a loophole mud wall,
and they will hold their own against a hundred, nor think
it much to do. Such► was the case now in the petty village
of Uuao. Our troops were in the palace, and all round it,
yet they could do comparatively nothing, and were dropping
fast under the bullets of their unseen foes. Thrice did a
portion of the best regiment in the field charge a mud-
walled inclosnre, containing a number of men, and thrice
were they driven back, with heavy loss of officers and men.
At length it was determined to fire the place ; the artillery
drew back, portfires were laid to the thatch, and the men
of the light companies stood waiting round the outskirts
with eager eyes and rifles cocked, like terriors looking for
the rats to bolt.
Just at this moment the enterprising field engineer of
the force, who had ridden on round to the front by himself
to reconnoitre, came spurring back in hot haste with the
information that a very large force of infantry, cavalry, and
guns was rapidly advancing from the other side upon Unao ;
whereupon the work in the village was left half done for
the Sikhs to finish, and the whole force was ordered to
turn the village by the right, and move on to the front as
fast as possible.
This was no easy matter, as far as the artillery were con-
cerned, for the ground was heavy, and often the guns stuck
in a swamp for five minutes together, under a galling fire
of matchlocks; but at length the main road was gained
again, and we pushed on through the groves which encircled
the. place.
Beyond these trees lay a level swampy plain of vast
extent, traversed by a raised road, and over this we now
beheld a force of fully 0,000 men coming down at full
swing on our front and left flank, with their guns in ad-
vance, distant about 1,500 yards. Our leading artillery gun
instantly unlimbered, and came into action at the edge of
the grove to check this advance, and give our infantry time
to deploy, while the other guns, as they came up one by one,
went into action in line with the first. By this time the
enemy's artillery had closed to within a thousand yards, and
opened fire. The sun was at the backs of the English
gunners, and they had distinctly•seen objects to fire at.
In ten minutes they had silenced the fire of the enemy's
leading guns, and the whole English force was marching
forward on the foe, with the artillery in the centre, moving
along the raised road. I declare, the disproportionate
idea of such a proceeding seemed almost ludicrous to me,
as I looked forward at the Past musses of infantry sad