The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-26 00:00:00

THE PRESS, SEPTEMBER 26, 1857.

We have luckily about 1,500 Europeans with two
battens in and about Benarcs, Some zemindars
of Oude have come forward and offered assistance,
which will perhaps be accepted. We have an in-
trenehment at the old fort at Rajgbant, and it is
pronounced by engineers and others to be impreg-
nable if protected by two or three companies of
Europeans with guns well placed. We are putting
the old fort at Chutier in a state to stand a siege, and
we have provisions there fur two months.
From an officer in the 50th-Madras Native In-
fantry :

Camp, Ghooty, Aug. 4.
My dear —, You will be rather surprised to see
..he direction at top, unless a notice in the Indian
Gazette has caught your eye, which would inform
you of the fact that the 50th Madras Native Infantry
forms part of a moveable column, under Brigadier-
General Whitlock, for field service wherever required,
and as at present the whole of Central India, and at
good part of the Nizsm's dominions, are in a highly
disturbed state, the where we are going to and the
when we may return are scarcely worth speculating
on. All we know is that we are bound for Kurnaul,
where the rendezvous of the column is, and, when
collected, we are first of all to clear the country
round about of the Rohillas—precious hard work but
very little fighting, as these gentry generally prefer
to run away to live to rob another day—fighting,
unless for plunder, being quite out of their line.
This done, we move on to Secunderabad, where
there have been disturbances, and from thence, in
all probability, north, to co-operate with the Bombay
field force in the soni.hern Mahratta country; so you
see we are in for a pretty long campaign, if campaign
it can be called. We marched from Bangalore on
the morning of the 23rd, and arrived here (102
miles) this morning. We move on to- morrow
towards Kurnaul, which we are to reach on Saturday
by a forced march. The force with us at presen
consists of a squadron of her Majesty's 12th Lancers
three guns, anu a troop of native horse artillery
We are to be joined at Kurnaul by the right wing
of the 74th Highlanders, a squadron of the 3rd Light
Cavalry (natives), a squadron of the sth Light
Cavalry (also natives), two guns, field battery (Euro-
pean), and 500 irregular horse. We are to have
another European, and two more native, infantry
regiments as soon as they can be sent to join us, so
we shall be a pretty little force of about 2,500 in-
fantry, 1,000 cavalry, and five guns—rather a small
proportion of artillery, certainly, but more cannot be
spared at present. Our men are in high feather,
and greatly delighted at the prospect of active ser-
vice, particularly as they hope to have a chance of
polishing off the mutinous Bengalese. It is rather
amusing to hear them talk about them—they seem
to despise them so thoroughly—the old men telling
long yarns of where they had met them on service,
and of course, according to their own account, the
Wave Madra.sees always took the lead. . . . . Our
colonel is certainly the best officer I ever saw. We
are rather cocky at the selection of our regiment,
as we did not expect it, having just finished a long
march—but a good name at head quarters did :•
for us.

Kurnaul, Aug. tith.
We arrived here this morning all well, and found
the squadron of the sth Light Cavalry, and two guns
(with something else illegible in the letter', already
here. The 3rd Cavalry come in a day or two, but
the 74th Highlanders not under ten days. As this
part of the country is to all appearance tolerably
quiet, I don't think we shall wait for them, but push
on at once for llyderabad, where we may certainly
expect work, as both the Nizam and his Prime
Minister have warned the Resident that they have
no power to restrain the people. If we arrive in
time for the said row, the force there will be the 3rd
European Regiment (900 strong), two-thirds of the
12th Lancers (about 500), and 14 guns (European) ;
6 native infantry regiments, 9 native horse artillery
guns, and about 600 or 700 native cavalry—with
which force, of course, we should have it all our own
way ; but 1 fear some of the native cavalry are not
to be depended upon, being all Mussulmans.