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

ARRAII.

The following is an account of the defence at
Arrah

On Monday, the 27th of July, about eight a.m., the in.
surgent sepoys, the whole of the 7th, Bth, and 40th Native
Infantry, arrived in the station, and having first released
the prisoners, rushed to the Collectorate, where they were
at once joined by the Nejibs, and looted the treasure,
amounting to 85,000 rupees. This did not take long, and
they then charged our bun, ,mlow from every side, but, being
met with a steady and well directed fire, they changed their
tactics, and hi•ting behind the trees with which the com-
pound is filled, and occupying the outhouses and Mr.
Boyle's residence, which was unfortunately• within sixty
yards of our fortification, they kept up an incessant and
galling fire on us during the whole day. They were joined
by numbers of hoer Singh's men, and the sepoys repeatedly
declared they were acting under his express orders, and
after a short time he was seen on the parade, and remained
during the siege. Every endeavour was made by the
rebels to induce the Sikhs to abandon us ; heavy bribes
were offered to them, and their own countrymen employed
as mediators. They treated every offer with derision,
showing perfect obedience and discipline.
On the 28th two small cannon were brought to play on
our bungalow, one throwing 41b. shot, end they were daily
shifted to what the rebels thought our weakest spots.
Finally, the largest was placed on the roof of Mr. Boyle's
dwelling•honse. completely:commanding the inside of our
bungalow, and the smallest behind it at a distance of twenty
yards. Nothing but cowardice, want of unanimity, and
only the ignorance of our enemies prevented our for.
tification being brought down about our ears. During the
entire siege, which lasted seven days, every possible stra-
tagem was practised against us. The cannons were fired
as frequently as they could prepare shot, with which they
were at first unproviled, and incessant assaults were made
upon the bungalow. Not only did our Sikhs behave with
perfect coolness and patience, but their untiring labour
met and prevented every threatened disaster. Water
began to run short; a well of eighteen feet by four was
instantly dug in less than twelve hours. The rebels
raised a barricade on the top of the opposite house; ours
grew in the same proportion. A shot shook a weak place
in our defence; the place was. made twice as strung as
before. We began to feel the want of animal food and the
short allowance of grain ; a sally was made at night and
four sheep brought in. And filially we ascertained beyond
a doubt that the enemy were undermining us; a counter-
mine was quickly dug. On the 30th troops sent to our
relief from Dinapore were attacked and beaten back close
to the entrance of the town. On the next day the rebels
returned. and, telling us that they had annihilated our
relief, offered the Sikhs and the women and children (of
which there were none with us) their lives and liberty i
they would give up the Government officers. August 1
we were all offered our lives and leave to go to Calcutta if
we would give up our arms. On the 2nd the greater part
of the sepoys went out to meet Major Eire's field force,
and on their being soundly thrashed the rest of them
abandoned the station, and that night we went out and
found their mine had reached our foundations, and a can-
vassed tube tilled with gunpowder was lying handy to blow
us up, in which, however, I &) not think they could
have succeeded, as their powder was bad ; and another
stroke of the pick would hive broken into our counter-
mine. We also brought in the gun which they had left on
the top of the opposite house. During the whole siege only
one man, a Sikh, was severely wounded, though two or
three got scratches and blows from splinters of bricks.
Everybody in the garrison behaved well; but I should be
neglecting a duty did I omit to mention specially Mr. Boyle,
to whose engineering skill and untiring exertions we in a
great measure owe our preservation ; and Mr. Colvin, who
rendered the most valuable assistance, and who rested
neither night nor day, and took on himself far more than
his share of every disagreeable duty. In comilusion, 1
must earnestly beg that his honour the Lieutemurt•t.iover-

nor will signally reward the whole of our gallant little de-
tachment of Sikhs, whose service and fidelity cannot be
overrated. The jemudar should be at once made a suba-
dar. Many of the rest are fit for promotion, and when
required I will submit a list with details.
Another officer, writing from Mirzapore, Aug. 11, in
reference to the Dinapora mutiny, observes :
I do not think I exaggerate when I say that the north
west provinces and a part of Bengal are lost. We shall
want 60,000 men (Europeans) to reconquer it. It will be
a startling thing for the English people to learn that the
finest possession under the Crown is virtually out of their
grasp. But let them consider, and they will admit that it
is their own fault ; and when they remember that they
have held a territory as large as Europe with sonic 24,0i0
men, at the same time maintaining an army 01 100,0ild
natives, armed with the best weapons England could give.
them, and disciplined by English officers, they will cease
to wonder at what has happened, and marvel that it has
not occurred before ; but I think I see in this revolution
the beginning of the end. Before six months have passed
over us the natives of India will have learnt that Ina a
very small atom of the power of England has been dis-
played in India, and when this country is overrun with
European troops they will find that the last days of their
prejudices have begun.
I do not suppose that the papers would agree with me
as to our state out here, but the editors are not cn the spot ;
they do not know everything that goes on, and everything
which (to any one who observes) points out the way the
stream runs ; they do not see the faces of the people—they
do not see the faces of the Mussulmans, how they brighten
when they hear of our reverses ; they do not see or hear the
villagers when they refuse to pay their revenue proclaim the
" Augreez Raj " to be at an end. They do not see or hear
all this, but those who are in constant and daily commu-
nication with the natives, who pass them and hear their
talk,—those persons know that what I say is true.
have had myself four or five cases in which the prisoner
has made public his opinion about our government being
ended. If I had my way I would have hung those men,
as they were our subjects and guilty cf treason. The
dunk both going and coming is so very uncertain that this
is the last day (11th of August) 1 can venture to keep
this letter. I still think we shall have no attack on our

position.
After the Dinapore mutineers are gone we have but few
native troops in this direction ; besides which it is about
high time for the mutineers to be fighting among them.
selves. All Behar is in insurrection. Is it not wonderful
how the Sikhs are sticking to us? It has been the
saving of us here. Indeed, if the Sikh regiment who
held the fort of Allahabad when the 6th mutinied, and
for three weeks after, had mutinied also, the whole of
this part of India would have been in the hands of the
rebels. I think they deserve anything that can be done
for them. To he sure, they only do their duty, but where
so many have failed those who " stand firm " shine out
all the more brilliantly by contrast.
A letter from Benares, dated August 20th and 21st,
states that great excitement reigned there from the
advance of the Segowlie and Dinapore mutineers.
"Our preservation hitherto," says the writer, " has
been marvellous :"

Again and again we have appeared on the verge of
destruction. We are only now beginning to know the
perils through which we have passed. Some nights we
lay down in seeming security, when our very houses wero
told off for the assassin. Bet the fiendish men who were
to massacre us " could not find their hands." The Pro•
vidence of God saved us front their violence.

A writer from Simla expresses the general feeling
of surprise and regret at the news brought from
England by the 10th July mail :
This English day's mail strikes every English heart
with dismay, for we find that, instead of apprehending the
magnitude of our deep peril, the lords and Ministers are
disgracefully squabbling, and are, indeed, blaming Lord
Calming for the one hopeful act of his administration.
Massacres, not on!) of men but women and children,
are desolating every station in succession—misery, ruin,
mid death have fallen all around, anl we only wait our•
selves fur the same portion. And we read that the English
public debate about sending reinforcements, and send them
out the longest way !
If the next mail do not bring tidings that they are
sent in very large numbers, every family that has relatives
in India may prepare themselves with trimming, for
nothing but the preserving hand of an Almighty Father
and the fear of future retribution restrains the destroying
knife from our throats. We are perfectly aware that here,
as in other places, at the slightest signal of defeat we
should be sacrificed. I cannot enumerate the many
terrible examples already given of this truth. In our
small neighbourhood alone almost every house counts a
relative or countryman among its members numbered
with the dead. They have fallen either by the knife of
the assassin, the bullet of the mutineer, the round shots
Of Delhi, or the cholera. This last is now in the camp
as well as 'in the country. There never was such
universal mourning, or such a call for earnest and con•
filmed prayer. _ _