The Press.
London, England, 1857-10-31 00:00:00

THE PRESS, OCTOBER 31, 1857.

There may be some exaggeration, but in the main I am
inclined to believe this report, as the man has always sent
us correct reports on the whole.

After this the report of the total occupation of the
city on the 20th may be accepted, but we may be
sure only after very hard fighting.
The following was received by express from
General Roberts, commanding the forces at Ahme-
dabad, who despatched the intelligence to the Go-
vernor on the 29th of September :

By express through Dr. Derinzy, Residency surgeon,
Jeypore, the 23rd of September, five a.m.—We have this
moment received information from the Durbar of our
troops having occupied the entire city of Delhi on Sunday
last, the 20th. The Vakeel of the Jhujjur Nawab had
been here a little -a hile before with the same intelligence,
so you may rely upon it. The King is said to be in the
Durgah Nizam•oodeen, about six miles from Delhi. He
and his two sons escaped disguised as women, and the
women of the Zenana iu men's clothes.
It was reported at Ahmedabad, upon the strength of
letters from Ajmere, that the King of Delhi hail been cap.
tured.

So much only is known of the assault and capture
of Delhi. When full details arrive, we shall no
doubt learn that it was as gallant and desperate a
struggle as ever was won by British troops. The
city, it is clear, was fiercely and obstinately defended
foot by foot by the rebels, and the courage and per-
severance of our soldiers and their gallant allies we
may feel confident was worthy of the reliance placed
in them. The next great object of the war, the
relief of Lucknow, is not announced by this mail.
General Outram, who by the last mail anticipated
reaching Cawnpore on the 9th September, only
reached there on the 17th. The difficulties of
transport were so great. A body of the rebels also
disputed his progress :
A party, estimated by its subsequent destroyer at about
300 strong, with a few guns (the number is not men-
tioned), crossed the Ganges from Oude, presumably for
the purpose of plunder, at a point ahead of Sir James's
line of march. As soon as they were heard of Major Vin•
cent Eyre, of old Affghan and recent Arrah celebrity, was
sent on with part of his own battery, detachments of the
sth and filth Foot, and a troop of Irregniar Horse, to
attack and disperse them. On the major's aprroach the
enemy hastily betook themselves to their boats, pursued
by the cavalry, upon whom, when they had re-embarked,
they kept up a smart fire. Even when the infantry came up,
and poured volley after volley into the crowded boats, the
rebels still made what defence and return they could, but
when the field pieces opened with grape they threw them-
selves panic-stricken into the river, to perish almost to a
man under the fire of all arms that rained upon them from
the bank. The boats were sunk and the gilds with
them.-- Times cor.

This was on the 10th of September. On the 15th
the head-quarters of the sth Fusiliers and the re-
mainder of the 78th Highlanders reached Cawnpore,
and Sir James with the rest of the force being ex-
pected on the following day, orders were given by
General Havelock to prepare to commence the
crossing of the river at half-past two the next morn-
ing. The crossing, however, either did not take
place, or at least was not completed before the 19th,
for a despatch from Benares, Sept. 20th, states that
" Generals Outram and Havelock report from Cawn-
pore en the 19th, at six p.m., that the troops crossed
that morning without opposition, skirmishing only
with advanced posts." The word " skirmishing"
inadequately, as we may fear, represents the amount
of resistance encountered by the troops, for is is quite
certain that the rebels ware in great strength on the
opposite banks, as the following letter testifies :
Cawnpore, Sept. 19.

In the course of the past week we have hal augment a-
tions to our army from the lower provinces, and more
are daily expected. General Sir J. Outram, with seven
hundred bayonets and one horse field battery, is to come
in to morrow from Allahabad, and it is said that we await
the arrival of some eight hundred more, ere a move to
Lucknow will or can be effected. Morning and evening
parades and roll calls are quite the order of the day,
together with the training of the volunteer cavalry in the
use of the sword, Ste., as also our new horse battery,
which has made wonderful progre.s. This morning the
battery was out manoeuvring the guns, firing blank to see
the effect of the shock on the young horses. I am told
they stood the fire well, and with a few more exercises
will be deemed efficient for the field. The enemy are
working like bricks on the other side of the river, erect-
ing breastworks, batteries, and mining the roads. A few
days since they had an experimental explosion of one of
these mines, but the simpletons had the train set on the
wrong way, and when a great mob had congregated to
witness the burr a tamadia—tarunsha in truth !--for it
sent some 3,001 or 4,000 kicking in the air. Yesterday
we sent a reconnoitring party of one hundred men on
board the Hon. Company's steamer Ile rhampootra, but the
vessel, on crossing the Ganges. got foul of a sandbank
and stuck fast. No sooner did the rebels notice this
mishap than they thought it a good chance to sink the
vessel, which they considered a great bore, and blazed
away their guns at her. On hearing and seeing this we
replied to them by our 21• pounders from our iutreucbed