The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-12 00:00:00

MILITIA MOVEMENTS.

The Royal Wiltshire Regiment of Militia will bo
embodied in about three weeks.
The 6th West Yorkshire Militia are to assemble at
Halifax for training on the Ist of October, the same
day as the sth are to assemble at Knaresborough.
The Royal Berkshire assembles on the Ist of Oc-
tober. It is not yet known what the destination of
the corps will be. On the last occasion of its em-
bodiment it was sent to Corfu.

The 2nd Regiment of Staffordshire Militia will be
embodied without delay, but in consequence of the
absence of the Lord Lieutenant (Lord Hatherton)
no precise day for the assembling of the regiment
has been notified. It is expected that shortly after
its embodiment the regiment will proceed to the
south of England, to perform garrison duty.
The Royal North Lincoln Militia will be called
out immediately. The warrant has just been received
from Lord Panmure by Mr. Toynbee, solicitor of
lieutenancy, and forwarded to the Earl of Yarborough,
the Lord Lieutenant, who will fix the day for the
corps to assemble. This fine regiment is one of the
fourteen which, it is supposed, will be asked to
volunteer to some of the stations in the Mediterra-
nean, so as to release the regulars for active service
in India.

The Oxfordshire Militia have received orders
from his Grace the Duke of Marlborough, as Lord
Lieutenant of the county, to assemble on Friday, the
18th day of September, at the Militia Armoury in
the city of Oxford.

Of the Irish Militia two additional regiments have
received tho order of embodiment—namely, the
Armagh Light Infantry and the Royal Tyrone
Fusiliers. It is believed that a larger embodiment
is contemplated, with the view of filling the gap
caused in the home establishment by the despatch
of the troops from Ireland which have been placed
within the last few days under orders for India.

..,~-,,

illE REBELLION IN INDIA.
13

THE most interesting accounts, from private sources,
of the rebellion in India, continue to be published.
The character of the communications is of the same
general nature as previous letters from our gallant
officers and the various sufferers. The neglect of
the authorities and the strange absence of foresight
shown are more clearly brought forward than ever.
On the other hand, the sublime fortitude and heroic
endurance of our brave countrymen, and the cruel
sufferings of our fair countrywomen, are vividly
depicted. An officer of artillery, writing from Mhow,

July 23, remarks :
Since I last wrote to you we have had some very hard
work. On the Ist of this month the troops broke out at
lndore, fourteen miles from here. We were ordered out
with our battery, but when we had gone seven miles and
a half, news came that the insurgents had taken another
road, so we returned and found the station in great alarm ;
some of the rebels had brought up two guns while we
were away, but they were taken by the cavalry. Two of
our horses dropped down dead just as we came in, so you
may imagine the rate at which we went there and back,
having six horses to each gun and six to the waggon.
After dinner we were ordered to clear out of the barracks
into the arsenal, and we got most of the things in by dark.
About half-past eight p.m. one of the native infantry
officers came galloping in, saying that the regiment was
up; in came another from the cavalry with the same story.
Our horses were so knocked up that we placed the guns
inside, so as to play through the gate in case of an attack.
We had forty of the native infantry on guard inside. Next
up came Colonel Platt and said they were outside, and the
battery must be brought out. We could not, for it takes
half an hour to put in horses and get ready. The first
thing we did was to disarm the guard we had inside,
which was done promptly; we found every man with his
piece loaded, and some of them with three balls. There was
only one shot fired on our side, and not one on theirs; the
reason of this was we had them in front of our guns and
could have sent them to " kingdom come " in no time.
During the time this was going on Colonel Platt rushed
outside along with one of the officers of his regiment and
tried to persuade them to come back. We were ordered to
fire; the portfires were lit; and as soon as they saw that
sway they went, so we had no firing inside. It was a great
pity the old colonel was in the gateway, or we should have
mown them down nicely with grape. I must not forget to
mention that Colonel Platt was like a father to the men,
and when he had an opportunity of leaving them and join.
ing a European corps last summer the men petitioned
him to stay. He had been upwards of thirty years with
them, and when the riot took place he had so much confi-
dence in them that he rode up to their lines before we could
get out. When we found him next morning both cheeks
were blown off, his back completely riddled with balls, one
through each thigh, his chin smashed into his mouth, and
three sabre cuts between the cheek bone and temple ; also a
cut across the shoulder and the back of the neck. Two
others were killed, one native Indian and one cavalry
officer—total three. I never saw such mangled bodies in
my life, and never wish to see the like again. Had the
colonel not been so rash we should not have lost a man.
But lam wandering from my story when the battery was
ready away we went, the blaze from the officers' quarters
serving to light us on our way; as we were going there
were several shots fired at us, but we could not see the
offenders, as they generally came from the backs of houses,
&c. However, when we got into their lines balls came
pretty fast, so we unlimbered and gave them three rounds
of grape and round shot, from five 91b. guns and one 241 b.
howitzer. As soon as the first round was fired they fled
to the other side of the river. We then came back to
our little garrison, but got no sleep that night. We
have been hard at work ever since. The first four
nights and days we got no rest. My face and arms are
skinned, the same as if they had been scalded, and my lips
are at the present moment one mass of scabs with the heat
of the sun. We are hanging all we can get hold of; the
gallows is just in front of one of our siege batteries. We
have mounted 12 heavy guns—six in front and four in rear,
also one in front of each battery inside, so that if they take
the outside ones they will have to come through a gateway
up to the muzzles of our 18 guns. In all we have 24 guns,
from 9to 24 pounders. The inside of the place is like a
fair; it is not much more than 200 yards square, and we
have all our horses, bullocks, carts, carriages, furniture, itc.
He predicts for us anything but a speedy settlement
of the country :
Mark my words, there will be great bloodshed in this
country before long. There are old soldiers here
who say this is twenty times worse than auy cam.
paign, for t his reason, we do not know the mo-
ment we may he attacked by the insurgents, or yet
their number. You may be glad of this letter, for it is a
great chance when you may get another, for they stop and
rob the mail. Keep up your spirits and trust in God.
I am sure He will not forsake those who trust in Him.
have seen His hand put forth in our defence already,
and I thank God for our escape. Another thing, the
rains stopped, and we have had none since in here we came,
only one shower ; before the row commenced the rain
came down in torrents. This massacre has sickened all
Europeans, and set them against this country and the
black blood that is in it. I shall never like a black man
again.
We have had already many particulars of the
siege of Delhi, but a sergeant of the 60th Rifles,