The Press.
London, England, 1857-07-18 00:00:00

THE PRESS, 18, 18576

Corrtsgolthttr.
THE MUTINY OF THE BENGAL ARMY.
TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS."

Sir,—lt is some consolation to know that we have
at least one statesman—Lord Ellenborough—who
has shown himself able to take a wise and compre-
hensive view of Indian affairs ; but we .hould
imagine, from watching the conduct of her Majesty's
Ministers, that they studied his speeches with great
attention, in order that by learning what was right
they might the batter exercise their perverse in-
genuity in going wrong.
When the first news of the Indian mutiny reached
this country, its importance was instantly perceived
by the noble earl, who did not lose a moment i❑
indicating the right course for the Government both
here and in India to adopt. The authorities in this
country seem to have vied with those on the spot in 't
devising the best means of converting a local fire
into a general blaze. Instances of such conduct in
India are so abundant that it is difficult to make a
selection, and it seems invidious to adduce an illus-
tration of fatuity on the part of one official, when
perhaps a more splendid specimen of aberration
might be mentioned of another. At the risk, how-
ever, of not doing full justice to the most deserving,
I will bring forward one or two cases.
Thus, when a spy came to the 9th Native Infantry
to seduce them into revolt, their feeling was so
sound that they delivered him up to the commanding
officer, which led to his being tried by a court-martial
of native officers, and being sentenced to death. The
commanding officer ordered him to be hanged. Upon
this the sepoys remonstrated, saying that as he
belonged to their caste they would all suffer disgrace
if such an ignominious death were inflicted upon
him, and they begged that he might be shot—a
sentence which they considered he richly deserved,
and which they were willing to carry out. As the
revolt had been occasioned by disregarding the pre-
judices of the natives, here was an opportunity—too
good to be lost—of converting a loyal into a mutinous
regiment, by studiously insulting their feelings.
Accordingly, the commanding officer insisted that
the man should be hanged, and the whole regiment
revolted the same night.
This hanging business is an instance of misplaced
severity on the part of an officer who seems to have
mistaken the vice of obstinacy for the virtue of firm-
ness ; but to counterbalance it the Lieut. Governor
of Agra supplies us with an exhibition of lenity
caricatured, for it appears that after the slaughter of
some of our countrymen at Agra, this functionary
issued a proclamation promising a free pardon to the
mutineers if they would be so obliging as to return
to their allegiance or deliver up their arms to the
nearest magistrate.
Without recounting a host of particulars, the sum
of the matter is, that by an elaboration of blundering
and misrule the 13engal army has been brought to
such a state that the Government—which probably
does not tell, and perhaps does not know, half the
truth—admits 30,000 men to be in open mutiny ;
and that our hold of the north-west provinces de-
pends upon the chances of the Maharajah of Gwalior
remaining faithful to our cause.
Now, I have reason to believe, from authentic in-
formation in my possession, that it will not be
prudent to estimate the disaffected at less than
double the Government calculation, and that it seems
in some districts they have the support of part of the
non-military population.
Such an important stake as we hold in India, with
its hundred and sixty millions of people, its exports
of twenty millions a year, and imports of thirteen
million, deserves from the Government the con-
sideration that Lord Ellenborough demands. Lord
Palmerston feels "no alarm." I rejoice to hear it.
I hope that the country may have no cause to regret
the noble loird's eonfidence. It would be gratifying
to know that the Directors share it, but I venture to
say, sir, that no man acquainted with India regards
this crisis without alarm.—l am, sir,
A BENGAL RESIDENT.

GOVERNMENT COALS AT CEYLON.
TO THE EDITOR OF "THE PRESS."

TRINCOMALEE, June 3, 1857.

Sir,—This port, you are aware, is the principal
naval station in the East, the place whence our
Eastern fleet draws its supplies of scores—amongst

others, coals.
On Monday, the Ist inst., the small steamer, Fire
Queen, put in here to coal in all baste—being on her
way to Gallo for the purpose of embarking as many
troops as she can carry and we can spare in this
Indian emergency, and having run short of coals in
consequence of a gale in the Bay of Bengal. It is,
of course, a case of the greatest possible urgency.
Every moment is precious. livery artilleryman and
white soldier landed at Garden Reach will be worth
his weight in gold, if landed without loss of time.
Well, sir, when the official at the dockyard here had
made up his mind to spare some coals for the use of
this steamer—an operation, by the way, that took
some consideration—the engineer on board proceeded
o examine the dockyard stock in baud (the supply,
and the only supply, available for coaling her
Majesty's steam fleet should it call here), and at
once pronounced it utterly unfit for fuel. What was
he to do ? It was Hob..son's choice. What was done
was this :—The Fire Queen had to remain here until
lute last night, the Customs authorities having con-
tracted to supply her with► a certain quantity of
firewood ! The supply of coal for her Majesty's
navy at this station—the Malta of the East—and at
this crisis, is condemned as worse than useless. The
engineer compared it to gravel !
The lesson learned in the Crimea has been, it
would seem, already forgotten : perhaps it never was
intended to apply to Ceylon.—l am, sir, your
obedient servant,

A RESIDENT AT TRINCOMALEE.

BURNING OF AN AMERICAN STEAMER.
THE last mail from New York brings us full intelli-
gence of the terrible disaster which befel the
steamer Montreal. A correspondent, writing from
New York, thus details the melancholy cats•
strophe :

On the afternoon of Friday, the 26th, the steamer
Montreal left Quebec at about four o'clock for Montreal,
having on board about thirty cabin passengers, and some
four hundred and fifty or five hundred emigrants, mostly
Scotch. When about an hour out, and about twelve miles
above Quebec, smoke was seen to rise from about
midships, over the saloon, and in less than ten
minutes the whole vessel was a mass of flames.
It is not easy to get an exact idea of the amount
of effort made by the officers and crew to arrest
the flames. The accounts differ as to the conduct of
the captain. One passenger, evidently speaking in a
state of great excitement, says that everything was
in confusion, and that there was want of proper manage-
ment. Others say that the hose were got out, and all
hands set at work to extinguish the fire. It is also
charged by one of the passengers that the steamer had
already been twice on fire the same day, owing to the
furnaces being badly secured and the woodwork not being
properly protected by metal sheeting. Be the merits of
these charges as they may—and their investigation may
be left to the legal authorities of Canada—the terrible fact
remains that all efforts to stop the flames were unavailing.
The light, dry deck•houses which furnish the accom-
modations of a first-class river steamer afforded the
readiest food to the fire, and when it was too late
the captain bethought himself of saving the passengers
instead of his vessel. Her head was turned towards shore,
which was not far distant. Unfortunately, the river was
shallow, and the heated machineryliad become unmanage-
able. Within 150 yards of the shore—easy swimming distance
—they struck a sunken rock. The terror of the passengers,
as usual, made the boats useless. Before the steamer's
head had been turned toward shore, the mate had got out
the jollyboat with the purpose of saving first the women
slid children. The emigrants made a rush into it, and
it was swamped. It does not clearly appear that any other
boat was got out, nor is there any statement, so far as f
have seen them, that any passenger was saved by means of
a boat belonging to the burning vessel. The survivors
appear to have been saved either through their own exer.
tions in swimming, or by the aid rendered by the boats
of another steamer, the Napoleon, which left Quebec
at the same time with the Montreal, and at the
time of the accident was about half a mile a head.
She was towing a large boat, and this, together with her
own boats, was sent to the relief of the burning vessel.
It was impossible to approach very near to the flames, and
consequently all persons who were saved had to make some
effort to assist themselves by jumping into the water and
either swimming or keeping afloat until they could be
picked up. The descriptions, as yet imperfect, and given
under the excitement of the first moments of safety,
embody only recollections of rersonal dangers and
struggles ; even these, in flashes, give vivid views of the
agony, the terror, and the madness which in such aeci•
dents always overturn the efforts of the few cool heads to
save lif , and carry the crowd to irresistible destruction.
With a shore within one hundred and fifty yards, with a
friendly steamer plying within easy reach of them, and
with boats close at hand to pick up the stragglers, we
should think at this distance that nearly all ought to have
been saved. Instead of that, there is every reason to be•
lieve that more than three hundred persona were lost.