The Press.
London, England, 1857-10-03 00:00:00

THE PRESS, OCTOBER 3, 1857.

exhibited among the sepoy regiments of both the minor
Presidencies, which convince us that, although they may
not break out into open mutiny, they can scarcely be
trusted to fight against their rebellious countrymen.
"In the Southern Mahratta country," writes the
Times correspondent from Bombay, " one cannot
but see that the discipline and loyalty of the Bombay
army are slowly but surely giving way under the
strong temptation."
" The state of the Deccan," writes the Daily News
correspondent, " has not improved ":

I have reason to believe that unless Britith troops reach
us within a few days, so as to allow reinforcements to be
sent to Sholapore, we may anticipate some very dangerous
movements on the frontiers of the Nizam's territories.
Had it nut been for the sudden arrival of European troops
at Vizistlroog, the mutiny of Kolapore would have ex.
tended itself in all directions. The appearance of the tt:trd
and 2nd Bombay Fusiliers saved us fir the time. More
British are required to overawe the Deccan. Cul. Jupp's
Horse, at Poonah, are at present in a most unsatisfactory
state. The 25th Bengal Native Infantry, at Mhow, are all
but in open mutiny, and the 12th Bengal Native Infantry
have actually been disarmed at Nusseerabad. Should other
regiments follow these examples, our small European force
will be unable to act with much effect; fur it is already too
much parcelled off into detachments, and the country
people, although they bring us mutineers, because they are
worth so many rupees a head, are not to be trusted. Round
Baroda, Surat, and Ahmedabad, lies a disaffected popula
tion, against whom it is found necessary to march bnial
parties. At Puenah it is thought not safe to go to church
unless a battery of artillery guards the sacred edifice. Fear,
it is true, still cows the rebellious spirit of the Deccan.
The South Mahratta country is frightened by the presence
of English detachments and the punishment of the 2.-ith
Regiment, but no one can tell how long this fear will
operate, or how long the Bombay Presidency will remain
quiet.

On all sides we hear of nothing but fresh mutinies
and disarmaments, though happily nowhere of any
further massacres. Front the Punjaub, from Itajpoo-
tana, and from the Bengal, Bombay, and Madras
Presidencies, this alarming intellig:.tnce is brought.
General Havelock, from "exposure, fatigue, sick•
ness, and constant fighting," has been compelled to
retreat once more to Cawnpore, and for the time to
relinquish all hope of relieving Luckuow. Agra,
safe on the 11th of August, was in want "of urgent
assistance ; and Delhi, up to the 14th of August,
was still in the hands of the rebels.

And first for Delhi. General Wilson, acting
strictly on the defensive, had intrenched his
position and held his ground—but no more :
These breastworks entirely prevent surprises in our
rear, such as we have hod to repel on more than one occa•
Rioll. Behind them our pickets have remained since the
30th of July without being allowed to do more than repel
the incessant attacks of the rebels, who come out day and
night and lose numbers of men in futile efforts to harass
and tire us. Between the 23rd, when they attacked us
and killed Lieutenant Law, of Coke's Rifles, and severely
wounded Major Drought and some other officers, and the
30th July, they remained quiet, apparently taking time for
a grand rush. On the 31st they came out all round, and
kept up a good deal of desultory skirmishing, whilst a large
force moved out in columns, with elephants and gulls,
towards Itohtuck, in our rear. The living stream poured
out behind the Led tiah without ceasing front seven in
the morning till noon. Parties moved also from the north.
western or Cashmere.gate, and wnen they cleared the
town the entrances were closed. The rebels intended to
re-establish in our rear the bridges over a deep nullah
which we destroyed some time ago. They threw as many
as seven, but the stream swelling carried them off, so that
the force returned to Delhi without effecting anything.
Their line marching in and out afforded our gunners ex•
cellent practice, and notwithstanding the heavy firing from
a couple of 9.pounders in position near the Cashmere-gate,
and from the western bastion, our centre and left battertes
made some capital shots. After a desultory attack, during
which the rebels approached as near as a hundred yards
to our breastworks, they returned into Delhi. Buttons cut
off from the uniforms of the dead proved that we had to
deal on this occasion with the IHth Bareilly Regiment, the
57th Ferozepore Regiment, and the 7th Uwalior or Nutt-
!
seerabad Itegitnent.—D. News cor.

That same evening, the canal party having rejoined
the force in front of our position, a combined attack
upon our advanced posts was at once made. It
lasted uninterruptedly for upwards of forty hours :
Never before had the enemy displayed so great an
amount of determination as in this prolonged engagement,
Covered by the fire of several tield•pieces, and animating
each other with loud cries of " Chalo bhai ! " (" On,
brother !") they came nearer to our breastworks than they
had ever done before, though their courage failed them for
the final rush. Our men were kept well under cover, and
with slight loss to themselves inflicted heavy punishment
upon the enemy. When, about noon on the 2nd, the rebels
at length drew off and the firing ceased, their dead and
wounded lay in heaps before our works, and long strings
of carts were employed all the rest of the day in removing
them to the city. On our side fell Captain Travers, of the
Punjaub Rifles, an officer of note in the warfare with the
tribes of the Affghan border, and nine men. Thirtysi of
all ranks were wounded.—Times cor.

The noise in camp (says another writer) was most
alarming, and the roar of the guns from either batteries,
the incessant crack of musketry, the yells of the enemy,
and the shouts of our men gave the idea of a sanguinary
fight raging through the hours of darkness. In the
morning, however, it appeared that we had only lost
twenty•two men in killed and wounded, sod that the
enemy never advanced nearer than twenty yards of our
breastworks.

They were madtlened by bhang (says another
writer), and came tolerably close to the breast-
works :--

During the night they had bugles sounding the advance
the whole time, but it had nut the power of pushing them
forward; they shouted and called out to each other
" Chalo bind ; " they wasted a considerable quantity of
9-pounder ammunition, as they were tiring all day ou
the Ist, all night of the same, and all the 2nd. The
pickets held their own all night; the 60th Mlles made
some excellent shooting. Panay never shows more than
his head ; his musket generally has a good elevation.
Musketry was going on on both sides all day with
scarcely any casualties on our side, though many a Pandy
bit the dirt.

The alarm went early on the morning of the Ist ult.;
but, after falling in, it proved to be a false one, and our
men returned to their tents. However, there was a good
deal of firing all day, and at about six p.m. we were again
turned out. Such a fee denier as was kept up all night
has not been heard since the old Crimean days : the enemy
fired shot and shell into our batteries all night. You might
see as many as six shells bursting in the air at one time.
We could not sleep much, as you may well imagine, as
we expected a general turnout every moment. How-
ever, in the morning we found out what had occurred. The
enemy, no doubt, bhanged up to the eyes, attacked our
pickets three or four times, but were driven back by grape
as often as they came on, leaving their dead and wounded as
a memento of their stupidity. They fired musketry by the
voley, scarcely touching, a man—at daylight, getting more
plucky by our not advancing, they got pretty close, when
the grenadier company of the gallant (list and the Rifles
leaped on the breastwork with a yell, and polished theta
off in style, bayoneting and bulleting about fifty before they
had time to run for it. The tire kept up through the whole
of the 2nd and the night of the Ist with scarcely ten
minutes' intermission, principally on the side of the
enemy—our fellows holding hard till they could make it
tell on them. They were seen carrying away their brethren
nearly all day yesterday, and they are supposed to have lost
somewhere between 200 and 800. Our loss altogether,
killed and wounded, as far as I learn at present, does not
amount to above a dozen or so.

On the day following that of their bloody repulse
the 3rd, the enemy, dull and dispirited, never fired a
shot. So on the 4th and sth. On the 6th they
exhibited a little renewed vitality. An attack on the
pickets was but feeble, and the party that made it
soon returned to the city, but the fire from their
artillery lasted some hours, and cost the life of an
officer, Lieutenant Brown, of the 33rd Native In-
fantry, attached to the Kumanti battalion. Their in-
activity lasted till the 6th, when 2,000 of them made
a slight attack on the Metcalfe picket. But this was
soon relinquished. During the day the rebels made
rapid progress in the erection of a new battery under
the walls of a serai between the Cashmere-gate and
our Metcalfe picket. This work was shelled con-
tinually by our artillery and much injured. A more
serious affair for the mutineers was the explosion of
the powder manufactory, which blew up in the
middle of the clay. Five hundred men are reported to
have perished by this accident. The Kotwal, or chief
native judge, of Delhi, appointed some months ago
by the King, deserted to us. On the Bth the
mutineers were again out, and skirmishing continued
all that day and the next night. The new battery
opposite Metcalfe-house opened, and was almost
immediately silenced. Brigadier Nicholson from the
Punjaub joined the camp on this day, having pushed
on in advance of his column, which was expected
about the 13th, and which consisted of the 52nd
Light Infantry, the remaining wing of the 61st,
Bourchier's field-battery, a wing of the 6th Punjanb
Regiment, and some Mooltanee horse and foot, the
whole escorting a powerful siege train from Feroze-
pore, which included several 10 inch mortars and
howitzers. The oth, 10th, and 11th were spent in
skirmishing, with a small loss of men wounded on
our side.
On the 12th (says the bulletin), as the guns of
the mutineers placed between the Cashmere-gate
and Metcalfe picket had for some days annoyed on
pickets, it was determined to attack them, and they
were taken by surprise by a force under Brigadier
Showers, at daybreak, on the morning of the 12th.
The affair was most successful. The guns captured
were one 21-pounder howitzer, two if and one
pounder, all safely lodged in park in camp. Our loss
was heavy-112 killed and wounded.
The official returns from Lahore supply all re-
maining intelligence known of the position of
affairs :
A Meerut letter of the 10th inst. mentions that num-
bers of the mutineers were leaving Delhi. A body of
about 600 of them were seen crossing the Ganges at
Gurmuchtesur ghat five days previously, anti 250 more
were seen at Keeper making for Rohilcund, all unarmed.

them on, and the officers exerted theMselves to sustain
them ; the men gave a cheer and went at it afresh. The
supports or reserves, ordered to follow, straggled up in
inefficient order, but were unable to press into the work,
as the men in advance, occupying the salient, refused to go
on, notwithstanding the devoted efforts of the officers to
induce them to do so. Whether it was that they dreaded
some secret trap, or some mine which would destroy the
whole of them at once—whether it was that the long and
tedious siege works had lowered their " morale "—or
whether it was owing to the dreadful manner in which their
tivision ( the Light, most injudiciously selected to lead )
had been cut up in previous actions—it ?$ a melancholy
truth that the majority of the assaulting column did not
display the spirit and dash of thorough good soldiers, when
assaulting the euetuy. They refused, however, to retreat,
and scented to look round for aid ; 1 trembled when I saw
no one coming, and looked continually, anxiously, round
for the reserves I considered, as a matter of course, would
be advanced immediately it was perceived thst the leading
columns had failed to carry the position and were cote•
mencing to waver.
It was in vain, however, to look; our generals had left
their reserves about an hour's march in the rear, so that
even if our soldiers had charged forwards, as they should
have done, they would probably have found themselves
comprmnsed, surrounded by the enemy, and immolated,
before any assistance could have been brought to them. I
had just given directions to the fraction of the working party
of WO men told off to tee, which reached the ditch, what
they were to do, and was returning towards the salient,
when the sad repulse took place. What brought matters
completely to a crisis I have never exactly ascertained :
heard directly after I regained our trenches that three
officers of the 41st, after vainly striving to induce the men
to advance, rushed forward together, and were all three shot
down like one man by the cross fire of the Russians behind
their paradow. This was the turning point, according to
this account, of the men's indecision—they wavered and
fled. I was near the countersearp when I saw the whole
living mass on the salient begin reeling and swaying to
and fro ; in a moment I found myself knocked down and
lying on my face, with a number of men scrambling over
me—their bayonets running through my clothes. I
expected to have been stunned and bayoneted, and to have
bean left insensible in the ditch, or shot by the enemy
before I could drag myself out of it. However, at last I
saw an opening, and holding on by my hands and knees,
managed to force my way to it through the moving mass,
and regain my legs. I ran then as fast ns I could towards
our advanced trenches, the grape whistling past me like
hail, and the Russians standing on the top of their
parapets and firing volleys into the crowd of fugitives.
With this extract we must take leave of Major
Ranken's interesting memoir. It is a valuable
aalition to our Crimean literature, and the
ability stamped upon its pages adds another
regret for his loss.

The Story of My Life. By Lord William
Lennox. Three Vols. London : Hurst and
Blackett

AT the close of this long hot summer, equally
destructive to physical energy and critical
acumen, it must be no slight relief to the feel-
ings of• a reader to meet with a book written
in the good old style, and utterly destitute of
that sly intention of making you " wiser and
better" which is so apt to lurk under the
seducing exterior of contemporary novels.
Lord William Lennox does not trouble him-
self about the delineation of " moral thought-
fulness," or any kind of progress towards per-
fection at all. In the words of a clever parody
of " Locksley-hall,"
lie will talk without a " purpose," easy things to understand,
and introduces us to the circles and
modes of life which Colonel G. J. Whyte
Melville has in Fraser just aban-
doned for the Crimea. " The Story of My
Life" is a tale of the Maxwell and Lever
school, full of "fast" life, practical ,jokes,
dims, dancing, racing, private theatricals, in
short, every kind of lark or peril which is
likely to occur in the career of a man about
town before he " marries and ranges himself."
The " Life " of the titlepage has, therefore,
unintentionally perhaps, the same significa-
tion that it bears in the phrase " seeing life,"
and comprehends all that portion of the
hero's existence in which he is occupied in
sowing his wild oats and in preparing for the
comfortable humdrum virtuous existence
which usually results from the adequate per-
formance of that operation.
Arthur Pembroke, son of Sir William
and Lady Pembroke, of Pembroke Ab•
hey near Chichester, after being a " limb "
in the nursery, a " pickle " in the house-
hold, and an " incorrigible" at school,
from which, of course, he runs away, becomes
a midshipman, but, in consequence of an un-
fortunate prelibation of Portsdown fair, is
obliged to try the other arm of his Majesty's
service. As a cornet of the Royal Horse