The Press.
London, England, 1857-12-05 00:00:00

THE PRESS, DECEMBER 5, 1857.

of the most thoroughgoing and bloody character.
All met their dooms without uttering a word. Such
has been usually the case with the mutineers. In
the executions at Koiapore, no fewer than fifty men
had suffered at var►ous times before one was found
to accept the proff-xed boon of life on condition of
telling what he knew of the mutiny. Near Hindia,
on the Nerbudda, the Madras troops were hanging a
man when the rope broke. He himself adjusted the
rope round his neck with a double turn, and was
then finally turned off.
The South Mahratta country is quiet from fear.
There was nearly an outbreak at Ko!apore on the
25th, owing to a belief that Colonel Jacob was about
to seize the person of the Rajah, but the alarm
passed off.
S►r Hugh Rose is to have the P,►oual► Division,
the present general (Schuler) going for the re-
mainder of his term to Kurraohee to replace General
Scott, removed by the Horse Guards.
Brigadier-General Jacob is said, by the Poonah
Observer, to have involved himself in a dispute with
Lord Canning. The viscount's quarrels seem to he
accumulating.

CALCUTTA.
At Calcutta continued distrust of the Government
exists. Newspapers are warned, not for writing
original articles, but for republishing from the Lon-
don journals, and especially from THE PRESS, articles
which are unpalatable to the Calcutta Government,
and an order prohibiting the importation of the Lon-
don journals is reported to be contemplated by the
Calcutta Council. All information relative to the
state of affairs up country is rigidly suppressed, and
the discontent of the European inhabitants of Cal•
cutta has not been lessened by the passing of the
" Arms Act," nor by the manner in which their
petition against it has been received. By this act
the loyal European and the rebellious native are
placed on an equality ; the former is not allowed to
have in his possession a weapon of defence against
the latter without previously registering it. " When
it is recollected," writes a correspondent, " that this
act was passed for the avowed purpose of disarming
the native population of Calcutta, an 6 that, like the
Press Act, it has been turned into a weapon of
offence and insult against the independent Euro-
peans, it is easy to see that they can only lock for
justice and reparation to England."
As to the state of the country, the best evidence,
writes the Calcutta correspondent of the Daily News,
of the state of disorder still prevailing in the upper
provinces is the fact that we can get no information
for weeks together :
The blow struck at Delhi has by no means paralysed
the mutineers. If they have fled thence, it has only been
to form elsewhere, and I expect they will yet make a deter-
mined stand in Oude.

" I regret to sa:," writes another correspondent,
" the country is in a sad state of disorganisation
now ":

The same reason which the illustrious Metcalfe then
assigned as a cause for disaffection in those limited affairs
may be alleged with eval justice as to the population of
the vast tracts which are now in a disturbed state—habitual
disaffection operated upon by the spirit cf insurrection,
and an invincible antipathy to the European race, excited
by false notions that the time was favourable to throwing
off the yoke Popular disaffection has shown
itself an incident of a military revolt, and though in itself
utterly contemptible and easily put down _when troops are
at our command, it is productive of the most horrible dis-
organisation, and the most atrocious wickedness, when
there are no available means to check it, and it follows,
burning, plundering, and murdering, in the wake of a re-
bellious army. The greater part of Northern and Central
India is now an example in point.
" The class of persons," writes another correspon-
dent, " among whom sedition has discovered itself
embraces men of the highest consideration ":
A short time since, a nobleman, resident in Nagpore,
possessed of twenty-four hies of rupees (240,0001.), and
held in great respect by the British authorities, was found
guilty of treason, condemned, and hanged.
The means of transport at Calcutta are sadly
deficient ; and when we remember that five months
have elapsed from the fist outbreak of the mutiny,
the public may well be astonished at such an an-
thentic statement as the following from the Times
csirrespondent
No great body of troops can be available for another
month, and even then there will be great difficulty in find-
ing carriage. The Government is adopting every expe-
dient in its power to collect means of transport. The
zemindars have been requested to furnish elephants, and
bullock carriages are building in Calcutta. This will,
however, be the great difficulty, and it ought to be sup-
plied from England. It is not too late even now. We
want a dozen little steamers, regular Thames ferryboats,
and 5,1)04) light vans, with covers, and wheels of iron
without tires. It is difficult i.i places to mend tired wheels.
A few thousand tents, too, would be very much in place, if
sent in swift steamers. It has been suggested that Go-
vernment might seize all private carriages, and compel
every zemindar to give up his elephants ; but all revolu-
tionary energy is wanting.—Times cur., Oct. 22.
Another great difficulty now pressing on the Cal-
cutta Government is the disposal of the disarmed

mutineers. There are more than 20,000 men in this
position. One party would put them to death as
mutineers ; another, and a much larger one, would
send them to the Andaman Isles ; a third talks of
disbandment ; a fourth, of reorganisation. The
views of Government are not know, writes the Times
correspondent, but it is most improbable that these
men will ever again be trusted :
One or two regiments may, bat the remainder must at
least be dismissed. At present they are drawing pay for
detaining European troops in inconvenient posilions.
This, however, is not the fault of the Administration.
Government cannot issue its decree until the European
troops have arrived.
The English people of Calsutta have no faith at all
in the religious element as the moving power of this
revolt :

The revolt is in their opinion a great Mussulman con-
spiracy, organised by (I give the name privately).
This individual, partly by working on their religious
feelings, partly by large bribes and larger promises,
secured the principal Mussulmans of most regiments.
They industriously spread the report that Lord Canning
intended to convert the Hindoos, and that the Enfield
cartridges were intended to break the caste, and so render
further measures easy. Having succeeded in obtaining
the support of the influential Hindoos, they proceeded to
plan the massacre of the Europeans. Every European
in Bengal was to have perished on the nig'it of the cen-
tenary of Plessey. The preparations were nearly complete,
when General Hewett's blunders at Meerut saved the
empire. But for the mutineers' success at Meerut not a
European could have survived to tell the tale. By the
mercy of God the telegraph was in existence, and in a few
hours the danger was understood from Peshawar to Tye.
vanc.lre. You know the rest, but I must also record the
universal belief that unless the vengeance of England is as
mighty as the crime our Sicilian vespers may yet be
repeated.
The Calcutta Government is still of opinion that
the movement has been a sudden and unintelligible
burst of fanaticism. In that case two circumstances
remain unexplained. First, the juncture of Mus-
sulmans and Hindoos ; secondly, that the native
Christians, except at Delhi, have not suffered. The
people of Jaunpore, moreover, have offered volunta-
rily to rebuild the mission church and schools, and
in no proclamation issued by natives is there any
mention whatever of the missionaries.