The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-21 00:00:00

THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 21, 1857.

1130

most important conquest, by which the wile•spread rebel-
lion of the mutinous Bengal army has received a complete
defeat in Upper India. The days of Ciive and Lake are
again revived among us. Neither the devastation of that
terrible scourge, the cholera, nor the deadly stroke of an
Indian summer sun, which have so grievously thinned the
ranks of our small army during the past three months—
the harassing and almost incessant duties of the camp—
the ever-recurring combats with a highly-trained and
veteran enemy, who outnumbered us by thousands in men
and by hundreds in guns of all calibres—the stubborn and
desperate resistance offered by the mutineers during and
since the assault on the 14th instant—nothing has abated
the ardour of our troops, European and native, nor quelled
that indomitable courage and persevering energy which
takes no denial and will brook nothing short of success.
It wilt be for a grateful Government to acknowledge as
they deserve the services of Mlajor•General Wilson and
his army to the British empire in India, but the Chief
Commissioner cannot refrain from offering them the warm
tribute of his heartfelt admiration.
Sir John Lawrence requests that a royal salute may
be fired at all the principal stations in the Punjaub in
honour of the capture of Delhi.
Lahore, Sept. '23.—The last accounts from Gogaira
mention the death of Mr. Leopold Berkeley, Extra Assis•
tant Commissi•,ner, a most promising officer, whose loss
is much to be regretted. lie fell fighting manfully, and
cut down five or six of the enemy with his own hand,
besides shooting llhawul, one of the leaders of the Fut-

tianahs.
No sign of a mutineer is now to be seen at Delhi.
They abandoned their camp outside the Ajmere
Gate ; in their hurry leaving all their sick and
wounded who could not walk; ..heir drums, band in-
struments, clothing, bedding, cooking pots, &c., and all

luxuries.
Cholera has shown itself in the town. Dead bodies and
carcases were being removed. The stench in some places

is described to be unbearable.
Lahore, Sept. is the painful duty of the Chief
Commissioner to announce the death of Brigadier-General
John Nicholson, on the morning of the 2:lrd instant. This
officer, it is well known, led the attack on the memorable
morning of the 14th inst., when the city of l)elhi was as-
saulted and captured. On this occasion Cr( neral Nicholson
was mortally wounded.
General Nicholson's loss is greatly to be deplored. lie
was an officer of great promise. lie possessed some of
the highest qualities of a soldier—brave, sagacious, and
devoted to his profession. The Bengal army contains no
more able or more noble soldier.
Lahore, Sept. 27.—There is nothing of importance to
communicate from Delin, where Mr. Saunders, the offi-
ciating commissioner, is engaged in reorganising a police,
settling the count'', and rt-establishing order.
A letter from Delhi, written after the siege, says :
The city is completely deserted by all the mutineers,
and in teet there are few natives of any sort to be found,
excepting those of our army. All the city people found
within the walls when our troops entered were bayoneted
on the spot ; and the number was considerable, as you
may suppose when I tell you that in some houses forty
and fifty persons were hiding. These were not mutineers,
but residents of the city, who trusted to our well-known
mild rule for pardon. I am glad to say they were disap-
pointed. The mutineers abandoned their camp outside
the city in such haste that they even left their sick and
wounded to look after themselves. Their band instru-
ments, bedding, clothing, in fact all they possessed, fell
into our hands. It is said they have made off for Gwalior,
and that a stand will be made at Bulluhgurli, where there
is an independent chief of doubtful politics. I think most
likely they have gone to their homes in Oude, and it is
there se shall require a large force and great vigilance to
hunt them down in the ensuing cold weather.
In another we read :
Women are flying frantically about in all directions,
unmolested by our troops, but in awful fright ; property of
great value lying about the streets everywhere, and the
enemy in hundreds hurrying away from the doomed city,
631110 say to Gwalior, via Munro, where I suppose they
will make another stand. The slaughter of the enemy
has been very great ; and in the smaller thoroughfares,
where our troops had to fight from house to house, the
sepoys fell where they were found, entreating the Sahib
1)k, as they cailad our Europeans, not to give them the
cold steel but to shoot them at once.
The following is an extract from a letter, dated
Sept. .25 :
Riots occurring daily on account of plundering. Some
men of a native corps actually fired en a guard of ours
to-day, in consequence of the men preventing them from
breaking into a house where valuables were secured. Our
men wounded some, and took two prisoners, who will 110
doubt, according to order, suffer death. It is almost im-
poAsible to prevent looting, the city is so large. I have
heard about some :tidies being murdered on our entering
the city, but no authentic news of it. The Sergeant-
/460t of the 28th N. 1., the scoundrel who gave every
assistance to the mutineers in Delhi (a European) during
Vieir temporary occupation, was taken prisoner, endea-
vouring to effect his escape with the King. He was in
native uniform. lie formerly belonged to the artillery,
ala no doubt rendered good service to the rebels in the
c 'pitchy of a guiltier. Ile is now in our guard in irons,
and 1 hope the villainous traitoc may get his neck (halo-
c ; lie is a cutthroat-looking beggar, and no doubt
his life has been spared for the present so as to pump him.
I am just called, so must say good-bye.
News from Delhi, via Lahore, has been received
to the 3rd instant. Greathed's column was to move
on to Anoopshuhur, on the Ganges, on the way to

Rohilcund. General Wilson was reported to have
resigned command of the field force from ill-health,
and to have been succeeded by General Penny, C.B.
An extract of a letter from a staff officer, dated
the 17th September, completely supports the view
we have held as to the impossibility of Delhi having
been taken a day sooner, and supports his opinion
with facts to which we venture to.call the attention of
our readers :

I only wish that those who have been decryinr, this
little army and talking of the ease with which Dell'n was
to be taken could but pay it a passing visit. There has
been no such tough work, it is my opinion, since we first
came to India. As to the strength of our force, I had a
tabular statement made to show how we stood at different
dates on the Stli. You see, when we made the first ad-
vance we had less than two thousand European bayonets,
and of these about two hundred must have been pat hors
de combat in the action of Bedlee Its Serai, when poor
Chester was killed. To have tried to enter the city that
day with the irregulars would have been mere madness ;
though many blame General Barnard for not attempting
it, and talk of Gillespie's gallantry in rushing into Vellore.
Had we gone beyond the position we took up on the ridge,
we should probably have lost half our force and all our
baggage. There was such a howl and outcry, however,
front every quarter about the absolute necessity of taking
Delhi at once, and General Barnard was so urged on by
one or two hot spirits in camp, who were always talking
of the British spirit of the days of Clive, that he decided
that an assault should come off on the 13th of June.
You will see what our force was on that date; and with it
we had not only to take and keep the city but to guard our
large camp. Fortunately some accident occurred to delay
a portion of the force, and the attack was postponed.
You will see by the return that troops came in to join ns
from time *o time in driblets, but we had never till the 3rd
of August anything like a decent force..vith which to carry
on operations; and the wonder to me is, our coming off
sc well as we have done—and this Will be the universal
impression when all is known about the siege. Wilson
has shown himself a very good man for the occasion.
Nicholson is out and out his best brigadier; and this
rather militates against the arguments they are using in
the House as to the impropriety of employing military
men in civil capacities. for Nicholson has for many years
been employed in the Punjaub civil service.
- - •

. -
You may rely on the accuracy of the return ; and 1 dare
say that the numbers entered on the sth as " fit for duty "
will be very much the same as we had on the 11th, the day
of the assault; for though Wyld's corps of Sikhs and two
or three hundred Europeans joined in the interval, the
sick increased up to about 3,000, and there were a good
many casualties in the intervening period. Sickness is
now, I am happy to say, on the decrease, and the men are
coining out of hospital. I wish the mail was a few days
later in leaving, that we might tell you of our occupying
the palace, and this we expect to do in three or four days.
There is said to be only one regiment of mutineers there.
Several sepoys tried to pass our guard this morning dis-
guised as women. They were instantly shot.
Numerical Abstract of the Non.commissioned Officers and
Privates of the Field Force before Delhi, exclusive of
the Jbeend and Cashmere Contingents.
Camp before Delhi, Sept. 5.

June 8. June 13.' July 2. July 17. Aug. 15.! Sep. 5.
A A A A
"c t lt 5 'et slt r 3
-ceT, err. pC., gC7
AI t .1d
.2
:•;' 44' 15 2 0 .72 0 ; 2
o• la ao C 4
7."
ART.
Euro. 467 3 450 33 556 46 560 65 627 7A
Kati.. 19i 146 7 241 11 358 14 693 67
SAPS.
Euro. 44 43 1 33 8 18 8 2C 5
Nate. 192 15 171 27 16, 38 436 57 569 78
CAT.
Euro. 617 26 611 35 585; 47 377 59 556 73
Nat'l. 242 26 42v 17 36: 35 505 66 880 74
1$?.
Euro. 199 47 1017 189 2961 126 2144 510 3119 678 • •
Nets. 411 25 765 103 112 135 1150 394 2821 380 8511 236:
Total ,419: 212 .4359 112 11061, ):7 ,6031 1103 9291 1433 8311 176,

127165

23C.5

• The sej

details of this not given.
Ot• the native artillery and cavalry present with theforce
on the sth June it was found necessary to disarm a consi•
derable portion. Since the sth September Wyld's regiment
of Sikhs have joined the force; also the Jheend Contin-
gent, of about SOO strong, and part of the Cashmere Con-
tingent, of about 2,000, have joined. The number of sick
and wounded amounted to about 1.500 on the llth Sept.
The following is from an Engineer officer, who writes
in excellent spirits :

The Camp, Delhi, Sept. 21 to Sept. 27.
Here we are at last, thank God, having kicked out those
rascals neck and crop after a twelve days' attack. The 11th
was the storming day, as I told you, and I got knocked over
the day before, which prevented my being present. We
list abott'. tit officers and 1,100 men out of :1,000 who went
in. Some men say there never was harder fighting, and
when we got inside the brutes disputed every inch, till
yesterday we shelled them out of the palace, charged, and
took it with no loss, and all the villains in the city bolted ;
it is all ours now. Our men have been really most
humane ; they would not kill a single man who was not a
sepoy, and I am glad to say not a woman or child was
touched: but when I saw sturdy brutes of men, the very
el►sa who committed all the atrocities, allowed to pass not
1 could not help wishing some of the soldiers would drive
their bayonets through them ; but I did not say so cut loud,
as they are very apt to take you at your word.

day,
are
fire,

Sept. 23.—We have all moved down to a capital house on
the bunks of the river in the city the breeze is delightful,
and we are all getting as fat and jolly as if we were at
home. We are getting on capitally ;we have got the King
—the great Mogul—prisoner, and are only waiting 14
leave front Calcutta to hang him. His eldest son and heir,
Mizza Mogul Beg, a most infernal scoundrel, who set the
example of murdering the Europeans, was caught and shot
like a dog, and his sun, a man of about twenty years old,
as well as the King's second son, AI izza's brother. I saw
all the three bodies exposed in the Kotwallie this morning.
I am happy to say we are not so lenient as we were. Two
of our native sappers were murdered in the city, an we
went out and hunted up about fifty or sixty ineu—thorough
rascals—and our men have been shooting them ever since.

I saw twenty-four knocked over, all tied-together against
the walls ; and when you hear those wretches, when they
see they have no chance, coolly tell you, " Well, you may
shoot me if you like; I killed three Europeans in the
glorious massacre," you lose all honor at the sight, and
only wish the:, had cat's lives to take them all.
Only four Victoria Crosses have yet been given in the
army—one to Lieutenant Home, Engineers; one to
Lieutenant Salkeld, Engineers; one to Sergeant
Smith, Sappers and Miners; and one to a bugler in
her Majesty's 52nd. So you see we got three out ef the
four in our corps. Poor Salkeld is so badly wounded lam
afraid he will never wear his. However, the red ribbon hes
been better than any medicine. I am sure I would have
given my left arm for it, and I might have had a chance, as
I should most probably have been with Salkeld, blowing up
the Cashmere Gate, had it not been fur that wretched grape
the night before.

We are wonderfully comfortable in our new house ; it
; a powder manufactory in the days of the Mogul, and
isequently our servants accidentally blew us up the other
and killed one of themselves. But these little excitements
necessary. After being three month, every day under
the change is so great that we were thinking of paying
n to fire at us daily, and so let ourselves down to a quiet
life by degrees. . .
about the back streets of Delhi, as yesterday an officer and
myself had taken a party of twenty men out patrolling,
and we found fourteen women with their throats cut
from ear to ear by their own husbands, and laid out in
their shawls. We caught a man there who said he saw
them killed for fear they should fall into our hands, and
showed us their husbands, who had done the best thing
they could afterwards, and killed themselves.
We took about 280 cannon, with shot, fie., for about
three years. Without artillery they are no good; with it
no despicable antagonists. There are no better gunners
anywhere, as we discovered in this siege. By returns we
lost 1,330 men and 64 officers during the assaults only.
Tolerably bloody work. Our loss in the assault, out of IM
officers on duty, was 1 officer killed ( poor Tandy), 10
wounded, many severely—one, I fear, mortally; 1 the day
before the assault, 1 after. Total 13, out of 18; a tolerable
number, for there were 7 or 8 who were on another pert of
the work whom I don't count, and who are on the strength
to assist the unhappy remaining 5 now. lam glad to say
there is not much work for us just now. At present,
indeed, cut up as we have been, we could not do it if we
had much ; as, what with officers thoroughly done up since
with fever, and others sent out with moveable columns, our
26 for duty are reduced to 4.

An officer of her Majesty's 52nd Light Infantry,
writing from Delhi on the 2snd of September,
says :

The wounded men are all going on beautifully, and the
weather is comparatively cool. Fever is disappearing, and
the men are coming out of hospital. At one time we had
actually 340 men sick out of about 020; we now have only
about 150, counting wounded. We lost one officer killeJ
—Bradshawe, a very fine young fellow, who fell charging u
gun in the streets.