The Press.
London, England, 1857-08-22 00:00:00

THE PRESS, AuGusr 22, 1857.

being mounted, could not well reach me), my entreaties
were listened to, and they let me go, saying, " Had you not
asked for mercy in the name of the Prophet, you should
have died like the rest of the Katfirs." I was dreadfully
excited and could scarcely stand, but as I felt that I must
proceed I continued my journey. I again met a lot of
Tifahomedans, who rushed up to me and said, " Here is a
Ferungee ; kill the Kaffir." They then said to me, " Yon
Ferungees want to make us all Christians." They then
dragged me away to a a village about a mile or more from
the road, and tied my arms behind me, after which one of
them said, " Karreem Buz, go and fetch your sword, and
we will cut off the Kaffir's head." While Korreem Buz
was gone to fetch his sword that was to launch me into
eternity a cry of" Dhar, dhu," was made by the villagers,
and the Mahomedans who were keeping me ran off to look
after their own interests. I rushed off and ran with all my
strength to the road again, and escaped from those un-
merciful beings. I continued to run along the road
towards Kurnaul ; I was again stopped by some ironsmiths
who were employed in the Delhi magazine, when one of
them said, " Sahib, don't fear, come with me to my village,
and I will find you food; if you go on you will surely be
murdered by the Mahomedans, who have turned out from
the villages to rob and kill the Ferungees." I went with
the ironsmiths to their house, and was most humanely and
kindly treated, one giving me a dhotee, another a cap,
another some milk and native bread; I felt my life was
safe, I was much excited and could scarcely speak ; they
gave me a cot, on which Ilay down, but could not sleep.
At Jhansi fifty-five Europeans held their ground
bravely in the feat till their principal defenders were
killed, when the rest surrendered. It would have
been better for them to have died " in harness ":

From the evening of the 4th until noon of the Bth the
gentlemen in the fort kept good their position, the ladies
assisting them in cooking for them, sending them refresh.
manta, casting bullets, &c. There were fifty-five in num-
ber altogether (Europeans), inclusive of the ladies and
children, and they began to get very much straitened for
want of provisions, dtc. Behind all the gates they had
piled high heaps of stones to strengthen them, and kept
up so good a defence that one of the cannon which had
been brought too near the gates was abandoned, and it
was only by fixing ropes to it in the night time that the
mutineers were able to regain possession of it. Lieute-
nant Powys was the first person killed in the fort. The
way be met his death was this :—Two men, brothers, in
Captain Burgess's employ ( one was his jemadsr) declared
that they would go out. They were told that they would
be shot down if they attempted it, but they said they
might as well be shot as stay there to be starved, and
accordingly commenced undoing the fastenings. One
was shot immediately; the other turned on Lieutenant
Powys, who happened to be near him, and cut him dos n
with his talwar. This one also was directly shot by Captain
Burgess. The only other person killed inside the fort was
Captain Burgess himself, who received a bullet in the head,
after having, I am told, with his own hand, killed no less
than twenty-five. All the natives spoke of his great skill
as a marksman.
The mutineers at last, having forced the ranee to assist
them with guns and elephcnts, succeeded in effecting an
entrance at two of the gates, and they promised the gentle-
men that if they laid down their arms, and gave themselves
up quietly, their lives should be spared. The gentle.
men unfortunately trusted to their word and came out.
They were tied in a long line between some trees, amt after
a short consultation had their heads struck off. Such
ladies as had children had to see them cat in halves before
their own turns came. The suwars, it appears, bore the
principal part in all these atrocities. This took place on
the afternoon of the Bth June.
Other private letters detailing at length the
matinees at Mhow, Meerut, Allahabad, Jhansi,
and Bareilly repeat only the same tale of horrors, or,
if they relate the miseries of escape, bring promi-
nently before us the terrible fact that the villagers
on all sides, if in a few individual cases rescue the
poor fugitives, in general rob or murder them. One
writer from Mhow gives ns a graphic description of
the horrors and excitement of the scene :
About haltpast nine p.m. we went to the lines, having
had our tent pitched two or three yards in front of the
main guard. Brooks and I in one bed, after looking at
our horses all ready for action, went to try to sleep. Bat
there was a presentiment on my mind ; about ten o'clock
a small bungalow in front caught fire. I went with one or
two sepoys, who had stuck by me in the morning, to see
who had done it. The men with me cocked their pistols
and looked ominously at me. I returned to the guard.
Martin was in the centre of all the men, talking to them.
I pined him, and observed one man in my troop, a villain ;
he had his carbine, and began to cavil with Martin about
some men Brooks and I had killed in the morning. I,
feeling sleepy, said to Martin, " I'll turn in ;" but, good
God! I had hardly turned my back and got to Brooks's
tilde, when an awful shriek arose from the men, and the
bullets whizzed around us in torrents. The man I had
observed lifted his carbine first, and fired either at myself
or Martin. I leaped out of my tent and saw Martin
rushing across the parade-ground, the wretches shrieking
after him. I reached him, and Brooks followed. We
felt our last moment was come, but we ran for it. I led,
and only screamed, "'l'o the fort," a mile off ! The men
kept following us, and the bullets fell thick. Having got
across the parade-ground, about 500 or 000 yards, we
came to the hill with the church at the top, and, when at
the top, Martin caught hold of me, exclaiming, "For
God's sake, stop !" I caught hold of his arm and said,
Only keep up and follow ;" but at this moment I felt I

was done. We parted, as I thought, only to meet in
death. But, thank God, I rushed on and reached a bun-
galow about a quarter of a mile from the fort. By this
time the infantry had all risen, and as I ran the ground
was torn up with bullets, and they fell thick around me.
Their lines were in a direct line between the fort and ours,
so that we, poor fellows, had to run the gauntlet of both
fires. I felt when I got to the bungalow quite sick and
done. Wonderful Providence ! I saw two natives, and
rushed up to them, and simply took their hands, hardly
able to speak, and said, " Save me !" They did. To
them I owe my life. At the moment the infantry were
coming screaming around. They hid me in a small
house. Oh, those moments ! for I could not trust the
man, and felt sure he would give me up. Some sepoys
came, but did not find me. At last there was a hill. I
opened the door and ran for the fort, my nigger friend
having wrapped me in his own clothing to disguise me.
Can 1 ever make you feel the deep thankfulness that
was in my heart as I ran across the open plain, up the
hill, to the fort? The artillerymen were manning the
walls, and the sentry's call was never more thankfully
received, and I cried, " Friend, friend !" and found
myself safe, safe inside. My native friend had escorted
me safely; but when I turned, as soon as 1 recovered,
he was gone, and I have never seen him since. Can
you realise the scene? I am too excited, and in fact
overdone, to write fully now. The excitement has been
immense. Oh ! we shall have • bloody time before us
indeed, and I can only leave my life in God's hands.

As to the atrocities committed upon the women
and children, they are such as never before entered
into the heart of man to conceive. A terrible retri-
bution will no doubt be taken, as it is deserved ; but
a tremendous responsibility rests upon that Govern-
ment which, by its neglect or ignorance, has
brought upon our unhappy countrymen and women
these heartrending disasters.

VrotttVings in V arliamtnt.

HOUSE OF LORDS-MONDAY.

The royal assent was given to a great number of
bills, and in certain cases in which the Commons
had made amendments their lordships determined
to accept them. On the Dulwich College Bill, how-
ever, they determined to " disagree " upon the
amendments for o'nstituting the governing body of
the college.
The Scotch Lunatics Bill was passed, and several
other bills were forwarded a stage; and the Appro-
priation Bill was read a first time.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS-MONDAY.
DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL CAUSES DILL.

At the morning sitting the committee was resumed
at clause 28.

The ATTORNEY. GENERAL, in reply to a question
from Mr. Henley, explained that the 27th and 28th
clauses, as well as the 29th, were proposed for the
purpose of authorising the court to ascertain whe-
ther there was any collusion in uncontested cases,
and it would be the duty of the court to see that
there was no connivance or combination to obtain
the divorce.

Mr. BovILL proposed that instead of making con-
donation an absolute bar to divorce, it should be left
to the discretion of the court to decide whether it
should be so.

The amendment, having been accepted by the
Attorney-General, the clause was agreed to.

Clause 29 " decrees dissolving marriage."
Mr. Bovn.r, moved an amendment, that no decree
should be issued by the court wherein the petitioner
should have been guilty during the marriage of
misconduct or neglect towards the other party to the
marriage.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL agreed to accept the
principle of the amendment, if the words were so
altered that the decree should be refused where the
adultery of the wife bad been caused by the miscon-
duct or neglect of the husband.

Mr. Bovw. consented to this modification, and
the amendment so altered was inserted in the clause.
He then moved another amendment, to the effect
that the decree should not be granted where the
parties should have been living apart from each
other by consent, previous to the adultery.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL agreed to insert words to
carry out the object.
The words were introduced without opposition.
Mr. Bovll.L, in order to give to the new court the
same discretion as was now possessed by the House
of Lords, moved the insertion, after the limitations
for divorce in the clause, of he words "or where
the petitioner could not as heretofore have obtained
a divorce."

The amendment was negatived without a division.