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

THE PRESS, AUGUST 22, 1857.

and Mhow. The force at Nusseerabad, under the
command of Colonel Lawrence (her Maiesty's 83rd,
Ist and 2nd Bombay Cavalry, and 12th Bombay
Native Infantry), is under orders to march to Agra,
but it is supposed that the numbers of this little
corps are insufficient for the purpose, as Ajmere can-
not be left unprotected.
From Central India the intelligence is by no
means satisfactory. The entire Gwalior Contingent
attached to Scindia, and the personal regiments in
the pay of Holkar the Mahratta chief, have revolted,
and the effect of this revolt was regarded with appre•
hension at Bombay. Sattara, Gujerat, and Baroda
were more or less excited, and the native troops at
the important station of Mhow broke out a day or
two afterwards in open revolt :

Whether or no Scindia has identified himself with the
cause of his mutinous soldiery is not yet known. He may
be stanch, perhaps, or even probably is ; but the old
woman, his adoptive grandmother (I believe that is the
relation between them), who goes by the name of the Bye-
za-bye, is undoubtedly busy bringing to bear against us her
implacable zeal and her well•filled treasury. I know that
she has sent emissaries under the guise of complimentary
visits to the kindred chiefs of Baroda and Kolapore, causing
to the British Resident at the former station an unnecessary
amount of disquiet, of which more presently. At Kolapore
the Resident failed to observe the ulterior object of the
mission, but on reporting the circumstance was instantly
directed to desire the arrest of the emissary.
But if the proceedings and designs of Scindia are as yet
hidden from us, those of the other great Mahratta chief of
Central India are fully known. The capital of Holkar, no
less than the capital of his rival, has been the scene of
revolt. Two of his personal regiments (be has no con•
tingent) mutinied at Indore on the lat of this month. On
the morning of that day Colonel Durand, the acting resi-
dent, observing suspicious symptoms, despatched an es-
press to Mhow for the European battery at that station,
commanded by Captain Hungerford. That officer set out
at once, but was met on the road by a counter•order, in-
forming him that the anticipated mutiny had broken out,
and that Colonel Durand had fled. Captain Hungerford
retraced his steps to Mhow, but the news from Indore
arrived there with or before him, and that same evening
the 23rd Native infantry rose, with the right wing of the
Ist Cavalry, of which the left had already mutinied at
Neemuch. Colonel Platt, of the 23rd, fell, with his adju-
tent, Fagan, and Major Harris commanding the cavalry.
The rest of the officers, with the women and children, and
Captain Hungerford with his guns, got safely into the fort,
and the mutineers after firing the cantonments decamped.
Telegraphic communication with Mhow, interrupted for a
few days, was restored yesterday. The country round was
reported tranquil. Colonel Durand was safe at Sehore, in
the Bhopal country, and on hearing of Holkar's fidelity,
and of the departure of the mutinous regiments for Delhi,
would doubtless return to Indore.

The loyalty of Holkar has been of the last importance to
our cause in Central India. We are not without the means
of judging of the effect that would have been produced by
his defection. The very rumour that the mutiny at Indore
was his doing was at once sufficient to rouse more than
one of the petty chiefs of Malwa. The Rajah of Dhar—you
will see the place on the map just to the westward of
Mhow—whom I remember seeing down here three years
ago, has been bestirring his scrubby little self. His neigh.
boar of Amjhera has actually had the audacity to pounce
upon the town of Bhopawar, where is located the British
Residency for these little States, and to imprison the
officials. His course, however, will soon be run. Not only
is a force moving from Baroda, of Bombay infantry and
Guicowar's guns, but Holkar, among his other good deeds,
is sending a body of well-affected troops from his side, so
that the little Rajah is likely to be shortly dispossessed of
his raj.—Times cur.
The mutiny of the 41st Native Infantry at Seeta-
pore is still obscurely known. The sepoys are said
to have made a complete butchery of the Europeans,
and to have proceeded afterwards to Muhmudie. As
ill luck would have it, the civil officers from that
place and Saharunpore were met by them on the
road and massacred, with the exception of one Cap-
tain Orr, who escaped after witnessing the horrible
fate of his companions.
This sums up briefly the state of Bengal down to
the latest dates. There can be no longer any doubt
but that it is an affair of campaigns, and that the
complete re-conquest of the Bengal provinces is what
we have at present to effect. The sepoys everywhere
have exhibited great bravery in their engagements
with the British troops, and the most excellent mili-
tary dispositions. The troops are entirely under the
command of the subadars—men most brave, able,
and experienced in our service, and in every way
competent to assume the command of an army.
The heavy rains which set in on the 27th of June
will check all active operations in the field for
some months, and will afford the rebels a fatal
opportunity to complete their organisation, and
mahoclise their plans for the ensuing oampaigro.