The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-14 00:00:00

THE PRESS, NOVEMBER 14,1857.

Honiton. John Nicholson was born at Virgemont on
the 11th of December, 1822, and having received his
early education at the Grammar•school of Dungan-
non, county of Tyrone, obtained from his uncle a
direct appointment to India early in 1839, where he
arrived in the July of the same year, in time to share
in the famous Cabul campaign. The conquest of
Cabul was followed by the revolt of the Affghans.
At the period of the murder of Sir William 11I‘Naghten
and the massacre of the British troops at Jugdulluck,
Nicholson was in the fortress of Ghuznee, under
Colonel Palmer, and shared with him the dangers of
the siege. There is no need to recapitulate here the
details of that event ; it is enough to say that the
British force found themselves shut up in the
citadel, and, having suffered the extremities of
hunger, were forced to capitulate on honourable
terms. How those terms were broken and how
Nicholson was forced to give up his sword is now
a matter of history, as is also his imprisonment with
his comrades in Cabal and his subsequent restoration
to liberty on the arrival of the gallant Sir Robert
Sale and Sir G. Pollock, the red heroes who
retrieved the disasters of Lord Auckland's Indian
administration. We next find General Nicholson
serving in the Sutlej campaign of 1845-46. At the
time of the outbreak of that war he rendered
important service to Sir Henry Hardinge by watching
and reporting the movements of the Sikhs. He was
also present at the bloody battle-fields of Mood kee
and Ferozeshah, and received a medal for his
gallantry in action. In the second Punjaub campaign,
holding the post of Assistant-Resident at Lahore,
while the siege of Moultan was still proceeding,
Nicholson was sent to seize the fortress of Attock,
an act which be accomplished with credit to himself.
As soon as his services could be spared he accom-
panied Lord Gough in his advance, and was able to
render Sir J. Thackwell some material assistance in
transporting his forces across the Chenab just
previous to the battle of Ramnugger. This gallant
and distinguished general expressed his sense of
Nicholson's services in flattering terms to the
Government. After the battle of Chillianwallah his
friends had the additional gratification of seeing his
services in that engagement acknowledged in Lord
Gough's despatch side by side with those of the late
lamented Sir Henry M. Lawrence. Nor was he lass
distinguished on the field of Goojerat, where Lord
Gough finally routed and crushed the Sikh forces, and
after which he particularly recommended, in his
despatch addressed to the Governor-General of
India, " that most energetic political officer, Captain
Nicholson," as deserving of reward and promotion.
For his services in the Punjaub campaign Captain
Nicholson was promoted by special brevet to the rank
of major in the army, and received the additional
honours of' a medal and a clasp. He had been en-
gaged in civil employment in the Punjaub for some
few years before the outbreak of the recent mutinies,
having bad under his charge the Dera Ishmail Khan
district since January, 1852. Of his activity and
energy in his civil capacity in the Punjaub, and of
his gallantry in defeating the rebel forces sent out to
intercept the siege-train on its way to Delhi, we have
spoken too often recently to make it necessary to add
any fresh meed of praise. The previous mail, it will
be remembered, brought home tidings that Colonel
Nicholson was among those who were wounded in
the storming of Delhi, and now we deeply regret to
have to enumerate his name among those who have
since died of their wounds. Colonel Nicholson's corn
misssions, we should add, hear date as follows :
Ensign, February the 24th, 1830 ; lieutenant,
January the 13th, 1842 ; regimental captain, with
rank of lieutenant colonel, March the 20th, 1848.
LIEUTENANT-GENERAL JAMES GEORGE SMITH
NEILL, of the Madras Fusiliers, was a native of Scot-
land. and was one of whom his native county,
Ayrshire, will be proud. He was the eldest son of
the late Lieutenant-Colonel Smith Neill, of Barn-
weill and Swindridyemuir, was born about the year
1811, and entered the Ist European Fusiliers
(Madras) in 1826. He first saw some active service
in the first Burmese war, under the Governor Gene
ralsbip of Lord Amherst, when he was for a time in
the Adjutant General's department. For a short
time, about the years 1835 and 1836, he held the
command of the escort of the Resident at the Court
of his Highness the Rajah of Nagpore, and about
the same time he married Isabella, daughter of
Colonel Warde. More recently he took part in the
second Burmese war under Lord Dalhousie. On the
outbreak of the war with Russia in 1854 he
volunteered for active service in Turkey, and showed
considerable ability while in command of the Turkish
Contingent. Returning to India at the close of the
war, he took the command of the Ist Madras Euro-
pean Fusiliers, one of the most gallant and dis•
tinguished regiments belonging to the service, though
recently characterised by Sir Archibald Alison in his
speech at Glasgow as i‘ new to fame." On the