The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-07 00:00:00

rH E PRESS, NOVEMBER 7, 1857.

THE MUTINY AT JUBBULPORE.

The Edinburgh Courant publishes the following
copy of an interesting letter from a young officer at
Jubbulpore, 52nd Native Infantry :
Sept. 15.—1 am afraid our regiment won't stand. A
rajah and his family near here have been tampering with
4' sepoys. He has been caueht, however, with all his
family, and is confined in the geld. We have just heard a
rescue is to be attempted, so we are all ready.
16th.—Last night tha guns and Madras infantry and
cavalry came in. We are glad to have Europeans among
us. There are twenty gunners for the two guns, one of
which is a 9-pounder, the other a 24-pound howitzer ; so
we are all right.
17th.—The rescue was attempted last night, but our
infantry beat them back with ease. I got out of bed about
midnight and went to see the guns. It was a pretty sight
—the portfirea lighted, and the brave fellows sitting on the
guns. Some bungalows were burnt down towards morning,
but nothing else.
18th.—I have just come back from seeing the rebel rajah
and his sons blown from guns. It was an awful sight; but
they richly deserved a far worse fate. Fancy—it has been
found out that we were all to be rotated alive when caught!!
He prayed, as he was being lashed to the gun, that his sur-
viving children might be spared to burn us. Well, we went
down to where the two guns were drawn up, with a detach-
ment of infantry and cavalry to prevent surprise—the
cavalry rushing about, keeping the people back from the
front of the guns. Soon afterwards the prisoners arrived,
looking very apathetic and nonchalant; their fetters were
knocked Mr on the ground. I was quite close to them,
RS we officers were inside a circle close to the guns, into
which the crowd was not allowed to come. They were
then bound to the mouths of the cannon. The way is
this :—You stand with your back to a cannon mouth,
which is pointed to the hack of the heart—you have now
a very good idea of it. The artillery officer, when all was
ready, gave the command in a load, clear voice," Division !
ready ! tire !" A boom ! A thud as of a body falling—
and all was over. I sin afraid we are all very bloodthirsty,
as almost everyone hail a smile of gratified revenge on his
lips. We all were thinking of Cawnpore. You know I
have a very soft heart, and would most likely have fainted
or got siek at home if l had seen the seine before these
massacres ; hut I can assure you that although I felt
the awful solemnity of two souls going, with a prayer for
murder on their lips, before their God, yet I went up
afterwards with almost gratified feelings to look nt their
faces, still thinking of Cawnpore, Delhi, Meerut, Jhansi,
Bareilly, F3zabad. The old man's face was quiet and
severe (he never had moved a muscle the whole time
before), as was also the young one's ( a man of forty).
Their legs and arms fell close to the cannon mouths,
they being tied; the head and upper part of the body being
blown about fifty yards in front. Quite untouched their
faces were, and quite quiet. It is a very quick death, as
they can feel no pain, the region of the heart being at once
blown away. nose massacres have quite changed me. I
believe I could walk over a recently fought battle-field
quite unwire•‘.
19th.—Our regiment has gone ! Last night, about nine
o'clock, in roshed two of our native officers and some few
faithful sepoys, and told us we had better look oat, as the
regiment was coming to attack us. We immediately turned
out (1 among the rest, in shirt and perjannas, looking as
like a scarecrow as possible). A troop of cavalry and 100
infantry were sent at once to the treasury ; it was a fine
sight seeing the cavalry prancing away in the torchlight.
The regiment went off quietly with colours, regimental
treasury, drummers and all—scarcely a man left. We
are afraid for the officers who are out from us on detach-
ment duty—Lieutenants Barton, Cockburn (of Edinburgh),
and Macgregor. We sent expresses out to them, bet arc
afraid of their not getting off in time. Seven p.m. 19th—
Poor Macgregor has been boned by them ; I trust they
won't torture him. They have written in to us, offering
him to us if we will give up to them the sepoys who have
remained faithful to us. We cannot do that; there are
upwards of twenty of them, and the fate which would
await them if given up would be awful. Some of the
poor fellows have begged us, crying, not to give them up.
I wonder what we officers will do when all is quiet. I
suppose we shall be ordered to some unhealthy depot or
ether till a new regiment is formed, or we are drafted into
different regiments.
20.1t.—The mutineers have gone off to Nagode to join
the 50th, who mutinied on the 15th ult. I forgot to tell
you that, b)-the-sye. Their officers are coming here to-
night ; they spiked the two guns, and blew up the maga-
zine. 20th, six p.m.—Hurrah ! Barton and Cockburn
have come in, very wet and tired with a twenty-five miles'
ride. The sepoys told them, quite coolly, to cut! They
came off. Barton quietly asked for the rupees which were
in his tent, and they were given him without the slightest
hesitation ; and the sepoys promised to send their traps
after them. So you see our fellows have behaved very well.
22nd.—We have just got news fro:u Dumow (where the
column is) of the disarming of our two companies.. . .
But I think we must not have too much feeling for the
sepoys ; they would cut all our throats as soon as wink.
One cannot fathom the treachery of the native character.
We shall probably join the Bombay column ; and
I, as a sick person, will likely be sent with the ladies to
some place of safety. Oh, how I wish I had my health
again ! . . .
24th.—We have just got in one of our spies, who tells
us they have not allowed poor Macgregor any clothing,
and have stuck him on a led horse, guarded by eight
sepoys. No news frcm Delhi very particular. I have
been moved into a tent belonging to a friend, as I cannot
stand the confined air any longer, and am very comfort-
able. It is rather far from the fort, but I can still hear
the sentries challenging. I have very sleepless nights—
not a single good night's rest since my illness began—so

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they in garrison call me their best sentry, as T am awake
all night. I wish you could have a peep of what is going
on bdore me. In front of me, adi Tam lying, is the pic-
turesque encampment, with the white tents glistening in
the ann. There goes a large buffalo, passing within a
couple of yards of my tent. My coolies are some of them
working at a trench raund the tent to keep off wet ; others
cutting stumps of trees ; and one is sleeping. Behind me
are the prisoners, with their chains clanking, working
away at an intrenchment, and now I hear the cavalry
bu3le tra-tra-la-la-ing. It is a pretty sight.