The Press.
London, England, 1857-08-29 00:00:00

with wet cloths over our beads, but the deaths from sun•
stroae continue large; that dreadful scourge cholera has
also broken out, and we have lost already seventy fizliting
men. We buried twenty three nights ago at one funeral,
and the shrieks of the dying were something awful ; two
poor ladies who were living over the hospital died, I be.
lieve, from fright. We have now got about 400 men out•
side the fort, and the disease is certainly on the decline.
Up to today we have had little to eat ; indeed, I would not
have fed a dog with my yesterday's breakfast, but our mess
and the headquarters' arrived yesterday, and our fare was
much better today. All the village people ran aws), and
any one who had worked for the Europeans these murder.
era killed, so if the population was to a man against us we
should stand but a bad chance. A poor baker was found
with both his hands cut off, and his nose slit, because he
had sent in bread to us. I need not say how anxiously we
all look for a large army from England. We can hold our
own well enough till it arrives, but India was never in such
a mess, and it requires many a strung arm and a wise head
to put it in order again. The Bengal army is to a man
against us, and I sin very nervous about Madras and
Bombay; one single mischance, and those two armies
follow. I tully expect to go on in advance with the first
party 0) Cawnpore, so shall finish this off hastily, as we only
get a few hours' notice. I have written to my poor wife,
begging her to go home as quick as sae can, for I cannot
bear the idea of her being in such a country at such a time,
and I would give all I have to know she was on her way.
We cannot leave this for the next two years at the earliest,
and this mutiny might spread at any moment, so I long to
hear of her being in safety. lam thankful to say lam in
sound health and lit for a campaign, though itis one I least
expected, and almost envy Mortimer his high stool. I had
a terrible march last week, concluding with a mile and a
halt' in the lry sand of the Ganges in the middle of the
day. I never felt anything like it in my life. One man
actually laid down and died at the end of it. So much for
soldiering.

An artillery officer writing from Peshawur, June
26th, gives an amusing account of the disarming of
the 10th Irregular Cavalry :
We managed to get these doves, as they are called, dis-
mounted within a hundred yards of the guns, sent a party
to seize their horses at their pickets, then commanded
them to lay down their arms, then sent searchers to relieve
them of their paraphernalia, made them take off their coats,
then ordered them to take off their boots. Fancy a cavalry
regiment hard at work taking off each other's boots, under
the influence of artillery ! Each man was then given eight
minas (12d.), the whole secured, marched off to the river
side, where they are to be embarked in boats ani sent
down the Indus, where I expect every mother's son will
have a chance of being drowned is the rapids. To night
we pick out horses to complete the battery from the dis-
banded cavalry. We had a night alarm a short time since;
you know we (the artillery) all sleep at the guns. I awoke
and heard " boom," " boom ;" hearing gnus fired (for so
it seemed) at regular intervals from the tort, we thought
the city had arisen, and a night alarm all through the can-
tonments was the consequence ; we were all at our rendez•
vous in no time. This was caused by the exp.osion of
little mines in the city in honour of a wedding. Well,
next morning the persons concerned and those who worked
at the mines were tied up and received Ruch a flogging as
they will not easily forget. In these times of danger and
treachery we don't bother about the quirks of law, but hang,
shoot, or flog as circumstances arise. We stand no non•
sense here. The general swears he will maintain dis•
cipliue.

And lie gives us in a postscript, as a curious illustra-
tion of the value of the electric telegraph, a remark-
able instance of the deep complicity of the natives
in this vast conspiracy :
What a wonderful mercy the telegraph communication
has been kept up in the Punjaub ; here is a use it was pat
to :—A letter was intercepted at Pindee, which
" Three natives of high rank (giving names) sit in council
to morrow to decide what to do against the English."
Telegraph said. " Let a spy attend and report." This was
done, and in a few minutes after the outlines of the plot
were before Lawrence. Telegraph again, " Hang them
all three." In fifteen minutes more they were hung.
Short work.

The mutiny at Aurungabai does not seem to have
been met with docision. There was a want of
promptitude in the measures takes for its suppres
sion. A gentleman from Ahmednuggur, June 28,
writes:—

Two guns and a squadron of the dragoons were left to
guard the bridge in case of a rising of the Nizam's artillery
or infantry, and we went on up to the cavalry lines, which
we reached at twelve. A long line of white tents, with
horses picketed in front, showed us where they were, and
the general galloped over the ground to select a good posi-
tion. All the officers were of course with their regiments,
so that in the general's staff were only his Aide•de Camp
Macdonald, Deputy- Adj titan t•Geneml Coley, Mayne, Abbott,
and myself. The cavalry bugles were sounded, and men
ordered to fall in on foot except their mounted (native)
officers. Abbott then rode past them, and ordered the
few men who had remained faithful to fall out of the ranks,
leaving the mutineers in a body in front of their lines. The
guns of Woolcombe's battery were then ordered to be
loaded with canister, and drawn up within thirty yards,
and the general, with Abbott and the other four of us, rode
up to the ranks. Abbot was then ordered to speak to the
men, and be did so, asking them their reason for disobeying
orders and for mutinying, reminding them that Govern-
ment never dreamt of attempting to make them change
their religion, and of the punishment which awaited them.