The Express.
London, England, 1858-05-20 00:00:00

(Stamped ld. Additional.) [TWOPENCE.

explanation of this extraordinary remissness, of.
which we shall presently see the oonsequences. It
is only rumoured that Brigadier Lawrence, the poli-
tical agent, with the force, was in trepidation lest
the rebels should cross the Chumbul, into the north
country, and issued orders contradicting those given
by Mayor-General Roberts.
In the meantime, the proceedings at Kotah were
these. On the night of the capture, the columns
bivouacked in the town. throwing out pickets, and
occupying the bastions. The number of killed and
wounded had not happily been many. Hancock, of
the Engineers, and some five or six European Sap-
, pen, were blown op at one of the gates ; four of the
I latter, belonging to Captain Cumberland's llth Com-
pany Royal Engineers, were killed ; and Hancock,
though much burnt, is, I am glad to say, doing well.
, AU our soldiers, both European and native, were pre-
vented looting, while the Raja's people were allowed
to plunder indiscriminately. Major the Hon. A.
Massey, 95th Regiment, was appointed commandant
in the town. Captain Basalgette, of the 95th Regi-
ment, had been sent with his company on the pre-
vious morning to occupy the enemy's camp on the
south-east aide of the town. On the afternoon of the
Ist, Captain Bainbrigge, the Brigade Major Ist
Brigade, visited Captain Bazalgette for the pur-
pose of reporting to Brigadier Mac= the
quantities of ammunition in the enemy's
camp. Both officers left together to ex-
amine the houses, when soon after entering
one of them a cracking noise was heard, and a
terrific explosion took place. There is too mach
reason to suppose that the house was fired on pur-
pose, u two men were killed by one of the officers
of the 96th, as they were escaping with burning
fuses in their hand. The remains of the two
officers, whose bodies were so burnt that they
could scarcely be recognised, were only found on the
morning of the 2nd among the reins. They were
buried together in one coffin in the afternoon, fol-
lowed by all the °filmes of the let Brigade, with the
band of the 10th, and a firing party of 13drank and
file from the 96th Regiment, in the consecrated
Christian burial ground near the Residency. The
following Division Orders were issued by the Major-
General : _ _ .

.
Camp before Knish, March 31.
No. 1. The Major-General commanding c,irdially congra•
tulates the forces ander his command on the eucceseful result
of imaerday's operations, and offers his best thanks to officers
and men for the zeal and steadiness with which the necessa-
rily hard duties have been performed preparatory to *be
assault which crowned their labours yesterday. Captain
Bolton's Compeay, R. A., and Lieutenant Vibart's Detach-
ment of Golundause have left Numeerabad to join the Divi •
lion under Major-General Roberts, at Kotah. Captain
Carmichael, her Majesty's 96th Regiment, has been ap-
pointed brigade major to the Ist Brigade of General Roberta'
Force, commanded by Brigadier Macon, end vacant by Cap-
tain Bainteigge's death.
A commission was formed to inquire into the con-
duct of the Mahe Rao during the disturbances which
ended in the murder of Major Barton and his sons.
It was composed, as follows : General Roberts, pre-
sident; Major Morrieson, P.A., Xotah ; Captain
Eden, P.A., Jeypoor ; Colonel Holmes, 12th Native
Infantry ; and Captain Impey, A.A.G.G. The trial
has since been concluded, and its decision kept secret
It is rumoured. however, that the 'Mho Rao is
acquitted of all participation in the murder of our
unfortunate political agent. The Rajah said in his
defence that he buried what remained of Major Bur-
ton (after the scoundrels eat off his head, loaded a
gut with it, and fired it off) and his two sons in the
Christian burial ground outside the town. The spot
was pointed out, and the bodies examined, when it
was found that his statement was correct.
Lallah Sing's treasurer, his intelligencer, and
heed accountant, paid the just penalty of their
crimes by swinging from a tree close to one of the
chief game of entrance to the town, the Lalpoora, on
the aftet noon of the 13th. A free pardon was offered
to the treasurer if he disclosed where the rupees were
hid, Lot to all inquiries he was silent, and so he was
hanged.
A force consisting of 400 Europeans and a native
infantry regiment, with two guns, will be left at
Kotah, under the command either of Lieut.-Colonel
Raines, a portion of whose regiment (her Majesty's
95th) will compose the Europeans, or Lieut.-Colonel
John Holmes, of the 12th Native Infantry, and
either the 10th or 12th will be the other regiment.
Brigadier Macon will resume his command at
Nusseerabad. _

The force told off to occupy Neemuch will march
through the Mokundurre Pus, which is now sup-
posed to be clear of rebels.
In the meantime the force sent out in pursuit of
the rebels, under the command of Captain Owen, of
her Majesty's Bth Hamm returned, after an un.-
_ . _

omensal pursuit of ten dip. The rebels had fled
emus the °wailer frontier, leaving behind them
eight gnus, which were captured and brought in to
Kotah. They ran the gauntlet of a hostile force
under the Chief of Shoopoor, one of Scindia's chiefs,
who killed several of them, and took three of their
guns, and then by the judicious distribution of black
mail to the extent of 18 oamel loads of treasure,
they secured a passage unmolested across Scindia's
territories. On the 11 th they struck the Great
Agra Trunk-road at Kolarus, mustering there 3,000
or 4,000 men with six guns, and from thence made
their way to Eeangur, 70 miles west of Jhansi, and
directly in the line of Sir Hugh Rose's communica-
tions with this Presidency. Thus it happened that
by the mismanagement at Kotah, the operations of
the Central India division were interrupted.
Sir Hugh Rose had been pursuing a series of bril-
liant and suconsful operations. He had fought and
cut to pieces the so-called army of the Peishwa.
He had taken the town and fort of Jhansi, and was
on the eve of carrying out an advance, doubtless
concerted with General Whitlock who lay at Panne,
when the news came, not only of the sudden arrival
of these Kotah rebels, but of the advance from the
vicinity of Calpee of the reorganised army he had
recently beaten at the Bstwa. Thai was on the 18th
instant, at which date the column had not stirred.
What in the meanwhile had been the progress of
affairs at Jhansi ?

The siege of that place and the battle fought
by the besieging force deserve in truth to be
recorded as the most brilliant feats of arms
in the Central Indian campaign. The attack
on the breach was led by Captain Darby,
Major Stuart took that by the ladders ; both got in;
they fought through the town, and charged twice to
the gate of the fort. The town and fort swarmed
with the enemy ; their fire was murderous, but the
88th held its own. The 3rd Europeans found
their ladders too short, and when Lieutenants
Dick and Meiklejohn of the Engineers had
reached the top, and had been assisted on
to the crest of the wall by their own men, they were
soddenly seised, dragged inside, and cut to pieees by
the enemy, the breaking of the ladders at the time
rendering it impossible for the men to follow. An
officer of 88th bad nearly experienced • similar
fate, when some of the men who succeeded in enter-
ling at the first arrived in time to rescue him, after
he had been severely wounded ; fortunately the 88th
were in the town by this time, and the gallant 3rd,
Ito whom no blame whatever was due for their first
failure, got in immediately after without difficulty.
The enemy made a most obstinate stand at the
Palace, but Colonel Lowth, of the 88th, with
some men of the 3rd, 88th, and the 26th
Native Infantry, succeeded, after repeated at-
tempts, in forcing • door open with a
beam of wood ; the enemy soon after fled, not, how-
ever, before the scoundrels succeeded in shooting a
brave officer, Colonel Turnbull, of the Artillery, who
was kit in the palace yard whilst speaking to Colonel
Lowth. Everything in the palace was found in
extellest order, especially the Raaee's bedroom, a
very pretty place, in which were found two large
silver bedsteads, with beautiful silk bedding, &o.
She is said to be a very fine-looking woman, twenty-
two years of age, unmarried; but abs bears
not the mod virtuous character in the
world. The fighting continued daring the
whole of the 3rd sad 4th, sad the firing
from the fort (not then in our pommies)

was very heavy, particularly on the
gates and on the exposed parts of the town. On
the
morning of the 6th the fort was found to have been
evacuated daring the night, and was immediant:li
taken possession of by Brigadier Stuart (let Brigade ,
and the British flag planted on its topmost pin
by an officer of the 86th, Lieutenant Cochran,. Oa
the 6th a number of the enemy were repotted to
have possession of a strong loep-holed building near
a place called the Garden Battery. Two 18-pounders
and 100 of the 86th were immediately sent at them,
when a few rounds from the guns of the 86th made
short work of the scoundrels.

Sir Hugh Rose in his despatch says :—"The Ranee
and rebels, frightened by the defeat of the Betwa
and the capture of the town by storm, evacuated it
during the night. The cavalry forming the invest-
ment, aided by the infantry, are cutting up the fugi
i -
tive garrison n every direction. The loss on the
rebel side has been most severe ;it must amount, for
the three days of the attack of the city and of the
garrison of the city and fortress, to more than 3,000
men. Tha Ranee was driven back at one point, but

effected her escape at another. Jhawii is not a fort,
but its strength makes it a fortress. It could not
have been breached, it could only have been taken
by mining and blowing up one bastion after the
ether. I deeply rekret to say that the storming of
the city and vatting off the fugitive garri-
son has caused the loss of several most
gallant officers and men—Lieut.-Colonel Turn•
bull, commanding artillery ; Lieuts. Meikkjohn and
Dick, Engineers; Dr. Stack, her Msjesty's 86th;
Lieutenant Park, 24th Native Infantry; and Cap-
tain Sinclair, 3ed Regiment Hydrs.bad Contingent.
Offioers wounded at Jimmie :—Fox (severely), Dart-
nell, Holroyd, Prendergast, Darby, Clerk, Dr.
Cruikahank, and Major Rickards!'
The number of dead bodies (says a eortespondent)
lying in every street, and in many of the houses, was
very great. On the third and fourth days the stenches
and sights were beyond description. The bodies were
collected together, however, and burnt, and the place
is now getting better, but not equal to Pries and
Ocemell's perfumery. A quantity of jewels and
money was found walled up. in the palace, and
doubtless a larger quantity is buried. Up to the
present time, I think 10 lace worth have turned up,
with lots of precious stones, jewellery, &c. 'sight
elephants fetched 8,600 rs. It appears that our un-
iorttutate people, after having been taken outside
the city walls, were killed on the road, and some
two or three days after the bodies of the men were
throws into one pit and those of the ladies and
ehildren into another. These pits have been pointed
oat to us, and at first it was thought of removing the
remains from them and depositing them in the
Christian burial-ground. The royal engineers were
ordered to perform this duty, but it was found that
decomposition had aot quite done its work—the
smell was very offensive, and might prove injurious;
a large tomb is therefore to be erected.over the
spot. I recognised amongst the remains a little
child's frock, and from the skull of a female I removed
some long silken hair of a very light colour—a sad
memento, indeed !