The Express.
London, England, 1857-09-02 00:00:00

OUR STRENGTH AND OUR WORK IN

INDIA.

The daily announcements of the despatch of fresh
reinforcements to India, the long list of transports for the
conveyance of troops, the visits of great personages to the
points of embarkation, the magnificence of the yawls, and
the continued din and bustle of • great expedition, tend to
convince every one that astonishing efforts are being made
for the complete restoration of our power in India. People
in authority are ready with tabular statements of the number
and strength of the regiments proceeding to India. It is
remembered that there are already in that country so many
Queen's troops, sad so many in the service of the Company.
The loyalty of the native armies of Bombay and Madras is
very jowly reckoned upon ; and Sikhs, Oboorkas, and many
oaks, new levies we aminberatill. 111 turf, so one dashes
that, ceder every poribie contingency, and even though the
ausatees sad perfidy of the enemy may obtain for them
some temporary success, our final triumph is not far distant.

But it in the duty of those who wish to arrive ►t the real
truth, and meertsin the exact position of &flails, to discard all
unnecessary details, and restrain a too sanguine moirit, which
le no doubt valuable in the moment of action, but MOM be
never suffered to influence our calculations. We wish on the
present occasion to take a sober—nor, indeed, a sombre—view
of affairs, and of our disposable military strength as regards
the crisis in India, and so much so poosible to put ourselves
in the poeition of a military man, whom task it might be
to restore order out of the present chaos with the means now
available.

_
It appear, then, that there are of H. M.'s troops in India,
or prorating thither, eight regiments of cavalry, forty-live
red a half of infantry, end three troops and ten comprise of
artillery. Reckoning the infantry regiments et 900, the
cavalry at 600 men each, and the artillery at 200 men a troop
and 160 teen a company, we hare • total of 47,830 men—a I
great force truly. To tbese are to be added nine Company's
regiments of European infantry, and 17 troops of horse and
48 companies of foot artillery, in round numbers 20,000 risen,
with a few hundreds of unattached officers belonging to
revolted regiments, and a handful of volunteers, forming
a grand total of about 70.000 European soldiers. To this
Gate roust be added the native arms le of Madras and Been-
bey, the Sikh auxiliaries, some Omsk's, and other levies,
and a few regiment, of the Bengal army, which, like the 31st,
even yet remain staunch. Such a statement would probably
be quite sufficient for a prison without Indian experience,
and unacquainted with military matters, and he would feel
quite assured that even if India were in rebellion from Cape
Comorin to Cashmere it would be ery to reconquer it.
A moment's reflection. however, will suffice to show the
matter in a somewhat different light. In considering how
the vast region from Benue. to Delhi, including Oude,
Bundleennd, Agra, and Itohilcund, sow in rebellion, is to
be recovered, we must strike out of the account all the
troops in the two minor Preadencies, whether European or
native, era well as those that gartwon the Punjaub. The
Bombay army will have enough to do in preserving order
within the limits of its own Presidency, and in sending up i
reinforcemeat• to Sir% and the Punjaub, so as to keep a
good front towards Afghanatan and Persia. The columns
which have moved on Mhow and Indere may also remver
and hold those places. To expect further aid from the Bom•
bay army would rewrite. The Madras army ha. also
quite sufficient to weepy it within its ordinary limits, and
in overawing Hyderabad and Rogow. and the
higottod Muhangse population in other parts of the
Madre. Presidency. The troops already in _Bengal are not
even sufficient to wrists the principal points on the main
line, of communication anti hold the great cities. Cam:L-
yme has fallen, and though General Havelock has recovered
it, and has probably bees sufficiently reinforced to attempt
the relief of Lurk:sow, the difficulty of that undertaking
amain be disguised. The disci pl i d troops of the enemy in
Gude, even Mewls. kit eases reinforcements to Delhi, anima
be Yea than Ilkellimen. Thom is, besides, a host 01 rabble
very troublesome on the lines of communication, and certain
to cut off struggler, or weak detachments. Grant that Ge-
neral Havelock's clumn, streesthined perhaps to 2,500 men,
can advance 63 miles In the face of Poch opposition, and
relieve the remains of the garrison at Lucknow, it is hardly
to be thought that he could retain that great city of
300.000 inhabitants in a country the population of which
I. altogether hostile. He will, therefore, either fall bark on
Alleharad and Benues till reinforeementa ran arrive from
England, or attempt to funke his way to Delhi, 266 miles, in
the Pare of immensely superior number. This appear as
difficult an operation, when the want of carriage, the rainy
arson, and other things ale considered, that it is poriblo no
Mention,' troops may ho able to reach Agra, Meerut, and
Delhi before the regiments now on their way from England
arrive at Calcutta—that is, the middle of November. It will
he admitted, then, that the petition of our troops at the above
places is most critical. At Agra every third man has already
been killed or wounded, and there remain but 330 Europeans
to defend the place. At Meerut our strength does not ex-
ceed 700. Our army before Delhi is, we lair, greatly over-
rated.

OffDM! Reed he. 6,000 native 'soldiers, two regiments of
European cavalry, and about live resat:mute of infantry,
recloning the wing of her Majesty's 61st and the els weak
eoeupeniee of the 2nd Fusiliers as one regimest. He has,
betides, about 800 artillerymen. By Colonel Cheater's letter
of the 11th of May, we tind that of the European infantry,
the 76th and lot and 2nd Fusiliers mustered together only
1,800 men mu et Umballa before the fighting commenced.
We know that up to the date of the last noel several hundred
men had been killed or wounded, and allowing for death. and
non-eflectime from &same, and for casualties in the three
subsequent partite, we ma hardly estimate our entire Lees
before Delhi as much above 10,000 men.
There are probably double this number of eipshis in Delhi,
end in rear of oar army there is. • great form of the enemy
gathering. Computing the Dweller contingent at 10,000,
and adding Bother's coatlnginik the Bhurtpore and
the mutineers from N Head, and other piece., the
rebels will have et least 90,000 men to operate upon Agra
and Meerut, and then to take up m partition in rear of our be-
sieging array at Delhi. It is is right to look them tick in
the fro, and in inquiring whether the 20,000 men now on
the way from Englend can reconquer the revolted provinces,
we ought to sob not en much whether they are suMeient, but
whether it is possible in say way to add to them.
In this cruel and exterminating war, in which en many
precious lives have hero merificed, he that mantels half
messures, or any merman abort of the utmost that can be
done, is an enemy to England, end deeerv,w to be gibbeted
to the execration of his emintrymen. Why I. the
gem-
eom of Melts not seat overland with hot haste,
and its place taken by militia regiments or volunteers—who
would not volunteer at snob s moment? Why have minu-
ters positively refused to allow the mammy to teener* their
European keeps► la this • Noss for perry quarrels or
equabble* about patronage? Is India to be deprived of new
levies. of Europdris became It is to be a question next we-
eks of parliament what form the home government of India
Is to take t We trust the public will have their eyes upon
the man who dares to trifle with the honour and dearest in-
terfere of the nation at such • crisis, and exact from him, in
me. of additional dintuters, a severe account.—The Hone-
reed Nail from India and Chine, Aug. 31.