The Express.
London, England, 1857-09-25 00:00:00

NENA SAHIB.

I knew Nena Sahib intimately (says a writer in
the /nearest Times), and slwaya regarded him as one of
the best and moat hospitable natives in the Upper Province.,
and certainly one of the last wen to have been guilty of the
atrocities laid to hie charge. As fa the case with man,
natives of India, it may have been that Nene Sahib culti-
vated the acquaintance and friendship of the mhibs solely in
the hope that through their influence, direct and indirect,
his grievances would be redressed. Bat the lam time I saw
Nina Sahib—it was in the cold weather of ildl, and he
called upon mo twice during my stay in Cawnpore—he never
once alluded to his grievances. His oonvereation at that
time was directed to the Oude affair. The following gum-
boots, unmet others, I can remember he pat to toe .
Why will not Lord Dalhousie pay a visit to the King of
Dude P Lord Harding, did so P"
Do you think Colonel Sleeman will perenade Lord Dal-
housie to mike the kingdom (of Oude) P He—Colonel flee-
man—has gone to the amp to do his heat."
So far as I could glean, Nana Sahib wished for the allneXll
flan of Onde—albeit be expressed a very decided opinion that
in the event of that measure being resorted to, there would
he a dieturtsnce, and perhaps war—ench as happened when
Mr. Vans Agnew and Lieutenant Anderson were murdered
by the rebellious soldiery of Moolrej, at Moultan.
A few words u te the name of " Nena Sahib," which,
after all, is not his name, but a " nick•name." His name is
" fireemath," and amongst his retainers and friends he Is
addressed (in correspondence) as " Maharajah Sreenath
Bahadoor." Few Hindom of Nina Sahib's rank am eves
alluded to by the DAM, given to them by the Brahmin at the
time of their birth. In moat eases the nick-name, or pet
came, that dings to a high caste Hindoo for life, ie the
favourite word that he distinctly utters in infancy, In the
mama. In the case of Sreenath, the subject of this sketch,
there can be no doubt that " Nene" or " Nana" wee the
favourite word of the child who in manhood has gained such
an unenviable distinction in the eye of the world. The word
" Nene" has no particular signification, we are informed.
But the word " Nana," in Hindostanee, signifies " grand•
father." Rls retainers and servants used to speak of him u
" Nena Sahib " end not " Nana Sahib."
The mime. of the Maharajah Sreenath was simply this :
—The East India Company guaranteed to the late Peishwah,
his heirs and successors, a certain pension. The Peishwah
died without heirs born of his body, but previous to his
death be adopted Sreenath (Nene Sahib). Now, according
to the llindoo law, an adopted eon is entitled to all the
rights and privileges of an heir begotten of the body of the
dammed. According to the Ilindoo law "Nena Sahib"
was entitled to the pension of the Peisherah ; but the claim,
as before stated, was not allowed. It is a pity that the East
India Company have not been consistent in their decisions
upon this bead, In some, indeed in very many Cllßellwhere
the pensions have been imignificant comparatively), the
Hiudoo law her been recognised, and the claim of the adopted
son granted. In other cases (where the pension has been
very considerable or the amount of territory to be
" almorbed" extremely profitable) the Hintloo law bas
been shelved, and the deb:ll4lA favoured with a letter
from the Secretary to Om ernment, informier him that the
" Oovernor-General in Council ham diamiseed hie petition,
but that the ordinary channels of roues are open to him."
He sends borne an agent, who haunts the India-house and
the Board of Control. At both places he is "referred to the
local government "—the local government which has already
decided against him! Such baa been the case of Nene
Sahib ; such has been the case of the Rajah deem; of the
Ranee of Jhanel, where another frightful massacre took
place ; and much has been the ass with numbers of Indians
of rank, with whom we have not dealt either wisely or well.
Far be it front us to offer even the shadow of an apology for
the authors of the atrocities which have plunged nearly half
of the nation into mourning, bet, at the same time, we can-
not forbear expreasing our opinion, which is now generally
felt end acknowledged, that to the gross mismanagement of
oar Indian empire, and the manifest injustice of which the
East India Company has been so frequently guilty, may be
mainly attributed the deplorable state of effitirs which now
exists.. . . . . .

We have received some additional interesting particulars
respecting Neva Sahib from another correapondent, who
Writes to us se follow. :

"As that arch-fiend and traitor, \en• Sahib, at present
occupies so large •portion of public attentin, and I may add
execration, and as I knew him well, having partaken of him
hospitalities for one month. I have no doubt my recollections
of him and his attain may be interesting to the majority of
your readers. I therefore subjoin an account of my aojonrn
with him in his den, and of the circumstances that led
thereto. . . . . .

Cawnpore—a place, oleo! now so diseatemely familiar
to British eats—was visited is the rains of 1863 with • most
fearful epidemic; the cholera carrying off in the European
corps in that station eouletinies as many as eighteen indi-
vidual. (including women not children) daily, en 4 in other
portions of that large cantonment being fearfully fetal. Ido
not know of any officer of that corps having succumbed to it,
but I believe the surgeon, whose name I forget, died. How-
ever, to return to the inderet of my notice. Being at that
time recovering from Meets myself, and my wife being oleo
sick? I was pondering on some change of air and scene, and
having nothing else to do, I drove over to see Bhitoor, shout
twelve miles (thou boss—sin boas—a kose being two milee)
from Cawnpore. I started in a gbarrie, a port of fly, early
on the morning of the Ist of September, 1153, and arrived at
the Rajah', house. or rather one built for a former commis-
sioner. It was R large and handsome building. At the en-
trance of the domain were a pair of very handsome iron gates,
and the gateway itself Moo as imposing as one in the best
parks in this country. The approach also to this mansion
was by a very pretty nub's than a grand avenue ; end on
the right band aide of this drive was a very neat parterre,
kept in as goad order as any of its tin at home could be. On
arriving at the house, I produced my basket of wog,' and
eemruezeod breakfast. This being a place of resort for pie-
nic parties from Cay.-npore, I of course at once sent off a note
to the Raid", telling him duly arrival, and as a point of
courtesy asking hia sanction to my passing the day
there. I had scarcely finished toy breakfast when
1 heard the noise of home on the flue gravel
parade in front, and was somewhat astonished to see,
not the humble envoy I had sent in the shape of my girder-
bearer, but two or three individual., accompanied by a
retinue of native bowery, with drawn sword,, prancing steeds,
and other showy indications of Oriental military display.
These individuals proved to be hie Illghaeee the Nhehersieh'e
—or, as he for obvious reasons prefers to be called, the l'eish-
wah's—moonahie, Prang Dose-Tewarrie ; the treasurer,
Baba Butt; and another old Mnbrotta distinguiehrd per-
thaw, whose appiersuce I well remember, but whose mane
I quite forget. I was then informed by the niceties* Prang
Ihse-Tewarris, that his bigbneas was delighted to receive
me with cordiality and welcome, and that ho had rent them
formally to request my peepers at his palace (the Castle,
which is spoken of as having been burnt down by Have-
lock's glorious bend of heroic spirits) in the everting, when
the sun had rendered it cool and pleasant for Europeans,
and indeed nativee, to tint dons—i. e , "to est the air.'
After some conversation, interspersed with most flowery
and highllown, and no doubt equally empty, com-
pliment, to my nation and countrymen in general,
and my humble eel! in particaler. my guides left me,
and I amused myself in looking over the house and grounds.
The former is very large, and the (0011113 spacious and hand-
some ; the wells are covered with stiff odd-looking pictures
of former Peishwahs, and amongst them the old gentleman
so ably captured by Sir John Malcolm, and the man who was
the first exiled chief located at Bhitoor. I must not omit to
gate that a kltmutgar and bawarchee reported themselves to
me during the day and requested my Aooksi—i. e.. command,
for dinner, as it was his highneas wish, as I might be
detained until too late to travel back to Cawnpire that
night, that I should sleep in the commissioner's house.; and
aa the ann was going down up came an elephant, caparisoned
in the usual tawdry and semi-shabby-magnitioent •41e, sur-
mounted by • howdah of towering height ; and upon this
huge animal myself and my wife were perched, and escorted
by a guard of sowers in trent and war. We were marched
through numberless bathers and native streets to the strong-
hold of this potentate. I was asked into the sagest pre•
emus of the soi-sfisent Pciehersh, and found Dim seated
lapm a cushion raised eoluewhst in the form of a throes
of state, he (the rammete) sitting as a tailor is
supposed to alt. He immediately shook me cordially by the
hand • end I must ant omit to state that, being myself a
Bahatioor—that is, of the rank of one who wean a sword—l
was not required to remove my shoes in going into his ?re-
prises He. through hie moo nsbie. asked me many questions
about the Queen, the nobility of England, particularly men,
timing and asking after Lord Ellenborough (Barra' bahout
Burn Lord Sahib), for whom—whether be knew him or
not—he seemed to have a greet respect and veneration.
Whether this was assumed or not I cannot say. He then
asked me many questions about the Hon. East India Com-
pany, and appeared exhaustleas in his queries about the
Board of Control. These lasted about half an hour, and he