Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-30 00:00:00

THE MIITENT AT MEERUT.

By previous advices we learned that a telegraphic
message had been received at Bombay-from Agra,.
to the effect that the 3rd Bengal Light Cavalry,
stationed at Meerut, was in state of open mutiny.
The report soon received ample confirmation, and
worse was to follow. For several days the intelli-
gence from the north-west told of nothing but
revolt and murder. As was to be expected, much
thus reported turned out to be untrue. Neverthe-
less, after making all allowances for these legiti-
mate sources of comfort, the occurrence is one of
the gravest moment. At the two great stations of
Meerut and Delhi, the whole of the native troops
have broken out into mutiny and murder. From
the former place they have fled or been eixpelled.
The latter (where no Europe to troops were
. quartered), remained, at the date of the latest
accounts, completely in their possession. At the
commencement of May the native force at Meerut
consisted of the 3rd Light Cavalry, and the 11th
and 20th Regiments of Native Infantry. Among
the men of the cavalry corps the question of the
greased cartridges, which had previously been
mooted at Barra°!Tore and other stations, was
freely agitated. The result of the movement was
that 85 men of the regiment, refusing to handle
the cartridges, found themselves, in the early
days of the month, tried by court-martial
and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment
with hard labour. On the "9th their sentences
were read out on parade, and the offenders
marched off to gaol. Up to this time disaffection
had showe itself only through incendiary fires in
the lines, hardly a night passing without one or
more conflagrations. But on the 10th it appeared
at once in all its unsuspected strength. Towards
the evening of that day, while many of the
Europeans were at church—for it was Sunday—the
men of the two native infantry regiments, the 11th
and 20th, as if by previous concert, assembled
together in armed and tumultuous bodies upon the
parade ground. Several officers hurried from their
quarters to endeavour to pacify them. Colonel
Finnis, of the 11th, was oriel of the first to arrive,
and was the first victim of the outbreak. He was
shot down while addressing a party of the 20th,
which is said to have been the foremost regiment
in the mutiny. Other officers fell with the Colo-
nel, or in the terrible moments that ensued, for the
troopers of the 3rd Cavalry poured out of their
quarters to join the insurgent infantry, and the
whole body, now thoroughly committed to the
wildest excesses, rushed through the native lines
of the cantonment, slaying, burning, and destroy-
ing. Every house was fired, and every English
man, woman, or chili, that fell in the way of the
mutineers was pitilessly massacred. Happily,
however, many of the officers and their families
had already escaped to the European lines, where
they took refuge in the Artillery School of Instruc-
tion Mr. Greathed, the commissioner, and his
wife were saved, it is said, by the fidelity of their
servants, who assured the assassins that their
master and mistress had left their house, though
they were at the time concealed in it. The muti-
neers set fire to the bungalow and passed on. While
the main body of the mutineers were thus destroy-
ing the houses in the native lines, some of their
number proceeded to the gaol, broke it open, and
released the prisoners of the 3rd Cavalry. Which
regiment had furnished the gaol guard on that day
is not stated ; but as we hear of no resistance and
no loss of European life at that point, we may pre-
sume it was one of the native corps. Meanwhile,
the European portion of the brigade was called
out, and marched down to the native lines. It con-
sisted of the Carabineers, the Ist Battalion of the
60th Rifles, and Artillery, horse and foot: But
they were too late to save life or property, and,
night falling fast, they were unable, we are told,
to inflict any serious loss on the insurgents, who
abandoned the station and betook themselves to
the open country. Some of them—how m .ny we
know not, but probably a large body—made the
best of their way down to Delhi, distant some
forty miles. The garrison of this city was entirely
native. It consisted of three regiments of infantry
—the 58th, 54th, and 74th, and a company of one
of the native battalions of artillery. On the
arrival of the mutineers from Meerut the whole
of the infantry force ran to arms, and forced.
as we are told, the reluctant artillery to join them.
The latter stipulated for the safety of their
officers, all of whom accordingly have reached
Meerut. The infantry showed no such good feel-
ing, but attacked their officers, though with
different degrees of inveteracy, the 38th being the
worst. Then the insurgents ran riot through the
city, which was entirely at their mercy, and the
bloody scenes of Meerut were reproduced in the
streets of this ancient Mogul capital. How many
English lives have here been lost will in all pro-
bability not be fully known till the day of retribu-
tion has arrived, and the place is again in our
possession. Many are already known to have
escaped, as will be seen from the list already
referred to, and which I will now subjoin. But it
is feared to be only too certain that Mr. Fraser, the
Commissioner, has fallen, and Captain Douglas,
Commandant of the Palace Guard, and Mr. Jen-
nings, eh ,plain of the station, with his daughter,
and many others of all degrees, including Sir
Theophil-as Metcalfe.
In Oude Sir Henry Lawrence keeps all quiet.
Every endeavour has been made, and, it is hoped,
with success, to undeceive the credulous Sepoys on
the one fatal point upon which their caste and
religious feelings have been aroused, and to rouse
their indignation against the sanguinary treachery
of the insurgent regiments. The fort at Allahabad,
where there is a large magazine, has been garrisoned
by the European invalids usually stationed in the
fort of Chunar.

In Calcutta every precaution has been taken to
guard against the possibility of a surprise. The
84th Regiment, with the Horse Artill( ry, are at
BairAckpore, and the 53rd in fort William. A
regiment ofEuropean Fusiliers will be here from
Madras this week, and another European regiment
from Moulmein in the course of a fortnight
The three European regiments in the Persian
Gulf, whose services have been set free by the
peace, will sail direct to Calcutta, and may be ex-
pected here in all next month. An Act has been
passed empowering all officers in command of bri-
gades and stations to hold general courts-martial,
and confirm their sentences without reference
to higher authority.
There is no doubt that the crisis is a serious one.
The one danger to which in the opinion of Lord
Metea!fe the stability of our empire in India is
expoced has come to pass. The loyality of the
Sepoy army is shaken, and unless the infatuation
which pervades it can be corrected, and this muti-
nous spirit very speedily suppressed, the conse-
quence may be frightful. It is not apprehended
that there will be much difficulty in dealing with
the mutineers at Delhi, who are cooped up in a
walled town without a leader, without provisions,
and apparently .without much ammunition.
Bat this is the first time a Senoy regiment has
murdered its officers, and the example once set
may be followed through the length and breadth of
the Presidency. The disorganisation of all civil
Government would inevitably follow, and we should
not only have to deplore the
.murder of thousands
of our fellow-countrymen,—tor the Asiatic blood,
once roused, shows no mercy—but literally to re-
conquer the country.

List of Europeans killed at ffeisrut)—cplonel
Mrs. Chambers, Capt. and Mrs. Tattle, Latta M'Nabb,
Vet-Surgeons Phillips and Dawson, ors. Dawson and
children, one private, nnknowo. Sappers and Miners;
Capt. Fraser, Mr. Tregear, Inspector in the Educational
department.
Wounded at Meerut .-6th Dragoons, two troopers ;
Artillery Recruits, 12 ; Artillery, Lieutenant., Colonel
Hogge; 3d Light Cavalry, Dr. Christio.
Having got rid of all the English in the city the
insurgents proceeded to proclaim some off-shoot
of the old Royal house Sovereign of India, and in