Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-08-24 00:00:00

THE INTELLIGENCE FROM INDIA.

~„File telegraphic communication received at . he Foreign-
:LC* last night, and published in another column,
Luengh confused, elliptical, and in some parts almost
na.ulutel igible, put us iapossession of information sixteen
days later from Calcutta, and fourteen from Madras.
Delhi—the great centre of interest—is re parted as still
Untaken when the last despatch left, but we have no clue
to the date of that information. Everything so far
etonarms the opinion we have repeatedly expressed that
thanilebjgat of that city is a work of greater magnitude
has generally been supposed. Unfortunately, at the
very moment we were most in want of his efficient
aerviees, General Barnard, in command of the forces
before Delhi, is carried o
thff, like General
ffiAnson, by
dysentery: The loss
.of at excellent officer at so
concern
erilc a juncture will be felt in this country with a
al proportioned to th urgent nd there is at the present moment of such valuable experiences and
undeniable abilities as he possessed. But this is not the
on-
ly loss. An officer whom we could ill spare—Sir
sortie
yi.wrance—has died of wounds received in a
fro:n
important. 'Luck now rebels. Thus, at two
now against the re •
It is co, .
points, we have lost our ablest commanders.
soling, however, to know that Sir Colin
Campbell will have arrived at Calcutta in time to
snake such new arrangements as these unfortunate deaths
will render necessary. The Consul's communication from
Alexandria refers to the massacre reported in the Bombay
4▪ .47ne,s of the 14th of July, which arrived by last mail, and
c4nfirms its thrilling details. We must, however, wait
1 Bee arrival of the mail, or our own correspondent's tele-
aPhic communication from Marseilles, in anticipation of
:,_ before we can know with any certainty if anything has
,nl3Pened to increase the extent of this calamity. All
,i3-'9O seems to have risen, and the general feeling there
airng greatly against the English, the probability is that
whichMtineers are strongly supported by the natives,
perp will, Perhaps, account for their success at Cawn-
tell - The Gwalior contingent, which was at one time
len ea upon as safe, turns out to have mutinied. But,
'We°_,oY as this information is, we must not look only at
an >-!ark side of it. The grand comforts ll remains that
abritllla mischief is confined to the Bengal provinces.
eli,;;wras and Bombay are still arm, and there is no sign of
b —eetien• We must imagine the strictest look-out to
_e kept
reas upon the troops in those presidencies, and all
Werrahle precautions to be taken against an outbreak.
tel;-
,aueh an event to take place, it would not, as in
not bg:Li.,take every one by surprise, and therefore would
auddene
thc•elY to be attended with the same success. The
B,ccess FSE of the mutiny in Bengal force and
be in gave it
Played t •
many places. But that kind of game cannot
. wiee, and we may reasonably hope that
the evil
within
limits will
continue to be circumscribed within the
Must reins which it first began. In the next place, we
Cale ttuber that the arrival of Sir Colin Campbell at
therewuuld be
so edy as to enable him to make fresh depositions
asmight be necessary ; we must
therefore ben are of ml
unProinising.
ow.. Sad tidings these certainly' are., but such
Barnard.l as we must ex in Good and brave as
Peet war.
BF._and Lawrence were, they wilt have worthy
_
tr7esdsGrs• The Indian service is a good school, and has
duty many able men, who well knew how to do their
__.Y ill this trying
fret to enujuneture. What we have to do is
lay toodasisch stress upon the loss of this or that
$t eat soldier. -but to take care to be sending out a
neicient supply of best men, that one may be able
;,2 replace another in the event of death or disability.
-I:ne arrival of the Siosoen and Himalaya with troops at
Calcutta would, with those which remained to follow,
Zincreases___ the European force by some 2,000 men. Unfor•
unately, however, there lie 976 miles of arduous march
L'efere what we suppose we must callthe seat
before what we suppose we must caflthe seat of war could
e reached. A. delay which cannot be of small consequence
Arises
of war could
8_ from the total loss of the Transit in the Straits of
t,'lltia. From the telegraphic despatch it would appear
_enat the crew and troops had been rescued and brought
tut. to Suez, but this is antecedently so improbable
Ihma,t, Yve are inclined to think there must be some mistake
Vet, message. No vessel rescuing the crew of the
aellt ill the Straits of Sunda would be likely to be en
fret eget for Baez under circumstances of such stringency as
_ 0 enable it to proceed to Singapore and land its troops
ajre. That they would have been carried up the RPd
' aPPears incredible, because. so unnecessary.
...; We

must, therefore, suppose the telegraph to be at fault, and
the passage to mean that the Transit had been lost, but
that the troops were saved, the words, " Suez to day"
being intended to refer to the date of the despatch. A
week must still e'apse befure further news in detail can be
had, but we have reason to rejoice that the government
arrangements have been so well organised as to give us
news from Suez so rapidly, at a time when the country Is
wrought up to so paintul a pitch of anxiety about the
greatest crisis that has :for many years occurred in our:
Indian pots sions.—Morning Poet.

The fact that Delhi still holds out need tense no sur-
prise. It is the strongest fortress in India, coutainiug a❑
immense quantity of warlike stores and material, while
its garrison are animated by the resolution of despair.
Most persons whose opinions are entitled to respectful
consideration have stated that its capture would not prove
so easy of accomplishment as ministers represented, and
even General Windham, at the banquet given at Norwich
last week, declared very plainly, " I have a very strong
opinion that Delhi is not yet taken, and I am sorry to
say that Ido not believe it will be suite so fast as many
men in this country think it will be. The rainy season
has by this time commenced, and it does not appear iu the
least probable that anything like decisive operations can
be rsnewed 'Clore November. The hope that such a
fortress, thus garrisoned and defended would fall at the
first summons could but prove delusive, and we can
hardly imagine that it was ever seriously entertained by
the Government. Their chief error through this
lamentable affair has been to underrate its importance,
and they are as blind to its real consequences and results
as they were to the causes which lea to the explosion.
No victories are gained by those whose preparations in-
variably fall below the required standard. The men who
commend success are those who provide for every
contingency, and overcome peril and difficulty by the
exercise of that iron will, by which alone under the
blessing of Providence, they, can be controlled. The
word of promise has been kept long enough to the ear of
the British public, and it is high time that some of the
masnificent promises made by our rulers were realised.
Whilst Mr. Vernon Smith and those whom he delights to
serve endeavour to create a false confidence, every iota cf
news renders their case more desperate, and shows that
the crisis is graver than was at first anticipated. The
truth is, our Indian empire has to be regained, and this
cannot be effected unless a very different system to that
which has hitherto prevailed be adopted. While our
European forces have been drained off to supply the
exigencies of rashly-provoked contests the rebels have
matured their plans and burst like a thunder-cloud upon
the almost deserted garrisons and stations. There is no
disguising the fact that the revolt has spread and is
spreading in the most alarming manner, and that it is
net confined to the troops. Unless vigorous measures
be once take❑ the other presidencies will be infec-
ted, for, as we showed upon a former occasion,
the contagion has passed the limits of the north-west
provinces. Its the presence of these painful facts,
how wretched do the first measures proposed by the
English government for the suppression of the revolt
appear. W!iat a commentary do they afford upon their
feeble reinforcements, their slow-sailing transports, their
10,000 militia, and their reiterated refusal to consider the
outbreak as a peril of more than ordinary magnitude.
What shall we say after this of the nonchalance of the
Premier, and the confident and arrogant tone in which
Mr. Vernon Smith attempts to silence criticism and turn
aside the current of investigation? These are exactly
the results ot dhninished garrisons and neglected defences,
which everybody but the authorities anticipated, and
which have taken none by surprise but those very persons
whose duty it is to be prepared for whatever contingen-
cies may occur. That the country will emerge in triumph
from these perils and perplexities we have not the
slightest doubt; but this can only be accomplished when
her destinies are wielded by men fully impressed with
the importance of their weighty responsibilities, and
actuated by an earnest, anxious, and humble desire to
encounter the crisis with energy and determination, and
to employ all the resources of the state in its defence.—
Morning Herald.

The news from India which is now brought up to the
21st July, is indeed disastrous. It shows us the mutiny
exaggerated into rebel ion. It tells us of towns captured
by the enemy—it mentions by name leaders of the rebel
army, and intimates that if we are besieging—it rather
should be said, in military phrase, are observing—Delhi,
we are, in our turn, besieged at Lueknow, where in sad
confirmation of the grave intelligence communicated to
the public in our paper of the 4th inst., Sir Henry
Lawrence has died of wounds received in a "sortie" from
out of Lucknow. Thus then the fact is confirmed which
we announced eighteen days previously in the following
words .
" Sir Henry Lawrence, who had already marled from
Lucknow upon Citwnpore, has been compelled to fall
back' from the latter position. It is with extreme pain
we add that the heal: h of Sir Henry Lawrence is stated
to be in such a precarious condition, that for some time,
at least, even at this perilous moment, if not altogether,
as is t o much feared, his invaluable aid will be lost
to the service of the country."
The loss of Sir Henry Lawrence is a severe calamity at
the present mom alt. He was one of tile school of Clive
—discreet in council and prompt in action, he averted
danger, or met it boldly in the onset.
General Sir Henry W. Barnard, too, the general com-
manding betore Delhi, is said to have fallen a victim to
that fatal disease which besets besieging armies. But
this is not the worst. We have heard of the cholera being
in Delhi; there is too much reason to fear it has found its
way outside. General Sir 11. W. Barnard, K. C.B , had
the charge of a brigade in the Crimean army, and subse-
quently acted as chief of the staff during the siege and
tall of Sebastopol. His powers of organisation were
admirable, and it was in consequence of these special
qualities that he was sent out to India.
That the whole of the Oude troops have mutinied will
not be surprising to those who now know how we have
deceived ourselves
.in supposing that our rule would cer-
tainly be more gratifying to the people of Oude than that
of their native monarch —Morning Chronicle.

The telegraphic news from India is of a gloomy charac-
ter, but it is not so serious as it looks at first view. It
carries its gloomy side from the deaths of distinguished
men—some from the baneful influence of the climate—
some from the sword of the barbarians, whom we have
pampered and led—but most of all the dismal side of the
picture presents the foul atrocities committed upon inno-
cent women of one own blood and kindred.
The news is gloomy decidedly. But it is in effect no
worse than was dreaded by thoughtful and reflective men.
From:the momenta it was found that the mutiny of the
Bengal Sepoys was universal and wide spread—and when
it further
.appeared that wherever they were left with
arms in their hands a wholesale massacre o' innocent
Europeans took place, it was evident that the only
preservative from such atrocities was the presence of a
European force. And so it has turned out. The
Sepoys have only succeded as yet where they were
unopposed. Wherever a European force has ap•
peared they have been—and will be—obliged to
succumb. The British are arriving—and will
arrive—day after day. The first s,ooo—diverted
from China—havo arrived already. Tne Persian contin-
gent is also on its return to India. The Cape regiments
(two) are thero by this time. The Indian reliefs for the
year-9,000 strong—are more than a month on their way
—and of the 20,000 infantry, cavalry, and artillery ordered
from home, the greater portion has already sailed. We
must make up the deficit thus created in our home ranks
—not merely for home protection, but for Indian reserves,
Already ten second battalions are ordered to be embodied.
to replace those that are gone. Ten more second
battalions will be ordered before the first ten are filled.
The militia will be brought out—in ten thousand at a
time—to fill np the blank made in our service by the
gallant regiments who are gone. We are crippled by the
short-sighted an unpatriotic policy of the beginning of
this year.; but we will end it yet by military as well as
parliamentary success.—Observer.

The greatest exasperation against the rebels reigns in
the English camp before Delhi, but it 'is kept under by
General Bullard. The wise prudence of this officer, who
holds in his hands the destines of British India, cannot
be blamed. A check sustained by him before the walls of
Delhi would be attended with incalculable consequences ;
and, in spite of the impatience created by the inevitable
length of the operations, it is the force of events and not
the general that must be a.ccused. The position of the
British has not grown worse. Th 4 fidelity of many
native rulers has not been shaken. Although some of
their regiments have joined the insurgents, others have
bravely fought for the English cause. We may
mention in particular the flying column commanded by
General Van Cortlandt, composed exclusively of
irregulars or of native contingents, who defeated
the insurgents in two sanguinary encounters. The
English have,- moreover, completed their organisation,
and are beginning to experience the, blessings of rein-
forcements. The state of the army commanded by Gene-
ral Barnard is partly favourable, partly unfavourable.
On the one hand, the season of great heat which cruelly
tried the troops has passed, but then the rainy season
is about to commence. The rain will. seriously obstruct
the siege operations, and it will produce fever and cholera
among the troops encamped en a marshy soil. This is
perhaps the most dangerous enemy opposed to the
English, but the latter• give no signs of discouragement.
Everything proves that the English authorities, after the
first moment of surprise, have commenced assuming the
offensive. This is the ,most i nportant feature of the
latest news, and it would be unjust not to acknowledge
that a sensible improvement has taken place in the pros-
pects of the Company. —Journal' des Debars.

The lb:lowing is an extract of a letter from Allahabad,
from Colonel Neill, dtted 30th June, 1857 :—" I have
driven all the insurgents away from about this. 'On the
16th I gave them a great smashing. Got two Fusiliers
killed, and, young Bailey, a gallant officer, severely
wounded, as also some of our men, one of whom has since
died; hat atl will do well, young Bailey included, 1 hope.
I have no animals to drag my guns, and no way of getting
far out of the tort ; besides, the fearful heat made it
sudden death to tl;f3 European soldiers to move without
teats. However, whlt did bad the effe3 Of Striking