Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-09-21 00:00:00

LITE IN DELHI:

The following statement of a native regarding
the interior state of Delhi iu May and June is
most interesting : _ _

I reached DelhiOn the 21st May. 1857, and stayed there
till` the 23rd J ins. Oa my arrival there I saw five Irean-
try regiments and the Siwsrs of the 3rd Cavalry, who were
stationed ie Molitebbagh and Siliingurg. The Srpays
were so much afraid cf. the English forces that they looked
Tile: pale. The cavalry muticeers had a lithe spirit, and
were wishing to go to Meerut for a fight ; but the foot-
men did not agree wi.h them,.sayiog, "We are hardly
sufficient to gu trd Delhi ; how can we go to Meerui.?"
I will give you a smell description rf the oppression com-
mitted by Sepoys in. Delhi. They ,plundered every rich
house and shop in the city. They took every horse they
found in the stables of the 'edema Tney killed a number
of poor shopkeepers for asking the proper p, ices for their
things, they abuse 1 the respectable men of -Delhi in their
presence. The guard at Jumna bridge hooted the passen-
gers crossing it. On the 11th of 311.tyethe raegazine was
blown up, it did greet damage to the adjacent houses; and
killed five hundred passengers walking in different streets.
The bullets 1111 in the houses of people to such a degree,
that some children picked up-two pounds and some roar
pounds of it froth the yards of their houses; afterwards
the mutineers, together with the low people of the
city, entered the magazine compound and began to
plunder weapons, accoutrements, gun-caps, &e.—
The " loot" continued for three days ; each Sepoy took
three er lour muskets, and as many s ivorde and b lents as
he could. The cslassies tilled their houees with fine black-
smith's tools, weapous, and gun caps, which they sell by
degrees, at the rate two seers per rupee. Th 3 copper
sheets were sold at three seers per rupee. In these success-
ful days, the highest price of a musket was eight autias ;
however, the people feared to buy it ; a fine English sword
was dear for four annis, and one anna was too much for a
good bayonet. Pouches and belts were so common that
the owners could not get anything for this booty of theirs.
The gunpowder which was kept at Mujnoos Tile, more
than halt of it was p'undered by Goojurs and c untrymen,
and the rest was brought to the city. Since the day of my
arrival titl the day of my departure, I never found the
bazaar open, but a few peer steeps. The shopkeepers awl
citizens are extreuttly sorry for loosing thee- safety, acid
curse the mutineers from morning to evening. Poor people
and workmen starve, and widows cry is their huts.
Respectable English servants had confined themselves to
their houses. A Kotwal is changed every a cond day.
The Sepoys plundered very treasury in the city, and put
the money in their own pockets; they dal nut give a
fuelling out of this to the King ; so the S: poys of four or
five regiments possessed thousends of rupees each, and
under the weight of silver they could hardly walk, conse-
qaently they were obliged to chsnge their silver for gold.
Toe Mahajuns charge them 24 or 25 rupees for a gold
mohur, which is not worth more than 16 rupees. Since the
bankers were plundered by the Sepoys they aiso cheated
thein by giving them brass coins instead of gold ones.
The poor regiments are very jealous of those who are rich,
as the rich Sepoys don't wish to go to fighe or to the fie d
of b title simply ; they are very often insulted by their poor
friends. lam of opinion their private feelings will compel
them to fight with each other, some day or other, as many
times during my stay at Delhi I heard there was very likely
to be a quarrel between the rich end poor regiments.
One regiment from Allyghur and Myupeorie, 150 Sewers,
and some unarmed Sepoys fenm Agra, one regiment and 200
Sowers from Hand and Hisser, some unarmed Sepoys
from Um belle, 200 Sowers and two companies of INiz
from Muttra, 6 h Light Cavalry, two regiments froin
lundur, two regiments and artiaery from Nusseerabed,
reached Deli before me and joined the =liners. I will
acquaint you with the names ut the stations from whence
the rebels brought treasure for the King. Moraelnugges
Telisell—toll gate, near Hindun-bridge, Rehtuck Ally-
ghur, Hansi, Mutra, Hursaroogurhie, Tirsaih, out of
which his Majesty pays four antics to each footman, and
one rupee to each trooper pe: diem. lam quiteignonnt of
the amotnit of the money, but I know, as ter as this, th.t
on the 17th June the was lett one lee and nineteen theca
and rupees is the King's Treatatry. Tee princes are made
officers to the teasel a- mi—thoueands of pities for the peer
luau- ious princes. Teey are sometimes c mipelled to go
out of the door of the city, in the heat of the sun—their
hearts palpitate from the firing of muskets and guns.
Unfortneately they do not know how to command an
army; heir forces laugh at their imperfec ions, and
abuse them for their bad arrangements. The King sends
sweetmeats for the forces in the fie'd, and the guard at
the door of the city plunder it like the property of an
enemy. The brave l- of the royal troops deserves every
praise ; they are very &ever indeed ; whe n they wish to
leave the field of b lute they tie a piece of rag to their leg,
and pretend to have he n wounded, and come into the
city lame end groaning, accompanied by their friends.
On the night of the 30ni June, at the Hindun bridge, the
mutineera were quite out of their senses,a good mane of them
threw their muskets end swords in the wells, and scatter-
ing on the road, ran towards villages and jungles, as they
thought themselves to have been pursued by English
soldiers. Had the English forces taken them they could
have taken Delhi the sa-ne night, because the Sepoys -did
not return to the city till next morning, and many of
them disappeared for ever; they were plundered and
beaten by Goojurs, and did net bring a farthing back with
them. The old King is very seldom obeyed ; and the
Princes are never. The soldiers never mind their ugh-
mehtal bugle ; disobey their officers, anti neglect their
duty; they are never mustered, and never dress in uniform.
The noblemen and Begums, tegether, with the Princes,
regret the loss of their jeyful days. The consider the
arrival of mutineers at Deldi a sudden misfortune for
them. The princes cannot understand the Sepoys without
an interpreter. The shells have destroyed hits of houses in
the city ; and in the fort the marble of the King's private
hail is broken to pieces. His Alejes'y is very much
alarmed when a shell is burst in the castle, and the princes
show his Majesty the pieces of it. Many of the royal
family have loft "the palace through fear. The Delhi
college was destroyed the first day. English books are
lying in the streets still. 'lke Sepoys beat and imprison
people for speaking Baglish.—Lahore Chronicle.