The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-12 00:00:00

SIR GEORGE GREY'S PROCEEDINGS AT

THE CAPE.

Extract of Despatch from Governor Sir G. Grey
to the Right Hon. H. Labouchere, dated Cape
Town, Aug. 7, 1857. (Received Oct. 16, 1657.
Answered, No. 250, Oct. 21, 1857, page 12.)
I have the honour to state that I yesterday re-
ceived, by a special messenger, letters dated 29th
June and Bth July, from the Bombay goverument
to the following purport :
That the British power in India had never been
so seriously menaced as it was at the present
moment ; that the whole of the Bengal army was
either in open mutiny, or had been disarmed to
prevent their mutinying.
That the Bombay government still received
urgent calls for further aid, and was anxiously
watching events in the adjoining territory of the
Nizatn, among whose troops a mutinous spirit had
already displayed itself ; and that if this spirit
should become general in the Nizam's territory the
whole eastern frontier of the Bombay presidency
would require to be protected against any sudden
inroad.

By another letter from Lord Elphinstone, dated
29th June, I was informed that Sir H. Barnard's
force, then besieging Delhi, could not exceed 2,400
men, of which only 60 were trained artillerymen.
The rebels were daily receiving large reinforce-
ments, whole regiments and brigades were mutiny-
ing, and were marching to Delhi, carrying with
them their arms and any money which they could
plunder from the public chests on their way. The
mutineers were said to be very strong in artillery,
and to have 120 heavy guns mounted and admi-
rably served, and to be in every respect well sup-
plied with ordnance stores and ammunition.
In Bombay itself serious elements of disturbance
had just been detected ; at Sattarah a plot had
been discovered for seducing the sepoys from their
allegiance, massacreing the European inhabitants,
and for placing the adopted son of the deposed
Rajah upon the throne.
Another letter from Lord Elphinstone, dated Bth
J uly, informed me that a very bloody and incou-
conclusive action had been fought at Delhi on the
23d of June, and that we had lost a great number
of officers; that our force was daily becoming weaker,
whilst the rebels were constantly increasing in

strength and boldness. That Sir -John Lawrence
began to think he would be obliged to abandon
Peshawur, and all the count ry beyond the Indus,
and the state of affairs generally contiuued to grow
more unsatisfactory. You will have heardtbe above
circumstances before this reaches you, but it was
necessary that I should detail them asa justification
of the measures I have adopted, and of the respon-
sibilities which I have incurred.
Under these circumstances the Bombay Govern-
ment sent down a special messenger to me, Capt.
Jenkins, of the Indian Navy, with thesteana trans-
ports the England and the Madras, and urgently
requested me to send, without an instant's delay,
two infantry regiments to Bombay, and a force of
artillery to Calcutta, together with draught horses,
and any supplies of specie which could possibly be
,pared.
The Bombay Government stated this assis'ance to
be absolutely necessary, and urgently pressed me to
send every farther aid that could possibly be's3parecl
to the Government of Bengal, which must be placed
in a position of the most imminent peril.
have therefore directed that all vessels arriving
here with troops for China shall proceed direct to
Calcutta instead of to Singapore. At this season of
the year it only takes four days longer to reach Cal-
cutta than Singapore. The voyage from Calcutta to
Singapore can be performed in about days ; thus, if
the troops are not required at Calcutta, their voyage
will only be lengthened about nine days ; whilst, if
the safety of our Indian empire is threatened, their
arrival at Calcutta 10 or 12 days earlier than if they
went round by Singapore, may prove to be a matter
of the most vital consequence. I have also directed
that the coaling of the steam transports arriving
here with troops for China should be proceeded wi• h
day and night, so that sot one how's delay will
take place at the Cape of Good Hope. Thes-, ar-
rangements have been communicated to' the Right
Hon. the Governor-General of India, and to Lord
Elgin.
The inhabitants of Caps Town have in this emer-
gency most nobly offered with their Volunteer
Corps to perform gratuitously the whole garrison
duty o: this place, which, from the number of Kaffir
prisoners here, will bo heavy ; and I have conse-
quently been able to spare for service in Ind. a, every
wan serving in this portion of South Africa.
I have therefore detained the company of Royal
Artilry which arrived on the 3d inst. in the Ocean
Wave, under the command of Major Messurier, for
the purpose of re!itiving Capt. Hardy's company of
the same corps, and have also detained Capt.
Hardy's company, which was to have returned to
England. Half of this latter company was quar-
tered in Cape Town, forming part of the garrison
of this place ; and I have directed Capt. Sir Wm.
Wiseman to embark on bolrd hPr Majesty's steam
ship Penelope Major Mt-ssurier's company of Royal
Artillery, and the half of Capt. Hardy's company,
which was in Cape Town, wi!h Capt. Travers of the
Royal Artillery, and 50 excellent draught horses
(thus forming a force of 207 non-commisioned
officers and men of the Royal Artillery, with nine
officers, together with their proper complement of
horses), and to pr.( cried without any delay direct
with this force to Calcutta.

I have also taken the Eum of 60,0001. in specie

out of the colonial treasury, being all the spec e
that we had, and have paid it of er as a loan into
the military chest, directing the senior comrnisa
riat officer to ship this sum of specie on board the
Penelope, to be paid over at Calcutta to the order
of the Right Hon. the Governor-General of India.
The Penelope will sail for Calcutta to-morrow or
the next day.
The 89th Regiment having been concen'rat4d,
one half as the garrison at Cape Town, and the
other half at the Buffalo Mouth, for the purpose of
proceeding to New Zealand, I was able to put my
hand upon this regiment, at an hour's notice, and
have, as you will find from the enclosed correspon-
dence, directed that the Ocean Wave should be
chartered to take 200 men of the 89th Regiment
to Bombay, whilst the remainder of the same regi-
ment will be able to find accommodation on board
the England. The 89th embarks to-day, and pro-
ceeds without delay for Bombay.
From Sir Charles Yorke's letter to Sir James
Jackson of the 4th of June, 1857, it appears that
the 95th Regiment, which was to relieve the 89:b,
may be expected to arrive here hourly. I will then
send that regiment on to Bombay, allowing no
longer detention here than is requisite for complet-
ing their supplies. In case of any difficulty arising
on this subject, I have detaiue I for the present
the steamer Madras on to Bombay. The 80t'i and
95th, together with the reinforcements which have
been furnished from the Mauritius, will, appateutly
sufficiently increase the European force in the
Bombay presidency.
I have, however, written to Sir James Jackson
requesting him to make every exertion to spare
another regiment from this command ; if we can
with any safety accomplish this, such regiment
shall be immediately sent on to Calcutta.
To enable us to do this, I have taken uponmyself
the responsibility of authorising our local mounted
border force to be increased by 200 men, which
will entail an additional charge of at least 20,0001.
per annum upon the colonial chest, raising the sum
which the colony pay for their own frontier force to
60,0001. per annum.
In the emergency of the moment I have been
compelled to take this step without the authority
of the colonial parliament. which has only just been
prorogued ; but I feel confident that the loyalty of
the people of this colony is so great, and that such
is their gratitude for the aid which Great Britain
has affot dad to them through so many years of
adversity, that a strong public feeling would be
raised against me if I hesitated at the present
moment to take all such steps as the colonial parlia-
ment would feel it was consistent with their honour
that the Governor of the Colony should take to
show their attachment to their sovereign, and their
desire by every means in their power to evince their
gratitude to her Majesty, and their anxiety in an
important crisis to contribute to their utmost ability
to secure the safety of the empire.
I am afraid her Majesty's government may think
that I have incurred too heavy a responsibility in
directing all these movements, but I beg to point
out, that any error which I have in this respect
made can be remedied in a few weeks, whilst, not
only is the safety of our whole Indian empire now
at stake, but the present is a crisis of great political
significance.
The British empire is so vast, and so unwieldy,
that it is all important that the whole wed,:
t should
see it has not overgrown its strength, but hri t it
vitliy, aud
possesses quite as much energy,
powers of action at its extremities as at its centre,
and that if any vital portion of it is seriously en-
dangered, all parts of it can,t without communi-
sim tanenusly stir them-
eating with the centre,
selves to meet the emergency, as if each part were
the head and centre of action for the whole body,
so that the whole weight and force of the empire,
can at once be brought to bear from every part upon
the menaced point.
If this is done, the strength and safety of the
whole of her Majesty's dowinionz are greatly
increased, and their varied populations become
animated by common sentiments and by a
common pride in the greatness and strength of the
empire of which they form a part the effect of
which can hardly be exaggerated. Forinstance,
there is not one of the gentlemen itl thigs part