The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-19 00:00:00

GWALIOR.

It will be remembered that early in July last
nearly the whole of Scinlia's army, the Gwalior
Contingent, numbering close on 12,000 as well
armed and disciplined as any troops in India,
joined the insurrection, and from that time forth
they formed one of the most formidable bodies we
have had to dsal with. It -was these men chiefly
who shut up Windham in Cawnpore in November,

and were dispersed by Sir Colin Cimpboll a fort-
night afterwards. A large portion of them were
believed to have joined the garrisons of Jhansi and
Calpee, strongholds considered peculiarly fitted for
maintaining an obstinate and protrac'ed resist-
ance. Som© three or four thousand troops had
continued faithful around Scindia to the last, and
have only now gone over to the enemy. From
the time of their defeat at Koonch, Gwalior was
obviously the city of refuge to which all Pandy
eyes were turned, and so soon as CAlpee fell, a
rush in that direction was made. Though Scindia
had abundant cause to suspect his regulars, he
had really no choice but to try to make the best of
them ;he had none others to fall back upon: On
the Ist of June the rebels were reported as ap-
proaching in great force, having obviously come
straight from the scene of their disasters on the
23d. The Gwalior troops went out to meet them.
They consisted of some 600 of the body guird, with
some cavalry, 6,000 infantry, and 8 guns. The
enemy had 4,000 cavalry, 7,000 infan'ry, and 12
gnus. They met shortly after daybreak. The
rebels were headed by Tautia Topee, the chief of
Bander, Rao Sahib, Ram Row Govind, and the
Rmeee of Jhansi. So soon as the battery of
Scindia opened, about 2,000 of the enemy's cavalry
charged and carried the guns, when 2,000 of the
Gwalior troops, all of which save the body guard
bad hitherto remained inactive, at once joined the
rebels. The body guard fought with great gallantry,
and had above 200 killed ; the rest of the army
continued from the first listless spectators of the
scene, and quickly afterwards joined the enemy.
It was vain longer to attempt to keep the field, and
so the body guard retired with precipitation. The
action occurred close under the walls of Gwalior,
when Scindia, finding his case hopeless, retired on
Agra, hotly pursued by the cavalry of the enemy.
The Baez Ranee, the widow of a former sovereign,
who had been thrice since 1824 peimitted to adopt
an heir to the throne of Gwalior, with Sciudia's
family, had meanwhile escaped towards Sepree,
whitherward they were for a while hotly pursued,
but managed to escape. The Lot of Gwalior is
built upon a rook rising abruptly from the plain to
the height of about 300 feet. It is difficult of
access even by the gate; everywhere else it is
reee:pitous, or in some cases overhanging. It is
about 300 yards across at its greatest breadth, and
a mile and a half in length. It would be difficult
to storm, but is very easily bombarded, the
guns from the walls not being capable of suf-
ficient depression to command mortar batteries
under them. The chief difficulty for the enemy is,
that though it might for a little space be held by
them if they once enter it, they can never get out
again. We have only to guard the entrance, and
keep pounding away from under cover, when the
garrison must either capitulate or be extinguished
by us, without so much as the gratification of a
sortie. They are said io have SI 7 el:glt:Led the fort
by adclitice_al men and guns; but considerations
such as those suggested will probably force them.
selves upon them as the British troops approach.
They have already plundered the town, and so ex-
cited the inhabitants against them, while the prin-
cipal men are repairing to Agra, not only for the
sake of safety, but to tender us their services. The
movement of the rebels in Gwalior may, perhaps,
after all, be considered an auspicious event, esta-
bli,hing, as it does most effectually, a permanent
and irreconcilable quarrel betwixt the insurgents
and the people.
SIR HUGH ROSE'S FORCE.

After the capture of Calpee on the 23d Mty, the
force under Sir Hugh Rose, which had fought their
way from one side of India to the other, and part
of which had well nigh lived in harness sines Octo-
ber, might naturally have looked for some shelter
and repose. Further toils were awaiting them.
The eyes of the rebels, if driven from their la•t
stronghold, were Tong bslieved to have been turned
towards Gwalior, where they knew that the hearts
of the bulk of Scindia's army, which had already
contributed so largely to their ranks, were on their
side. Oa the 24th, the morning after the capture,
a party was sent in pursuit of tin fugitives. It con-
sisted of a regiment of Hyderabad cavalry, some
infantry, and a wing of the Bombay 25th N. 1.,
commanded by Col. RThertion, of the corps last
named. The rebels seemed inclined to mike for
Jaloun, a strong fortress north-west of Calpee, which
Sir H. Rose had at one time intended to take on

his advance. They speedily changed their minds,
and proceeded nearly north in the direction of thi
Jumna. The third day of the pur6uit they appeared
disposed to fight, when the pursuing column, beiug
too weak for resistance to the enemy en masse, still
some ten thousatid strong, with cavalry and guns,
assistance was summoned from the rear. He was
joined accordingly on the 31st by portions of the
14,h Dragoons and her Majesty's BGth ; but the
enemy had once more taken to their heels and now
outstripped him. They reached Gwalior on the let
of J une. Leaving Calpee in charge of a sufficient
garrisln under command of Capt. Hare, until the
arr:val of General Whitlock with the Madras
Brigade. Sir Hugh Rose, accompanied by Sir R.
Hamilton, who had attended in his civil capacity
all through with a portion of the First Brigade,
started for Gwalior at two a.m., on the 2nd of June.
He was followed on the sth by the last portion of
the force. On the Bth we find the head-quartets at
Indurkee, two-thirds of the march having been ac-
complished. The second brigade from Jhansi,
under Brigadier Hicks, was ordered to join the
other troops near Gwalior ; they had about the
same distance as the Calpes force to traverse. The
three towns just named occupy the angles of an
equilateral triangle of about 100 miles each side.
We mentioned, in our issue of the 4,h, the occupa-
tion of Chundaree by Brigadier Smith, and his
subsequent advance on Sepree on the 10th ; they
reached this on the 7th, and left it on the 10th in
the direction of Gwalior, to form a portion of the
attacking army. From the interruption of our
communications with the north-west, we have not
yet learnt what assistance may be looked for from
Agra, a distance of only 65 miles, and where
Sciudia himself arrived on the 2nd. Whatever men
they may be able to spare, they can supply any
amount of ordnance and ammunition. The various
portions of the attacking force would in all likeli-
hood be in communication by the 15th ; the next
stage of the proceeding 4 would depend on the policy