The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-20 00:00:00

as a last resource—the last throw of a desepfnaesifugrorsaornieitetndie.
game—Adrian Hope, collecting some fifty mel,
stole Silently and cautiously. through the jungle
and brushwood away to the right, to a portion of
the wall on which he had, before the assault,
thought he perceived some injury to have been
inflicted. Reaching it unperceived, a single fissure
was found. Up this a single man was, with some
diffiulty,' pushed; he saw no one near the spot,
and helped up Hope, Ogilvy (attached to the
Madras Sappers), Allgood, the Astistant Qum t2r-
master-General, and some others. The numbers
inside soon increased, and as they did so they ad-
vanced, gradually extending their front. A body
of sappers, sent for in haste, arrived at the double;
the opening was enlarged, the supports rushed in.
Meanwhile Hope's' small party, pushing on, to their
great aAonishnient found themselves almost un-
n
opposed.
garrisonllo;:lenlttihihncoeg-
its.ormuckocte
assailantstwe,
siapnsaptijoia;:vs just
tleistit
dark
Gaining the gate, they threw it open for
their comrades. The white dresses of the last of
away amidst the
1;1
bt
hdkg3dl, seiethdnhmia daagpoid:pesii
ast
tr
tou
efenyt destruction
fled
the place and gave up the struggle, just when the
victory was secure.

Never had there been a harder fought day, but
neverW7S there a result gained more satisfactory.
The relief of the Residency, an affair in the highest
degree problematical in the morning, was now all
but certain. I We' had' won our footing on the plain,
we had secured' a base on which to plant our guns.
Time and .artillery, with, sure
.but unerringsteps,
would do the 'rest.' -Taken -Beth our batteries
and the Residency gunsi:we)were) pretty Certain to
expel the enemy from the intervening build,
ing. To-day we had fought fOr existence,
to-morrow we would throw for -victory.' To
retire, indeed, froin. thilv.point Wnuld be nearly
as difficult as to win it ; but the prestige of success
throws a buckler round the conquerors. Anxiously
during this day had we strained our eyes, frequently
had we stooped our ears, hoping to gain some indi;.
cation of Outram's progress, looking wearily for the
flash of his musketry in the enemy's rear, to lighten
us from the load under which we were struggling.
But hour after hour passed by, and no bickering
tide of war came up to us from the east. Some-
times, amidst the roar of the battle, we thought we
could distinguish the dull sound of a more distant
canonade, -but nothing certain could be niade.eut.
We did not then know how formidable was the mass
of buildings -still interposed between, rendering
such active co-operation impossible. But there was
joy now in everTheart—there- was :light in every
eye. Not in vain now had. Greathed's toil-worn
bands pushed on in hot haste from Delhi's smoking
rampaits—notin vain had the Highlanders haStened
Over the stormy mains from their distant mountain
homes—for the blool of our . defenceless women
would not now -ascend reeking to the-heavens—the
voice of Rachel mourning for her ;children, and re-
fusing, to be, comforted, because they were not,
would not now'be heard.. '. • .
Much, hoWever, still remained to be done. "jOir
small force occupied most extended position-7-the
road to the rear was winding and difficult—the
enemy had. during the day attacked both the Mar;
tiniere and Dil Kooshar, and shown themselves in
force on the road to Alum Bagh, while on the other
-side of the Goon-am their outpoSts swarmed on the
edge of the woods. No 'tents had accompanied our
march—no Camp-fires could be lighted. Silently
in their ranks the men lay.down to rest; Ere the
'grey light of morning had been seen in the heavens,.
the bells of the city had rung loud and clear, and
the beating of many drums been heard. An attack
seemed to be impending, arid everywhere the ranks
were formed; but either the enemy, finding us
prepared, changed their mind, or it had not been
intended, for no one came-=only a drooping fire of
round shot into the field hospital caused both
alarm and injury to the wounded, who lay there
shelterless and unprotected. Ammunition was now
brought up, both for the heavy guns and small
arms, and the mode and plan of the attack ar-
ranged, and its execution at once, set about. Unlike
the preceding.day, no sudden assaults, no desperate
rushes were to be made, The heavy guns, howit-
zers, and mortars, planted in battery, were .to open
fire on the Mess House, the next. great building
which lay in our way. When its defences had
been completely ruined, it .was to be occupied, and
from thence operations against the Motoc Mahal
undertaken: Then our communication with the
Residency would: be open, 'though exposed. to a
flanking fire from the Kaiser Bagh.
Peel commenced the operations of the day by a
steady, well-directed fire from the Mess House.
This was-a post of considerable strength, being de-
fended by a ditch twelve feet broad, surmounted by
a loopholed Wall behind. During the whole day
the fire of his guns continued unabated. About
three in the afternoon; its musketry having been
almost entirely got under, it was assailed by a
company of the 90th and a detachment_ of the 53d,
and carried with little loss ; and the troops, excited
with -their success, pursued the fugitive garrison to
the wall which separated it from the Motee Mahal.
This, too, was presently broken through by the
Sappers, and the numerous buildings, surrounded
by a large enclosure, forming the latter post, were
won. The communication with the Residency was
now open, though the way to it was exposed to the
enemy within easy musket-shot. Outram and
Havelock, running the gauntlet, rode out to meet
their deliverer. The task of the latter was nearly
accomplished. The defending and relieving force
had shaken hands.
On the afternoon of the 16th, Havelock, observ-
ing the progress of Sir Colin's army, had made a
sally with the whole disposable force of the garri-
son, and carried, without sustaining any very
severe loss, the posts of the Hern Khana and
Steam-Engine House., The occupation of these
positions enabled the communications between the
two forces to be effected as soon as the Motee Mahal
was carried.

But a most difficult and dangerous task still re-
mained. The garrison, with women and children,
sick awl w-11:1
.;ul-is and stores, had to be with-
drawn ; and to effect this in the face of the vast
force of the enemy was no easy task. One narrow
winding lane alone led to the rear, and through it
the whole force had to be filed. To protect the
march of the convoy, the whole of the immense
line, extending from the ruined walls of the Resi-
dency to the wooded park of the 1)il Kooshar, re-
quired to be held, and this gave a most hazardous
extension to our forces—far too weak for the main-
tenance of so extended a position. To keep any
considerable reserve in hand was impossible ; and
to such a dangerous extent did this at last come,
that when, on the afternoon of the 18th instant, a
vigorous attack was directed by the enemy upon
the centre of our line, the only troops which re-
mained in,the -bands of the Commander-in-Chief, to
support the menaced point with, were two weak
companies of infantry and Remmington's troop of
Bengal horse-artillery. The conduct of this troop
was the admiration of all beholders ; the rapidity of
its advance through most difficult ground being
only equalled by the beauty and accuracy of its fire.
The measures necessary to secure the safety of
the convoy, and cover the withdrawal of the force,
may be resolved into two—the getting under the
fire of the Kaiser Bagh, and the securing of our
left flank in the " Barracks" and adjoining build-
ings. The former, to enable the convoy to reach
the position of Sir Colin's force—the latter to Pro-
tect its passage to the Dil Kooshar, through the
narrow and tortuous lane .alreadr the
left, frequently
referred to, which led from our rig it, in rear of
left, to the Martiniere.
To effect the last object a communication
esta-
blished, was,
on the 17th instant, with much trouble,to the
canal, leading from the Barrack e
s
canal, in rear of our left, and our position in
the
post n
lgohs te ot fo
thet h e
17th, Banks' House, an
that building strengthened.
importantthe extreme left., was carried
line of the canal, on
by a party of the 2d Punjaub Infantry. .During
the whole of the I.7th and 18th an incessant
musketry fire was kept up by the enemy upon this
part of our position, from Which we suffered consi-
derably. Brigadier Russell was severely -wounded
on the latter day, and his successor in the com-
mand, Colonel Bidulph, killed ; but, Under the
direction of COlonel Hale, of H.M. 82d, the whole
of the operations necessary to the securing of this
important point were successfully carried out, and
all the buildings which required to be occupied
won. But the service was a most severe and
harassing one to the troops engagel, who; hardly
enjoyed a moment's respite-from attack.
But the work was now drawing near its conclu-
sion. On the morning: of the 20th, Peel, with all
our heavy guns, opened fire upon the. Kaiser Bagb,
and for three days it went on increasing . in its
'severity. The enemy suffered severely, especially
from the bursting of our shells in its court-yards
crowded -with troops ; and by the evening of the
22d, not only had its means of offence and annoy-
Ance been nearly destroyed, but three breach-es
were gaping in it swalls, and everything betokened
an assault during the ensuing night or morning:
This was the moment chosen, when the attenti( n
,of the enemy was entirely directed to the defence
jot this :important point, for the eyactution.of the