The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-29 00:00:00

LONDON, MOA DAY EVENING, MARCH 29, 1858.

THI3 WAR IN INDIA.

(VEOIII TIIZ TIMES' SPECIAL COBRESPOiSTDENt.

I was cempelled to leave my last letter* un-
finished in order that I might avail myself of the
opportunity of joining the force in the field at
Cawnpore, and OM the morning of the 4th of Feb-
ruary I crossed the dirty Ganges with infinite -Betio-
; faction " and left Calcutta behind me. Jostling
through the swarming crowd of Hindoos, Muasul-
mans, and Coolies who filled the railway station, t
once more enjoyed that mild personal triumph
which one feels in establi,hing one's-self in the pet
corner of a railway carriage, and in a few minutes
was traversing the flat and uninteresting district
which lies on the right bank ofthe Ganges. It is
too much, perhaps, to say that the district is quite
uniuteres ing to a stranger. 'Die green rice fields,
the med built villa 4es, , the novel bird., the tro-
pical tree and te.etatien, and, above all, the
population; for some time attract and engage the
attention ; bat very soon the monotony of the
scene—each- grove so like its bother, and each
village the inodi-1 of all—that curiosity is satiated,
and is eucoverled by sours-thing stronger than indif-
ference. Far as the eye can reach en either side
th, re are the same small patches of ridt green amid
larger exp-insis of baked earth or banked-up water,
fringed by little groves of dates, Of 00C98, of palm,
or by clumps ofplenteins. Beneath every :thicker
tope or cluinp of trees are the wretched looking
cottages -of mud, bamb,o, and• thatch in
which the r:ativee live. T,ie snipe -springs
skirling from ihe m irshes which fringe the railway
banks, and along the margins of the tanks staik
snow-whie egrets with long-crests ; the tamer
paddy.bied,_ with looks like a bittern, may be seen
investivi lug the contents of the wciene.heape in
the r ewly-dried lind ; snakes of various kinds,
large blue jay of beautiful plummage, aerd the
saucy king crow, sit unmovingly on tiie teleuriph
wires—th- white huzzlid, t'lr Common home kite,
and mul itudes of vul :rues hover over-head. A
whirling cloud of flying foxes disturbed from their
rn,-rn:ng .leep wheel over the thick tope from which
they have been rouseit by soda, n.tive in search of
a cocoanut ; and the pretty green flycatcher darts
front branch to branch incessantly. The hoopal,
like our. own rare specimens, a large black and
white ki:igtisher, poised over a tank like a hawk on
the swi op ; iunumerable daw-like rooks fiequent
the aides of the rail, and the long-winged tern
and the sandeiling a:•e busy at woi k by the
flooded fields. But at this season of the year
the rice crops are scanty and the tanks are
not half full. The country has been baked by the
sun, and -with the exception of such patches as
haVe mentione 1 the whole surface of .Bengal is
like nothing so much as a vast brickfield. There
are bricks by the . million on all sides, and people
busy making them. There are bricks in heaps, I
in mounds, in pike in blocks, all drying in the
sun ; thtra is tee hard bare earth one vast brick
in itself Water or mould a piece of it, and it be-
comes a brick in a few hours. And the people naked
and b deed too—it seems as if not much were re-
quired to change them to' their original element.
The men square-shouldered, flat and thin-chested,
hollow-thigued, big-kneecll:trge-fouted, lank-heeled,
are wading about in the tanks, or making bricks,
or. carrying small loads, or engaged in some very
obscure agricultural operation,- or doing nothing
with equal in :I ifference. They have no clo:hing but
a small piece of cotton cloth, frequently very dirty,
wrapped round r hips, and the end brought
between -heir legs. Some- wear a turban of the
same material ; soma their natural coarse black
hair •s- a long tuft of the same suiostande, de-
pending from the b ick of the head ; others have
the scalp halt shaved, others again have the head
shaven clean, so that it almost makes one shudder
to see their shining black bald pates glistening in
the -broiling sun. Some are blacker than the
darkest Ethiop, others are coLured like the tawny
Moor." There is one who is busy engaged in pur-
suing small deer • amid the folds of his scanty pan-
ialeons—he has three white stripes over his nose,
and a sort of necklace which comes round under
the shoulder' and a stupid and uey look in hie dull,
dark eyes; he is, I am told, a holy Brahmin.
Another is washing his clothes—and he has no
cheuge of linen—ie the tank close by. Little chil-
dren, boys and girl-.' quite naked up to the age of
six or seven, hurrah and tom up their hands after
the f.shion of our own juvenile population in greet-
ing a passing train. The wome though more
decently ciad, seem to be more wild and savage
than the men. Ti eir breasts and hea Is, and the
body down to the knee, is covered by a thin fold
of calico, but they have huge brass rings in their
noses, s mining rings of metal from he wrist to the
elbow, and th ck hoops of the s :me material round
their ancles. Their highly polished,: glittering
little babies rile straddle-legged on their mothers'
hips as tiie latter totter about with heavily-laden
baskets on their head', doing the work of teen, or
engage in the very common process of kneading
dung getherel in the fields into cakes, to be dried
and used as fuel. It is said that on fete days these
wretched-looking peOple come out in great finery.
I can only regr, t that they have not more of those
fetes—as yet I have seen none. Through
such scenes one weirls for miles past dirty
little temples of foul and loathsome deities, till
we come to Burdwan. Here wo get out to look at
the prison, and at the Rajah of Paehite, who is con-
fined there on suspicion of treason. It was
run:touted that his people were coming to rescue
him, and Dr. Muuat, Inspector of Prisons, who was
in the tiaiu wits us, was coining to ascertain the
truth of the report, in order that he might he re-
moved to Calcutta if the magistrates found it was
well founded. The gaol consists of several brick
buildings of only one story in height, and sur-
rounded by a high wall ; the doors are strong and
clamped with iron—the gaolers armed with cut-
lasses. On entering the prison we saw a number of
men with leg-irons engaged in various ways in the
open yard, making coarse paper, grinding grain,
pounding bricks—au evil-faced race. We gassed
into one of the rooms, and at once found ourselves
among a number of brass pots, earthen pots, nar-
ghile b reels, and silver vessels, which lay on the
floor ; inside, a young man about 30 years of age,
with coarse sensual features, seated on the ground,
was eating rice with his fingers out of a large dish.
In front of him, at some distance, with folded arms,
stood three domestics in au attitude of profound
attention. The Rajah—for it was he—looked up
angrily and demanded who we were ; nor did he
seem better pleased when Dr. Monet told him his
business ; but finding his highness so engaged, we
at once left his presence. I was somewhat relieved
from any ft elwg of sympathy when I was in-
formed that the gentleman tears a very bad cha-
racter in every way, and that be has long been
" looked for" by the authorities. Thence we
went to the women's wari, a small building, con-
sisting of two rooms, one opening into the other,
with a little yard in front. Some 12 or 13 women.
of various awes were employed here pretty much as
the men. Ot these not less than eight were impri-
soned for murder, mostly of the children of others
whom they had been engaged to destroy, and it
was with re:me surprise I he .rd that these har-
dened criminals were confined in the same room
with women who were undergoing punishment for.
very trifling offences.

Tile reform so much needed in the prison of
Burdwan in that respect will, is said, be soon in-
troduced. We arrived at Raneegunge, 120 miles
from Calcutta., the point to which tno railway has
been carried, at 3 o'clock in the aleruoon, having
been about six hours on the road. All the daks, or
post c rrisges, had been taken by the military au-
thorities, aml there was nothing for it but to remain
at the bungalow, winch h4s some pretensions to be
considered as an hotel, till the afternoon of the next
day, when, thanks to the kindness of the officers in
charge and of the auhhorities, I was eurnde to pro-
ceed on my way to Benares. At Raneegunge com-
mences the system of conveyance for winch the In-
dian Government deserve very great credit, and by
which ae were enabled to concentrate •i.ur troops
with certainty and comfort. The men were tent up
dsily in detachments of 150 or 200 by rail to Ra-
neegunge. There closed carriages drawn by oxen
were provided f r them, into which they were trans-
ferred and sent up country at the rate of 35 miles
a-day. All along the ro ad bungalows were prepared,
where the detachments received their meals with
the utino4t comfort, and where they could rest if
necessary during the day. These ar- angements never
failed ou any occasion. The acc•mamcidation sheds
are clean arid airy, and .the cooking was excellent,
so that the men, many of whom had served in the
Crimean war, were loud in their expressions of prase.
At present the stream of troops has ceased, but I
was an eye-witness of the excellent preparations
made by Captain Sadler and by the commissariat
officers for the reception of part of her Majesty's
35th Foot, which arrived there by rail the day after
I caul e. Bligadier Honford is stationed in command,
and the ofli:ers have a small mess, the hospitality
of which I have to acknowledge. The only thing
worth seeing at Raneegunge wasacampofelephants,

* LAI, iu An.

58 of which, with their mahouts, feeders, and at-
tendants, were installed near the Toad.

Farr. 5.
Gharry-daks all ready.at 4- p.m. Now, gharry
daks convey no intelligible idea to. the English.
The words being translated, mean pot carriages.
A gharry is an oblong box
provided with doors at
each side, with slides and small Venetian blinds to
keep off the sun, mounted on springs and four
wheels, mid drawn by one horse.. Load for each
gharry, 2001b..ofluggage ; driver with "Alail stop
guard" on 'he brass plate of his belt, nothing else
English about him ; a turban on his head, •crilted
cotton tunic, with sash round his waist, tight pan-
taloons of striped yellow cotton ; bare feet, slip-
pers, and Pren h bugle, The party s' acted in four
daks-(oronounced dawks)—one with Major-General
Sir R. Garrett en route to hii command at Um-
halla ; another with his Aide-de-Camp, Major
D ,llas, and an officer of the Rifle Brigade ; and the
other two charged wlth officers and self. Go alt ng
at a good pace over excellent road, about seven
miles an hour ; change horses every five miles.

FEB., 6.
Amid a most Migratory population, all on the
tramp, trains of oxen, bamboo built carts, buffa-
loes, camels, all :,Yoing towards Calcutta ' • road very
good, through dead-flat c ,untry, which looks like
the tel of some dried-bp sea ;no heilgis, no trees,
but many bleached bones of all kinds; inter alia,
one human skull; fi-Ids near at hand covered wish
broken cooking veerkils and pot of brown earthen-
ware; grass all burnt, earth bakr.d and hart andfull :
of Asstires ; vi lages of mud. vt ry squalid ; on
a vast plain in front of me a ridge of conical hills
covered wilt Verdure. At 12 30 arrived at Ni-
meagbaut, where there Was a bungalow, a building
of one story, of brick with tiled roof, port-co in
front, two rooms for reception of dak travellers,
ani out-offices. Officers of commissariat and
another in charge of convoy are stationed there,
and kindly share iatit.ins. • •

FEB. 7.
At Sherg.,tty aho'ut 10 a.m., a large at, a,,igUng
market place. Rehels burnt indigo planters' pro-
perty Qear th's some
_months a, o. C.)untry as we
proceed consists of vast plains imbedded in frames
fbill4, and seamed with watercourses ; not one-
eighth is bearing or :ps, or traces of ti,em, aclord-
ing to appearano?s, which, most likely, are deceit-
ful. See two wolves in a field and plenty of jackals
in,the evening.

• FEB. 8.
Stopped at Nobntpore, where the bungalow bad
been sacked by the Dinapore mu' ineers—or as the
native called them, " the Sepoys." The river is
here spanned by a very fine and handsome atone
bridge of unusual grace. Many detachments of our
soldiers have stopped here and the walls are covered
with their writings—.)ne said, " Be is e ! there are
quick ands in the raver, one of our men jost die,wned
there l" Two grave+ in the yard coetain the re-oaths
of J. Coutts, her M ,jes y's 78 h Regiment, and of
J. Stalworth, h r Maje>ty's 78th Re...iment. The
Country beyond this station ripcomes much richer
and be ter cultivated—a sea of young corn and
pulse, or grain. We are approaching Benare., and
shrines are freluent by the roadside., which are
fringed with fine trees, mangoes, palms, the toddy
tree, and others unknown to me even by name.
About 1.30 p.m. we come in sight of Benares, a
long, straggling, Torkish-looking town on the left
bank of the Ganges, which 'is here high and pre-
ciplous. The river, which is filthy as usual, is
crossed by a new bridge of boats. The water is very
low. Streams of oxen and carts laden with cott
are passing across, but just as we arrive the bridge
is opened to let buts lots and our gharris are
de'aiued an hour. Nothing very observable
of the city from the bridge, except a mosque,
with two fine, delicate minaret, ab )ut half a
mile up the river. Tue passage and the bridge
are under the fire of a very powerful' and
extensive work completed since last June by. Lieut.
Patrick Stewart, Bengal Engineers, and ethers, at
the Baj Ghaut. -This work d.,minates the river and
overawes tie dirty and rebellious town. The houses
seem to be composed .of the ruins of old houses
stuck together with dried mud. The walls are
covered here and there with fiescoes of soldiers,
elephant., and kings, which put one much in mind
of the Nintveh-i oows in the British Museum.

FEB, 9.
Left Benares at 7• a.m. bidak as bsfor, . The
country ouitttide is one great sea of co e. The road-
side tbronoed wits) popl, nearly all with theirlaces
towards Benares. Many tanks by the to,daFde and
small shrines and temples—s. me flindoo—with
imites of apes and animals of difficult anatomy stuck
up for wor-h'p. The pt-ople nearly all carry long
and stout sticks of bauiboo, and walk at a great
pace. So-ne of them carry bamboos balanced hori-
zontally on their shoulders, their brass p ti at one
end and a handle at the o her. Family groups are
frequent—an old man,
thin and feeble, yet walking
wonderfully well ; a young man, stout and well-
proportioned but forlia iiofio wed thighs; a woman,
with- a chill-Pon her 43ip, andla b=oy end a girl of in
or seven years old. As far as the eye can reach ou
all sides th?re is a vast plain, Covered with waving
gteen, about tiro feet high, dotted with rich topes
of tree*, dry Ike
sad.;, patches of ;tiger-cane,
and popies. All along the road are half-ruined
houses at the distance of 3jo or 400 yards apart, the
high mud walls and enclosures offering strong posts
for defence, the high chick mounds of earth round
the tanks near the road being available for a simi-
lar puiprtse, and in the hands of a resolute enemy
m.lit difficult to force. Travelled all day—the rood
thronged and _Alna" impassable on account of the
cot-
ton. It was night befo,e we reached the bank of the
Ganges, opc t.. ~4!lahabad. The watch-fires
immense train of bullock hackeries laden with
by the rivet's banks gave one the idea of a great
camp—passed the Gii gby a broad bridge of
boats, and drove to the ciak bun2alow, which was
full ; thence out to a common,
officers, but they
where some tents
were pitched, we were told, for
were empty, aud so we went to another small camp
close at hand, where an enterprising individual had
established a mess telt, and some small tents to
sleep in around, and here we reposed for the
night, though the jackals were numerous and noisy.
It was very cold during the night in my tent, and
I awoke shivering—our party consisting of Major-
General Sir R. Garrett, Ist.j.,r Dallas, his Aide-de-
Camp, a Rifle brigade officer, Mr. Sladen, Madras
Fusileers, and a medical officer.

FEB. 10.
Awoke by the familiar strains of the reveille of
our light infantry bugles and by great cold. By
gray light saw the 13. h L gbelnfautry, Lord Mirk
Kerr's regiment, turning out. They form the out-
lying garrison of Allahabid, being encamped on
the platus between the fort and the town. After
breakfast drove over to the Fort, which is a large
quadrangular work, situite at the junction of the
Jumna with the Ganges, which is nearly at right
angles. The two river fit/es parallel to the sides of
these angles consist of high ornamented atone walls
—the work, it is sail, of Akhbar, the other two
sides towards the Doab having been added by our-
selves. It is a reguldr work, of considerable
rrength, and may be estimated as a first-class for-
tress. Few guns are mounted, but there is a large
arsenal inside, a laboratory, (Sze. in the great
square inside is pitched the camp
of the Governor-
General of India. His Excellency hves in an ordi-
nary general's tent, and all the principal officers
attiched to the machinery of State which he has
carried with him are under canvas. As an evidence
of the state of the country, and of the inadequacy
of the military means at the disposal of Government
to do all that is desirable, I may mention that the very
day before we arrived the report of a cannonade was
heard in the Governor's camp about noon, and s )on
after intelligence arrived that a chief at the other
side of the Ganges, near Sara 11, hal proclaimed
his inilep-udence, and orb red a sill%) to be fired by
his guns in honour of his r4jah. The Governor-
General has not a man to send to chastise this in-
solence, nor can he give any active suiport to Mr.
Mayne, who is struggling to maintain the civil au-
thority of Suraon.

FEB. 11.
Left Allababad by train at 9 a.m. The bungalows
are all ruined here, and the place was only saved
by Neill's advance. The enemy gl
,u s.,9royed. the sta-
tion as far as they could by fire. As a mark of their
intelligence it maybe added that th y fired musketry
at the engines for boure time at a dist ince as if they
were liviog bf;dies, and then advanced cautiously,.
and finding that the engines did not stir began to
belabour ahem with sticks, all the time c tiling them
names and abusing them. The rail passes through a
flat country ; on our right is the route of Have
lock's march • the high road along which he ad-
vanced is visible above the low grounds, much of
which were then under water. Many vi lager have
been destroyed by us for siding the enemy, or for
acts of hostility towards ourselves.
The rail carries us to Rbaga, 53. miles from Alla-
babad. We halt there, and at 3 o'clock puSh on by
horse dak to Futtehpore, where we make grother
halt till 9 o'clock at night in order to avoid apt.
proachiog Aire camp of Cawupore by night, The
district around has been dissffected. -The country
is populous, well cultivated, and fertile. It 4a-deed
level, and the scenery
is very monotonous. Nor us