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

rtwt& AND CHINA.

(pram the Times' Correspondent.)
CALCUTTA, -FEB. 22.
For one week more England must submit to her
suspense- The preparations are almost complete,
but action is scarcely yet commenced. The original
intention of crossing at Futtehghur has been aban-
doned ; the force at Futtehghur, with the excep-
tion of a strong garrison, has been withdrawn to
Cawnpore ; and on the 11th Feb. the army com-
menced the passage of the river. An extra bridge
was thrown across, but the passage of that enor-
mous train of artillery still occupied many days.
It must not be forgotten that carts drawn by bul-
locks carry but little, and that one portion only of
the ammunition required 1,500 waggons. The de-
tailed list I promised of Sir. C. Campbell's force is
still on its way down, but we can without details
arrive at a near approximation to the truth. After
leaving a garrison at Futtehghur, and strong par-
ties to watch different points of the river, Sir Colin
may still have with him 16 regiments of Euro-
pean infantry, three regiments of European
cavalry, 3,000 Sikh horse, 80 siege guns, 80 first-
class field pieces, and perhaps 50 guns of smaller
calibre. His supplies of ammunition are on the
Sebastopol scale, and regularly increased from the
depots at Agra, Allahabad, and Calcutta. Unfor-
tunately the 16 regiments cannot be estimated at
more than 8,000 men, reducing the whole Enropean
force to less than 10,000. It was expected in camp
that all would be across, carts and men, by the 18th
inst. They have a march of 48 miles to reach Luck-
now, which will occupy the ammunition carts, the
slowest portion of the cavalcade, two days at least.
Two days more must be spent in raising the batte-
ries and in general preparations for the assault.
The chief is cautions almost to tardiness, and I
shall be surprised if fire opens much before to-mor-
row, the 23d. I give yon a calculation current in
Cawnpore, but I am bound to tell you the officials
here expect the cannonade to begin on the 20th
inst. Sir Cohn himself, after a hasty visit to the
Governor-General at Allahabad, said to have been
"most satisfactory," returned to Cawnpore, and
crossed the river en the 12th. He will probably
precede the bulk of his force to the Alumbagh, as
his personal presence is unnecessary at Cawupore.
It is pretty well understood in camp that it is safest
to obey the old Highlander's orders as they stand,
and not worry him or Gen. Mansfield by thinking
for yourself, a great improvement in Indian dis-
cipline.
Your special correspondent, fortunately for your
readers, is in ample time for the great straggle, but
there is still a chance of a great literary disappoint-
ment. It is the universal opinion of the officials
that the garrison will not fight, that they are in
despair, quarrelling among themselves, anxious to
accept any terms, and ready to slink away to bide
in their own homes. Such is the view expressed also
by Sir J. Outram, whome position at the Alumbagh
gives him the means of knowing the truth as far as
it can be known to any European, and such seems
to be the secret belief even of the chief. Colonel
Franks and Jung Bahadoor are both advancing at
a foot's pace, evidently under orders to cut off
escaping mutineers, rather than instantly rein
force the chief. Jung Bahadoor, with 9,000 men,
has only just crossed the Gogra, and complains
that Government vacillates between fighting and
treating. Colonel Franks, with her Majesty's 10th,
-20th, and 97th, and six Uhoorka regiments, or
5,500 men in all, 2,500 of whom are Europeans,
bas only advanced to Sultanpore, and waits appa-
rently for final orders. Meanwhile some projt ct to
detach the landholders from the mutineers is dis-
cussed at Allahabad. lam assured that a procla-
mation will be speedily issued, promising life, per-
haps estates, to all who lay down t!jeir arms before
a certain day. Some great exceptions will be made,
among whom, I believe, is Maun Singh. The blood
of Neill, which rests on his head, weighs him down
in the scale. I fear I shall have caused much pre-
mature delight to individuals by my statement of
last mail, but the error was not mine. Mr. Osborne,
opium agent at Baetee, Goruckpore, reported the
safety of the families named, saying Mrs. Duban
and her children had arrived in safety at his house,
and the remainder were on the road. They were
not, and by last accounts are still in Lucknow
alive, but closely imprisoned. Messages have been
received from Mrs. Orr, saying she hoped to get
out, but the difficulty was to save her and her child
together.
There are still very large bodies of insurgents in
different places. Even in Behar it was not till the
18th Feb. that Col. Mitchell seized Rbotasghur,
driving out Umnr Singh, with the remnant of Keer
Singh's old force. These men have been marauding
now for six months unopposed, until, emboldened
by impunity, they approached the Grand Trunk
Road, out the telegraph, became inconvenient,
and were smashed. The Gwalior mutineers were
till the 4th inst. still at Calpee with the remnant of
the Dinapore men. They had lost their guns and
most of their men, but were still 4,000 resolute
men. They were watched by Captain Thomson
and some Sikh Sowars, but on the 3:1 of February
a wing of the 88th arrived to his support. The
mutineers advanced to attack, and were met
by General Inglis with' his 88th. They were
driven back, but retired fighting step by step for
four hours, and their skirmishers succeeded in
covering their retreat across the river. Some 80
were found dead, while Gen. Inglis h id only three
men wounded, and C.apt. Thomson shot through
the thigh—a small loss, considering that the enemy
stood. In Itohilcund, again, Colonel M'Causland,
with 800 infantry, 200 sabres, and two light guns,
has advanced, from Rookee, I think, into Morada-
bad. At Buheree the enemy met him some 4,000
strong. They were cut to pieces and fled, leaving
four guns and 250 men deed on the field. Every-
where we succeed, but it is in spite of numbers and
without cavalry, so that the foe, though beater),
are seldom destroyed. Beating them is very little
use, 2,000 beaten men seem to them just as good
as 2,000 victorious soldiers. They have not a notion_
Of morale, or they would have given up when they
first dilcovered that a European re,liment in the
open plain could, as at Oonao, defeat 13,000 men.
Saugor, thelast of our beleaguered fort., has been
finally relieved. I enclose the despatch, which is
short and more accurate than any statement yet
published.
Sir R. Hamilton is quieting this territory fast.
Your Bombay Correspondent will have informed
you how he cleared Indore, and you will perceive
that, like Sir J. Lawrence, Montgomery, E twardes,
Nicholson, and, in fact, all the successful men of
the mutiny, he has little reverence for the live 3 of
mutineers. lie hung 200 men active in the murder
of the %dons over the gate of Ratghur as a warn-
ing of the sanctity of European life. Those men's
relatives will for 50 years be our humb:e friends, till
discipline is once more relaxed and the theory of
the " mild .Uindoo" once more prevalent in Eng-
land.
.There has been one more mutiny during the fort-
night' The Nagpore Irregulars were disarmed in
June by Brigadier Prior, commanding in Nag-
pore. The Civil Commissioner, Mr Piowden, how-
ever,- re-armed them, it is said against the advice
of the brigadier, but of this lam not certain. At
all events he re-armed them, and on the 18th of
January the horse battery at Raepore—a place on
the road between Nagpore and Cuttack—rase,
murdered Sergeant-Major Sidwell, and called on
the 31 Nagpore Irregular Infantry to assist them in
exterminating the Europeans. Either the 3d were
innocent in the matter or their hearts failed them,
• for Lieutenant Smith, the only officer present, kept
them in order. The artillerymen saw the game
Was up, and with grave philosophy surrendered
their arms. On the 22d Lieutenant Elliott, the
Deputy-Commissioner, who was out in the district,
!time riding in. He tried them under Act 14, and
that same evening hung them all in front of their
"blingrades.„
,D"n dThe men made a great clamour, shriek-
their broth eon," and calling on the 3d to save
ers. He himself is a man of the stamp
trin'nAle_7. and the scene ended with the law
havirctous", • was, however, a much more
willing to uwasillsoessw than Government is at all
The importance of the
affair rests in the fact that Nagpore is the
link which unitesthe North-West with
the iropolieY
Madras, and a revolt there
The incident, too, displaysmight spread southward.
of re-arming
natives. If 18 men without ao
are we to do with 30,0001 Disparity will rise what
zot.stop revolt any more than it dii:idtYasofforce will
Meerut. So
Netun at Benares, there was an emeute on the 9th of
February. Some 40 sepoys, condemned to impri-
smneaent for life, got out, murdered
alter a guard, and
a sharp fight with the
N uzeelp, fled. 15 were
• 104°1 against the wall i
the
tincin a row, and 13 were hanged,
It ta er got away safely.
have artaat that the Punjabees remain quiet. wrhich he int-batter from Sir John Law
there
are
even
nese:hat the danger is passrence, in
Punjab—the regiments Europeans bit
should the population rise Ind „trri
bly weak, and
e
Tery different from the cowardly " will.:l).re found
no slight advantage dune?, the
taxitiv‘...zat beau
Afghani have remained quiet. lam lelo„tat the
would res efa' t "
authority the Foreign-office peet, tim
the "men round Dost Mohammed, or, in other
-qtds, his sons, were eager to mak© a descent upon
-try, to regain .
their ancient province. It is
--tun that had they collie evei y MUSSUI-
"innjab would have sprung to arms, and
Nit the province. The A. mear, how-
•d his consent, but took mea-
'l anal. He said the British
'v, bad cleared Herat,
-ked nothing in IT-
-lined in safety
nentioeers

nearly ce•
span in the x
we should have IL,
tier, not only refw.,,
mum to render his refush-
b,a4. observed the last treaaa
a-nt him arms, and b
turn. Cavvt. thertfore r3a.
Thy3athe Pur.j;b