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

THE MILITIA.

The Royal Elthorne Light Infantry, Lieut.-Col.
M. Prim', commandant- has just been inspected at
the Curragh Camp by Major-General Shirley, C. 8.,
who after-the geld-day was over; addressed the re-

It is said to have been the Commander-id-Chief s
original intention to have crossed the Goomtee, and
Move up its left bank opposite to the Residency—
there established his heavy guns, undercover of
their fire, thrown a bride, and then draWn off the
garrison. But upon. this ,being, submitted to Sir
Janie Outram,-both 'he -and his chief engineer had
so earnestly dissuaded him from it, on-the-ground
of local _obstacles that, -yielding to their superior
local knowledge, he had giVeriit up, and determined
to move' by the rfglitylrint.4,- An additional reason,
probably, was also found in the great extent of
country which the army must have gone over to
reach the point originally intended, and the danger
of leaving a fordless river in. its rear. The views Of
Sir James Outram were brought, and an invaluable
plidesebured, to Sir C. Campbell, by Mr. Cavenagh,
who, quitting the Residency in the disguise-of a
native, passed -through the enenly's lines
.without
being discovered, and 'reached in safety the camp
near Bunnee Bridge, An attempt more daring in
conception, and more hazardous in execution, was
never made.
At 9 Mock on the Morning of the 14th the flank
march began. From the first it was evident that the
enemy were taken by surprise.- NO Opposition was
made, Small bodies were seen hastily endeavour-
ing to throW up cover near the city on the different
roads 'we.erossed 'at' 'right angles whilst our pro-
gress was watched by scouts perched' in the utter-
most branches of the trees which- fringed the fields
we were'-traversing. As the advanced guard ap-
proached the park- wall of the Kooshar, a smart
tire Of matchlocks Was opened upon ourleft; but Was
soon overpowered by the light artillery. An ad-
yance was next briskly made by.a considerable
body- Of skirmishers -through' a grove of old
trees i.
nside the-park, beneath' the deep shade
of which their white dresses, gliding on from trunk
to trunk, and the 'bright -dash of their musketry,
hada strange and striking effect. They were, how-.
ever, speedily driven back out Of the Dil Kooshar
house- and -over. the crest of the *plateau, down to
the Martiniere beneath.. On our troops reaching
the edge of this plateau, a heavy fire of artillery
and musketry came upon them from the Martiniere,
and the broken ground and enclosures around it ;
but the fire of our field-batteries and Travers' 18-
poiniders soon got the superiority. - The infantry
skirmishers rushed down the slope. The Mar-
tiniere was evacuated at- their approach, and all the
'ground on this side of the canal was won. An at-
tempt to turn our left flank and fall on our rear
was about this time repulsed: Opposite our left
was a bridge over the canal. To its edge, at this
point, the enemy advanced in great strength about
half-past four p.m., bringing up several guns, and
attacking:with considerable_ spirit. Hope's brigade
was here opposed to them. The.93d, lining a mud-
wall 'opposite the bridge, forbade the passage. On
the high ground to their. left Peel's 24-pounders,
with Bouchier's - field-battery, were *placed.
Their. heavy 'and concentric fire on the
angle formed by the canal near the 'bridge
fairly crushed the enemy out of it, while a rapid
advance of-the 53d. and Sikhs secured a lodgment
in 'a part of the suburb on the other side. Con-
centrated round the Martiniere Hope on-the left,
Russell on the right, Greathed in rear—the artil-
lery on the high ground to the left, the cavalry on
the summit of the plateau,.around the DR Xo,lshar
house, .hehind the _centre. Thy army passed the
night tentless, and sleeping with 'their arms by
their side.. The commencement of the great attack
had been fixed for the next day ; but the necessity.
of bringing up provisions and small arias ammuni-
tion from Alum -Bagh, which,. by a misapprehen•
sion of orders, had not come up in time, caused 24
hours' delay. An attack -upon the piequets posted
on the low grounds by the river, on our extreme
right flank, made by two Horse Artillery guns, and
a considerable body of infantry, was repulsed about
midday, and a reconnaissance. -was subsequently
made by the Commander-in-Chief of the position
opposite our left, so as to impress our adversaries
with the belief that there our advance was to be
made., The massing of all our artillery in that
direction, and a fire of mortars directed during the
night on the same point, together with the absence
of all mitpOsts pushed forward onenr right, served
to strengthen this opinion.
Early on the 16th the army was in motion. The
line of advance was from our extreme right along
the river bank for about a mile, and then by a
" narrow and tortuous lane," through thickly
wooded (enclosures, and between low mud-houses,
upen the Secunder Bagh. A strong advanced guard
of cavalry, with Blunt's troop of Bengal horse
Artillery, and a company of the 53d, led the way.
Hope's and Russell's brigades followed, the ammu-
nition and engineer park came next, and Greathed's
brigade brought up the rear. The Martiniere and
Dil Kooshar were held by the cavalry and the Bth
foot (detached from Greathed), where the field hos-
pital and baggage were left. The 75th foot and a
Sikh Regimbut had been left at Alum Bagh. Thus
there remained actually disposable for the relief of
the Residency only the 93d, and part of the 53d
foot, two weak Sikh regiments, two provisional
battalions of detachments, and portions of the 23d
and 82d regiments, not above three thousand
bayonets •, while before them lay the whole armed
force of . Oude, numbering at least sixty thousand
men, concentrated in a' central position of 'great
-strength. -
The. lane or narrow defile through the wood, into
which the advanced guard now plunged, makes a
sharp turn to the left before it reaches the Secunder
Bagh, and then runs parallel to,' and about one
hundred and twenty yards from, that building.
The enemy at first had evidently been taken by
surprise, for no opposition was made; but on our
reaching this point, a sharp musketry fire was
opened from the houses and wooded enclosures on
our right. A few minutes before the first shot, an
officer of the staff had remarked to his right hand
comrade, " If these fellows allow one of us to get
out of this cul-de-sac alive, they deserve eVery one
of them to be hanged." Taken at every disadvan-
tage, the struggle was now 'most critical. The
company of the 53d lined the enclosures bordering
on the lane with skirmishers, but they were too
few in number to make any way, and it was some
time before the 93d' could be got up to reinforce
them: Meanwhile the cavalry, jammed together,
could do-nOthing, and the high earth banks on
each side offered what seemed to be an impossible
obstacle to 4rtillery,
The Secunder Bagh is a high-walled enclosure
about one hundred yards square, with towers at the
angles, and well loopholed ; One hundred yards
farther up the lane is another large 'building, or
semi, also" loopholed, arid . occupied- in force: The
opening between these two, -exposed to the fire of
both, was the only clear space. on which it was
possible. to. plant guns to bear upon the former
building. Into this opening, accordingly, up the
steep and seemingly impracticable bank, Blount,
with a wonderful energy both of men and horses,
led his artillery-troop. It was swept by-a deadly
cross-fire of musketry, but through it he dashed at
the gallop, and, . umlimbering, opened on the Se 7
cunder Bagh..
The 93d coming upat the same time, drove the
enemy entirely out of the houses and enclosures
bordering on the lane, and expelled them from the
large semi beyond the Secunder Bagh, thus secur-
ing an access to the open neck of ground, which
had to be passed over before a point could be reached
open enough for the head of the column to deploy.
TraVer's heavy.field-battery next-arrived, and the
sappers and miners having cut down part of the
high bank, two of his 18-pounders were, after great
exertions, dragged up by the infantry, and put in
position against the nearest angle of the Secunder
Bagh. Their fire, in less than an hour, opened two
large holes in it.
The assault was then given by the 4th Punjaub
Rifles and 93d, supported' by the 53d and a batta-
lion of detachments:, 'lt was a glorious rush. *On
went, in generous rivalry, the turban of the Sikh
and the dark plume of the Highlander. A native
officer of the Sikhs, waving his tulwar above his
bead, dashed on full five yards in front of his men.
The Highlanders, determined not to-be left behind,
strained nerve and limb in the race, Their officers

led like gallant gentlemen, shaking
.their broad
s'bvords in the air. Two young ensigns, springing
over a low mud-wall, gave the-colours of the regi-
ment- to the breeze.- Paul with voice and action
aimed on his wild followers. Ewart,- amongst the
first of the Scots, clambered through the narrow
opening in the wall ; and soon the interior of the
building rang with the sharp tones of musketry,
and resounded with the cries of struggling men.
Theholcs through which the assailants were climb-
ing_ would not give 'admittance to the supports as
they came up, and great part of them, rushing on
to the left, assailed the. gate. After some time it
gave way to the constant discharge of muskets at
the lock, and through it in they iyaired. AWay
on the right the 53d. had also forced in a window ;
whilst the sappers and miners".had enlarged the
openings at the angle. But still With desperate
courage the defence went on. Firing down from
the doors and windows of the rooms which sur-
rounded the great courtyard in the centre, fighting
hand-to-hand with their tulwars against those who
charged home with the' bayonet, the sepoys main-
tained the struggle. unabated for hours ; and when
at Ls' the embers .of the contest expired with the
setting sun, more than two thousand corpses lay
heaped upon:
.one another in the interior of that
vast charnel-house. •
Whilst this fierce contest was raging in the
Secunder Bagh, some -companies of the -53 d and
93d, supported by two of Blount's nns, had ad-
vanced throi* the.openin,g, and pushed on across
the open Thiiiibeyond to their left front. The 93d,
on the lefts attacked and effected a lodginent in the
large building called " The: Barracks ;" while the
53it stretched as skirmishers oi-er the plain, united,
the two attacks.
• After passing between the..serai and Secunder.
Bagh; the road to the Residency lead:4 straight
across an open plain about twelve hundred yards
broad-. • About three hundred. yards along this
road there is a small village, with garden enclo-
sures round it ; while about two hundred and fifty,
yards further on, 'and one hundred
*yards to the
right of the road, .stood the Sheh Nujjeef, a large
mosque, situated in a garden enclosed by a high
loopholed wall. This wall is nearly square,, and
very strong. Between it and the plain is a thick
fringe of jungle and enclosures, with trees and
scattered mud cottages, which make it impossible to
get a distant view of the place until you, come close
mit; . Between it and the Secunder.Bagh, amidst
jungles and enclosures, to our right of the little
plain, was a building on a high mound, called the
Kuddum Russell.. _
Irope, having 'now drawn off his brigade from
the-.SeCtinder Bagh; led "it against; the village,:
which he cleared and occupied without much diffi
culty.; while Peel. brought up his 24-pounders,
mortars, and rocket-frames, and placed them in
battery againSt the Shah Nujjeef in an oblique
line; with their left resting on the village. • The
musketry fire ,which streamed unceasingly from
-that building and the surrounding enclosures, was
most bitin., and severe ; and after nearly three
hours' battering ,it -was still unsubdued. An at-
tempt; made. with great gallantry by Major Barn-
ston, with his battalion of detachments, to drive
the enemy from the fringe of jungle and enclosures
in front, by setting fire to the houses, proved un-
successful ;*" but .'on the right the Kuddum Russul
was assaulted and carried. by a. party of Sikhs.
In the narrow lane leading up from the rear mean-,
while, the utmost confusion prevailed. The animals
carrying the ordnance and engineer supplies, un-
able . to. advance from. the enemy's fire in front,—
unable to et out:on either side, .and presSed for-
ward by those in rear—got completely jammed, in-
somuch that an officer, sent to bring up ammuni-
tion and. all Greathed4 disposable infantry to the
now hard-pressed front, had- the utmost difficulty
to get the' men along in single file; whilst some
houses having been wantonly set on fire by the
camp-followers the .passage was for a time entirely
blocked up; and it was only when'the flames wure
abating that a string.of camels, laden with small-
arm ammunition, which was urgently required. by
the troops engaged; could witk great risk and toil
be foided throUgh the narrow and scorching pass.
Even then, however, the confusion near the Secun-
der Bagh had got to such a pitch, that all passage
had. become impossible ; and-had it not been that a
staff-officer. discovered a.. by-path leading into a
broad road- whieh abutted upon , the Secunder.
Bagh, neither men nor ammunition could have been"
brought up.
In front of the Shah Nujjeef the battle made no
way. The enemy, about_ four. o'clock; got; a heavy-
gun to bear upon us' from the opposite bank of -the
river, and their very first shot Mew •:up one of
Peel's tumbrils, whilst their deadly-musketry had
obliged him to withdraw the men from one af, his
pieces and diininished the fire 'on the-ethers. -The
men were. falling fast; even Peel's usually bright
face became pale and anxious. Sir Colin sat on-his
white horse, exposed. to the whole storm of shot.
_ _

looking intently- on. the Shah Nujjeef, which was
wreathed in columns of smoke from the burning
buildings in front, but sparkled all over with the
bright flash of small arms. It was now apparent
that the crisis of the battle had come. Our heavy
artillery Could not subdue the fire of the Shah
Nujjeef—we could not even hold permanently our
present advanced position under it. But retreat
to us there was none ; by that fatal lane our reflu-
ent force could never be withdrawn. Outram, and
Havelock, and Inglis, with -our women and chil-
dren, were in the front, and 'England's honour was
pledged to bring them scatheless out of the fiery
furnace. What shot and shell could not do the
bayonets of the infantry must accomplish„ But
the crisis was terrible. Even as the fate of the
Franck empire hung at Wagram on the footsteps
of Macdonald's column, so did the fate of our In-
dian dominions depend that day on the result of
the desperate assault now about to be undertaken.
Collecting the 93d about him, the Commander-
in-Chief addressed a few words to them. Not
concealing the extent of the danger, he told them
that he had not intended that day to have em-
ployed them again, but that the Shah Nujjeef must
be taken ; that the artillery could not bring its
fire under, so that they must win it with the
bayonet. Giving them a few, plain directions, he
told them that he would go on with them himself.
To execute. this design, Middleton's battery of
the Royal Artillery was ordered to pass Peel's guns
on the right, and, getting as close as possible to the
Shah Nujjeef, to open a quick and well-sustained
fire of grape. Peel was to redouble his, and the
93d to form in column in the open plain,. close to
,the village, ready to rush on.
• • •
Middleton's battery came up magnificently.
With loud cheers, the drivers waiving their whips,
the gunners their caps, they galloped forward
through that deadly fire to within pistol-shot of the
wall, unliMbered, and poured in round after round
of grape. Peel, maiming all his guns, worked his
pieces with redoubled energy, and, under cover of
this iron storm, the 93d, excited to the highest de-
gree, with flashing eyes and nervous tread, rolled
on in one vast wave. The grey-haired veteran of
many fights-rode, with his sword drawn, at their
head ; keen was his eye, as when in the pride of
youth he led the stormers at St. Sebastian. His
staff crowded round him. Hope, too, with his
towering • form and gentle smile, was there, lead-
ing, as ever was his wont, the men by whom he
was loved so well. As they approached the nearest
angle of the enclosure the soldiers -began to drop
.
fast ; but, without a check, they reached its foot.
There, however, they were brought to a stand.
The wall, perfectly entire, was nearly 20 feet high,
and well loopholed ; there was no breach, and there
were no gcaling-ladders. Unable to advance, un-
willing to. retire, they halted and commenced a
musketry battle with the garrison ; but all the
advantage was with the latter, who. shot with se-
curity from behind their loops, and the High.
landers went down fast before them. At this
time nearly all the mounted officers were either
wounded or dismounted. Hope and his aide-de-
camp were both rolling- on the ground at the same
moment, with their horses shot under them •, his
major. of brigade had justmet with the same fate ;
two of Sir Colin's staff had been stricken to the
earth ; a party, who had been pushed on round the
angle to the gate, had found it so well covered by
a new _work in masonry as to be perfectly unas-
sailable. Two of Peel's guns were now brought
up to within a few yards of the wall. Covered by
the fusilade of the infantry, the sailors shotfe fast
and strong ; but, though the masonry
.soon /1 off
in flakes, it came down down so as to
leave the
_
mass behind perpenicular„ i
and as inaccessible as

ever.
Success seemed now impossible. Even Hope
and Peel, these two men, iron of will and ready of
resource, could see no way. Anxious and care-
worn grew Sir Colin's brow. The dead and
wounded were ordered to be collected and
carried to the rear. Some rocket frames were
precision
brought up, and throw in a volley of these
fiery projectiles, with such a.dmirabolef
that, just skimming over the top
part, they plunged hissing into the interiorit,
the
the
building, and searched it out with destroying
force. Under cover of this the guns: '
were drawn
off. The shades of evening were
_g fagt---the
assault could not much longer be eentinued—Then,

as a last resource—the last throw of a desperate
nume--=-Aer:an Hope, collecting some fifty men,
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 Rope, Ogilvy (attached to the
Madras Sappers), Allgood, the Assistant Quai
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 astonishment found themselves almost un-
opposed. Gainingthe gate, they threw it open for
their comrades. The white dresses of the last of
the garrison was just seen gliding away amidst the
rolling smoke into the dark shadows 'of the night.
Panic-struck, apparently, by the destruction caused
by the rockets, and the sudden appearance of some
of the assailants within the walls, they fled from
the place and gave up the struggle, just when the
victory was secure.
Never had there been a harder fought day, but
never w.,,z s there a result gained more satisfactory.
The relief of the Residency, an affair in the highest
degree problematical in the morning, AVds_now all
but certain. We had won our footing on the plain,
we had secured a base on which to plant our guns.
Time and artillery, with sate but unerring stcpsi
would do the rest. Taken between our batteries
and the Residency guns, 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; from this point would 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 made out:
We did not then know how formidable was the mass
of buildirigi still interposed between, rendering
such active co-operation impossible. But there was
jia”iow- in evCry heart--there was light in every
eye. ,-, -ds,Tot in vain now had Greathed's toil-worn
bands pushed on in hot haste froniDelhi's.snieking
ramparts-L.-not in vain had the Highlanders-hastened
over the_ stormy main from their distant mountain
homes—for the blood- 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, howevtrt-still remained to be "doiie. Our
small force occupied a 'most eXtendedspoSition—the
road to the rear :was winding ttnd . difficult—the
enemy had duringthe day attacked both the Mar-
tiniere and DifKooshar; and: shoWn themselves in
force On the road to Alum Bagh, while on the-other
side of the Goomtee their,outposts swarmed on the
edge of the Wood S.. No tents had accompanied our
march—no 6En-Ip:fires could be lighted...
in their ranks the _men
.lay down to rest. Ere the.
grey light of morningbaaheen, seen in the heavens;
the bells of the City had rung loud and clear, and
the beating `of many drums been heard. AU attack
seemed to be impending,,and everywhere the ranks
were -formed ; but either the enemy, finding us
prepared, changed their mind, or had not been
intended, for no one came---only a' dreopin,> fire of
round shot into - theofial hospital :caused both
a/arm and .injury to fkg wou;idcd, who lay :thew
s!icife: less and unproiejted. Ammunition wa§
brought up, -both for the heavy- guns andl:ihnFall
arms, and the mode and plan of the attaitt: ar-
ranged, and its execution at once set about.
the preceding day, no sudden assaults, no deiN6te
rushes were to be made,' The heavy guns; cliti-
zers, and mortars, planted in battery, were to-open
fire on the Mess l_iouse, the next great building'
which lay in. our -way. When its defences had
been. completely ruined, .it. was .to be occupied,'and.
from thence op4rations againit the Mote° Mahal
undertaken. Then our. communication with the
Residency would be open, though excised 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 Apost 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 gariison 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 and Wounded, guns 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 Dil Kooshar, re-
quiredto 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-
tecte its passage to the Dil Kooshar, through the
narrow and tortuous lane already so frequentthl3e-
referred to, which led from our right, in rear of
left, to the Martiniere.
To effect the last object a communication was,
on the 17th instant, with much trouble, esta-
blished, leading from the Barracks
.to. the
.
canal, in rear of our left, and
torhuistnpcilgoohssitetiootofn
thet 111 in
that building strengthened.
carried
17th, Banks' House, an importOannt
extreme left, Was
line of .the canal, on the
by a party of the 2d Punjanb Infantry.. During
.17th and 18 h
the
the whole oft 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 engaged, who hardly
enjoyed a moment's respite from attack.
But the work was now drawing near its conclu-
sion. On the mornine, of the 20th, Peel, with all
our heavy guns, opened fire upon the Kaiser Bagh,
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 breaches
were gaping in it swalls, and everything betokened
an assault during the ensuing night or morning.
This was the moment chosen, when
.the attentis n
of the enemy was-entirely directed to the defence
of this important point, for the OTRCUIatiOII of the

KINGSTON, OCT. 19.
The general quarter sessions of the pedee-TOr -the
county of surrey was held yeiterday at the Court-
house, Kingston-on-Thames. Mr. E. Penrhyn
presided, and among the other magistrates present
were Mr. Drummond, M.P., Mr. Alcock, M.P.,
Mr. Briscoe, M.P., Colonel Challoner, Captain
Calvert, Captain Best, and Messrs. Hutton, Gas-
siott, Penrhyn, jun., Tilson, Carter, Drew, GOOs;
Gurney, &e.
The calendar containilh-Cifitira of 12 prisoners
only.-
. .
The CtrAntmAN, in charging the grand jury, sai
ti
eihpiebtit.aNioicsNoke,bt
he was afraid they must not come to the conclu-
sion, from the small number of cases that would be
brought before
.them upon
.the present occasion,
that there was a diminution of crime in the county,.
as the great majority of the cases were disposed of
htisvgeircoinsmai Newington ol
calculated
sessions.
thesfioo
rn,cs
county
un
ndl He had
prisonliiltia sd consequently
nllasl
tye
Ilaiureas
nhn
tyl
syt-
pwo-Isisicibhlewtoas
fiailli37ll larger number
Wands-
worth, and he was sorry to find that it contained
foundt7ta tl
time
carry -out the sys-
tem of separation among the prisoners, and he was
afraid therefore that the small number of prisoners
at this session could not be taken as any indication
of a decrease of crime in the county.
The governors of the different prisons made their
usual reports, and their respective establishments
appeared to be in a healthy condition, and the in-
mates, generally speaking, orderly and well con-
ducted. A boy, ten years old, who had been com-
mitted to the Wandsworth Prison for felony, was
found, upon his reception there, to be insane, and
he has since been removed to the county lunatic
asylum by order of the Secretary of State. - •
The Rev. Mr. JESSOPP, the chaplain of thecounty
gaol, made his -annual-report; which extended to
considerable length, and . referred to several im-
portant and interesting matters connected with
crime and the administration of justice..,7l-1c par-
ticularly called the attention .of the Court to the
manner in which the Criminal Justice Act appeared
to be administered, and he stated that the magis-
trates appeared to be in the constant practice of
applying its provisions to the cases of Om and
hardened criminals, and showed that in-the pre-
sent year 1,024 prisoners had been committed under
this statute for short periods of imprisonment,
whereas in the previous year only 1,018, had been
committed for trial to all the different sessions, and
it appeared that instead of the Act, as was in-
tended, being made to apply to persons charged with
a first offence, or who were young in crime, in many
instances ticket-of-leave men, and prisoners who had
been several times convicted, were merely sentenced-to
short periods of imprisonment, by which proceeding
they were soon again turned loose upon the public,
instead of being sent for trial, when a sentence that
would prevent them from committing further de-
predations would be passed upon them.
COl. CHALLONER, in the course of the reading of
the report, interposed and said it appeared to him
thiethe- rev. gentleman in the report he had made
tsixthe court had overstepped his duty,, and had re-
eved to matters of law that were not within his
rovinee, and.that the time Of the magiStrates was
nheeessarily wasted by leading a long report upon
!Nell-subjects.
-Mr. BRISCOE said he did.nOt wish :at all to die-
fate to his brother magistrates, and if it was their
opinien-that-the-rep ottght. not to be read, he
should at mice defer to it. lie could not, however,
help observing that it appeared to hint. that
the statements made by the rev. gentleman
were of the greatest importance and interest in
connection with the subjects of crime and the ad-
ministration of justice, and that they were deserv-
ing of serious consideration.

Captain BEST said it appeared to him that the
effect of the report was to dictate to the magistrates
*he manner in which they ought to perform their
duties and to administer the law. He considered
that this was no part of the duty of the chaplain of
a prison, and that the time of the Court ought not
to be occupied by reading such a report.
Mr. HUTTON said he believed that, upon a former
occasion, something of the same sort occurred, and
that a suggestion was conveyed to the rev, gentle-
man that he had better confine himself in future to
reporting to the Court the matters connected with
his own peculiar functions, and refrain from enter-
ing into any other matters, and this had had thep
"
desired effect., and he suggested that a similar pours'
might be taken on the present occasion. -3°13
Mr. TILsoN said, as one of the visitin,Vvtgir
strates, he thought it right to inform thelectiirt
that the chaplain had never called their attrition
to the matters referred to in his report. TheliSitl
ing magistrates were most anxious to listen to every
suggestion that was made to them by any of the
authorities of the prison, and to do all that laid in
their power to remedy any evil that existed. It
seemed to him that where such important matters
as those contained in this report were brought to
the notice of the Court by any of the gaol officials,
the report ought first to be submitted to the visit-
ing magistrates for consideration, and, if such a
step was considered advisable, the report might be
printed and a copy sent to every magistrate of the
county.

The report was then received, and, after some of
he ordinary county business had been disposed of,
he Court adjourned.

NOTES ON THE MAIL STEAM PACKET

LINES.

The present Government mail subsidy received
by the Peninsular and Oriental Company is
£244,200 a year. It is expected that the sum
which the company will receive for carrying the
Australian mails will augment their subsidy to
something like £130,000 a year. Hitherto the
Royal Mail Company have had the honour of being
the largest receivers of mail subsidy, they having
for some years-been getting £270,000. a year.
The following is a comparative statement of the
distances, stoppages,
time allowed, and average
speed, including stoppages, at which the mails are
conveyed on some of the longest ocean mail lines.
Ayres is
the time allowed is 37 days,
The distance of the mail
61:4o route bmeitllevse.e nlS,houertehaamreptsoinx
speed at which the mail is eon-
and
stoppages Buenoson
that
an hour. The distance between
Southampton is 5,668 miles, the stop;
~aitydmeptdliicieos a7aledix,gi
miles
ees
pages are three, the time allowed 27 days, and the
average speed 81 miles an hour. The distance, be-
tween Hong Kong and Southampton is 9,624 miles,
the stoppages eight, the time allowed 51 days, and
the average speed
71 miles an hour. The distance
between New York and Liverpool is 3,000 miles,
there are no stoppages, the time allowed is 14 days,
and the average speed 14 miles an hour. Accord-
ing to the new Australian contract the distance
between Southampton and Sydney is 12,673 miles,
the stoppages are nine, the time allowed 55 days,
and the average speed 91- miles an hour. Accord,
ing to the late Australian contract the distance
was 12,573 miles, the stoppages seven, the time
allowed 58 days, and the average speed nine miles
an hour. When the Australian mails went via
Singapore the distance was 12,887 miles, the stop-
pages 12, the time allowed 66 days, and the aver-
age speed 81 miles an hour.

PtTNISIIMENT OF A RUSSIAN MILITARY DESER-
TER.—A Russian officer, named Sadovsky, an ensign in a
regiment of dragoons, has just been sentenced by a court-
martial at St. Petersburg to penal servitude for fife in the
mines of Siberia, for the crime of having deserted to tho
Turkish army; and become a Mohammedan, during the'
Crimean war.
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conditioned Horses, Cows, Bullocks, Calves, Sheep, and
Pigs. It causes no extra expense, as it contains far mm e
and better nourishment than its cost of lid. per feed sun-
plies in corn and hay; hence ensures an actual saving in
the keep. But its principal advantages are a great improve..
vigour
meat in the digestive functions, the stamina and general
condition of horses enabling them to perform far more
labour mdietbhioliut4ttgedet,toinrgoiddis.atprepsasiovdn.tiyl_twoinralp-aortuts
hnoerswes2
and
to sick,
Quadrant; Piccadilly,
they feed on .
L' 0
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ndoZ
entire nourishment out of every Qua
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Packed in tins of about 90 feeds,llB. ; in casks of
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