The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-19 00:00:00

LUCKNOW, MARCH 12.

Sir Colin carried on his successful career, slowly
but surely. He has pushed on step by step, cau-
tiously feeling his way, as far as the Begum's
Palace i❑ the Huzurut Gunge ; and he is thus
within 200 yards of the Karsis Bagh. In three
days more, he will probably date a despatch
from that palace. His losses have been, compa-
ratively speaking, trifling, but many good fellows
have bit the dust. Amongst them is Hodson,
whose Horse have acquired a European fame. He
was shot through the body yesterday (the 11th)
and I fear his wound is mortal. At four p.m.
yesterday, Sir Colin held a grand Durbar in honour
of Jung Bahadoor. The Jung came attired in all
the splendour of barbaric pearl and gold, satins,
diamonds, and Bird of Paradise plumes : and his
retinue were arrayed as never was Solomon in all
his glory. Sir Colin, in all the agonies of a cocked
hat, and his Staff with sacrificial dandyism came
Bath to meet him as he approached the great
Durbar tent. And grandly solemn, and most in-
supportably wearisome, were the ceremonies that
followed. Things were proceeding in the due
routine of dull propriety, when suddenly there was
a row as if of `the Volscians coming over the

wall.' The Jungites looked as if they thought they
were about to be treacherously butchered, the
Colinites utterly perplexed, when in rushed Cap-
tain Hope Johnstone, General Mansfield's Assist ant
Adjutant General, fresh from the fray, and be-
grimmed with every imaginable abomination,
shouting Yoicks—Hurrah' or some such encou-
raging address to his friends in the undress circle,
and flinging forward his fine manly soldier-like
form, he reported to the Chief, in the full sonorous
voice of one of Nature's Generals, the successful
operations which Mansfield had just brought to a
close. The effect was magical. The unfinished
programme of solemn nonsense was cast to the
winds. The carefully prepared speeches were sent
to the limbo of forgotten things. The Chief seized
the Jung's hands, the Jung grasped the Chief's.
The Jung grinned, the Chief laughed, and each man
looked as if he wished to pitch into his neighbour, as
the simplest mode of expressing his satisfaction.
For the victories had been achieved with the aid of
our Goorkha allies. I was not there myself : but
such is the camp report of the tumasha. During
the day, the troops were ably supported by General
Outram, who, though engaged in active operations
on the other bank of the Goomtee, caused his heavy
batteries to play across the river on the whole of
the buildings our fellows were seeking possession of.
And right good service did be in this way.
Another letter proceeds as follows :—" On the
9th, Sir James Outram carried the Chucker Kothu,
and the buildings, musjids, and gardens near it—
the Lines formerly occupied by the Oude Irregular
Infantry and Gall's Horse—the Bazaar of Hyden-
G unge—and the contiguous topes and visages—the
eunuch's houses on the Fyzabad road, and the
Badshaw Bagh. His loss was very trifling ; that
of the great enemy. I overheard him and General
Grant estimate the killed at one hundred : because
only that number of bodies were seen. But as the
enemy never stood, and as we continued for hours
to pour volleys of grape and musketry, besides an
infinity of shot and shell into the topes, cornfields,
and long grass in which their masses found cover,
it is impossible they could have lost less than five
times the general's estimate. lam not quite certain
as to our loss on the 9th, but I believe the killed
and wounded did not exceeded twenty-five, and the
most of these casualties were sustained not in fair
fight. No less than four were killed and eight
wounded trying to get at eight Sepoys, who
had taken refuge in the dark and intricate ground
story of the Chucker Kothu. They could see our
men as they approached the doors ; ours could
see nothing but darkness rendered visible by the
flash of the muskets that laid them low. And as
all the rooms communicated, a sepoy had no sooner
fired than he bolted to another apartment. From
8 a.tn. till 3 p.m. did this nasty strife continue, our
men wearied to very death in attempts to dodge
round the pillars of the dungeon-like structure ;
and fired into the moment they showed themrelves
against the sky. At length guns were sent for to
batter down some of the arches and pillars and let
in light, when the last of the surviving sepoys were
shot and bayoneted. Most of our other casualties
were sustained through men in the various pickets
moving away against orders among the ruined
villages, where they were killed by crouching
sepoys who had fled thither, and whom we could
not sacrifice men to ferret out. On the 10th the
troops had a rest, except the cavalry, whom Gen.
Grant took out on a recounoissance, and the attil
lery who kept pounding away all day on the build-
ings on the other side of the river to facilitate the
Ghief's operation. The enemy fired a good deal
on us from etver during the day, but did no mis-
chief. Yesterday two columns started to advance
our front, the right under Generals Outram and_
Walpole sweeping to the right went up by Canton-
ments as far as the Ghan Ghat near Moossa Bagh,
and returned by the stone to the Iron Bridge. The
left went more directly to the latter. There was a
good deal of irregular fighting, and the enemy
suffered consideraely. Most men swear that not
less than eight hundred corpses were seen. But
the general, who always underrates, has I believe
reputed the enemy's loss at four or five hun-
dred. Ours was not great, as regards Lum-
bers, but we sustained an irreparable loss, Captain
Moorsom, of her Majesty's 52d Regiment, Assistant-
Quer:atm:Aster-General, one of the very ablest men
in the service, as brave as he was able, as cool as he
was brave, honoured and beloved by all. He
called for four Rifle volunteers to enable him to
clear a house, and was shut through the head. But
his death was terribly ay. nged by his Rifles, who
killed every man in the house. Captain Moor-
sem was buried this morning by the Rev. G.
Cowie. Sir J. ()Aram, whose deep anguish at
the loss of Lis beloved staff officer was visibly de-
picted
on his features, aced as chief mourner. All
his staff were present, and many others, for Captain
Moorsom was known to all, and beloved by all ;
and his minute knowledge of allthe localities about
Isuektiow, which he surveyed on the annexation,
renders his lo,s quite irreparable. But our loss is
his gain. He lived the life of the righteous ; and
he has now entered into the mansions of tl
blessed. The Sepoys, I have heard, are all making
for Seetaporo and BNreilly. This is a bad look out
for Rohilcund. They talk of our taking the great
palace in three days. But many -.think Sir
James will be with the Residency to-morrow morn-
ing, and Sir Colin into the palace i.O the evening.
From Alumbagh we hear that the 3d and 88th
Regiments which arrived on the 11th were sent
back to Cawnpore on the 12th, Sir John Inglis