The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-04 00:00:00

THE SUN.

MONDAY. OCTOBER 4, 1858.

The scattered remnants of the rebel forces in
India may now be properly termed " flying
columns," not in the ordinary, although in the
literal sense, of the term. They are only brave
against those who have no means offensive or de-
fensive at their disposal ; and any body of the
dreaded " Feringhees" assembled together are suffi-
cient to induce ten times their number to seek
safety in flight. They have, when too late, disco-
vered the grave mistake into which they suffered
themselves to be betrnyea. They have, by sad ex-
perience, discovered the extraordinary energy,
vigour, and unflinching determination of the Bri-
tish soldiers ; and after the fashion of the disap-
pointed bully in the old play, each is tempted to
exclaim, " An' I had known he was so cunning of
fence, I'd have seen him d—i before I meddled
with him." How gladly would they now retrace
their footsteps ! How fervently would they rejoice,
one and all, if they could discern the slightest
prospect of regaining the position which they
forfeited, and once more becoming "pets of the
Company." Alas, that chance has for ever departed.
Their gross misconduct, their vile treachery, their
want of " fidelity to their salt," has not only re-
duced themselves to the character of houseless and
despairing fugitives, but has terminated the rule
of those who were their over-kind patrons. To
use the Hindoo idiom, the "raj"' of the Company
has been overthrown, and henceforward Queen
VICTORIA, really as well as nominally, rules over
the Anglo-Indian Empire.
They now are merely striving to prolong their
miserable existences to the last moment, without
hope of eventual success ; they are merely striving
for escape. They are too well aware that the tem-
porary respite which has been accorded to some of
the detached parties is ascribable to the state
of the weather. The incessant rain is their
only preserver; and when that terminates, and
weather fit for campaigning is restored, the period
of retribution will have arrived, and those who
who have sinned too deeply to admit of any lenient
consideration of their cases—towards whom cle-
mency would be crime—will have to expiate their
manifold and fearful crimes.

Notwithstanding the rainy season, they only find
safety in incessant motion. No sooner do they
assume a position than some of their indefatigable
pursuers certainly approach, and they as certainly
fly, distancing for the moment the "avengers of
blood," by whom they are unceasingly followed.
The myth of " Orestes pursued by the Furies," has
been powerfully illustrated. There are thousands,
aye, tuts of thousands, for whom there is no longer
the slightest hope of rest or shelter, whose toil is as
enduring as that of Sysiphus or the Danaides, and
who cannot for .a, moment enjoy the smallest portion
of the plunder for -which they have so deeply sinned,
thus adding thia tortures of Tantalus to that of
the other chief criminals of the Heathen
Mythology.
to and fro cannot long
But this scampering
continue. In a few weeks Lord CLYDE will
again take the field with an, overwhelming
force, sufficient not merely to defeat, but
to surround and destroy the despairing brigands !
It only requires that force to induce the
native population to assist actively in the destruc-
tion of those by whom they have been more
annoyed and inconvenienced within a few months
than by the legitimate authorities within as many
years. At present these parties are afraid to join
us. They are intimidated by the strength of the
rebels, which, although inadequate to meet even a
British police force, are yet sufficiently powerful
to plunder and destroy an unprotected village,
to butcher the 111011, and expose the women to a still
more terrible fate. It is but lately that MAUN
SINGH was relieved from those who besieged him
in his own stronghold, because he refused to go
further with them in their reckless career, and had
earned an ample amnesty for any past misdeeds, by
the protection -which he afforded, in the dark hour
of danger and distress, to those who sought shelter
at his hands. ,There are many other Zemindars
and Talookdarg who held aloof while the struggle
was still immi 'pent, and the result of the contest