The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING FEBRUARY 23, 1850.

He is a fine, tall, portly man, with a very agreeable
face, much more open aid manly than the Nawab's.
On his right sat Hijunamoab Hroosein, talookdar of
Buthamow, and then round the table, in front of
the Commissioner, in order, Meer Dost Ali, uncle of
Mehudie Hossein, Gholam Hossein, brother of the
rebel, Meer Bundee Hossein, tehsildar of Hussun-
pore, Sheek Ali Mahomed, tehsildar of Pertabghur,
-and Meer Reasut Ali—all rebel chiefs of Oude,
vanquished, owning themselves beaten, and seeking
pardon. If when we were weak we punished
severely and fearlessly, now that we are strong we
are clement and generous. Who can deny this,
when he hears that all those rebels are permitted
to return to their homes, one with 50, another with.
45, another with 50 followers to guard their fami-
lies and their property; that no questions were
asked ; that their written papers were given to
them on the spot, the only condition being that
they repair to Mr. Martin, at Lucknow, where
their followers are to be disarmed and they
are to learn the terms on which they are to live
in Oude in future ? Maun Singh at least under-
stands this policy perfectly, for he said the other
day, " When the British were few and fighting for,
their lives, they had to kill and hang every one,
and to forgive no offender ; now the day is theirs,
they can pardon without any one saying they are
afraid." Maun Singh's approbation of any policy is
doubtful praise, but this remark shows he appre-
ciates the arguments of a large party in India as to
our conduct in a great crisis.
Mehudie Hossein was collector of Salone under
the Oude dynasty. When Oude was annexed he
was relieved from his charge by Major Barrow, and
when the mutiny took place he re-occupied the post
which perforce the Commissioner was obliged to
abandon, and, " now," said he, " you are here to
relieve me again." He spoke frankly and freely,
and we learnt that his numbers had never reached
the strength attributed to him in despatches, and
that his losses had been still more exaggerated. Sir
William Russell, who came in during the inter-
view, was anxious to remind Mehudie of the
day he chased him 37 miles to Palee Ghat, but
consideration, and, perhaps, good taste, prevented
the question being addressed to a beaten man.
These men were all well and even richly dressed,
and sat at their ease as if they had been our
best friends. From the Commissioner's tent
the chiefs proceeded to Lord Clyde's, with the ex-
ception of the Nawab, who as a prisoner remained
with Lieut.-Col. Crealock, and conversed with that
officer while he was sitting for a pencil sketch that
was very successful. Lord Clyde invited the chiefs
to sit down, and expressed his gratification at
seeing them, and his hope that they would settle
down and become good subjects of the Queen. "I
have been 50 years a soldier," he said, " and I have
seen enough of war to rejoice when it is at an end."
" Say to the lord that I was 25 years in the service of
the King of Oude," replied Mehudie Hossein, evi-
dently implying that he could not, as a man of
honour, help fighting in the cause of one he had
served so long. They took their leave, after a short
interview, and are now to travel as they please to
Lucknow, most of them preferring to accompany the
column. Mehudie Hossein says there are 20,000 Se-
poys and 1,200 Sowars,w ith 200 elephants, in Nepaul.
It will be necessary to keep watch and ward on the
marches. We cannot expect a sudden calm after
such a tempest—the waves will heave after the
winds have gone down ; and so there come rumours
of troubles in that ever troublesome Bundelcund.
The Madras Light Cavalry will march down in
that direction on their way home. The 80th, going
to Cawnpore, will relieve the regiment of Europeans
there, and permit it to go to Calpee. The 64th
Regiment is to proceed towards Bombay, where
the wives and children of the soldiers are, taking
part of the disturbed districts in their course. The
80th Regiment and 24th Punjabees marched to-
wards Cawnpore this evening, taking with them
the Nawab of Furruckabad.
On the evening of the Bth Lord Clyde sent for
Brigadier Horsford, and gave him directions for
the general security of the pass and gorge of the
Raptee, and orders came out for, our march this
morning. The orders disappointed us a little, for
there were many things fixed for the day. There
were races to take place close to the place whence
the Hussars started for the Raptee—subscriptions
paid, horses entered, and the races named "the
'Arai. Sweepstakes," " the Raptee Purse," " the
Nepaul Consolation Stakes." Then there was to
be a tiger hunt ; item, there was to be a reconnais-
sance up the Gorge, to go as far as the Nepaulese
frontier, the line being ascertained by finding to
whom the taxes were paid by the people of the
villages. It was expected that the enemy's 15
guns would be brought in, or would be taken by
the column. The morning dawned, and with it
became visible a cold dense fog, through which the
eye could not pierce to the nearest tent. Lord
Clyde left with Brigadier Horsford the Rifle Brigade,
under Colonel Percy Hill ; the 7th Hussars, Sir
William Russell; the Ist Punjab Cavalry; Major
Hughes Moir's troop, Bengal Artillery ; and took
with himself the Carabineers, a party of Hodson's
Horse, a wing of the Beloochees, Lennox's company
of Sappers, her Majesty's 20th Regiment, and
Fraser's troop of Royal Horse Artillery. As the
baggage had to defile through the jungle the march
was short, and we encamped four miles south of
Bankee, not far from the scene of our little affair
with the enemy on the 26th. The reconnaissance
was of course put off. The guns were not brought
in, but it was ascertained that they are inside the
Nepaulese territory. The fog lasted nearly a
day.

At some undetermined hour on the morning of
the 9th the camp was struck in darkness and our
little column continued its march southwards to-
wards Gonda. The dawn was clouded and the day-
warm, so that we did not see those pleasant Ne-
paulese hills which have made their appearance so
seldom to our plain-wearied eyes. As we are not
destined to visit the Ghoorkas, I for one was glad
to leave the neighbourhood of those tantalising
mountains—the vapour, the mad jackals, the
wolves, and tigers of the disaffected Terai, which
wage deadly war on the whole human race.
The evening before, just at dusk, a large bear
ambled out on the plain close to our camp, in front
of some officers who had been beating the adjoining
wood for game. Captain Bradford fired at him with
his revolving rifle, and the second shot struck
Bruin, who stood on his hind legs and made a de-
monstration of assault, but seeing several sports-
men coming up eagerly, he thought it better to
" bear the ills he had than fly to others which he
knew not of," and so ambled off and made his exit
growling. Tigers' tracks were visible all round
our camp, and though they didnot, as at Nanparah,
interfere with our postal arrangements, they con-
jointly with the rumours of lurking sepoys, pre-
vented thai free excursive investigation of the
jungles which would otherwise, no doubt, have
been effected. When we left, a large expedition
with beaters and elephants was being organised,
,but we have not yet heard if any one was eaten or
any tiger killed.
It takes time to make proper preparations for a
hunt, and in such a volatile column as ours there is
little time for aught but eating, sleeping, and
marching. As the camp animals go out to graze,
thousands of camels, elephants, ponies, buffaloes,
and bullocks for many miles round the camp, the
wild denizens of the forest are frightened, and go
off to great distances, where it is necessary to track
and mark them down before a party can start with
any chance of success. The day wo arrived on
the Raptee I saw two huge wolves close at
hand in the thick grass by the river; to-day
two were seen within 100 yards of the head of the
column, and herds of antelopes and spotted deer
rise up_and flee away from our videttes and Rankers,
to they despair of the sportsmen, who must keep
with their men on the line of march. As to the
flocks of wild geese, ducks, and teal—the wonderful
long-legged, long-necked waders—cranes, black and
white, plover, snipe, quail of many sizes, colours,
and varieties, which are seen in the early morning
or the course of a march, no place I have ever
visited, except the Steppe of Southern Russia, can
afford such abundance and diversity of species as
those northern plains of Oude. The thickets are
haunted by peacocks and peahens, and by the beau-
tiful jungle fowl, the original stock of our own dear
chanticleer and Dame Partlet. In the long coarse
grass nibble and gambol hares, much persecuted by
falcons and silver foxes. In the same haunts are
the beautiful black partridge and his less eatable
gray congener. Flycatchers, from the lively,
audacious, and gallant king crow, down to a tiny
little green fellow, with a yellow foraging cap, not
bigger than a wren, flit over the fields in all direc-

the fort. It was found to be strong of its kind, well
sheltered on three sides by a belt of jungle, but as
the fort is situated in a wide level-plain, and the
belt of jungle is not broad, and affords' no sure re-
treat, the Nana did-not select it as a safe' place to
make a retreat from, andiell back on Burguddiah.
There is reason now to believe that he opened two
guns of his on our cavalry the other day at the
Raptee. It was unfortunate that Sir Wm. Russell
led his Hussars to the right instead of the left when
he debouched from the wood and Sir Wm. Mansfield
ordered him to charge, as it is just possible he might
have hit upon the Nana, according to Mehudie
Hossein's story; but the gallant officer was pro-
bably misled by the Punjab cavalry, who were in
his front, and who went away to the right when
they crossed the nullah. The Nana is now in
Nepaul, more than 100 miles from our, frontier, and
the action of Government must be employed to
effect his capture should the Goorkas permit him
to remain in their territory. Churdah was de -
serted, nothing in it save a wounded gun-bullock.
The profile is irregular, presenting numerous sa-
lients, but the ditch is deep and the counterscarp
tolerably good, so that a little labour would have
rendered the work more formidable than Mejiddiah.
The column halted at Nanparah about 11 o'clock,
and the troops had food. The garrison of Oude
police and some irregulars encamped outside are
suffering from smallpox. On our way we passed
the village where the head of the column and Lord
Clyde and his staff halted before daybreak on the
morning of the 31st of December. The best house
was in flames, burnt by some camp followers, of
whom the chief was flogged. The hamlet of Bur-
guddiah, burnt by them the night of our first halt
on the 26th of December, was still in black ruin,
desolate and uninhabited. The column pushed on
six miles beyond Naparah, making a march of 174-
miles, and pitched tents at Kootawah, on ground
close to that which had been occupied by Christie's
force up to this morning. The small corps under
Colonel Pratt is also marching southwards in ad-
vance of us.
The following are extracts from my diary
" CAMP NEAR BURAECH, JAN. 10.
" First bugle at five a.m. March at six a.m.' It is
pitch dark till 6.30. That little fact may lead one
to imagine the desagremens of such early hours,—
not fully to realize them, however, unless he has
seen an Indian camp and can appreciate the diffi-
culties of pouring out those immense streams of men
and animals through the proper channel. But, as our
camp was close to an extensive marsh several miles
in length, we were favoured with a morning fog
worthy of London, which did not depart till we had
been two hours groping and stumbling on our way.
This portion of Oude, between Churda and Buraech,
is not so well cultivated as that on the verge of the
Terai. Coarse tufted grass trips up horses,and makes
soldiers angry. There is no road in particular, and
we steer just as the mariner does at sea. Immense
herds of cattle show why this land is not covered
with crops. The owners are fast driving them away
as we approach, and the villages are but partially
inhabited as yet just hereabouts. Small as our
column is now—about 200 Carabineers, a party of
Hodson's horse under Sir Henry Havelock ; a squad-
ron of the 6th Madras Light Cavalry, Capt. Mac-
gregor ; Frazer's troop of Royal Horse Artillery,
some heavy guns en route southwards, her Majesty's
20th Regimeat, and a wing of Belooches,—there is
apparently baggage enough for an army of 20,000
men. I can compare a column on the march to no-
thing handy on my mind except a block of omni-
buses in Fleet-street, when the footpaths are
thronged with foot passengers, and the interstices
of the larger vehicles grouted in with Hansoms and
cabs. The column is but a small, compact, orderly
body, but on each side of it and behind it miles back
are elephants, camels, and horses enough for the
Grand Army. A hundred and sixty elephants make
a great show. The monster, however, costs for his
keep only 2s. a-day. A camel costs from 16s. to 20s.
a-month, and carries about 4001 b. The load of an
elephant varies with his size from I,ooolb. to 1,6001 b.
He is generally used to carry tents and stores and to
draw heavy guns ; but he is largely used by the
officers' servants as a means of conveyance, and six,
seven, and even eight bearers, kitmutgars, and chu-
prassies may be seen seated on the pad, and 60 or
70 elephants may been seen heaped up with light-
coloured groups of Madrasses and Bengalees, tower-
ing over the sates and moving steadily along the
flanks of the march. A most quaint and peculiar
animals is the tattoo or native pony. He is not as
large as the smallest of English donkeys (Indian
asses are about the size of a new-born calf, only
they are not so long in the legs) ; his hind legs are
generally distorted by premature and over loading;
he is often short of the usual allowance of eyes or
ears, and is altogether a most miserable, mangy,
starved, and worthless looking creature. Never-
theless, in love or war he is animated by the highest
spirit, and he is ready at all times to engage the
largest and fiercest horse in battle, and neighs his
addresses to the proudest mare from Arabia. There
are hundreds and hundreds of them attached to
the bazaar people. They carry the goods and
families of the merchants, and all the followers of
trades and professions which may be found there.
Officers bestride them on the route, and the ser-
geants of some regiments seem to be specially
privileged to hire them as chargers while marching.
The bazaar woman, seated on a pile of curious
merchandise, with her legs projecting over his
neck, a child on her hip and another in her arms,
directs the course of the 'tat' with her toes, and
thinks nothing of giving a friend a lift,' so that at
last all that may be seen of the quadruped are its
wretched rag of a tail, its ragged legs, and a dilapi-
tated head, moving along under an enormous heap
of animated and inorganic matter. Next to the
"tats," the most numerous animals are goats. The
Indian goat is a clean, docile, handsome creature,
abounding in kids and milk. There are probably
1,000 or 1,500 of these animals in different flocks
with our camp, each flock belonging to a small
milkman, whose walk' is very extensive, averaging
20 miles a day. The agents of the establishment
are women, who carry the milk along the march or
in camp in bright brass vessels, on their heads, and
grateful to the thirsty private who has a few pice in
his pocket is the well-known cry of ' lai dooh,' as
was the announcement of fresh oysters' to the
proprietor of the Splendid Shilling. Next to
the goats and asses are indubitably the monkeys.
Poor .Jacko is to be seen on all sides in a state of
durance vile, in chattering rage and indignation,
riding on the top of a camel—old, young, and
middle-aged—shaved, and with clothes on their
backs, rugged as au naturel, tailed, tailless, grave,
stupid, lively, running along on all fours, or placidly
sitting in a cart or dooly. There are also pretty
pets—antelopes, deer, and young neilghye, which
accompany us faithfully; and, of course, the subal-
tern has his terrier, or his dog or dogs of some sort
or other; to which confidential attendants are at-
tached or doolies appropriated. Then there are
the gun bullocks and the bazaar hackeries, drawn
by oxen, and the spare oxen, the beesties' bullocks,
and the butcher's sheep and cattle. Then there are
private stores. A regimental mess will order,
perhaps, 100 dozen of beer, 150 dozen of port and
sherry, 60 dozen of champaigne at a time, not to
mention groceries and stores of various sorts, and
these move along with us. Coolies may be seen
carrying each a chair or a table, or a fowling-piece,
or even a spare cap. What wonder, then, that there
are 4,000 men hanging on the skirts of this column,
who have no ostensible mode of life, who are not
engaged in any known way in the bazaars—which,
by the way, are very dirty collections of very dirty
little tents, in which all sorts of things can be had
for money,—and who do not draw rations from the
Commissariat. Those natives to whom rations are
issued amount to about two and a-half to each fight-
ing man. Some officers have as many as 40 servants
in the field. Each has an attendant sprite or two
—possibly a wife, a child, a .mother, a father, who
follow his daily fortunes. There is a perfect chorus
of camp followers in a state of infancy, and studies
from the nude are afforded by little black imps
toddling about the horses' feet to any who may like
to take them. What becomes of these generations
when an army is broken up is a question I have'
asked in vain. Surmises do not solve the problem,
but I should say early education of this kind was
not exactly a promising preparation for the more
sober pursuits of trade and commerce. In a fog
the melange is not agreeable, and I was heartily
glad when I could see my way through elephants,
camels, goats, tats, and babies this morning, and get
a good gallop in front of the column. We passed
The village still deserted.
tor
restore the houses burnt by our
ca
mp followers. Breakfasted beyond Intha in a
c a No Intha
steps
t e aboutpfoslltoawk
ee 9 r
sn o'clock.
tope of trees. The Commander-in-Chief took a
long walk by the side of the column, but he is not
yet able to ride. Halted at 1.30 p.m. on the plain,
two miles from Buraech, and 18 miles from our camp
this morning. The day hot and heavy. Sir Hope
Grant was waiting under a tree for Lord Clyde,
having ridden over with the Rajah of Bulrampore
from Bingha, 24 miles distant, to arrange with the
Commander-in-Chief for the military dispositions
in Oude. Sir Hope is the officer in command of
the Oude field force, and a better there could not
be. Lord Clyde has the utmost reliance on his
skill, sagacity, promptithde, and judgment, justified
and evinced on every occasion. It appears the gal-
lant officer, less cautious than his chief, actually
passed the Nepaulese frontier in his ineffectual
chase of Bala Rao's rebels on the 4th. He took his
stereotyped number of 15 guns, which seems to be
Sir Hope's ' allowance' on such occasions, but the
rebels only fired four or five of them before they
fled. The Rajah of Bulrampore is one of the
heartiest, frankest-mannered men I have ever seen.

He is a tight, compact man, about 25 years of age,
full of vivacity and vigour, a keen sportsman, with
an armoury of the beet English rifles by the best

1 makers, hawks, hounds, dogs, elephants. He wore
a pair of English keeper's leather leggings, a -vel-
vet frock; and a brocaded cap with gold tassels.
But am I hypercritical, am I too curious and
minutely observant when I remark what was
patent to all the street,' that the lady of Bulram-
pore must be in difficulties with his tailor, seeing
the highly important article of dress under his
tunic, and above his leggings, were sadly rent, and
could scarcely have cost as much as King Stephen
paid on a well-known occasion for a similar gar-
ment ? However, our sporting friend has broad
acres, and I believe, by his visit to-day, he received
a pleasant accession to them from Major Barrow,
who is tossing about estates, little kingdoms, and
whole shires as a juggler tosses balls about, or as
Napoleon used to fling away empires. To any
one who would take it has been offered a
magnificent strip of the Terai, and the adja-
cent land, rent free for five years, with the exclusive
usufruct of trees of a certain lac thereon abounding,
on the sole condition that he cuts down all the
jungle. Such was the offer made to us all. Even
I felt obliged to decline this splendid opening for a
,young man, and to refuse the chance of becoming a
zemindar of Oude."

JAN. 11.

The force halts on their present ground .to-day,
that Lord Clyde and Sir Hope Grant, and the Chief
of the Staff may complete their arrangements before
his Lordship proceeds to Lucknow. It is probable
that we shall not march by way of Gonda, as the
only object in view was to inquire into the fitness
for a cantonment, which could not be determined
without a regular commission. The place is nearly
40 miles distant, and so it is probable we shall
march straight to Lucknow, whither Major Barrow
and Major Bruce have preceded us this day. Lord
Clyde is anxious to place himself in telegraphic
communication with Central India as speedily as
possible, for at Banda, Rewah, and Bundelcund
affairs are in an unsatisfactory position. Instant
steps have been taken to flood the, provinces with
troops. Her Majesty's 43d Regiment has been
ordered to Banda from Calpee and detached posts.
Her Majesty's 45th have been sent up from Cal-
cutta to the same district. The 97th Regiment is
marching down from Lucknow via Futtehpore, and
the Madras Rifles are taking the same route.
General Whitlock has already got two squadrons of
the 12th Lancers, the 3d Madras Europeans, Ist
Regiment Bombay Native Infantry, Ist Madras
Native Infantry, 50th Madras Native Infantry, two
troops of Madras Horse Artillery, and a Madras
field battery ; so that with the reinforcements
and additional irregular cavalry he will soon
have a splendid little army under his com-
mand. The Naval Brigade of the Pearl, under
Captain Sotheby, having rendered most conspicuous
service in the Shahabad districts, and the disturbed
provinces north-east of Allahabad, are going down
to Calcutta on their way home. Those gallant
sailors have been active in all branches of military
duty, and they have appeared in the field as infantry,
artillery, horse artillery, and cavalry ! A charge by
mounted sailors must be a formidable demonstra-
tion to all parties concerned. The Pearl's men
have, whether on foot or on horse, contributed
mainly to the pacification of the country confided
to their charge, and Captain Sotheby has added to
a reputation which was always high by his conduct
in a difficult command.

The 86th Regiment, to be relieved at Gwalior by
the 3d Europeans, will be sent home, after a long
and distinguished career of Indian service, crowned
by the storming of Jhansi. Volunteering from re-
giments going home will soon take place, and I
,look with some anxiety to the result, for I do not
think it will be as favourable as the authorities
expect. The four regiments will go home as soon
as possible—some little jealousy being caused by
the 32d Light Infantry being permitted to leave
India before its time on account of its services at
Lucknow. The Carbineers will go to Meerut, and
the 7th Hussars probably to Umballah. The 3d
battalion Rifle Brigade is ordered to Agra from
Seetapore, and the Camel Corps, under Major Ross
of the brigade, is on its way to the same city. The
regiments are her Majesty's 10th, 32d, 78th, and
84th, the Military Train Battalion, and possibly
her Majesty's 29th--in India since 1841—to which
must be added her Majesty's 86th. The general
disposition of the troops is not yet fixed, and must
remain undetermined while disturbances exist.
We march to Seerora-312 miles—to-morrow;
thence to Lucknow at the rate of 30 miles a-day.