The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-02 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

METTCI JnelY —Airdwn_. 45 min- 12—Rven., 4 min aft. 1
To-Mositow—Morn., 24 min. aft. I—Even., 43 min. aft. 1

THE WEATHER—SUN OFFICE, OCTOBER 2.
THERMOMETER, IN THE SHADE.
6g—highest since noon yesterday.
56—lowest this morning and during the night
66 —this day at noon.

BAROMETER, 30.20.
WLNP, W, ; light, with fine sunshiny weather.

‘.'kl7'g's '>_.ts,
.%rktl A1:11
_

LONDON, FRIDAY, OCT. 2, 1857.

Public attention is now concentrated on Luck-
now, Cawnpore, Delhi, and Agra. There is a
fearful interest felt in every particle of intelligence
respecting the proceedings at these points. We
anticipate with horror the contingency of 1,000
Englishwomen and children falling into the power
of miscreants of the NANA SAHIB class—possibly
of that incarnate demon himself I The fate of
the gallant and devoted garrison, deprived of
their illustrious leader, Sir HENRY LAWRENCE,
and subsequently of his energetic successor, Major
BANKS, but still bravely contending against °vex -
whelming odds, would alone be sufficient to excite
our deepest sympathies. But that of the non-
combatants —of helpless females, of innocent
babes, becoming victims, is absolutely mad-
dening. The atrocities already perpetrated
by fiends in human shape, sufficiently in-
dicate the probable consequences. The
ravages cf pestilence and famine add to the
horrors by which they are surrounded, and the
faintest rumour is eagerly grasped at.

The miraculous efforts of HAVELOCK and his
devoted band failed in conveying the relief so
urgently required, and the last retreat on Cawn-
pore, indispensable as it was, would seem to have
sealed their fate. There is still, however, a gleam
of hope, a faint spark of light glimmering through
the darkness. There is a report, to which we
alluded yesterday, that the garrison had so far
profited by the efforts of HAVELOCK as to obtain
fresh supplies, which would enable them to hold
out a little longer, " perhaps," until assistance
arrived. There was also a possibility that Jung
Bahadoor, better known in this country as the
Nepaulese Ambassador, although disgusted with
the red-tapism of Lord CANNING and the contu-
melious rejection of his noble proposition, might
have advanced with his faithful Goorkhas to the
rescue, and saved the devoted garrison and the
unfortunate fugitives. Sir JAMES OLITRAM might
also have been enabled to push up, as it was said
he intended, by the Goomtee or the Gogra, and
t 3 attack the rebels in another direction, or it was
possible that aid might come from Delhi itself
after its capture by the avenging army ; or
IlAvEtoctc, restored by a brief rest, might po,si-
bly again resume his victorious march. Tie e,
however, are but chances, and until the result is
positively ascertained, until authentic intelligence
is received of the safety or destruction of the be-
leagured city, the first thought of every heart
must still be directed towards Lucknow.

Cawnpero demaudsou;next attention. There
even HA.TELOCK himself is in jeopardy. Oppressed
by the overwhelming force of numbers, with sick
and wounded, and his heroic band reduced to less
than one-half of their former strength, he was
compelled . to stand on the defensive.
But we may augur favourably from what
already has occurred. Those who have gained a
dozen victories within thrice as many days, while
enduring almost unparalleled fatigue, will not elle'
c umb to any/odds that eau be brought against them.,

We may feel curiosity to know the results, but
we have no fear. HAVELOCK will save his men,
and live to reap the rich rewards lavished by a
grateful country.

We have referred to Delhi in another leader.
Its fate cannot long be deferred. Retributive
justice will speedily teach a painful but
salutary lesson to Hindostan, and especially to all
who have participated in the fearful atrocities
committed in the stronghold of the insurgents.
To all who have shown mercy, mercy may be
extended. The hand of justice will press lightly
on those who have exhibited gratitude to their
former benefactors, or compassion to the afflicted.
Those who have protected women and children—
and there have been some who have done so—
will receive re wards, although compromised by their
conduct in other respects. Those who have de-
fended their officers, or assisted in their escape,
will also be regarded with favour, notwithstanding
offences of a secondary character. But the full
measure of wrath will be poured forth on those
who have no redeeming points to refer to. Fearful
have been their crimes, and fearful, indeed, will
be the inevitable chastisement.

Agra appears to be tolerably safe. There are
ample supplies both for the garrison and the
refugees, and that is all that is required. We
can trust to even a small body of Englishmen
when entrusted with the sacred duty of protecting
those who could not protect themselves. Besides,
they were enabled to maintain communications
with the camp before Delhi, and instant aid
would be despatched on any pressing emergency.

The arrival of Sir COLIN CAMPBELL will, we
trust, effect a change at head-quarters. SirPAnticK
GRANT was fettered by routine. He bad all
the will, but not the power to rid himself of
the incubus by which he was - oppressed.
We do not, however, anticipate that the
same tricks will be attempted against the
Crimean hero that were practised on the Com-
pany's officer. Sir CoLur will be the Com-
mander-in-Chief, or nothing ; he will not
tolerate the interference of a civilian in matters
that come under his control, and for which he is
justly responsible. Looking to the proceedings at
the Government House, can we wonder at the
anxiety manifested by the independent inhabitants
of Calcutta to get rid of JOHN COMPANY, and to
have the Indian empire placed under the direct
authority of Queen VICTORIA. and her MAJESTY'S
Government.

Several men of mark have just been favouring
the public with speeches on India. We naturally
look with interest to what may be said by Mr.
RALPH OSBORNE and Lord JOHN RUSSELL, Sir E.
B. LYTTON, and Mr. DISRAELI, and Lord PAN-
MURE, to wind up all ; yet we must own that
whether from Members of the Cabinet, or of the
Ministry, of the Opposition, or the independent
supporters of Government, we gather but little
worthy of distinct notice. Mr. R. OSBORNE met
his constituents to celebrate in the orthodox
English style his victory at Dover, and might
have been expected to let out a little of the in-
tentions of Government—but no, he was not in
the Cabinet and knew nothing ; although the
Secretary to the Admiralty, Mr. DISRAELI would
say, ought to know something ; and we think Mr.
DISRAELI is right ; the plain fact of the exulta-
tion with which the Shannon and the Pearl were
received at Calcutta ; the fact, too, that Lord
ELGIN left them behind him, and that four hun-
dred of these brave sailors are already moving on
to Allahabad—a Naval Brigade who will be sure
enough to maintain the reputation of that new
arm of British warfare, sufficiently supports Mr.
DISRAELI'S view, that a few more frigates might
with the greatest advantage have been sant up the
Hooghly. It coems also unaccountable, that we
have heard nothing of gunboats for the now over-
flowing rivers of India. Mr. OSBORNE, in-
deed, showed such marked reserve, that Mr.
HUGESSEN rather warmly called him to account
for " reticence." The collision between the
speakers brought out, however, only a few sparks
of wit or humour, no light for the country.
Lord PANMURE also, though discoursing to his
fellow commissioners and justices of the peace for
the county of Forfar, over which he presides as
Lord Lieutenant, gave not a single hint of what
was in the minds of our administrators. He
confined all his eloquence to advocating the cau: e
of contribution for the sufferers. It would
somewhat reassuring to hear from the Secretar
of State for War, his statements of what had
been done, and of what he thought yet remained
to be done, and of the results he expected. He
may perhaps allege that we know pretty well all
from the published accounts of the move-
ments of our troops ; but we all like state-
ments en, authority ; besides all Lord PA.NMUP.E
did, or could well say on the contentious matter,
we also knew before. Lord JOHN RUSSELL could
be expected to say but little ; he was at a ragged
school meeting, and to his school he kept, only
expressing his hope of affairs being speedily re-
trieved in India, and of our using victory with
moderation as well as justice.
Mr. OSBORNE like Mr. VERNON SMITH demands
that Delhi should be razed. Mr. DISRAELI like
Lord J. RUSSELL is afraid we should be too vin-
dictive. We certainly think there is no need fur
apprehension on that ground. The tendency of
the English mind is altogether to the side of
lenity. We much more fear that the example
should not be made sufficiently terrible, than the
contrary. We shall certainly not imitate NANA
SAHIB. Our soldiers and sailors could not slaughter
unarmed men, and helpless women and babes, much
less torture them. As to Delhi, let the citizens
fairly disprove all complicity with the mutineers,
and we would spare their lives and their property
too ; but one thing is certain—that while the mu-
tineers were yet few, they stripped our country-
men's daughters, exposed them in the public mar-
ket place, caused them to be insulted in the most
revolting manner, intentionally fixed the deepest
pang they could in the bosoms of their English re-
latives at home—indeed we have reason to believe
dishonoured them to death. All 13311 d saw this
done. Delhi did not interpose. D ihi saw a'l
England insulted with the bitterest of insults, in
the persons of these young female?, and D 31Iri
stands accused of abetting not only horrid tortures
and murders, but the lastof dishonours to our na-
tion. Let Delhi disprove the accusation, and it
will be sufficient retribution, then perhaps to level
all its Royal buildings, and to erect on them at the
cost of the inhabitants, a monument to their own
eternal infamy, with a suitable inscription in all
t'ie languages of India. But if tho city .be
guilty as we suppose it to be, then we do say Gilt
not one stone should be left upon another, that
the inhabitants who were not deserving of
death, should be permitted to remove
elsewhere, and build a new town, or resort to
others, but that Delhi fait on an obelisk, should
be all that remained of this vast but guilty city.
Let all Asia as well as India know that England
could pardon, if it became her, but that she could
never pardon wrongs done to her helpless ones,
the public dishonour and cruel butchery of her
women. A city where such deeds could be done
ought no longer to exist.
The rtiaforcements have now begun to arrive.

The avenging stream of indignant soldiers has
begun to move along the course of the rebels.
Delhi even may have fallen by this Vine ; and if
slowly, yet as irresistibly as a lava stream will
our soldiers move onward. They will march with
the consciousness of the noblest inspiration that
ever animated men and Englishmen ; and we
should not be at all surprised if the mutiny col-
lapsed almost at once. As soon as the wretches,
now fighting with the discipline, arms, and am-
munition we have given them, know that some
forty thousand of their last and invincible con-
querors are really landed and advancing on them,
every miscreant among them will be but too glad
to flee, if he can, and if that b 3 impossible, to
protest on his knees, and with hands uplifted to
heaven, that ha was forced into mutiny against
his will. Some regiments, hopeless of mercy, and
knowing themselves to have sinned beyond for-
giveness, may prefer facing our cannon and our
rifles to being hung on the nearest tree. But as 1
for the majority, we should be by no means sur-
prised
to hear that, when once sure that we meant
to remain lords of India, the difficulty will be to
find a regiment of them together. Some grave
punishment, however, must await all the muti-
neers. The lives of those who have not murdered
1 their officers, or fired a gun against the English,
may, indeed, be spared, but even simple mutiny
at such a crisis as this must be visited with out-
lawry or slavery—perhaps, as one writer suggests,
with slavery in the West India Islands. Of
course only for this generation. Any how, we
must get rid of some seventy thousand muti-
neers, and also of the villains they have liberated
from gaol,