The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-19 00:00:00

BENARES.

The following are extracts from a letter written
by a staff officer recently at Dinapore. The dates
arc as recent as the 3d of August :
" Benares, July 22.
. _

"As for news, it is no use mentioning what the
papers wall have, viz., that Havelock has just destroyed
Biithoor and taken 13 more guns there, and is en 'route
to Lucknow, crossing the Ganges to-day. All the
womeu were killed by the Nena in batches, so many
a-day. He violated all he could first, and sent the rest
naked into his camp for the men ; at Jhanti they tied
the husbands to trees while the same atrocities were in
process, and tore the children limb by limb. They've
made mothers kill their own children, and that sort of
tai •g. Poor old -(a civilian) was daintily stabbed
o a six bayonets, and carried round - kicking, and
then killed. It is as well to tell these things. which
don't half come up to the untellable atrocities of the way
in ..vhich ladies were tortured and exposed, because the
more you all know in Eog!and the better, as for want
of cavalry these wretches get very little out up now, and
they must be punished afterward' in cold blood.
They had stiff fighting at Cawnpore; the 78th men how•
bag in the most appalling manner on amount of the
women and children as they closed with the enemy.
The Nena has gone to Humeerpore. Loyd, the collector
there, was murdered. C'arke (J. J., the assistant-sur-
geon)) is here ; Cockerel' was killed at Banda.
.They've
discovered an attempt at a ri,irg here, and got a 'ma
hjan,' out of whose townie came 150 'tulwars' &e., and
ail also boned' four of the head bud mashes.' We're
clearing a spot at Raj Ghat, which is a natural fortifi-
cation, and whence we shall get howitzers to command
the city. We shall have it ail our own way now if Bom-
bty keeps quiet,-as the sth Fusiliers and the 37th are
on the river, and will make Havelock strong enough for
anything. He drives them like sheep as it is, but the
punishment of these fiends is the thing that will take
time ; tho Government is too mild, the authorities in
C deutta still potter and humbug.
"The rising was a Mussulman plot, aided by the
Brahmins ; religion bad nothing to do with it beyond
their hatred for us Kaffir& The Nena was animated by
personal pique. Government orders spoiled our regi-
ments in making officers fools and men insolent. Go-
vernment aotually the last few years have been con-
stantly asking the Sepoys to dictate to them, forbidding
havildar.s' or naicks' being punished, allowing appeals
against commanding officers' pli,ghtest punishments, and
asking the men, whose hair has been cut for 20 years, it
seeing the Sikhs with long hair isn't likely to raise
mutiny in their elegant bosoms."

"August 2.

"You'll see by the papery that the Dinapore brigade
have mutinied ; they are on the road to Sasseram. The
-whole thing was disgracefully mismanaged, and
ought to be hung. After the men had shoWn a mutinous
spirit he sent a message that he wanted their percussion
cape, instead of sending the 10th Foot to disarm them.
Ferirviek,•commanding the 10:11, pointed out the neces-
sity, but the stupid incapable wouldn't see. The evil of
it is, besides a few more murders in the district (that
we're used to), that the troops that should be reinforcing
Havelock are now wanted to clear the Grand Trunk
lad and punish these fellows. Havelock carries all
before him, and has taken 64 guns already, Having
ody 1,500 with him, there will be a narro
thing.of it to reinforce hit t in time. Humanly
speaking, if he gets reinforced by the sth and
90th soon, all will go well eaoueh till y comfortable
people at home send coins 20,000 ; but if things go
wrong in these parts and delay his reinforcements Agra
will go yet. We disarmed the remnant of the. 12th Ir-
r• plans here last night, aed the wing of the 25th Native
,Infantry, just arrived, is to be disarmed. The district
here is quiet, but there are so many mutineers between
us and Calcutta and Oude-wards, that some sort of
nsurripms
of scrimmage
rreigo in the
es
neighbourhood is likely. Helines's
mutinied and cut him and the doctor
and their wives into tits. This shows what bosh it is
talking of pbu.iity of officers,
,or want of soldiemly kno .v-
-ledge on their part. Holmes s cot ps was acknowledged
by all hands to have been the most perfect body of light
Horse in the world, and Holmes, like poor Fisher, only
lived for his men, and loved thent—see the result !
" It is an implacable hatred to us as a nation, the
timid 4: (trey of a Government who tolerate and cherish
i 'olatry and- Mahomedanisah and rather persecute their
own religion, invariably disclaiming having any religion
themselves, asking (by Vleir acts) the natives to advance
prejudices and find grievance?, degrading their officers,
l, andam
etanitkai nn d m
g of
I,Bkliarug eiviliaes of there, the k Acts and sending natives
Commander-
in-Chieftu,Par-
eking 20 petitions a-day against commanding
-fficers, begging the Jacks to find out that they ought
to mutiny because their beards, shaved without a mur-
mur for 40 years, are shave I still. These -thins, pans-
p,rine the Sepoys, and above all the breaking out of a
long.o2oriqied Mussulman plot, are the rear causes et
this row, and if you'd hint the same to the editor of the
Times y:,u'd he an useful member of society. Just Leard
that the loyal (!) brigade of Sepoys are making al trig
the Garges, leaving the road open. If Lloyd does not
mismanage and Havelock gets more men we shal so on
swimmingly ; nothing will prevent cur final success, but
things are very critical just now. This station is the
Safest in Lewer India, I think ; some rows may happen,
'tut we are one of the safest positions .in the country.
We are making no end of fine entrenchments at Rej
Ghat—it's the strongest natural position I ever saw.

" August 3.
" Just come back from Raj Ghat. Three 18 pounders
and two 24 pounders peat arriving from Chunar, and
ditto and'aorne mortars to coma from-Allahabad. Wo
have just heard very bad news. Havelock is obliged to
suspend his advance. Ile says he has only 700 effective
:nen 17ft. As it is impoxiible that he can be reinforced
from this side for a fortnight it is a regular fix. Both
his force and Lucknow Dok very fishy. If it had not
been for General fatuous htiotcy strong reinforce-
rneut3 would have been Pa•C Allahabad already. I
really should not wonder if that Dinapore folly does not
eed by 1 sing Luckcow, Havtl eck, and Agra. Five or
six of the mutine,trs of the Sikh corps h-re (d. i;1 men)
were Isecvered, through the evidence of the Sikhs who
reenaiiae I faithful, to be in, the Benares Rajah's service.
A noun-martial is sitting now, and they a ill be hanged
no doubt. The Rajah has been intriguing and is under
surveillance. We reinforced Chunar last night ; the
fellows passel our bungalow singing one of the most
rinjng English-emlnding choruses you could imagine.
Ie drives one savage to think of -'s perilling Nave-
lick by his idiotic heist in the three Sepoy c ;rpii ; they
ars now hemmed in by the detachrbent of the sth Foci-
leers and two guns, who went to Buxar by steamer,
lincled and went down the road, and the 10th Irons Dina-
pore coming up; but whether they will not get away by
3 cross road wnich rxiets is I fear a probable contingency.
They killed the collector of Arrah, and 50 Sikhs who
were his guard. Here we shall be impregnable, worst
come to the worst, but I am very anxious to know about
iigher up. If they could only take Delhi Havel Eck
might be relieved. More news j wit ir. The detach-
ment from Dinapore came on thorebetlhs.e
came
efei,lulodwise,nihyadonnao
wandlvia:ncueo
jumpedguard or flinkers ; they
S: pegs and
i,lazed into tlem. Out of 300 two-thirds were hers-de-
combat. By this volley 80 were killeJ, and 3 cfficers,
and the remaining 100 barely got away with their
vounded to a steamer. Sorneho a the Lrutes had got 8
,nns ; in Arrah, probably, hid beforehand. They have
inur keel all the Europeans in Arrah, and the worst of
it is that the detachment from Buxar wilt fall into
-he trapAeo, for there is no way of warning them. Have-
-1 eck will get no reinforcements and is ill be driven back.
Fenwiek, of the 10th Queen's, has taken command of
Dinapore. We are working like mad in geting our
e.teres, &c., down to Raj Ghat. It is my private opinion
that this place and Allahabad stand a chance oh heir g
the only two places in our occupation between Calcutta
and the Poujab, unless that Delhi ford, does something
quick. I have no fear of the ultimate reptile, of course,
'or I believe God does not mean us to lose the country,
)ut we are very shaky just now. The Grand Trunk
oad is all up, so I try this by Bombay. It is a most
proviilentkl thing we began to fortify 10 days ago, and
have Pat Stewart and Limond and a fiat-rate civil engi•
Piddie, here. Jenkinson, the jnint magistrate, too,
is a trump ; he drills Khittnut;ars in boots, it is true,
hut the style of his recruits has nothing to do with hire.
Ile works like a horse, and is always ready to !go 20
,nil e, and scuttle boats, or anything else where dash is
wanted."