The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-25 00:00:00

A VISIT TO NANA SAHIB.

(From the Illustrated Times.)

We have received some additioul interesting
particulars respecting Nana Sahib from a corre-
spondent, who writes to us as follows :
As that arch-fiend and traitor, Nana Sahib, at
present occupies a portion of public attention, and
I may add, execration, ind as I know him well,
having partaken of his hospitalities for one month,
I have no doubt my recollections of him and his

affairs may be interesting to the majority of your
readers. I therefore subjoin an account of my so-
journ with him in his den, and of the circumstances
that led thereto.

Cawnpore—a place, alas ! now so disastrously
familiar to British ears—was visited in the rains of
1853 with a most fearful epidemic ; the cholera
carrying off, in the European corps in that station,
sometimes as many as eighteen individuals (includ-
ing women and children) daily, and in other por-
tions of that large cantonment being fearfully fatal.
I do not know of any officer of that corps having
succumbed to it, but I believe the surgeon, whose
name I forget, died. However, to return to the
subject of my notice. Being at that time recover-
ing from illness myself, and my wife being also sick,
I was pondering on some change of air and scene,
and having nothing else to do, I drove over to see
Bhithoor, about twelve miles (choa koss—six koss--
a koss being two miles) from Cawnpore. I started
in a gharrie, a sort of fly, early on the morning of
the Ist of September, 1853, and arrived at
the Rajah's house, or rather one built for a

former 'Commissioner. It was a large and hand-
some building. At the entrance of the domain
were a pair of very handsome iron gates, and the
gateway itself was as imposing as one in the best
parks in this country. The approach also to this
mansion was by a very pretty rather than a grand
avenue ; and on the right-hand side of this drive
was a very neat parterre, kept in as good order as

_
any of its size at home could be. an arriving at
the house, I produced my basket of " prog," and

_
commenced breakfast. This being a place Of resort
for pic-nic parties from Cawnpore, I, of course, at
once sent off a note to the Rajah, telling him of
my arrival, and, as a point of courtesy, asking his
sanction to my passing the day there. I had
scarcely finished my breakfast when I heard the
noise of horse; on the fine gravel parade in front,
and was somewhat astonished to see, not the

humble envoy I had sent in the shape of my sirdar
.. . _

bearer, but two or three individuals, accompanied
by a retinue of native sowars, with drawn swords,
prancing steeds, and other showy indications of
Oriental military display. These individuals proved
to be his Highness the Maharajah's—or as he, for

obvious reasons prefers to be called, the Peishwah's
—Moonshie, Prang Doss-Tewarrie • the treasurer,
Baba Butt ; and another old Mahratta distin-
guished personage, whose appearance I well re-
member, but whose name I quite forget. I was
then informed by the moonshie, Prang Doss-Te-
warre, that his Higness was delighted to receive mu
with cordiality and welcome, and that he had sent
them formally to request my presence at his palace
(the castle which is spoken of as having been burnt
down by Havelock's glorious baud of heroic spirits)
in the evening, when the sun had rendered it cool
and pleasant for Europeans, and indeed natives, to
howrkana—i. e., "To eat the air." After some
conversation, interspersed with most flowery and
higliflown, and no doubt equally empty, compli-
ments to my nation and countrymen in general,
and my humble self in particular, my guides left
me, and I amused myself by lookingover the house
and grounds. The former is very large, and the
rooms spacious and handsome ; the walls are
. . _ _

covered -with stiff odd-looking Pictures of former
Peishwahs, and amongst them the old gentle-
man so ably captured by Sir John Malcolm, and
the man who was the first exiled chief located at
Bhitoor. I must not omit to state that a khitmut-
gar and bawarchee reported themselves to me
during the day, and requested my hoolon—i.e.,
commands—for dinner, as it was his Highness's
wish, as L might be detained until too late to travel
back to Cawnpore that night, that I should sleep
in the commissioner's house. And as the sun was
going down, up came an elephant, caparisoned in
the usual tawdry and semi-shabby magnificent
style, am mounted by a howdah of towering height;
and upon this huge anima!, myself and my wife
were perched, and escorted by a guard of sowars in
front and rear. We were marched through num-
berless bazaars and native streets to the stronghold
of this potentate. I was asked into the august pre-
sence of the soi-disant Peishwah, and found him
seated upon a cushion raised somewhat in the
form of a throne of state, he (the magnate) sit-
ting as a tailor is supposed to sit. He imme-
diately shook me cordially by the hand ; and I
must not omit to state that, being myself a Ba-
hadoor—that is, of the rank of one who wears a
sword—l was not required to remove my shoes
in going into his presence. He, through his moon-
shee, asked me many questions about the Queen,
the nobility of England, particularly mentioning
and asking after Lord Ellenborough (Burro.' buh-
out Berra Lord Sahib), for whom, whether he
knew him or not, he seemed to have a great re-
spect and veneration. Whether this was assume'
or not, I cannot say. He then asked me many
questions about the Hon. East India Company,
and appeared exhaustless in his queries about the
Board of Control. These lasted about half-an-
hour, and he then requested that I would make
myself at home in his house, and remain as long
as I pleased. He himself supplied me with a
staff of servants, and furnished my bazaar—living
and board—daily. He was, when I saw him,
about 28 years of age ; he looked however at
least 40. His figure is very fat—in fact, the
very expression made use of by his own moon-
shee was, that " His Highness was a tight man
(king adniee)." His face is round, his eyes very
brilliant, and restless ; his complexion, as
is the case with most native gentlemen, is scarcely
darker than a dark Spaniard ; and his expression is
on the whole of a jovial, indeed somewhat rollick-
ing character.
NANA SAHIB'S HAREM.

During the time I was occupied in making my
salaam to the Mararajab, my wife was conducted
into the zenana. She thus describes her visit
of course this holy of holies was close to my pro-
fane eyes ;—" I was ushered into a room in the
most retired wing of the castle, through a series of
doors, each door being closed and bolted imme-
diately on my passage through. I arrived at last
before a large and handsome quilted crimson silk
curtain (purdah), which being drawn aside,- I en-
tered a large room, the floor of which was covered
with beautifully white linen, drawn tight, and fas-
tened at the four corners of the room. I was in-
troduced into this 'santum sanctorum ' by no less
a person than his highness's treasurer, Baba Butt,
who, after introducing me, left me to commence a
conversation with the apparently stolid inmates of
the zenana. The walls of the room were one mass
of mirrors from the ceiling to the ground. The
only furniture in the apartment were three Bareilly
couches, ton one of which sat a child about seven
years old, dressed in yellow gauze, the whole of
whose breast was covered with pearls, to the
amount of three lacs of rupees. The feet were
bare, the ankles were adorned with large and heavy
bangles' (rings of gold), each worth about 5,000
upees. The arms were also covered with the
same description of ornaments of different sizes, ex-
tending from the wrist to the elbow. This young
lady was very shy, hung down her head, and
seemed much abashed at the formidable apparition
of an European lady of the ninteenth century.
She was repeatedly urged to speak to me by her
companions, who said, Speak to the English
lady.' At last she mustered up the courage to
say, Ap ka misaj, atcha by mem-sahib ?'—' Is
your cons'itution iu good order ?' literally equiva-
lent, in fact, to our How d'ye do ?' This was said
with her bead turned and eyes averted, in the
manner of the most coy and prim school girl. The
other two inhabitants of the zenana, or harem,
were a girl of about 1.3 years of age, and one about
17e--dressed iu similar style and ornamented with
similar jewellery. buck a liberal display of precious
stones—at least on these ladies—failed to produce
anything splendid in effect, none of the wearers
being good-looking, even for native women ; the
eldest, indeed, was repulsively ugly, with long
ear
yellow teeth. This lady, who app
spokeswoman of the party,glared to be the
and particularly
affable, asked me my age, and in
retuammiatobllde
me hers.
" I was offered by all these nymphs native sweet-
`Whether the
meats, 4r,c. They asked me numerous questions
En
dn g lan d ;
princes'
w amongstivee (Boetghtemrse w
others,
ewere
al
abdoiue st
a
be-
hind a purdah—secluded—as they were ; and on
my telling them that they went about with their
faces perfectly visible in public, they seemed much
astonished, but said it was Bout atcha,' Very
good ;' and seemed to imagine this would suit them
very well, and I must say that three plainer faces,
I should imagine, never were secluded behind a
purdah. Poor things, I pitied them ; and after a
little more conversation, under difficulties' I made
my parting salaam, and shaking hands with all
round, I retired. They expressed afterwards the
pleasure they derived from the interview, and the
moonshie (Prang Dos-Tewarrie) often spoke of
their having repeatedly quired for me since.
The two elder of the ladies, I was told, were married
(shadee) to nephews of tilts late Peishwah, but bad
eo family. They said indeed to me Hurinnerah
pas koule baba nay by,'—i e., We have no chil-
dren.' This seemed to distress the elder lady much,
as she appeared, and expressed herself to be, vety
fond of children. The most astonishing thing was,
that the child of seven years obi had been be-
trothed for some time, I was informed, to a grand.