The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-24 00:00:00

LONDON, Ult SDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 24, 18b7.

ware for Europeani. I will (D.V.) write by next

CAWNPORE.

The following is the copy-of a letter from an
officer whose regiment mutinied in one of the sta-
tions iu Oude. He is with General Havelock's
force as a Cavalry volunteer :
"Camp before Cawnpore, July 21.
" I wrote to you on the day of our fight at Futty-
pore. The neat day's' march we had no turn-up,
but the day after we came across the enemy in as
intrenched position with two guns. As usual, the
Volunteer Cavalry were in front, and got the .first
few rounds of round shot, which came unpleasantly
close to us. We immediately advanced in battle
order—the Artillery silenced the gun', the Infan-
try advanced and took the breastwork by storm. i
The enemy left their guns in our hands. We ser-
ved out grog and biscuits to the Europeans, and
again advanced, Volunteer Cavalry in front. S—
and I went on ahead with the Quartermaster-
General to a bridge to reconnoitre the rebels' posi-
tion. When we arrived within 600 yards the
Quartermaster-General looked through his glass at
the bridge ahead, and said, r There are no guns ;
you. remain here.' I dismounted, when presently
a musket or carbine was fired at U 3 from the bridge.
The distance was so great that we laughed at it,
and S--took off his hat and waved it. No sooner
had he done so than a 21-pounder was sent at us,
then another. There was a small hut off the road,
so we moved behind it, and the beauties sent shot
after shot at the body of our volunteers drawn up
across the road. They retired, and we were re-
called. The column then deployed and advanced
in order of battle covered by Skinner's troop, armed
with Enfield rifles and objectionable cartridge. The
infantry alone soon silenced the guns, and .on a
rush being made across the bridge we found our-
selves in possession of a 32 and 21-pounder.
" Yesterday we marched, knowing that we were
to meet . the enemy in forc,.. We made the
ordinary march and bivouacked. The Volun-
teer Cavalry were posted on a-head, to prevent
surprise. I have written so far and find am
really 1-o done up I cannot write more, suffice
it to say that we had a tremendous battle,
and a'l had narrow escapes. The Volunteer
Cavalry, 18 in 'l3UrnhPr, made a charge against hun-
dreds—a very rash thing to do. The General said
he was proud to COO3M Ind us. We took eight or
nine guns. Altogether it was a most gallant affair.
Having bivouacked, we advanced in the afternoon.
Our horses had not been unsaddled, and had had
little. to eat. I must have ridden 16 miles, and
nothing but biscuit anti wine —lO a.m. yesterday,
nmys p. tn. You may fancy what the heat is on
the march in the middle of the day—officers and
men falling from sun strokes. Yesterday's affair
was a most gallant one, and the General may be
proud of all under him. The advance of the Eu-
ropeans with round-shot and grape p wring into
them was most perfect. We came in for our share.
We lost one of our volunteers in the charge, and I
am going to attend his funeral this evening.. His
brother was with us, 'and it was sad to see the
poor boy sobbing in the rank., with his brother
lying hacked all over within a few yards. The
poor little fellow never asked to be allowed to
leave the troop. We must halt to-morrow, and I
shall be able to write you a better letter.
"Camp, Cawnpere, July 22.

"I have been to see the place where the po)r
women and children were imprisoned and after-
wards butchered. It is a small bungalow close to

the road. There were all sorts of an iel sof women
and children's clothing. Ladies' hair evidently cut
off with a sword, back combs, &c. There wer6 also
parts of religious books. Where the massacre took
place it is covered with blood like a butcher's
slaughterhouse, •One would fancy nothing could
bo worse than this, but in the well at the. back of
the house are the bodies and limbi of the poor

things. . I looked down and saw such a sight as I
hope never to see again. The whole of the bodies
were naked, and the limbs had been separated. I
thought of the two Mrs.- -, and the three poor
girls, and felt very sad. By all accounts the women
were so treated that death, even such a death,
must have been welcome to them. I will not enter

into moreqletads. I have told you enough to cause
you to make allowance if I write savagely. I have
looked upon death in every form, but I could not
look.down that well again."

THE OVERLAND ROUTE FOR TROOPS.

The Government have at length made a tardy
acknowledo-ment of the advantages of the overlaid
route for pouring Erinforcements into India. At
present, however, the despatch is to be on a very
limited scale, for driblets of 200 or 300 men are to
be sent at a time. A gentleman who has lately
been in Egypt furnishes us with the following in-
formation relative to this route :—" Owing to the
cloud of official haziness thrown over the subject of
transporting troops to India via the Isthmus of
Suez, I find that very little is known in England
as to the'real capabilities' of that route. Perhaps
it may be that our home Government are purposely
kept in ignorance as to what might be done by its
aid, in order that the °Mon C/42/1 dignitate of our
consular agents in Egypt may not receive too rude a
shock in being suddenly celled up au to do some-
thing which would entail a little more trouble than
the mere forwarding
of an occasional despatch from
India. A great deal has been slid about the great

difficulties of the
Passage across the Isthmus. They
do not exist, except in the ,brains ;.f those who
would willingly coejurp them up in order to ensure
a continuance of their personal case and comfort
at a time when tie exigencies of the country de-
mand that the utmost entrgie; of ell should be put
forth to secure early succour to our hard-pressed
countrymen in India. The consent of the Viceroy
of E;ypt and other friendly powers being secured
—and I believe it has nicer been contended by
Lord Palmerston- that a single diplomatic obstacle
retarded the adoption of such a plan—the rest of
the case is siatp'y th's :—Arrived in the harbour
of Alexandria, our troops c mid he rowed from the
vessel to the wooden jetty at .the mouth of the
Mahmoudieh C tnal ie 10 tuinutn ; or, there are
always several light-draught s canters in the har-
b)ur which could be pressed into the service. After
landing on the jetty, collecting baggage, and form-
ing with the strictest military precision on the road
near the jetty, tie troops are within ten minutes'
very easy march of the railway station. I did it
myself very leisurely in that time, carrying
a heavily-loaded knapsack, under a blazing
sun on the 1041 of August, in the present
year of 1857. There is plenty of room on the
platform of the railway station at Alexandria to
muster' 2,000 men fully accoutred. There is an
excellent railway to Cairo 130 miles in length,
with nine stations, at the following distances from
each . other :—Between A'extndria. and Kaffre
Dowah 17 miles 26 chains (note-80 chains make
one mil-) ; between Kaffre Dewagh and Daman-
hour, 21 miles 27 chains ; betyveen Damanhour
and Kaffre La;s, 26 miles 27 chains ; between
Kaffr e Lais and Kaffre Azzayat and Tantah, 11
miles ; between Tantah and Byrket-el-Sabah, 11
miles 30 chains ; between Byrket-el-Sabah and
Btlyth, 13 miles 7'J chains ; between Benah and
Keliout', 19 miles 40 chains ; between Kelioub and
Cairo, 8 miles 60 chains. It is true. there is only
one line of rails, with long sidings at every station,
and one or two branch lines; but it is also true
that there is only one passenger train a day each
way between Alexandria and Cairo ; so that the
transport of troops would not at all interfere with
the regular traffic of the railway. The only stop-
page of any consequence is the non-completion of
the bridge at Kaffre Azzayat. There the passen-
gers are transported across the Nilo by means of a
huge portable steam-bridge, similar to the one in
use at Portsmouth—good Engli-1-built steamers,
and lar4e barges. When I last made the trip, on
the 10th and 12th of August respectively, there
were from 700 to 800 Arabs—men, women, and
children—in the train each way, going 'to and from
the great annual fair at Tantah. - We were all con-
veye across the Nile, bag and baggage, from the
train on one side of the river to the train on the
other, in less than half an hour ; but, in accordance
with true Oriental usage, we had to sit in the car-
riages for another hem before starting. An Eng-
lish regiment, with all its lumb!r, could scarcely be
delayed longer than this. The men could take their
own provisions with them, and hundreds of Arab
women and girls will be found at the roadside
stations offering water to the thirsty traveller. The
regular passenger trains travel at a speed at 27i
miles an hour ; expresses go 45 miles ; but going
at the most leisurely pace, our soldiers need not
take longer than seven hours on the road be-
tween Alexandria and Cairo. From Cairo the
railway already extends nearly 50 miles across the
Desert to Suez, leaving little more than 25 miles of
actual marching. Though not quite finished, this
portion of the Desert railway is quite fit for use,
and has several times, been brought into requisition
in conveying the overland mails and luggage. On
arriving at Cairo the troops need not leave their
carriages, for the lines run into, the same station,
and having been supplied with provisions and

water, they would, by going on into the middle ofl
the Desert at once, have no occasion to wait for
stragglers lost in the mazy streets of Grand Cairo.
From Alexandria to the extremity of the railway
in the Desert need not occupy more than 10 hours ;
a night's rest and two days' easy marching Would
bring the troops to Suez, where they could embark,
as thousands of other people, who are trained to
undergo such fatigues, do embark every year. The
labour of marching over the Desert must not be
made too much of. Half a century ago Napoleon's
brave columns and Abercrombie's gallant grenadiers
marched over and fought battles in the Egyptian
deserts ; and surely no one, after our Crimean ex-
periences, will be bold enough to say that the Bri-
tish soldier has degenerated during the last 60 years.
I am not surprised that the Government hesitated
to adopt the Isthmus route until they were cer-
tain of having steamers in the Red S a to
carry the troops forward on their ay.rival at Suez ;
but being now assured of transport at the other end
ofthe route, I certainly am exceedingly surprised
that our authorities do not seem disposed to make
more extensive use of it than they at present ap-
pear inclined to do. Why not mie bath routes ?
But certainly why not use the shot test ? Its advan-
tages in point of time are greater than the public
are allowed to know, its disadvantages a mere
bagatel!e, the much-tasked-of inconveniences' a
perfect sham in the mouths of men of war, with
the examples of Alexander, Napole In, and Aber-
crombie before them. As a knowl-Age of the real
capabilities of the route becomes disseminated, I
feel convinced that there will be a universal demand
made by the country for troops to be sent to India
via the Isthmus of Suez." Tbis is art important
statement, Wand
.demands immediate attention.—
Liverpool Courier.