The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-29 00:00:00

THE MUTINIES IN THE 'EAST INDIES.

Yesterday a parliamentary return,
.consisting of
sixty-four pages, was issued, being an appendix
to the official despatches already published relative
to the mutinies in the East Indies. The documents
now given consist chiefly of communications ex-
changed between authorities in the Indian army
and the secretary to the Indian Government.
Reference has been made to them in the despatches
of the Governor-General already noticed in The
Sun, and in some instances they constitute the
evidence upon which his Excellency's recommen-
dations were based. The question of the greased
cartridges appears prominently in thesd papers, and
abundant proofs are given of the deep uneasiness
which it caused in the minds of European officers
'as well as the Sepoys. " Some of the depotimen,"
says L'eutenant Wright, "in conversing with me
on the subject, said that the report had spread
through India, and when they go to their homes
their friends will refuse to eat with them." Major
Bontein, at Dum Dum, thought it was "a mere
idle prejudice," but on parading the native portion
of his depot, such a representation was made to
him by the detachment that he felt bound to make
known the circumstances to the commander-in-
chief.

Major-General Hearsey, Commander of the Pre
s;dency Division, reporting at the close of last
January the ill feeling among the Sepoys at Bar-
rackpore, suggests as a cause :
" Perhaps those Hindoos who are opposed to the
marriage of widows in Calcutta, are using under-
hand means to thwart Government in abolishing
the restraints lately removed by law for the mar-
riage of widows, and conceive if they can make a
party of the ignorant classes in the ranks of the
army believe their religion or religious prejudices
are eventually to be abolished by force, and by fore 3
they are all to be made Christians' and thus by
shaking their faith in government lose the confi-
dence of their officers, by inducing sepoys to com-
mit offences (such as incendiarism), so difficult to
put a stop to or prove, they will gain their object."
The papers include a report of the proceedings of
a special court of inquiry held at Bafrackpore on
the 6th of February, when several sepoys who were
examined expressed their objections to the use of
the cartridges.
About the same date, a sepoy in Lieut. Allen's
company gave information privately of a plot
amongst the sepoys of four regiments at Barrack-
pore, having for its object the seizure of Foit Wil-
liam, the burning down of the electric telegraph
office, &c., on the pretext of "an apprehension of
being forced to give up their caste and be made
Christians." Major-Gen. Hearsey harangued the
brigade with energy, and appears to have antici-
pated the best results from the new mode of drill,
viz., breaking the cartridge with the hand instead
of by biting it. The subsequent disbandment of
the 19th Regiment of Native Infantry, stationed at
Berhampore, was nevertheless soon found neces-
sary. A petition addressed by the men of the 19th
to Major-General Hearsey, alleges various threats
on the part of Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell, as to
their fate in case of a refusal to use the cartridges ;
but many of their statements are contradicted by
that officer. A. special court of inquiry was con-
vened, for the purpose of ascertaining the conduct
of Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchell.
Subsequent to their disbandment the Sepoys of
the late 19th Regiment addressed the following pe-
tition to Major-General Hearsey
(Translation.)
"To the Major-General Commanding the Bar-

ra,Apore Division.

' The humble Petition of the faithful Officers and
Scpoys of the discharged 19th Regiment Native
Infantry, from Pultah Ghat,
. " Sheweth,—That your humble petitioners'. re-
giment has been raised nearly 100 years, since
which time no disturbance has occurred ; and have
marched on service wherever they hate be.en
ordered ; but, unfortunately, through the advice
of some wicked men, on the 26th February the re-
giment committed a very great crime, for whioh
the Government issued the following order :
' That they were to march immediately from Ber-
harnpore to Barrackpore. Accordingly we marched
and arrived at Barrackpo re on the 31st March,,
1857, where we were punished by receiving our
discharge before the whole force, after which we
confessed our fault to the Major-General, and also
before our arrival at Barrackpore we agreed, in case

[PRIM 4D. STAMPED 5I) .]

we were pardoned, to become a general service re-
giment, and go wherever we were ordered.
"Should our fault be pardoned through your
kindness, we hope to be reicabodiecl and accounted
as faithful s•frvants, because this is our first fault,
and the Government may be kind enough to par-
don it.
" We shall ever pray for your welfare.

"March 31, 18577."

(Tran-ilation of Major-General Hearsey's
answer to the above.)
"I have received the petition of the officers and
sepoys of the late 19th Native Infanty, and under-
stand all that you have written ; but until you can
give me full information of the rank and names of
those people who have misled you, either through
bribes or any other way, and can prove and con-
firm it byzeol testimony, I cannot intercede for
you. If yuu do so, as Psa will intercede with
ilia government as muclias my power. But
government will do es its a best ; and in my
judgment, without doubt, some one has misled you.
You ought not to hide the names and rank of, or
ba on friendly terms with, those who have ruined
your livelihooi, because they have brought you and
your families to thedust. I give you Ill's advice
as I feel for you ; you oan do what you like ; I can
neither do or say anything more.
Various generiil orders and minutes of the
Govemor-GeneraT in Council are printed with these
papers. In a minute dated the Ist of April warm
approbation is expressed of the mode in which the
disbandment of the 19th Regiment was effected by
Major-General Hearsey. If offenders in other
regiments could be sNil ally punished, "much,"
said the Governor-General in that minute, "will
have been done to arrest the spirit of mistrust and
insubordination which undoubtedly has been
actively spread of late in some of the military
stations of Bengal, but which may, I believe, still be
kept within limits and eradicated by firm and tem-
perate treatment.