The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 11, 1859.

MR. ALBERT SMITH'S CHINA TO-NIGHT,
at 8, and TO-MORROW at 3 and 8.

Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.
PATRON—H.R. H. THE PRINCE CONSORT.
Entirely New and Historical Lecture, illustrating the
Beauties of Gay's " BEGGAR'S OPERA." The Vocal Gems
will be sung by Miss Roden, Mr. Thorpe Peed, and Mr. Len-
nox Horne. Every Evening except -Wednesday, at Eight;
Wednesdays at three o'clock.
Important Novelty ; the ITALIAN SALAMANDER,
Sig D
nor BUONO CORE, walking in the Midst of Flames.
DISSOLVING VIEWS OF ON QUIXOTE.
Lectures on CHEMISTRY, NATURAL PHILOSOPHY,
MOULE'S PHOTOGENIC LIGHT; MUSIC, &c. &c.
MADRIGALS, &c., by the ST. GEORGE'S CHOIR.
Managing Director—R. T. LONGBOTTOM, Esq.

DR. KAHN'S ANATOMICAL MUSEUM,
3, TICIIBOURNE-STREET (Opposite the Hay-
market).
Open daily (for Gentlemen only).
LECTURES at Four and Efght o'clock, on important and
interesting. topics in connection with ANATOMY, PUY-
SIOLO V-Y, and PATHOLOGY (vide Programmes).
Admission ONE SHILLING.
DR. KAHN'S NINE LECTURES ON TIIE PHILO-
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Author, on the receipt of twelve stamps.

ARGYLL-ROOMS, Windmill-street, Piccadilly.
These popular and celebrated rooms are open every
evening, with R. It. Bignell's Grand Orchestra, conducted by
that great composer, Mons. Antony Lamotte, of Paris.
Leader, Charles Hall. Mona. Boulcourt, the celebrated cornet-
a-piston player, performs nightly, with other talented
artistes. Selections from Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata,
Huguenots, Robert le Diable, and the new opera Martha.
Manager, R. R. Bignell. Doors open at half-past 8, close
ten minutes before 12. Admission, is. to Promenade.
N.B.—All applications for the above band for Concerts and
Balls, to be made to Mr. William Price, treasurer, at the
Rooms.

HOWES AND CUSHING'S. GREAT
UNITED STATES CIRCUS.—The ALHAMBRA
PALACE, Leicester-square.
The Morning Performances are particularly recommended,
as the Pantomime can be seen with the same effect as at night.
Sprites of the Silver Shower.
MLA, the wonder of the world.—The celebrated horse,
"Cruiser," will be exhibited, as tamed by. Mr. Rarey.—
" Black Eagle," the horse of beauty.—The educated mules,
" Pete " and "Barney." The Comic Pantomime, entitled
THE MISER OF BAGDAD, represented in the circle at
each performance.
Pit, is. ; Boxes, 2s. ; Reserved Seats, Is.; Stalls, 55.; Private
Boxes, £2 2s. Children under Nine years of age, half-price.
Gallery, 6d.
Two Performances Daily at two and half-past seven p.m.

DINNER of the FRIENDS of the BALLOT.—
A PUBLIC DINNER of the Friends of the Ballot
will be held at the Albion Tavern, Aldersgate-street, Lon-
don, on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 1859, at half-past 6 p.m.
The Hon. F. HENRY F. BERKELEY, M.P., will preside.
3140r-Gen. Thompson, M.P. A. W. Young, Esq. , M.P.
Sir Chas. Napier, M.P. • I John Locke, Esq., M.P.
Wm. Roupell, Esq., M.P. It. P. Collier, Esq., M.P.
Sir Rd. Bethel', M.P. Guildford Onslow, Esq., M.P,
Sir J. V. Shelley, Bart., M.P. Sir J. S. Lillie, G.C.B.
Sir Thos. E. Perry, M.P. Mr. Serjeant Gaselee.
James Wyld, Esq., M.P. Mr. Serjeant Parry.
S. M. Greer, Esq., M.P. Mr. Serjeant Woolrych.
A. S. Ayrten, Esq., M.P. W. A. Wilkinson, Esq,
James Pilkin,gton, Esq., M.P. Robert Charles, jun., Esq.
Frank Crossley, Esq., M.P. Wm. Barnard, Esq.
Donald Nicoll, Esq., M.P. Edwd. Wilson, Esq., of Mel-
W. H. Sykes, Esq., M.P. bourne (Victoria).
James White, Esq., M.P. E. C. Whitehurst, Esq.
And many other Members of Parliament and other gentle-
men are expected to attend.
Tickets, price £1 ls., to be had of Mr. Win. Wickham, Hon.
Secretary, Ballot Society's office, 5, Guildhall-chambers,
Basinghall-street, E.C.

OPERATIONS IN O UDE.

(From the Correspondent of the Times.)

LORD CLYDE'S COLUMN CAMP, ONE MARCY!
NORTH OF SECRORA, Dec. 16.
Of actual operations I have little to tell you since my last
letter. We have marched 19 miles a-day for 19 days, and
we are now in hopes of bringing the enemy to an action, for
he is surrounded from Gorruckpore to Rohilcund by an
arc whose chord is the Terai. The Begum is at Nanparah
with 12 or 14 guns and 8,000 men, of whom 2,000 are
cavalry. To-day we marched about 12 miles from Secrora,
and we hear that some of the enemy are at Buraech, which
they plundered the night before last. The great event is
the irruption of Feroze Shah across the Ganges and the
Jumna. Of this full particulars will doubtless havereached
England from Calcutta and Bombay.
CAMP BURAECH, Dec. 17.
The column marched at 630 a.m. The sky, which was
so overcast with clouds that we could not see the Snowy
Range, darkened as the morning advanced, and the signs
and tokens of the long-expected Christmas rains became
'unmistakeably manifest. Whether it was owing to the
gloomy murky effects of such influences that the country
appeared uninteresting, I cannot say, but it certainly struck
me that the land as we approached Buraech was barren
and uncultivated, more like " the blasted heath" at Forres
than the rich plains covered with cornfields and groves
through which we have been marching now for nearly a
month. There were no villages on the road, which was a
mere cart-wheel track but little used. The trees were
scanty till we arrived close to Buraech, which stands
shrouded completely by dense topes. Before we approached
our camping ground the clouds fell, and the rain poured
down, to the evident discomfiture of the- natives. It is'
strange that people exposed to such heavy falls of rain as
the inhabitants of India should not prepare clothing better
adapted to protect them. I could scarcely resist a smile at
the appearance of Maim Sing as he rode ahead of us in a gay
tiara or high cap of gold and silver brocade, kid gloves, a
thin dressing gown, tight pantaloons, cotton socks, and
slippers. His brother, Rugber Sing, magnificent in the
richest shawls and stuffs, is one whose appearance does not
excite mirth; it is easy to resist the inclination to laugh at
a man whose deeds are of the most atrocious character, if
the testimony of living and dead are to be credited. He is
a Torquemada in the art of torturing, and he has outdone
all that Colonel Sleeman records of him. In spite of his
height, delicate hands and feet, and splendid attire, Rug-
ber Singh has a repulsive look, for in his face there is a
mingled expression of the sl ness, cunning, and cruelty
which are but too well evinced in his acts. The Rajah's
general is a fine fat Hindoo, whose aspect does not justify
one in supposing that if hostile he would be a very formid-
able strategical antagonist to Lord Clyde. He was well
mounted, and I said something to that effect to the officer
beside him, who translated the phrase to the General. He
immediately salaamed, and said, "If the Sahib likes the
horse, will he honour me by accepting it ?"—a jacon de
parler which he would have been disgusted to have found
carried out literally and seriously. The camp was marked
on a large plain (close to the Serjoo, on the outskirts of the
town of Buraech), whereon stand the ruins of our old can-
tonments. A wing of an Oude regiment of cavalry and
some companies of Oude infantry were stationed here at the
time of the mutiny, and it is believed that two officers were
murdered in escaping from this neighbourhood. The
"lines," as the barracks are called in India, have been dis-
mantled, and the officers' bungalows are demolished. While
we were sheltering ourselves from the rain under some fine
trees and waiting for the tents to be pitched, a small force
of police cavalry advanced towards the town. Capt. Steele, 1
the Deputy-Commissioner, who had gone on alone, had
just returned, and had stated that ho had seen some sowars
in one cf the streets About an hour afterwards, and a few
minutes ago, the officer in charge of the detachment (Lieu-
tenant Tweedie), with a few of his men, passed up the
avenue of our camp with a number of prisoners—perhaps
twenty in all—towards the tent of the Commissioner,
Major Barrow. The men's swords and lances were stained
with blood, and on going into the camp street I learnt that
a little engagement had taken place close at hand while we
were breakfasting under a tree. On the detachment
of cavalry of which I have spoken above getting to
the town, some of the ' few inhabitants left there
came running out to tell them that there were " budmashes"
in the place. The sowars at once galloped into the choke,
or principal street, which is very narrow and tortuous.
Before them were a number of men armed with swords,
bucklers, and matchlocks, running towards the river. The
street was so crooked it was impossible for two horsemen to
charge or to ride abreast, but the leading sower, seeing one
of the fugitives turn into a small walled enclosure, leaped
his horse over the wall and came upon the fellow, who,
though cut through the shoulder by the soldier as his horse
lighted on the ground, returned a fierce stroke, which laid
the horse's neck and shoulder open, and he was only brought
to the ground by a tremendous sword cut which cut him
through the face to the collar bone. Pressing on as fast
as the ground would permit, the cavalry came upon the rear
of the fugitives just as they emerged on the plain at the
other side of the town. A body of sowers, in full flight,
were seen in the distance, out of reach of pursuit, but the
police charged the foot men, most of whom were armed
with only tulwar or sabre, for -they had thrown their
matchlocks in the river as they crossed, killed 8 on the spot,
and captured the 18 or 20 who have just been brought in.
Some among them were mere boys, and were at once set
free by Major Barrow's orders. The others, with their
arms tied behind their backs looked miserable enough.
They are now under examination in the Commissioner's
tent. One is a sepoy of the 17th Native Infantry—the regi-
ment which murdered so many officers of the 22d Native
Infantry on their way from Fyzabad—a tall, fine-looking
fellow, who was taken with his musket in his hand warm
from a recent discharge, and who will, probably be executed
in consequence this afternoon. Another fellow, who re-
sisted with determination, and did not surrender till he was
surrounded by horsemen, said he was a lumberdar, or head
man of a neighbouring village. When the cavalry were
returning, they found the fellow who had been cut down
walking up and down the enclosure, flourishing his sword,
and challenging them to come. He was covered with blood
from his wounds. Lieutenant Tweedie took a carbine
from one of the 7th Hussars, who happened to be near the
place, and shot the desperado through the head. Mann
Singh, who was anxious to get out of the wet, and did not
know the column had halted, rode considerably past the

....-..... --- ~ ...
town, and had got near to a village called Bahadoor-gunge,
when one of the country people advised him not to go on,
as the village was full of the Begum's people. The Rajah,
who had only four or five matchlockmen with him, heard
the voices of many people inside the bamboo fence wind
the fort and village, and he rode back to camp with the in-
formation. The enemy were evidently preparing for a start,
and most probably joined the main body at Nanparah,
where Baime Madhoo and some other chiefs are said to have
7,000 or 8,000 men assembled. The Begun is at Enchwa,
a fort in a dense jungle (nearly duo west of Bankee) be-
tween the Gogra and Servo. Our next movement will be
to Nanparah, and, as the rebels there and at Enchwa will
probably attempt to cross the Gogra and escape. southwards
to the Ganges with the intention of getting into Central
India, the Commander-in-Chief has directed Brigadiers
Barker and Troup to occupy a post of observation at Darova
in the doab between the Gogra and the Chouka, from
which any movement of the kind can be at once frustrated.
Purnell's column is moving up from Byram-ghat, leaving
a force to garrison Newab-gong. Christie's detachment is
one march behind us. Rowcroft is guarding the Gorruck-
pore frontier close under the Nepaulese hills, and watches
the Raptee, so as to prevent the enemy doubling round, and
getting down into the Azimghur territory. Sir Hope Grant
must be by this time near to Burhampore, the Rajah of
which place has been menaced by the rebels for his active
support of the British authority, and it is probable that ho
will fall in with the force under Hendee gosseirt, his old

'antagonist, who by our last accounts had posted his men
across the road leading from Secrora to Burhampore. The
distance marched to-day was about eleven miles. The rain
is clearing off, but the ground is unpleasant for cavalry and
baggage animals,

DEC. 18.
My last letter, dated this day, was sent to Lucluaow by the
special commissioner's_da runner this evening, and ought
to reach in-24 hours, Ea, as to be in. time for the Calcutta
'Steamer of the 23d of December. The negotiations which are
in progress are conducted as secretly as possible, but enough
leak-s out in camp to swell into rivers of rumour and absurd
report. The, people of the town are returning to their
houses, often to find, them gutted and empty: l'hurdered
by friends and foes, their lot is hard. Yesterday I rode
through the greater part of Buraech. On every tenement
is stamped decay. Outside the town the groven are so
dense that all one can see above and through the trees is a
mound crowned -with masses of ruinous brickwork and the
fragments of a fart and mosque, beyond which there rise a
few small cupolas of Hindoo and Mahomedan temples.
The trees, mostly rich and- umbrae-eons tamarinds, are
planted also in the thoroughfares of town and in the
large open spaces devoted to bones, broken crockery, pariah
'dogs, smashed water-jars and cooking utensils, bricks, and
such things as one usually sees in the places where rubbish
is shot in Oriental cities. The choke, or principal street,
where the bazaar is hold under the circumstances, half the
sheds shut, the shops closed, and only the lowest sort of
traffic going on, looked very miserable, but it must have
been mean enough at the- best. It is narrow and dirty ;
the houses are one story high, of mud and brick, with the
squalid exception of ricketty two-storied edifices, of which,
be it observed, the upper parts- are all pierced with recent
loopholes. Vain attempts have been Ladle to conceal those
hostile indications by filling the apertures with mud and
plastering them over. The shops are open in front, win-
dowless and doorless, like those of Turkey; but there was
nothing to buy, except odd sweetmeats, sugar, atta, gram,
tobacco, and ill-conditioned vegetables, which the pro-
prietors sold with fear and trenibling to Oudo police camp
followers and fierce Beloochecs, whose notions as to the
course of trade very probably affected the market prices
materially. For one house inhabited ten were empty: all
the larger buildings Were going faSt to ruin—shrines,
temples, mosques, serais, the brick walls of gardens, and
public offices, and the residences of the gentry; and yet I
am told that 15 years ago this was one of the finest towns
in Oude, and that it was surrounded by fields of the finest
crops, so that it was described as one magnificent garden.
Its decay dates from the period when the Kings of Oude,
abandoning the policy of Sadut Ali Khan, began to let
out the Crown lands to the talookdars—in our hands its
descent has been precipitate. The general impression left
by the place is that you are wandering through the suburbs
of a great town, which you seem never to reach, and that
the inhabitants are all gone in to market. The most nume-
rous and flourishing, as they certainly were the only gay
and active, population of the city were apes and monkeys.
They live in high esteem among the citizens, and treat
pariahs and Europeans with profound and contemptuous
indifference, till they become aware of the general propen-
sity of the latter to shy bricks at them. It is curious to -
watch an old patriarchal baboon when he learns, for the
first time in his life, that he is exposed to personal outrage ;
projectile No. 1, which goes near him, he affects to believe
the result of some extraordinary accident, and continues
his examination of his person, or that of a friend's, with as
much dignity as the avocation will permit him to exhibit.
At the second brick or paving-stone, however, his faith in
the doctrine of probability is shaken; he rouses himself,
stands up, and makes a menacing face at the aggressor ;
but as the plan of attack developes itself, and brick No. 3
flies past, followed by 4 and 5, with a chatter of rage he
bounds up a tamarind tree, shakes the branches, .puts on
the most hideous grimaces, and really behaves very much
as a noble savage would do in the came trying position.
They are now busy eating tamarinds. The roads are full
of them. They are on the tops of walls and houses, and in
the groves, and round the convoy, and by the tanks, always
in the best places, never shaggy or ragged, and universally
respected by their fellow-inhabitants. Buraech is famous
and happy in the possession of the tomb of a Mussulman
saint, who, like most of his profession, was a great man of
war and delighted in bloodshed. Synd Salar was nephew
of Mahomed of Ghuznee, and about 800 years age he waged
a fierce war against the Hindoos, and was slain in battle at
Buraech. I met hundreds of our camp follow( r 4, Hindoos
as well as Mussulmans, coining back from his s'irine with
garlands of yellow flowers round their necks. He has the
good fortune to be in great esteem with both sects.
The Mahomedans worship him because he killed many
thousands of Hindoos hundreds of years ago and died
for the faith ; the Hindoos worship him because they
think he must have had great influence with Shiva to
be permitted to slay so many of their co-religionists;
and the Mussulman fakirs highly approve the logic of both
dialectics. The tomb is a simple brick and stone shrine in
a dark little mosque, but it is surrounded by the tombs of
holy men, each in separate mosques, who have died while
in attendance at his shrine. In the city itself, off the main
road, there is another very large establishment of fakirs
which I visited. It is surrounded by a high wall, which
encloses eight or nine acres of ground thickly wooded. The
entrances are by handsome arched gates, with pillars
Moorish fashion, but wall and gates are going to rain. In-
side are numerons small mosques and shrines, and a lone-
low building with porticos open at the sides and supported
on columns. All the buildings are full of devotees at their
prayers, who look with unfriendly eyes at the stranger.
But they are not discourteous. They point out the tombs
of the best saints, and take him to the ground tank built
by the piety of a Shah-fakir—a magnificent work rapidly
disappearing. I suppose it cannot be less than 200 yards
long by 100 yards broad ; its depth from the top of the
bank to the surface of the water is about 50 feet. The
banks are supported by walls of masonry or brick, which
are broken and falling into the tank, and the descent to the
water is effected by broad flights of steps, which are equally
dilapidated. There is a well of pure water also in the gar-
den, which is much prized. It must be 80 or 90 feet deep,
and the water is reached by flights of steps from the surface
of the ground down to the level of the well. When we
entered the town a number of matchlocks, muskets, spears,
and swords were found in the temples. The police seized
them, but the fakirs made a great outcry, appealed to the
proclamation, declared it was necessary for their religion to
have arms, and gave them up with a very bad grace.
Hence the ill-favoured expression of the devout. As there
was reason to believe that some fanatics were lurking about
the place, the general orders last night contained the fol-
lowing !prohibition :—" The Commander-in-Chief regrets
to be obliged to prohibit officers and others from going be-
yond the line of pickets." Three horses of sowers and c•me
arms were found in a thicket close to the town, and brought in
by a police patrol. As shooting was thus closed, and the river
yielded no fish in its flooded state, sportsmen were rather
disconsolate, except the happy few who hit on the expe-
dient of running a drag between the outline and inline
pickets for the hounds of Major Frazer, of the 7th Hussars.
The Indian fox gives little sport ; he is small and scant of
breath ; but a good jackal is by no means to be despised by
the hardest rider or the stanchest dogs. Ho often runs
well, and long and strong, is cunning as the oldest denizen
of Aylesbury-vale, and dies game to the last—a very high
character for a jackal .
Spies aro going out and coming in continually to-day.
Two of the Begums have sent in to say they are ready to
come in and submit ; but the fair ladies have not yet made
up their minds. It is supposed that the household of the
Nana, of the late Peishwa, of Bala Rao, of the Begum, and
of the Lucknow ladies, who are collected in front of us, con-
tain 230 or 240 women, who are all, no doubt, very anxious
to get back to comfortable quarters. Tho Nana is said to be
particularly desirous of securing the safety of his women
and children. No doubt—he remembers Cawnpore.
Colonel Christie's small column will be in camp to-mor-
row, consisting of part of her Majesty's 80th, the Kumaon
Battalion, and detachments of her Majesty's 53d and 79th
Regiments, under Captain Cox, 53d Regiment. When they
arrive the following changes will take effect :-
1. Brigadier R. Jones to command Cavalry Brigade,
consisting of her Majesty's Carabineers, 7th Hussars, de-
tachment of 6th Madras Cavalry, Hodson's Horse, to which
the F troop of the Royal Horse Artillery, and the 3d troop
of the Ist Brigade of Bengal Horse Artillery are attached .
2. Brigadier Horsford to command her Majesty's 20th
(Head Quarters), her Majesty's 80th Regiment, 2d Batta-
lion Rifle Brigade, Kumaon Battalion, Ist Belooch Batta-
lion, sth Punjab Rifles.
3. Police infantry and cavalry to continueunder orders of
Chief of Police, Major Bruce, C.B.
The Kumaon Battalion are very smart-looking fellows, of
the Ghoorka type in face and figure. They are dressed
like our riflemen in dark green, but have a distinguishing
band of red tartan on their caps. The Beloochees wear green
tonics with red facings, and chest stripes, turbans, and dark
green trousers. They are armed with the old regulation
musket. The Punjab Rifles are armed with the old rifle—
a most efficient weapon, though it may readily be con-
ceded it is not equal to the Enfield when the bullets fit and
the bore is uniform.
P.S.—A very heavy thunderstorm, accompanied by tor-
rents of rain and hail, raged over the camp for nearly two
hours this morning. The country is covered with sheets of
water in various places, and the Serjoo is much swollen.
The troops halt to-day, but if any certain information can
be obtained of the position of the enemy, cavalry and ar-
tillery will be despatched against them. It is said that
about 1,800 to 2,000 Sepoys are at Boundee, a place on the
Gogra, to the south-west of Buraech, and distant from it
about 18 miles. The Serjoo, however, divides us. A larger
assemblage of rebels is reported at Nanparah, 20 miles
north of Buraech, but it is probable that no movement will
take place against them till the various columns south of
the Gogra are warned of our advance, for, if they were
hard pressed from this side, the rebels could double round
or escape into the Terai. Few Sepoys are coming in here,
but it is hoped that our clemency yesterday towards the
men found with arms in their hands will produce its effect
when prisoners who have been liberated return to their
homes. Every native declares the Sepoys cannot bring
themselves to believe in our promises—they say that " ac-
cording to the articles of war" they are guilty of offences of
which the punishment is death, and that the British Go-
vernment always inflicts the penalties of the law when
offences against it has been clearly established.
TUESDAY, Dec. 21.
This morning, -a column, consisting of four guns, 200
police cavalry, 50 Carabineers under Captain Batty, sth
Punjab Rifles, three companies of her Majesty's 20th Re-
giment, a win; of her Majesty's 80th Regiment, in all 599
British and 1,255 natives, moved out under the command
of Colonel Christie, who was directed to proceed to Oorahae
and Mass in the doab between the Gogra and the Serjoo, on
our left, and to advance thence towards Nanparah. The
force took 14 days' provisions with them, which is quite
necessary in the district. Buraech is very thinly inhabited.
and the upper part is altogether woodlands, pasture, and
swamp. Hindoos will not part with their cattle, or do so
unwillingly, for purposes of food. Captain Massy, her
Majesty's 61st Regiment, the Political Agent in
charge of the column, is directed to demolish forts
on his way, and to settle the country as far as practicable.
The Chief Commissioner, Mr. Montgomery, has instituted
weekly returns of the statements sent every Saturday by
the Government officers to L,ucknow, showing the progress
of operations for the disarmament and the demolition of
forts in Oude. In that circulated for the week ending
December 16th he states that he has brought especially to
the notice of Government the exertions of Assistant-Com-
missioner King in the Mullaon district, and remarks that
the district of Oonao shows well in the return, though in a
less degree than those of Seetapore, Sultanpore, and Selene.
Let us look at the return and see what has been done : in
Mullaon there were 16 forts demolished in the week ; in
tueknow 10, Durriabad 4, Oonao 13, Sultanpore 4, Salone
4. There are undergoing demolition in Lucknow 14, in
Durriabad 2, in Oonao 6, in Fyzabad 4, in Sultanpore 4'

in Selene 21; total demolished, 51; in course.of demolition,
90. Total demolished up to the previous week 277, or 328
in all; total under demolition in the previous week, 133 or
223. But the returns of the disarmament are astounding.
In seven out of the 11-districts 'of Oude there were collected
in the week ending the 11th of December, 6,799 !firearms,
15 cannon, 21,627 swords, 1,052 spears, 4,110 bows, 641
daggers, 1,998 shields, 391 miscellaneous weapons, making
up the total since the Ist of November, 23,250 muskets,
73,417 swords, 4;532 spears, 10,528 bows, 3,228 daggers,
6,900 shields,, 94,499 weapons of other sorts • total 316,379 t
•
, And yet we know numbers of cannon and-arms are hidden
from us. Slowly and.surely we are getting at them, how-
ever, by certain processes of bribery and intimidation known
to Indian officials. Amathie :has yielded up some 24 or 25
guns to careful exploitation. The other day-an IS-pounder
howitzer and a 24-pounder gun, which had been pointed
on the bank where I was so innocently washing my boots,
the day we rushed up to the Bey-ram-ghat, were found
in the sands at Bitowlee. I suppo.se they had neither shot
nor shell, or they would have given us a taste of their quality.
There have been, I believe, no iron guns'ever cast in India,
and the natives cannot cast round shot or shell. Their
balls are of hammered iron, and their shells of brass. At
this very place, inside the Terai, where Bala Rao, Nana
Sahib's brother,- lived so long, there is a series of - large
shecli; with. bellows, forges, moulds, and furnaces for cast-
ing_
guns, as well as curious appliances for casting bullets
and grape shot. Near these sheds were some fragments of
a thick iron 24-pounder, with an inscription engraved on
the breech, to the effect that it belonged to some " Shah
Bahadoor," King of the world. It was curious to inquire
how it came there, and what use those fragments were in-
tended for. It is said the Portuguese made manyiron guns
for the Indian rajahs and nawabs in times gone by, and
this might have been one of them, though it is hard to say
for wh.at purpose the fragments had been so recently collected.
In daggers and swords the natives are very skilful and
learned, and they will pay any price for a well-known and
approved blade. Their matchlocks are well made of ham-
mered iron, andcan be had for 30s. or£2 new; and in perfect
order. The passion of the people of Oude for arms is. almost
a mania, but it had its origin in the insecurity of life and
property and the disorders of Government as much as in
the martial spirit of the population, though the latter was,
no doubt, kept alive by our Bengal army, and the tontinwai
tumults of the States. I think- that those who advocate
the employment of a disarmed police, or of batoned con-
stables, after the manner of the metropolis, know little of
Oude, though they have lived all their lives in Calcutta, or
even in Bengal. The sepoys who come in are often with-
out arms. They declare that their comrades have taken
them, but unless their excuses are satisfactory the civil
officer withholds their pass for a day or two, till the men
make an effort to
,produce them. The lumbordars or vil•
lage headmen are the leversby which the civil officers gene-
rally lift the covers of secret hoards of arms. The nights
and mornings are cold and rather hazy, and the camp fol-
lowers lying out on the wet grass suffer considerably.
Coughs and colds are common, for the change of tempera-
ture between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m. is very great, particularly
when the sun is bright.
CAMP, INTHA, BURAECH DISTRICT, DEC. 23.
After a halt of five days at Buraech, the Commander-in-
Chief, with a small column, marched 17 miles this forenoon
toWards Nanparah, and pitched his tents at the hamlet from
which I date my letter. Between Buraech and Intha there
lies a great jungle through which ;there is no road. The
main road to Nanparah is on the right of the jungle, but
there is another which skirts the jungle on the left, leas
used and known, and along the latter lay. our route, as there
were some hopes entertained that we might by following it
come upon a body of rebels who were said to be encamped
to the south-west of Nanparah. The spies who came in
yesterday reported that the enemy had all left the last-
named place, and had moved to a mud-fort more north and
west, where they declared they would make a final stand
ere they fled to the dreaded Terai, from which they are
now separated by only a few miles of forest. As there will,
no doubt, be some carping in the press here, and possibly
at home, at the delay which took place at Buraech, it may
be as well to explain that there were political reasons for it.
Vakeels have come in. First there are two of the Begums
willing to surrender. Next Mummoo Khan makes over-
tures. Nay, the Begum herself and Birjeis Kuddr despatch
letters and emissaries to the Civil Commissioner, Major
Barrow. Old Hunwunt; Singh sets off to use his per-
suasive powers with his obstinate and gallant kinsman
Bainie Madhoo, and is sanguine of securing his submission.
Major Barrow believes that if the chiefs are not pressed,
and if the Commander-in-Chief halts while delicate mani-
pulation and subtle diplomacy are at work, there is a great
probability that they will come in and lay down their arms,
but if they are not allowed time to consider our propositions
they will fly where we cannot follow them, and cause
trouble, annoyance, and expenditure. Mann ingh thinks
they will cone in too. The Commander-in-Chief is anxious
to press on the moment bis columns are up. He insists that
Bainie Madhoo's followers must lay down their arms in
camp, and that a similar condition shall be attached to the
submission of all the other chiefs. But then there are the
express promises and the spirit and provisions of the pro-
clamation to be considered and respected ; Vakeels or
Karindas—emissaries paid and unpaid—the solicitudes and
offices of friendship, all are busy. Only some 25 miles
lie between us and our enemy, who are so friendly in
words and send us such pleasant messages. All this time
there is ono further off whose name is seldom mentioned
except with bated breath and eager looks,—oue of whom
there are more thoughts than words. The Nana is in the
jungle fort of Churda, living with the Rajah of the place,
which lies some eight or nine miles north of Nanparah. To
secure him is now actually the great object avowed by most
people except the authorities. , But he must not be startled
from his lair—there must be no precipitate hasty move to
frighten the cowardly, sanguinary heart of Bithoor, till the
toils are around him. And it will be difficult indeed to set
them surely, for he is amid the jungles, where his nature
must be at home, and his capture will be effected probably
by treachery and stratagem rather than by force. Already
he is roused and away. Since I wrote the few lines above,
we hear that the Nana has moved from Churda to the
north-west, in denser jungle still. We shall see. There is
£15,000 set on his person,—if it were on his dead body,
Nana Sahib's head might soon be in our camp. We can-
not secure the death even of the Nana by an offer for him
"dead or alive," though it is true we paid the Rajah of
Powayne the reward offered for the capture of the Moulvie
on account of the production of his dead body only. There
are, however, other means on which we may rely with more
confidence—the treachery and avarice of his own friends.
Already active brains are at work, and the spiders are spin-
ning their threads. Again we shall see the result. When
we were at Fyzabad Major Bruce, the chief of police in
Oude, made inquiries at Ajoodhia respecting the religious
instructor of the Buraech aristocracy when they visited the
shrines of the Holy City. A fakir of eminence was named
to him as the counsellor and adviser of the Rajah of Churda
and of other northern chiefs. Major Bruce sent for the
fakir, and found him finely susceptible to the promptings of
self-interest ; so that he not only readily agreed to use his
influence with the Rajah of Churda to deliver the Nana
into our hands, but offered to send his nephew, a priest of
the same temple, along with Major Bruce as an agent who
might go to the Rajah with more weight and address than
an ordinary messenger. The chief of police had already
endeavoured to communicate with the Rajah through other
channels, and he was well pleased to find that the latter, as
far as outward appearances went, was quite ready to betray the
Nana, if he was allowed to keep as many guns as Maim Singh,
as many armed followers as Maim Singh, and his fort, like
Mann Singh. Now, it is not very easy to see what this
equation with Maun Singli can have to do with the Rajah of
Churda, but the explanation is easy. Tho latter chief, of
whom probably no one in the world, except some obsolete
old East Indian, ever heard before, is an old rival of Maim
Singh, and he wishes now by our means to obtain as much
power as the wily Rajah of Fyzabad, against whose ability
and influence he has, no doubt, been ong struggling in
vain. As Maim Singh's fort will soon be dismantled, his
guns destroyed, and his armed followers limited to a certain
number, there was no objection to promising the Rajah of
Churda that he should have the same privileges as his great
rival, but whether he will not consider us guilty of keeping
the word of promise to the ear and breaking it to the hope
remains to be seen. A strong letter has, at all events, been
addressed to him, assuring him that if he captures the Nana
he will not only receive all he asks, but secure the favour
and rewards of the British Government. That letter pro-
bably arrives at Churda to-day, and at the same time the
priest from Fyzabad will present himself before the Rajah
to enforce from another quarter the representations and
arguments of the authorities. As to the means of the Rajah
to seize upon the Nana we imow nothing. The latter is at
a remote fort in the Churda territory ; access to him on the
part of our spies is all but impossible. Accounts as to his
strength are different, but he is believed to have an escort
of 300 or4oo well-mounted cavalry, and two Horse Artillery
guns. As he has never fought, it does not much matter how
many men he has, but the Nana rides fast, and has taken
care to have the best horses injthe country ; his escort know
the passes; in fact, there is no chance of surprising one
whose every instinct is sharpened by the over present fear
of well-deserved death; who is on his guard night and day,
who knows every movement in our camp, and the route of
every column. There is no doubt on my part that while
the Begum and her party are negotiating with us, they
and the Nana are also endeavouring to induce the Ne-
paulese Government to give them an asylum. The atti-
tude of Jung Bahadoor, as exhibited on one occasion
recently, proves that he is alive to the duties of an ally
on such occasions. It has been reported to us that a
body of 400 sepoys endeavoured to get into Nepaul
by one of the passes near the Gorru4pore frontier. The
troops or police of the Nepaulese Government, which must
have been collected in considerable numbers, opposed their
passage, and a fight took place, in which the Sepoys were
beaten and compelled to retire with loss. It is to bo re-
gretted that the post of Neapaulose Agent or Minister,
owing apparently to the indecision in selection and tho dis-
inclination to fill up appointments of the more important
kind, which are charged with too much appearance of jus-
tice against Lord Canning, is still vacant. The presence of
an able British officer at Kutmandoo is now much required,
but, according to the latest information I have received, the
vacancy created by the refusal of Jung Bahadoor to allow
Col. Ramsay to continue at the King's Court still exists.
From the foregoing it will appear that there were military
reasons why the Commander-in-Chief should halt for a day
or two at Buraech, but that the causes for the longer delay
ware for the most part civil or political. It was hoped that
the Begum would come in with her son ; that Bainie Ma-
dhoo and Mummoo Khan, and other leaders, with all their
followers, would make their submission and lay down their
arms, and that possibly the Nana might be delivered into
our hands if an advance was suspended for two or three
days longer. As yet all these hopes have proved as delusive
as our negotiations have been abortive. Hunted to the
verge of the Terai, beaten on all sides, the Begum still
boldly demands fixed terms for herself and her son, while
Bainie Madhoo declares he will adhere to the young King
as long as the latter desires him to hold out. These people
will not trust our promises unless they are specific. To call
on them to "throw themselves on the mercy and clemency
of the Government of India" is to use a set of phrases which
to their minds conveys no ideas—for to the Oriental an ap-
peal of the sort has no answer in head or heart. It just
means as much as myfriend Mann Sing.'s general did when
he made me a present of the horse -which I admired. And
so the Begum stands out. "Name the sum I am to receive
for the maintenance of myself and nay son," says this reso-
lute lady, " I want you to write down how many rupees
a-year I am to got, for what is the use of living if we axe
to be in beggary, and you have taken from us the
• whole kingdom of Oude ?" But neither Lord Clyde nor
• Major Barrow can accede to the proposal. They are not
authorised by the Government to fix any sum as a pension
for the rebellious family, while by the direction of the Go-
vernment they are almost constrained to make vague offers