The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-26 00:00:00

LETTER FROM GENERAL NEILL.
The Ayr Observer has been favoured with the
following extract of a letter from General. Neill,
dated Cawnpore, Aug. 1 :
" I left Allahabad on the 16th, and joined Gan.
Havelock's force on the 21st, and found poor Major
Renaud had been severely wounded. His horse
was first shot under him, a bullet then hit him
above the knee, forcing part of the scabbard of his
sword into the wound, and causing much suffering.
Amputation seemed to afford great relief, and he
appeared doing very well, when he suddenly ex-
pired, comparatively free from pain. He had done
right well, and will be sincerely mourned in the
regiment (the Fusiliers), in which he was much re-
spected and esteemed. Since I arrived here I have
been hard at work to get order re-established. I
have now put a stop to the plundering I found
going on, by- re-organising a police. I am also
collecting all the property of the ,deceased, and
trying to trace if any have survived, but es yet
have not succeeded in finding one. Man, woman,
and child seem all to have been murdered. As so. n
as that monster ,Nana Sahib, heard of the success
of our troops and of their having forced the bridge
about 20 miles from Cawnpore, be ordered the
wholesale butchery of the poor women and children.
I find the officers' servants behaved shamefully, and
were in the plot, all but the low caste ones. They
deserted their masters and plundered them. When
ever a rebel is caught he is immediately tried, and
unless he can prove a defence he is sentenced to be
hanged at once ; but the chief rebels or ringleaders
I make first clean up a certain portion of the pool
of blood, still two inches deep, in the shed where
tt,o fearful mtli.dcr and mutilation of women
and children took place. To touch blood is
most abhorrent to the high caste natives ; they
think by doing so they doom their souls to per-
dition. Let them think so. My object is to inflict
a fearful punishment for a revolting, cowardly,
barbrrous dew], and to strike terror into these
rebels. The first I caught was a subadar or native
officer, a high caste Brahmin, who tried to res.st
my order to clean up the very blood he had helped
to shed ; but I made the provost-marshal do his
duty, and a few lashes soon made the miscreant
accomplish his task. When done, he was taken
out and immediately hanged, and after death buried
in a ditch at the road-side. No one who has wit-
nessed the scenes of murder, mutilation, and mas-
sacre can ever listen to the word mercy, as applied
to these fiends. The well of mutilated bodies—
alas, containing upwards of 200 women and chil-
dren—l have had decently covered in, and built
up as one large grave. I am in the entrenched
camp—a most miserable position. None but Eng-
lishmen could have held it for a day, and yet how
nobly did poor Sir H. Wheeler hold out here. On
the 29th General Havelock moved on towards
Lucknow. He had not gone far before he came on
a strong post of the enemy—about 20,000, with
guns. He defeated them gallantly, and took all
their guns, but sustained considerable loss.
. Amongst the number, I am sorry to say, was young
Richardson, a fine gallant young officer of the
Fusiliers, whom I had highly noticed at Benares
for his ''gallantry ; and young Seton, of the 6th
Bengal Native Infantry, was wounded—he was hit
in the lower jaw. He was an aide-de-camp, and
made se for his gallantry. The same afternoon the
force was again engaged, and again defeated the
rebels, taking all their guns—making a total of 20
guns taken, all of which they spiked, and completely
gained the day. Notwithstanding this on the 31st
General Havelock returned to the bank of the river
opposite Cawnpore, where he sent to me for fur-
ther reinforcements—requiring a battery, two 24-
pounders, and a thousand more European infan-
try. I have just written to him that there is
half a battery coming on here to-day from Alla-
habad, which I send on at once to him. I can also
send him two iron guns, but European infantry
there is none to send him here. If he waits for that
ho must await reinforcements from Calcutta, and a
long delay, during which time Lucknow may share
the fate which befel Cawnpore. The rebels, flushed
with vie' ory, will return on this, re-occupy Cawn-
pore, and I have no troops to keep them out. I
must be starved out. The influence, too, on Agra
may be most disastrous, but I hope General Have-
lock, who has been so successful, will now advance
again and relieve Lucknow, which is to be aban-
doned, the ferie there brought in here, and by that
time reinforcements will have arrived, ready to ac-
company General Havelock to Agra and Delhi. The
European troops all wear linen blouses and caps ;
our regiment (the Fusiliers) wear blue ones, which
in the native language is neeltoppies ; and the noel
topples are pronounced the terror of all, with their
Enfield rifles. They disperse cavalry beautifully.
Two hundred of the 2d Cavalry charged young Seton
and tss elve of our Fusiliers ; they sent them flying
with empty .addles. There is a report just brought
me that a rajah has saved some gentlemen, ladies,
and three children from the Cawnpore massacre,
that they are 50 miles off, and that he will send them
in to me. The next.mail will take all particulars.
Each day may bring things to light, and my next
letter I hope mayconvey satisfactory intelligence."

JA COB'S HORSE•

The following letter has been addressed to the

editor of the Mites.
Sir,—lt is now upwards of three years since I
first attempted to impress upon the Horse Guards
the necessity and economy of adding a few regi-
ments of really light. cavalry to the British army.
Every military man to whom I spoke in private
agreed with me that such a species of force was
much wanted ; Lieut.-General Sir John Burgoyne
stated before the Sebastopol Committee that it
would have been most useful 'during the Russian
war, and the late Sir Charles James Napier has
over and over again recorded his opinion of the
inutility of our present cavalry, overweighted as
they are, especially for service in India.
Our military authorities would not allow them-
selves to be stimulated on such a point by 'a civilian
—they contented themselves with telling the public
that a board of most exporieficed cavalry officers
was sitting in Whitehall to consider whether any
and what improvemente could be made in the RC-
coutretnen' s and armament of our cavalry ; proba-
bly they are sitting in Whitehall still. But, in
spite of their protracted session, the British cavalry
horse staggers in 1857 under precisely the same
ight as he staggered under in 1851—about nine.
£cen stone ' • when he carries his own forage he car-
ries about two-and-twenty stone.
As soon as peace was proclaimed I ceased writing
on the subject, knowing that I had no influence
save that conferred by common sense and a goo'
knowledge of the powers of the horse, and know-
ing also that common sense iu •peace time has very
little to do with the administration of our army ;
but now that war has broken out again in its most
critical and fearful .phace' and that we have been
deprived by mutiny of the services of both the
Regular and Irregular Horse of Bengal, I cannot
refrain from again trying my persuasive powers on
the Minister of War;
In a letter which was published last week from
an officer attached to General Ha,velock's force the
following passage occurs
The activity displayed by the enemy's horsemen in
this action was very rernakable. They moved round our
force menacing us at different points with extraordinary
rapidity, and, in scaar as manteuvring in the field went
th:s cavalry was perfect. Now, I wish to draw particular
attention to this fact, because these very men were our
regular troopers, mounted on our own regular cavalry
-horses-,-but armed and equipped after their own, instead
of after the regular cavalry, fa=hion. The regular Ben-
gal cavalry, equipped and overloaded with their accou•
trementß, have never been of any particular use in the
army hitherto, but this shows what they might be made
under a better system."
Another letter, which I read a few days since,
mentioned the execution done by one single shot
fired by the mutineers from Delhi. It destroyed 8
men, " smashing the brass helmets of two privates
of the Carabineers, covered with thick linen casillaS'
the thermometer being at 120 in the shade. Ane'da
third letter, which I saw yesterday from an officer
with the force before Del hi depl ores " that the weight
of the_Carabineers and their accoutrements rendr
them almost useless as cavalry."
Ureter these circumstances, sir, I venture once
more to lift up my voice in favour of organising in
this country some really light cavalry for service
in India.
We have now many first-rate officers of Indian
Irregularsunemployed, the regiments having either
revolted or been disarmed. They know exactly the
capabilities of the Indian horses ; they know the
size and weight of the men who would be most
effective at the present crisis, they know the dress
and arms which would suit them best.
Small men, such as they would select, are not
accepted by the recruiting sergeants, and they are
precisely the men who in this country are most ac-
customed to horses and riding—for no gentleman
in his senses will allow a groom, postilion, or whip
of six feet high to enter his stable.
I again ask, therefore, would it not be advisable
to organise half-a-dozen such regiments without

Yesterday a detachment of Royal Marin'e Light
Infa.litry, consisting of 48 non-commissioned officers
and men, under the command of Lieutenant'H. L.
Rose, 1, ft head-quarters, Chatham, and embarktd
on hoard. the.„-Welliogton,4 72, CaptaitLp.L. Moore,
having been previou-dy inspected by Lieutenant-
Colonel J. H. Gascoigne. The Wellington is in-
tended to be employed on the Coastguard service
on the coast of Scotland ; her crew, including
marines, will consist of 330 men. •
The whole of th. 3 staff appotntments in the three
battalions which are to be formed at Chatham gar-
rison on the Ist of October are 'now filled up with
the exception of the following, the officers for which
have not yet been selected :—First Battalion—Ad-
jutant, Instructor of Musketry, and Assistant-Sur-
geon ; Second Battalion—lnstructor of Musketry,
Surgeon, and Assistant-Surgeon ; Third Battalion
—Quartermaster, Instructor. of Musketry, Surgeon,
and' Assistant-SurgeoU. The depots of the whole
of the regiments serving in India will be attacjied
to the battalions at Chatham.
The screw steam transport Italian, Captain John-
stone, arrived in Cork harbour from Liverpool on
Tuesday to emb irktroops for India. She will take
out 200 men and officers of the 18th Royal Irish,
The screw steam-ship Austria is hourly expected
at Cork to embark the 94th.
The depot of the 14th Regiment, now stationed
in Cork, has received orders to fdrm a second bat-

talion.
On Thursday a special train left the Curragh with
200 of the 18th Regiment for Cork, whence they.
will proceed to Queenstown to embark on board
the Italian for India.
The 94th Regiment will leave Dublin for Cork in
a few days to calla irk for Indic.
Intelligence has reached Ireland announcing that
second battalions are to be given to every regiment
up to and including the 18th Royal Irish.
A great deal of activity prevails in the shipbuild-
ing department of. Chatham Dockyard, in order to
complete those vessels building which are ordered
to be made ready for launching forthwith. Among
the most forward of the ships 110 W in progress is the I
Hero, -91, screw steamer, of 3,127 tons burden. It
is eximcted that she will be fit for launching early in
the ensuing year. The Hood, 90, is in a very for-
ward state, and will shortly be c mepletecl. The fine
screw steam frigate Mersey, 40, has all the available
force of the dockyard now at work about her, and
the utmost dispatch is' being shown in having
her completed. Although only laid down during
the present year she is expected to be completed
and ready for launching early next spring.
The Chesapeake, 51, screw, Captain Rundle B.
Watson, C. 8., was detained at Spithead in conse-
quence of the arrival of the Colombo, mail packet,
at Southampton, so as to have the latest possible
alvices from India. Captain Watson was in the
dockyard awaiting a telegraphic message from the
Admiralty from seven a.m. on Thursday up to a
quarter to twelve. At half-past two p.m. the
Chesapeake got under weigh with raiders to steam
and to make a ferced passage to Calcutta.
The Victory, guard-ship, Cape. G. 11. Seymour,
C. 8., will be sooner out of the hands of the dock-
yard authorities than was at first expected. On
stripping off her copper in various parts, and boring
for proof, the old ship's timb •rs were found to be
perfectly sound, and it was only between wind and
water that her out-r planking was found to be
rotten, which is nothing unusual after having been
21 years afloat. She can be at her moorings, again
in lea than a month, and relieve the ugly yellow-
sided hospital ship, which now figures opposite the
principal thoroughfare of visitors to her Majesty's
dockyard.
The Irresistible, 81, screw steamer, and Charyb-
dis, 21, are both progressing,.;the latter is to be
supplied with engines of 400-horse power. The
Goliah, 80, is undergoing several alterations- in
order to adapt her for a screw steamer. In addi-
tion to two large screw steamers, to be named the
Atlas, 91, and the Orpheus, 22, which are to be
commenced immediately at Chatham, another 91-
gun screw steamer, to be named the Bulwark, will
be laid down immediately a building-slip is vacant.
The head-quarters of the 7th Dragoon Guards
left Chatham yesterday morning for the purpose of
proceeding to Canterbury, where they will be sta-
tioned until the regiment embarks for India.
The machinery department of the Meeanee, 80
guns, new screw steam ship, is ordered to be has-
tened. She is to be fitted as a second-:class steam
shin of reserve.
The Locust, 3 guns, paddlewheel steam vessel,
Lieut.- Commander J B, Field, left, Sheerness at
5 p.m. on Thursday for Lelth. Capt. H. Harvey,
flag-captain, proceeded to her for the purpose of
investigating some matters connected with the
fishery disputes between the British and French
fishermen.