The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-02 00:00:00

LONDON, FRIDAY, OCT. 2, 1857.

Public attention is now concentrated on Luck-
now, Cawnpore, Delhi, and Agra. There is a
fearful interest felt in every particle of intelligence
respecting the proceedings at these points. We
anticipate with horror the contingency of 1,000
Englishwomen and children falling into the power
of miscreants of the NANA SAHIB class—possibly
of that incarnate demon himself ! The fate of
the gallant and devoted garrison, deprived of
their illustrious leader, Sir HENRY LAWRENCE,
and subsequently of his energetic successor, Major
BANKS, but still bravely con:;endingt against ove.-
whelming odds, would alone be sufficient to ex :its
our deepest sympathies. But that of the non-
combatants —of helpless females, of innocent
babes, becoming victims, is absolutely mad-
dening. The atrocities already perpetrated
by fiends in human shape, suincient!y in-
dicate the probable consequences. The
ravages of pestilence and famine . add to the
horrors by which they are surrounded, and the
faintest rumour is eagerly grasped at.

The miraculous efforts of HAVELOCK and his
devoted band failed in conveying the relief so
urgently required, and the last retreat on Cawn-
pore, indispensable as it wam, would seem to have
sealed their fats. There is still, however, a gleam
of hope, a faint spark of light glimmering through
the darkness. There is a report, to which we
alluded yesterday, that the garrison hail so far
profited by the efforts of HAVELOCK as to obtain
fresh supplies, which would enable th©m to hold
out a little longer, " perhaps," until assistance
arrived. There was also a possibility that Jung
Bahadoor, better known in this country as the
Nepaulese Ambassador, although disgusted with
the red-tapism of Lord CANNING and the contu-
melious rejection of his noble proposition, might
have advanced with his faithful Goorkhas to the
rescue, and saved the devoted garrison and the
unfortunate fugitives. Sir JAMES OUTRAM might
also have been enabled to push up, as it was said
he intended, by the Gcomtee or the Gogra, and
to attack the rebels in another direction, or it was
possible that aid might come from Delhi itself
after its capture by the avenging army ; or
HAVELOCK, restored by a brief rest, might possi-
bly again resume his victorious march. The a,
however, are but chances, and until the result is
positively ascertained, until authentic ictailigence
is received of the safety or de,truction of the be-
leagured city, the first thought of every heart
must still be directed towards Lucknow.
Cawnpore demands our next attention. There
even HA TELOCK himself is is jeopardy. Oppressed
by the overwhelming force of numbers, with sick
and wounded, and his heroic band reduced to less
than one-half of their former strength, he was
compelled to stand on the defensive.
But we may augur favourably from what
already has occurred. Those who have gained a
dozen victories within thrice as many days, while
enduring almost unparalleled fatigue, will not sac-
s umb to any:odds that can be brought against them.

We may feel curiosity to know the results, but
we have no fear. HATELogit will save his men,
and live to reap the rich rewards lavished by a
grateful country.

We have referred to Delhi in another leader.
Its fate cannot long be deferred. Retributive
justice will speedily teach a painful but
salutary lesson to Hindostan, and especially to all
who have participated in the fearful atrocities
committed in the stronghold of the insurgents.
To all who have shown mercy, mercy may be
extended. The hand of justice will press lightly
on those who have exhibited gratitude to their
former benefactors, or compassion to the afflicted.
Those who have protected women and children—
and there have been some who have done so—
will receive rewards, although compromised by their
conduct in other respects. Those who have de-
fended their officers, or assisted in their escape,
will also be regarded with favour, notwithstanding
offences of a secondary character. But the full
measure of wrath will be poured forth on those
who have no redeeming points to refer to. Fearful
have been their crimeq, and fearful, indeed, will
be the inevitable chastisement.

Agra appears to be tolerably safe. There are
ample supplies both for the garrison and the
refugees, and that is all that is required. We
can trust to even a small body of Englishmen
when entrusted with the sacred duty of protecting
those who could not protect themselves. Besides,
they were enabled to maintain communications
with the camp before Delhi, and instant aid
would be despatched on any pressing emergency.
The arrival of Sir COLIN CAMPBELL will, we
trust, effect a change at head-quarters. Sir PATRICK
GRANT was fettered by routine. He had all
the will, but not the power to rid himself of
the incubus by which ho was oppressed.
We do not, however, anticipate that the
same tricks will be attempted against the
Crimean hero that were practised on the Com-
pany's officer. Sir Court will be the Com-
mander-in-Chief, or nothing ; he will not
tolerate the interference of a civilian in matters
that come under his control, and for which he is
justly responsible. Looking to the proceedings at
the Government House, can we wonder at the
anxiety manifested by the independent inhabitants
of Calcutta to get rid of Joni, COMPANY, and to
have the Indian empire placed under the direct
authority of Queen VICTORIA and her MAJESTY'S
Government.

Several men of mark have just been favouring
the public with speeches on India. We naturally
look with interest to what may be said by Mr.
RALPH OSBORNE and Lord JOHN RUSSELL, Sir E.
B. LYTTON, and Mr. DISRAELI, and Lord PAN-
MITRE, to wind up all ; yet we must own that
whether from Members of the Cabinet, or of the
Ministry, of the Opposition, or the independent
supporters of Government, we gather but little
worthy of distinct notice. Mr. R. OSBORNE met
his constituents to celebrate in the orthodox
English style his victory at Dover, and might
have been expected to let out a little of the in-
tentions of Government—but no, he was not in
the Cabinet and knew nothing ; although the
Secretary to the Admiralty, Mr. DISRAELI would
say, ought to know something ; and we think Mr.
DISRAELI /3 right ; the plain fact of the exul ia-
tion with which the Shannon and the Pearl were
received at Calcutta ; the fact, too, that Lord
ELGIN left them behind him, and that four hun-
dred of these brave sailors are already moving on
to Allahabad—a Naval Brigade who will be sue-e
enough to maintain the reputation of that new
arm of British warfare, sufficiently supports Mr..
DISRAELI'S view, that a few more frigates might
with the greatest advantage have been sent up the,
Hooghly. It seems also unaccountable, that wt.:
have heard nothing of gunboats for the now over--
flowing rivers of India. Mr. OSBORNE, in-
deed, showed such marked reserve, that Mr.
HUGESSBN rather warmly called him to account
for " reticence." The collision between the
speakers brought out, however, only a few spark
of wit or humour, no light for the country.
Lord PANAIURE also, though discoursing to hi.s
fellow commissioners and justices of the peace for
the county of Forfar, over which he presides a&
Lord Lieutenant, gave not a single hint of what
was in the minds of our administrators. He
confined all his eloquence to advocating the cause
of contribution for the sufferers. It would be
somewhat reassuring to hear from the Secretai y
of State for War, his Rtatementa of what ha I.
been done, and of what he thought yet remained.
to be done, and of the results ho expected. He
may perhaps allege that we know pretty well all
from the published accounts of the move-
ments of our troops; but we all like state-
ments on, authority ; besides all Lord PANMI7RE
did, or could well say on the contentious motto'',
we also knew before. Lord JOHN RUSSELL could
be expected b say but little ; he was at a ragged
school meeting, and his school he kept, only
expressing his hope of affairs being speedily re-
trieved in India, and of our using victory with
moderation as well as justice.

Mr. OSBORNE like Mr. VERNON SMITH demand
that Delhi should be razed. Mr. DISRAELI like
L.rd J. RUSSELL is afraid we should be too vin-
dictive. We certainly think there is no need for
apprehension on that ground. The tendency or
the English mind is altogether to the side of
lenity. We much more fear that the examplo
should not be made sufficiently terrible, than the
contrary. We shall certainly not imitate NANA
SAHIB. Oux soldiers and sailors could not slaughter
unarmed men, and helpless women and babes, much
less torture them. As to Delhi, let the citizens
fairly disprove all complicity with the mutineers,
and we would spare their lives and their property
too ; but one thing is certain—that while the mu-
tineers were yet few, they stripped our country-
men's daughters, exposed them in the public mar-
ket place, caused them to be insulted in the most
revolting manner, intentionally fixed the deepest
pang they could in the bosoms of their English re-
lttives at home—indeed we have reason to believe
dishonoured them to death. All Delhi saw this
done. Delhi did not interpose. Delhi saw all
England insulted with the bitterest of insults, in
the persons of these young females, and Delhi
stands accused of abetting not only horrid tortures
and murders, but the lastof dishonours to our na-
tion. Let Delhi disprove the accusation, and it
will be sufficient retribution, then perhaps to level
all its Royal buildings, wad to erect on them at the
cost of the inhabitants, a monument to their own
eternal infamy, with a suitable inscription in all
the languages of India. But if the city be as
guilty as tine suppose it to be, then we do say that
not one stone should be left upon another, that
the inhabitants who were not deserving of
death, should be permitted to remove
elsewhere, and build a, now town, or resort to
others, but that Delhi Pait on an obelisk, should
be all that remained of this vast but guilty city.
Let all Asia as well as In dia know that
England
could pardon, if it becea le her, but that she could
never pardon wrongs d( ,ne to her helpless ones,
the public dishonour rat, d cruel butchery of her
women- A.city where w ach deeds could be done
ought no longer to exist.

The reinforcements 114 ye now begun to arri'Pe.

The avenging stream of indignant soldiers has
begun to move along the course of the rebels.
Delhi even may have fallen by this time ; and if
slowly, yet as irresistibly as a lava stream will
our soldiers move onward. They will march with
the consciousness of the noblest inspiration that
ever animated men and Englishmen ; and we
should not be at all surprised if the mutiny col-
lapsed almost at once. As soon as the wretches,
now fighting with the discipline, arms, and am-
munition we have given them, know that some
forty thousand of their last and invincible con-
querors are really landed and advancing on them,
every miscreant among them will be but too glad
to flee, if he can, and if that be impossible, to
protest on his knees, and with hands uplifted to
heaven, that he was forced into mutiny against
his will. Some regiments, hopeless of mercy, and
knowing themselves to have sinned beyond for-
giveness, may prefer facing our cannon and our
rifles to being hung on the nearest tree. But as
for the majority, we should be by no means sur-
prised to hear that, when once sure that we meant
to remain lords of India, the difficulty will be to
find a regiment of them together. Some grave
punishment, however, must await all the muti-
neers. The lives of those who have not murdered
their officers, or fired a gun against the English,
may, indeed, be spared, but even simple mutiny
at such a crisis as this must be visited with out-
lawry or slavery—perhaps, as one writer suggests,
with slavery in the West India Islands. Of
course only for this generation. Any how, we
must get rid of some seventy thousand muti-
neers, and also of the villains they have liberated
from gaol.