The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-27 00:00:00

" BENARES, Jurrz 22.
" On Thursday, June 4, about midday, our au-
thorities received intelligence of the meeting at
Azimghur, and resolved in consequence to ba be-
forehand with our Sepoys and disarm, them th,t
afti morn. Our European force consisted of a few
companies of her Majeity's 10th, a very few of the
Madras Fusileers (who bad arrived mast oppor-
tunely that very day, under CA. Neill), and taree
9-pounders with about 20 gunners. The Sikhs,
under Col. Gordon, were believed to be stanch, as
also the 13th Irregular Cavalry, under the unfortu-
nate Captain Guise. The above regiments wt re
accordingly drawn up in front of the 37th Native
Infantry, with the view of intimidating the latter
into submissiveness. In reality, however, as the
event proved, these two native corps—viz., the
Sikhs and the 13 h Irregulars, were as much in
need of being disarme l as the 371 h, and the con-
sciousness of this no doubt encouraged the 37th to
act as they did. The 37th were drawn up in front
of their lines, with the cannon pointed at them.
The Europeans were drawn up within musket
range, and the Sikhs and Irregular Cavalry within
sight.

" It is not wonderful that such dewily prepare-
tons should have filled the Sepoys with stare' and
disaffection, even supposing them to have remand
up to that moment true t) their colours. Although
no doubt, in the 37th there were many disaff;cted
spirits, yet I believe that the r-egimen. as a whole
was sound, and that the di arming might have been
effected in perfect peace and quietness, had it been
gone about in a l si abrupt and threatening manner.
But Providence often twins our mietakt,s stilt more
signally than our wisest mea-urea to our advantage,
and so it was on the 4th June • for there can be no
,doubt that our safety depended on the dispersion
and panic of these rac ally Sepoye ; and even if
some geod men and true were involved in the
fate of their fellows, the sacrifice was an inevitable
one in an emergency like the present. Therefore, I
say, although the sepoys might have been quietly
disbands 1, tbe mistake that provoked a row was a
most fortunate one. Well, then, on seeing them-
selves hemmed in with musketry and artillery, the
eepoys (many of them, no doubt, with a guilty
conscience) naturally suspected that they were to
be blown to pieces, and all the assurances of their
officers proved inelfectual to keep them compose".
Tney were ordered to put their muskets into the
little stone buildings called ketes or bells of arms.
The majority of their number obeyed at once, and
European soldiers were then mtrcned towards the
bells of arms with the view of securing hem from any
attempt thesepoys might make to recovertbem. But
the upoys were beforehand with them, and making
a sudden rush at the bells of arms recoverel their
muskets and fired at once upon their own officers
and upon the advancing Europeans, retiring
at the same time within their lines, and thence
keeping up a brisk fire upon the Europeans.
Up to this time, however, no officer had been hit,
The Sepoys of the 37th ensconced themselves for
the most part behind their huts, some of them be-
hind the bells of arms. The majority of their offi-
cers had fallen back at once upon 'the Europeat,
column. Major Barrett, however, indignant at the
way in which what he believed to be goad Sepoys
had been dealt with, resolved to share their fate,
sad, along with tbe European sergeant-major, re-
mained exposed to the fire opened from the half-
battery, as also from the European musketry upon
the huts. But the Sepoys' worst bleed was up,
and several of their number fired upon others
attacking him wish their fixed bayonets. 'He was
compelled to fly for his life, and a guard of faith-
ful Sepoys (principally of the Grenadier 0 .mpiny),
having formed round his person, conducted him in
tatety to his bungalow in the cantonments. Toe
sergeant-major was a's') saved. In the meantime
Capt. Guise, 13th Irregular-a, was only leaving bit
bungalow, and rashly attempted to reach the parade
ground, where his troop was drawn up, by riding
through the lines of the 37th. His chest was posi-
tively riddled with bullets in the attempt. Of
course, his death was inso.4taneous.
"The Sepoys still k,-.13t up a smart fire upon the
scanty European who were labouring under the
great disadvantage of having to deal with an enemy
effectually secured behind their huts from observe-
tion.,- 'The officers of the 37th were posted with the
Illaropean musketry, and were exposed to a smart
Ire. Several privates were knocked over within 5
yards of me, and yet not a single offi.er got touched.
For about 20 minutes we remained under th;s fire ;
but our brave fellows la.2gan to drop off rather fast,
and it was resolved to charge the huts. As a pre-
liminary to this a party was despatched to tot them
on fire ; and in the meantime we officers of the 37th
retired and took our place beside the Sikhs, who,
we understood, wore to take part ins the charge.
They form an irregular corps, and have only two
officers attached to them—viz., a Co,nmandaut
(Cut. Gordon) and an Adjutant. As both of these
NV.e.IY mounted theme was need of our services in the
ranee,.
" Here I remained for about ten minutes, in the
mementery
The Brighee_mei
expectation of the charge being ordered.
or, Capt. Dolgson, then galloped
across the Parade ground, anal, -DI 'Da himself at
the head of the Irregular`''C• ac•l
that their Commaniant,_:valry, informed them
kills I, and that be had bult;ilrain Girse, had been
sent by Brigadier Pon-
sonby to supply his place. They flashed their swords
in reply, giving vent, at the same time, to a low
murmur, which struck a 8 somewhat equivocal.
Capt. Dodgson had scarce ceased addressing them
when one of their number fired upon him with a
pistol.- The bullet. only graz Al the
elbow of his
sword arm,just at that point where the uluir nerve
parsing over a prose's
'1
°ee of hone is so eaqily irritated
s of bone the commocn
Dame of 'funny bone.' The a to have gained for
consequence waseene.
and aria ; his sword
and the rascal
plete Parilyais of the .hand
d ropped.,powerless across his saddle,
who bad fired the shot,rushed upon him to cut him
down, but another of the troop in'erfered to re-ele
him, and b&ng wail mounted he succeeded in
escaping from the melee.
4, But while all this had been going on,l had had
something else to do than watch the conduct of the
Irregulars. Just as they we-'e flashing their sabres
in reply to Captain Dodgson's short address I was
horrifi d by noticing about a dozen of the Sikhs firs
straight forward upon the European soldiers, who
were still kneeling and firing into the 37th. The
-mat moment some half-dozen of their muskets
were staring me en the face, and a whole tempest
of bullets came whizzing into me. Two passed
through my forage cap and set my hair on fire;
three passed through my trousers, °Lie just Graz llg