The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-16 00:00:00

A MISSIONARY'S ACCOUNT OF THE

INDIAN OUTBREAK.

The Rev. Mr. Ray, the American missionary inn"
India who escaped from Allahabad, returned to
Southampton from London on Saturday night. In
Londonlie had an interview with Sir Charles Tre-
velyan. The Chairman of the East India Company
was anxious to see Mr. Hay, but his wife was so
ill at Southampton that Mr. Hay could not prolong
his stay in the metropolis. Being one of the first
persons who has come from the heart of the mutin-
ous districts, and being thoroughly acquainted with
the history and extent of the mutiny, and with its
nature' and bearing, his society has been anxiously
sought .after for information.
IE3 ac eount of the rise of the mutiny and defeat
of the mthlineers at Allahabad is exceedingly inter-
esting. All altabad contained about 100,000 inhabi-
tants at the time of the mutiny. There had been
several panics in the city for some time before the
revolt broke out there, and three weeks before
there was any fighting the city was patrolled,
and European 'women and children were ordered
into the fort. At times the alarm died away,
and the women would come out of the fort. The
expectation was that the city would be attacked
by mutineers from Benares. At length a chief
raised the standarr2 of insurrection. No European
knew who he was ; .some said he was a Moulvie,
that is, a Mahomnaodan religious teacher, some-
thing like the padre' .of the_ Portuguese ; others,
that he was a native oeicer ; others, that he was a
weaver by trade. He, :however, represented him-
self as a viceroy of the King of Delhi. He cora-
mended about 4,000 of the mutineers. Mr. Hay
speaks iu the highest teenas of Major Brazier and
Colonel Neil, with both oic. whom he was personally
acquainted. Major Brazier rose from the ranks.
He commanded the Sikhs .'st Allahabad, and exer-
cised great influence over them. It was to him
that the Europeans were liviebted for preventing
the rebels from taking the .fort. Had they done
so, scarcely anything would li.ave driven them out
of it, for it is constructed on a n European model.
Nothing would induce the rebel Sepoys who be-
sieged it to come near, so mucl i so did they dread
its gong. On the 13th of Rime Colonel Neil can-
nonaded Daraghung, a suburb of Allahabad.
Brazier behaved here with distiaag,uished gallantry.
The chief of the mutineers was taken prisoner. He
was a young man magnificently dressed, and was
said to be a nephew of the Moulvie, who headed
the mutiny inside the walls. Major Brazier, sur-
rounded by a few Sikh soldiers, ordered the chief
to he brought before him to be Interrogated. After
being questioned he was takon to a place of con-
finement. His arms were loosely fastened behind
him. Before he left the presentee of the major he,
by a great effort, caught at a sword that was with-
in his reach, and made a cut at one of the Sikhs.
Brazier and all the Sikhs fell upon him, and the
former wrested the sword from the prisoner's
hand ; but the enraged Sikhs, white the chief was
prostrate, placed their heels on his bead and liter-
ally crushed out his brains, and the body was
thrpwn outside the gates there. It was owing to
General Neil's gallantry that all the Europeans in
Benares were not massacred. After saving
Benares the general arrived at Allahabad,
and superseded Colonel Simpson. After can-
nonading Daraghung he attacked and burnt
the lower part of the city on the 14th of June.
The head-quarters of the Moulvie were in the
higher part of the city at the old Mahomedan gar-
dens. There the prisoners of the mutineers were
confined, and among them were the native Chris-
tian- teachers belonging to Mr. Hay's mission esta-
blishment. On the 17th of June Col. Neil, with
about 500 European and 800 Sikhs, completely de-
feated the Moulvie and his 4,000 troops. The na-
tive Christians knew, from the manner in which

the mutineers returned to their head-quarters--
bloody, hurried, and dispirited, that they had met
with a defeat, and they counselled one anothar and
their families to keep up their spirits, for theyknew
that tee defeated mutineers would not stand an-
other battle. Sure enough on the morning of the
18th they evacuated the place and the native teachers
were liberated. Hun avian, a wealthy Hindoo Ze-
minder, befriended them until they got to a place
of safety.
Mr. Hay is decidedly of opinion that Delhi will
not be taken before Nov. or Deo. He has visited.
Delhi. The fort is built after the native fashion.
Heavy guns would soon batter down its walls.
Unfortunately the guns which were sent to batter
them down were captured by the rebels at Phillour.
When Mr. Hay left Allahabad the English troops
before Delhi were scarcely able to hold their own :
although -always beating the mutineers in every
attack they had slightly receded from their original
p.)sition. It takes nearly 50 days for troops to
get to Delhi from Calcutta. Mr. :ay was 17 days
getting to the latter place from Allahabad. lie
got down to Calcutta in a steamboat. While he
was on the voyage Sir N. Leslie and other officers
were massacred near Dinapore by Sepoys belonging
.to the very regiments the mutiny of which was an-
nounced on Monday by electric telegraph. The
wisassins of Sir N. Leslie were caught, tied up from
the backs of elephants to a gallows, and then swung
off. The soldiers of their own regiments were
made executioners, and it was boasted at the time
that one of the assassins was hung by his own fa-
ther, in order to show the loyalty of the regimetts.
Mr. Hay says that many old East Indians fore-
told that these _troops would ultimately mutiny,
'and that there could be no doubt they sympathised
with the assassins of Leslie and his brother
'officers. Their turning executioners, and a father
hanging his own son, were only a blind. They were
biding theiFtime. Mr. Hay thinks the news of the
mutiny at Dinapore is bad news, because it shows
that the communications between Calcutta and
Dslhi may be interrupted. There is one thing,
. however, to be considered ; the mutineers have no
nuns iu the neighbourhood, and they have a very
,wholesome dread of the steamers passing between
Calcut:a and Allahabad, all of which carry. guns.
•He thinks also that the telegraph despatch on
Monday did not contain good news generally from
India. It can hardly be said that Central India is
tranquillised ; it must be only small portions of it.
The mutinies at Dinapora and in the Bombay Pre-
bidency are ominous ofevil. Ho was 20 days in Cal-
cutta before be left for England ; during that time
time, had been two or three panics there, and per-
sons living in the outskirts had taken refuge in the
forts and on board the ships. Confidence, however,
was restored when he left, owing chiefly to 1,700
troops from China that were landed from the
Himalaya. It was at one time fully expected that
the native Mohamedan servants would rebel in
Calcutta. Numbers had been saying to the Euro-
pean children of whom they had charge that all the
houses in Calcutta would soon belong to the na-
tives. A converted Brahmin in Calcutta had been
accosted by natives who did not know of his con-
. version, and was told that there would be a general
rising in Calcutta, and that the troops would be
• assisted by the native servants in driving out the
En[4li,ll. About 5,000 fresh troops hafarrived,
and been sent up the country since the mutiny-
broke out. They go up by steamers as far as
Allahabad, which is situated at the junction of the
Jumua and the Gauges. Mr. Hay, as he was pro-
, castling to Calcutta, met General Havelock and his
forces going up the country. He considered that
Havelock would, after leaving Cawnpore' pro-
, ceeeaselto destroy Neua Sahib at Bithoor before
he, went to relieve Lucknow, to prevent Nena
sahib from occupying the rear with any force.
It is most satisfactory to find, however, that
Havelock has apparently considered himself en-
abled to go on to Lucknow without first -accom-
, Phshing the destruction of Nena Sahib; because
Lucknow was so much in need of rsticcour. Pro-
b-Sly llavelock has left the further chastisement of
nrch traitor to CA. Neil, who must have moved
on fro ii Allalet'etd. Mr. Hay considers that Agra
statist have fallen by-this time, unless relieved. He
states that on his passage to England met a French
Vices, a captain La Fous, who had been in the
:lab war, and knew Nena Sahib intimately, and
u~,thim at awnpore after the mutiny had brake
&Jut at .Delei. To show the duplicity of this scoun-
(li el, It, lamented to Capt. La Fens the outbreak,
and s tated that hor could hardly believe it—it was
sha'l2;
to
oriltiere cannot be" a doubt that he
hail been
tios
and
Was
planni,n2wtahs gloating over its atroci-
ties,
time. After being )st hellish treachery
tsaypore, he has escaped to dee;kinatie.d Cawnpore and
cannon.
Mr. at Bithoor,
whin', is well defended with
Mr. Hay thinks the i=Billug of
tralgee to have been a great mista.kee Thaeeitnteclalri:
gent leaders of the mutineere well understzo•;acl
thatthat
tie greased cartridges were withdrawn, ,
Cie Government explanations were satisfactory ;
but the illiterate nativee nevrr were convinced that
tho outraac on their religion was discon!inund, It
Wit,. also au en or to sentence the 8) high caste men
• at Mi wait to five year.' imprisonment for refusing
-t) me the cartrid,,, F. They were all native gentle-
men belonging to a cavalry regiment. The &IN:Us
would !lave greased the cartridges. themselves,
Ma-
har -used sir op's fat, a material which sciarceiy a
estlen or Hindoo would have scrupled to use.
- • IDlsezelour of the paperof the cartridges being dif-
ferent from that which had lithertd been used, and
the
paper being greasy, excited suspicion and alarm.
.mr. flay says that the British Government should
bwc declared itself a Christian. Goverment. It
slestsilst not have persecuted the natives to make
tlrein Christians, but it should have Set its face
sae*nst caste as much as against widow burning. The
G )vcilunerit relied upon keeping alive the igno-
re. it prejudice of Hindoos and 11Iahomedans, and
;tor serving its authority by balancing race against
saes, and religionagainst religion, and the mutiny •
;shows that its scheme has signally failed. The mis-