The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-13 00:00:00

OUR INDIAN GENERALS.

At the present moment, when the eyes of the
nation are so naturally turned to India, our readers
will not think out of place the following brief
sketch of our military and civil commanders in
India, as the men on whom, humanly speaking, the
fate of our En-stern Empire at this important crisis
depends, now that death has deprived us of the
services of such heroes as Sir Henry Lawrence, Sir
Hugh Massey Wheeler, General Barnard, Major
Banks, General Nicholson, and Colonel Neill, to
say nothing of a host of other less distinguished

names.
The supreme command of all tee forces, whether
of the Line or of the Company's army, or of native
troops, is, of course, in the hands of Sir Cohn!
Campbell,, G. C. B. ,24 h who, as our readers are, aware, .
left England. in July last, at someours notice,
in order to carry out the wishes of her Majesty in
India as Commander-in-chief. That well-known
general, who is a scion of one of the many branches
of the Scottish clan of Campbell, was born near
Glasgow, we believe, in 1792, and entered the army
in 1808 as ensign in a foot regiment. He took part
in the unfortunate expedition to Walcheren ; and
while serving in the 9th Foot, he had seen some
bard fighting at Vimiera. He also took part in the
advance and retreat of the army under Sir John
Moore and in the Battle of Corunna, and was also
engaged in the Battle of Barossa and in the defence
of Tarifa. In the latter part of the year 1312 he
was attached to the army of Ballasteros, and was
present at several affairs of importance. Among
others, he took part in the expedition for relieving
Tarragona, and was present at Osma and Vittoria,
and at the siege of San Sebastian, where he received
two severe wounds, and at the passage of the Bides-
110a, where he was again severely wounded. In
1814 -15 he saw some active service in America while
holding a commission in the 60th Rifles, and m
1823 we find him acting as Brigade-Major of the
troops engaged in quelling the insurrection at Do-
mantra. In the expedition to China in 1842 Sir
Colin Campbell commanded the 98th Regiment,
and took an active part in the capture of Chin-
kiang-foo, and the subsequent operations in the
neighbourhood of Nankin. Nor is he without
Indian experience. Throughout the Punjab cam-
paigns of 1848-9 he commanded the third division
of tlee army under Lord Gough, and distinguished
himself more particularly in the affairs at Ram-
nuggur, the passage of the Chenab, the affair at
Sadoolapore, at the battles of Chillianwallah, where
be was wounded, and at Goojerat. In 1851° and
the following year, while Brigadier-General in com-
mand of the Peshawur districts, he was constantly
engaged in most difficult operations against the hill
trite s surrounding the valley, including the forcing
of the Kohat Pass, under the late General Sir
Charles J. Napier, and the repeated affairs against
the Momunds, who were glad to come to terms
eftsr their defeat at Paul Pao by a small detach-
men G of cavalry and Horse Artillery under Sir
Colin Campbell's immediate command, the com-
bined tribes numbering upwards of 8,000 men. In
18413 he was created a K.C.8., and received the
thanks of both Parliament and the East India
Company for his conduct at Goojerat. Returning
to England in the early part of 1853, he was ap-
pointed, on the breaking out of war with Russia in
the following year, to the command of the High-
land Brigade, which, together with the brigade of
the Guards, composed the division of the Duke of
Cambridge. His gallantry at the battle of the
Alma, at the head of his beloved Highlanders, and
his zeal, intrepidity, and ability throughout the
rest of the trying perils of the Crimean campaign,
in which he was content to serve under men as
much his inferiors as they were his juniors, were
faithfully recorded in these columns at the time,
and therefore do not need to be repeated here.
Lord Gough, in his despatches written from the
fielei of Chillianwallah, speaks, if we remember
aright, in the -very highest terms of Sir Colin
Campbell's "steady coolness and military pre-
cision" as "carrying everything before it ;" and
these qualities, added to a constant care for the
comfort and lives of the troops under his
comeland, have gained for him in the very
highest degree the confidence, admiration, and
affection of the many corps with which he has
sere ed in three of the four quarters of the globe,
with but little intermission, during the past
50 y ears. Not being fortunate enough to possess
the additional advantage of high influence at the
Horse Guards, Sir Colin Campbell found himself
merely a colonel at the outbreak of the Russian war,
and it was not until the month of June, 1854, that
he was gazatted a Major-General in the army. In
the following October he was appointed to the
colonelcy of the 77th Foot, and in 1855 promoted
to tie honour of a Knight Grand Cross of the Bath.
In 1856 he attained the rank of Lieutenant-Gene-
ral, and on his return to England was presented
with the freedom of the City of London, and
created an honorary D.C. L. 431 Oxford, in recogni-
tion of his Crimean services. Sir Colin Campbell is
also one of the aides-de-camp to her Majesty.
We feel that it is a long step from the able but
plebiaa General, Sir Colin Campbell, to "his Ex-
cellency Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Somerset,
K.C.B. and K. H," whom Sir Colin found upon his
arrival actin.. as Commander-in-Chief. This officer
comes of a ducal femily. Sir Henry Somerset is
a grandson of the fifth Duke of Beaufort, and con-
sequently nephew to the late Lord Raglan; being
the eldest son of the late Lord Charles Henry
Sonierset, by his first wife, a daughter of the late
Viscount Courtenay. He was born in 1794, and
entered the army in 1811. He saw some active
service in the Peninsular campaigns of 1813, 1814,
and 1815, including the battles of Vittoria, Or hes,
Toulouse, and Waterloo. In 1838 he became Lieu-
tenant-Colonel of the Capo Mounted Rifles, and
took a prominent part in the Kaffir war, for which
he --vas rowarsled in 1853 by being made a K.C.B.
Having risen meantime through the various grades
of 1 remotion with more than the average speed, we
find him in 1851 a Major General in the army, and
in 3853 he was placed upon the Staff at Bombay ;
in 1855 the local rank of Lieutenant-General was
conferred upon him. In February, 1855, he W. 43
appointed Commander-in-Chief of the East India
Fotces at Bombay, and second member of the
Council in that Presidency ; and in 1856 he
was nominated to the colonelcy of the 25th
Foot. On the sth of June in the present year
he 'became, by the death of General Anson, C m-
mander-in-Chief in India : but when the time for
decisive action was come, and the " right man was
wanted in the right place," the advisers of her Ma-
jesty. came to the conclusion that the chief respon-
sibii ity of the suppression of the mutiny should be
iutr usted to the hands of Sir Colin Campbell, and
we shall Ise the last to complain of the decision.

His Excellency Lieut.-General Sir P. Grant,
KALB., Commander-in-Chief in Bengal, to whom
we come next, is a soldier of a different stamp • he
is remarkable as being the only one of the COX-
pany's officers who has been allowed to hold that
MO and responsible post, which has hitherto been
rea.-rved as a piece of political patronage at home.
Sir P. Grant is one of the very many Scotebmen
wh have risen to high eminence iu India. He is,
we believe, a son of the late Major John Grant of
Au :hterblair, Grant-town, in Elgin, and was born
Ap .d 23, 1804, in the parish of Duthill, in that
county, so that he is still in the prime of life, and
bas before him plenty of time for further exploits
before we shalt Dave to reckon him among our su-
perannuated and disabled generals. He entered the
military service of the East India Company in 1819,
and. July 20, 1820, was appointed to an ensigncy in
the Bth Regiment of Bengal N.I. Having attained
the rank of Captain in 1832, he saw some active
service at Maharajpore, for which he obtained a
brorlize star and was made Brevet-Major in April,.
1844. He subsequently served with much distinc-
tion through the campaigns on the Sutlej, includ-
ing the battles of Moodkee (in which he was se-
verely wounded) and at Sobraon, for which battle
he received a medal and clasp ; and at the same time
be was made a Brevet-Colonel and a Companion of
the Bath. He was also present with the forces in the
runjaub, where he acted as Deputy AdjutantLGene-
ral of the Bengal army. He subsequently to )k part
in the passage of the Chena.h (referred to in onr
sketch of Sir Colin Campbell's career), and in the
actions of Chillianwallah and Goojerat, for which
het oceived the usual medal and clasps. Already in
1842 he had held the political, or rather the civil ap-
p_ointment of Assistant-Collector in the district of
T,lll. aevelly, and in 1844 be married the Hon.
Maria Gough, fourth and youngest daughter of
Gel eral Lord Gough, who was at that time Com-
maader-in-Chiet of the forces iu India. Sir Patrick
Grant is one of Her Majesty's Aides-de-Camp, and
was made a Knight Commanderlndi of the Bails iu
January last for this
missions bear date aas folloawns se•
rVnceilg. rl,ll.jiaslyenam6,
182.1; lieutenant, July 11,1823 ;
mcaptain,a.o-mr.3: 14,
1832 ; brevet-major, April 30, 1841.
April 3,, 184u6ne
15, 1.845 ; brevet lieutenant-colonel,
bre .-et-colonol, August 2, 1850 ; lieutenant-tole!
mal, August 2, 1851 ; and major-geueral, Novem-
ber 28, 1854. In 1853 he was appointed Com-
mander-in Chief of the Bengal army, and obtained
the local rank of Lieutenant-General in India
January 25, 1856.
Of Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Havelock,
XX- 8., and his splendid achievements we have re-
cell'lY given so complete a sketch that we venture
T4' Pass on to make mention of the rest of his col-
leagues in command—Wilson, Chani be:lain, Van
Cortlandt, Outran!, Edwards:, and Jacob, which
we propose to resume in our next impression.
Major-General Nicholas Penny, C. 8., who has
succeeded General Wilson in the command of our
victorious forces in. Central India, is an officer of
considerable standing in the army, and is now as
n arty as possible 67 years of age. ;He is the son

of the late Mr. Robert Penny, and was haptised in
the month of November, 1790. In 180 G he was
nominated by the late Mr. J. Hudleston to a direct
appointment to Bengal, and shortly after his arri-
val at Calcutta, towards the close of the same year,
he passed so excellent an examination in Persian
and Hindostanee that he was presented with a
gratuity of 1,000 rupees. He was gazetted to an
ensigucy in the Bengal army in February, 1807,
and obtained his lieutenancy, Dec. 19, 1812. Up to
this time he had not seen much active service ; but
i we find him in the army serving in Nepaul during
the war of 1814, 1815, and 1816, as well as in the
Mabratta war of 1816 and the following year under
the Marquis of Elastine ; he was also one of those
who shared the Deccan prize money. In
1818 he distinguished himself at Gurra Kotah. Iti
1823 he came to London on furlough, but, return-
ing to India in 1825, we find him accompanying
the Commander-in-Chief on service to Agra, and
acting for a time as Deputy Quartermaster-General
with the forces near that city. In the same year
he took part in the siege of Bhurtpore, and was
thanked by the Commander-in-Chief for his ser-
vices on that occasion. In the following year he
was nominated major of brigade on the establish-
ment, and appointed to the command of the Muttra
and Agra frontier. In 1828 he was made D.tputy-
Assistant-Adjutant-General on the establishment,
and also to the command of the Dinapore division,
from which he was shortly afterwards removed to
the Presidency at the express order of the Gover-
ner-General, the late Lord William Bentinck. The
London Gazette of August 1, 1834, informs us that
he was allowed brevet rank for his services in the
field. In November, 1837, he was directed to take
charge of the Adjutant-General's Department at
the Presidency, from which post he was transferred
in June, 1841, to the command of the Nusseree
Battalion, for the efficient drill and discipline,-of
which he was so often thanked by his superiors
that his name became almost a by-word and a pro-
verb for energy and activity. At the same time he
was directed to act as Assistant-Adjutant-General
at Barrackpore, in which capacity he was again
reportedas a " most zealous and efficient officer.
In the Sutlej campaigns he commanded at first
the 12th Brigade of the sth Division, and the 2d
Infantry Brigade on the breaking up of the 12th.
He was present at Aliwal, where he was in the very
thickest of the fight, and was thanked fur his
gallantry on the battlefield in the following terms
by Sir .Harry Smith, in his despatch addressed to
the Governor-General, dated Aliwal, January the
30th, 1846
"The intrepid little Ghoorkas of the Nusseree and
Sirmoor battalions in bravery and obedience can be ex-
ceeded by none. I much regret that I had no brigade
to give to Brigadier Penny, who is in orders for one. I
can only say that when he gets his brigade, if he leads it
as he led his gallant band of Ghoorkas, it will be inferior
t 3 none."
He was again engaged at Sobraon, where he was
wounded, and Sir Hugh Gough recommended him
" in the most earnest manner" to the notice of the
Governor-General for the spirited manner in which
he and his gallant troop had overcome " the most
formidable opposition." In the September foPow-
.- in we find him appointed to the command of her
Majesty's 53-1 Foot, the Nusseree Battalion, and
two howitzers. At Ch lianwalla'l, where he was
engaged as a brigadier, he had another opportunity
of distinguishing himself ; for, though his brigade
was heid in reserve, he was enabled to support the
advance of Sir W. R. Gilbert, and to carry a vil-
lage, which was "the key of the position," by "a
most spirited attack, executed in a brilliant style."
It should be added that Sir W. Gilbert, in his de-
spatch, drew attention to his " most valuable" ser-
vices on this occasion. Brigadier Penny received
the medal for Aliwal and Sobraon, and was gazetted
a C.B. in the following month of June. He was
also made an honorary aide-de-camp to the Go-
vernor-General.

In February, 1849, he was removed from the
6th to the 3d, and subsequently to the 2d. Brigade
of Infantry belonging to the army in the Punjab,
from which he was again removed to the command
of the 3d European Regiment. In 1848 we find
him commanding a division of infantry in the Pun-
jab, and in the following year in command of the
troops at Lahore. In 1851 he was appointed to
the brigade staff and posted to the district of Rohil-
cund. He was subsequently removed to Crmbadili ;
in 1852 he was appointed to command the Jullun-
dur field force, to which later in the same year, was
added the command of the Sirhund. division. In
1853 he was transferred to the Scinde Saugor dis-
trict, and in 1854 to Sealcote. About the same
time he attained the rank of major-general.

In May, 1855, he was appointed to the temporary
divisional staff of the army, and posted to the
Cawepore division. At the last dates from India
be held the command of the Meerut division,
which, according to the Quarterly Army List of
the Bengal establishment, was the head quarters of
the Artillery, both horse and foot, anct included
the 3d Light Cavalry, the 6th Dragoon Guards
(Carabineers), the first battalion of the Guth Rifles,
and the 11th and 20th Regiments of Native
Infantry.

the Gl:,lf of Mexico, and the Spanish Main, 15
and 1G days.
Th e Royal Mail Company bad resolved on estab-
lishir ig a communication with Australia across tbe
Pacific, and preliminary arrangements for that
pu'pose lad been made, but the Government hav-
ing decided that the Australian mail route should
be the eastern one, and the infant company who
undertook to convey the Australian mils requiring
RE distance, the Royal Mail Company have sue-
r ended their operations for opening the Western
Australian route, and stepped in to assist the Aus-
tralian Mail Packet Company in carryinc, out their
contract. There canbot be a doubt that this re-
solve is a wise one. It is better at present to deve-
lope thoroughly the Australian traffic by the eas-
tern line than to attempt to draw a portion of it
across the Pacific. The communication with Aus-
tralia, by way of Suez will always, perhaps, be the
most profitable one, because it connects India with
Australia and England. The Royal Mail Com-
pany's steamers, by touching at Ceylon on their
way to and from Melbourne and Sydney, will be
within 1,500 miles of Calcutta, 1,000 miles of
Bombay, and 500 miles of Madras. The extent
of the Royal Mail Company's operations may be
estimated from the fact that while their steamers,
after bringing to this country Peruvian silver from
the Gulf of Darien, may perhaps be employed to
carry a portion of it on to India and China. The
Royal Mail Company have now a good seven years
to make up for I)ssee in the early part of their
career. They appear to have tided over their dif-
ficulties, and there is every prospect for t :em of a
long season of prosperity. The passenger traffic of
the West Indies and the Brazils is extremely pro-
fitable, and Mexico and Central and South America
are filling their ships with highly remunerative
freights. Every year these freights are increasing
in value to the company. The rich traffic that
traverses both railways, one across the Isthmus of
Suez and the other across the Isthmus of Panama,
will add to their revenue. With larger and swifter
ships on the South American line the Royal Mail
Company will also be able to offer to Europeans
and Americana the most magnificent pleasure voy-
age in the world. When the new arrangements of the
West India Company come into operation, a person
may have a sea voyage of 10,000 miles in seven
weeks, passing through the most delicious climates,
and on a line where the Atlantic Ocean is almost
invariably tranquil. This voyage is from South-
ampton to the Brazils and back, coasting along
Spain and Portugal, visiting the Tagtp, Madeira,
the Canaries, the Peak of Teneriffe, the Cape de
Verds, and then skirting a long line of South Ame-
rican coast, which terminates in the magnificent
bay of Rio de Janeiro. The packet that performs
this voyage will never be longer at sea than 6 days
without calling at some port, and the average sea
stretch between the iports of call throughout the
voyage will be only 21 days.
Two new steamers are building for conveying the
Australian mail between Southampton and Alex-
andria, when the Tamar is taken off that line, to
run on the Brazilian line. The Australasian will
elm be taken off to convey the mail between Aus-
tralia and the Red Sea. The Avon, it is probable,
will carry the inter-colonial mails in the West In-
dies. Her great size will afford the requisite acco-
modation to iotercolonial passengers and shippers.

CAUSE OE THE RtIVOLT IN INDIA.

(From the Inverness Courier )

A medical officer in India writes as follows to a
friend iu Inverness, and his animated account of
the causes of the revolt is well worthy of atten-
tion :

" Of course the question will be in every one's
mouth, bow did this arise ? Whence this sudden
outbreak ? And many and various will be the
answers given. Many causes are on the surface ;
our rulers, in their overbearing confidence, suffered
the balance between the native and European force
to be entirely destroyed—from Calcutta to Agra
there was but one European regiment ! In the
Madras Presidency at this very moment we have
only three regiments of European infantry, and
half a regiment of dragoons ! I do not include
artillery scattered about the country in small de-
tachments. As our empire has gone on increasing,
we have resorted to the old Irish expedient of cut-
ting a bit off the bottom of the blanket and sewing
it on to the top. This is not a mere figure, it is a
fact. The troops that in former days used to occupy
Benares, Allahabad, and Cawupore, all along our
great line of communication, are now either
employed on our new frontier or in Burmah, the
top of the blanket.' Here at least was the oppor-
tunity offered to the disaffected to attempt to over-
turn the empire. But we must look at the matter
more closely. For a long time the Bengal officers,
forgetful of the good old rule, so applicable to our
position in India, divide and govern,' have been
infatuated enough to encourage the admission into
the army of none but high-caste men.' They
looked down with ill-concealed contempt on
the low-caste' men of the other Presiden-
cies. The result has been a most inordinate
increase of the Brahmin element iu the Bengal
array, until this insolent, haegkty, and priestly
caste has overshadowed the very Government. They
exercise an influence over their fellows of inferior
caste in the army that is nearly absolute, and
through them they have of la'e yearn almost dic-
tated their own terms. 'High-caste men abhor
going to sea, it is to them loss of caste, or some-
thing near it ; the food and wster they consume are
in constant danger of defilement by being handled
by men of low-caste or no caste. When on a late
occasion a Bengal regiment was ordered to go to
Burma!), the Sepoys refused, and after some hesi-
tation, Government gave in. An order was issued
that for the future Burmah was to be occupied by
the Madras Sepoys. To carry this order out, the
whole of the Madras army nearly kad to be put iu
motion, and great hardships were inflicted on onr
men ere the relief was effected. Here was a triumph
for Brahminisro, and Brahminisin was not slew td
` improve' it; they had in this dictated to their
masters they had humbled the Governor-
General what coon they not do? Govern-
ment saw the danger, and met it in this way :
—An order was issued that in all time com-
ing every recruit should be a 'general service
men'—that is, shall engage to go wherever he was
ordered. High-caste' saw at once this rock a-head.
In a few years fresh b:ood would be intused into
the army, it would cut out the Brahmins, save at
the loss of caste ; and they determined to make a
stand. They resolved to act through the religious
fears and ignorance of the Sepoys, and they did it
in this fashion : rumours arose like an exhalation—
no one could tell whence they sprung—that the
Lord Sahib (the Governor-General) was pledged to
the Queen of England 'to convert the Sepoys to
Christianity within a year.' Prophesies made for
the occasion, circulated everywhere, 'that the rule
of the Englishwa.s to end with '57.' When I arrived
in India the newspapers were discussing some mys-
terious communication that was going on. Cakes
were passed on from village to village—no ono
could say whence they came, or where they were
going or what they meant. Then came the cartridge
question. A new kind of atmemiiiiion was being
issued to the army, the cartridges being made up
in various coloured paper. This was instantly
seized upon as a ready mode of acting on the religi-
ous fears of the Sepoys. It was a capital cry.'
The Church is in dauget' in iis best day was a joke
to it. It was given out that the Lord Sahib had
resolved to carry out his scheme iu this way :
For the purpose of defiling Mahomedans, the new
cartridges were greased with pig's fat,' while 'cows'
fat' was used to cook those for the Hindoos. People
at home will laugh at this childish story, but people
at home do not know the Hindoo mind. The clever
Brahmins who invented the story believed it about
as much as a Neapolitan priest does the blood of St.
Januariu4, or a ' winking virgin,' or the Holy Coat
of Troves; but thousands of the Sepoys believed
the story as sincerely as we believe iu the Gospel ;
and step by step this belief led to the explosions at
Mierut and Delhi ; to that night of horror at the
fo,raer place, which, like the story of the Black
Hole at Calcutta, will be for ever infamous in our
annals. All that I have to add is to express a hope
that the Miscreants at Delhi have ere this had to
take the cartridges,' pigs' fat and cows' fat along
with them, out of the muzzles of the muskets of
3,000 or 4,000 English soldiers. I don't think any
one hero is fearful about the result. A number of
officers and civilians, with their helpless wives and
families, hive already perished, and more, if the
plague be not soon stayed, may follow ; but I do
not think it is written anywhere that Brahininistu
is to prevail. John Bull, as Southey sumewhere
says' is a terrible fellow to take by the horns. This
Brahminism has attempted, and the result you at
home, at least, will live to see."