The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-25 00:00:00

ASSEERGHUR.

The following is an extract of a private letter of
the Bth. of August :
"In my last I communicated the safety of this
f rtress, from the prompt measures taken by the
commandant. I will now detail the occurrences as
Choy took place regarding it. Prior t the 27th of
June official communications had been received
from the Resident at Indore, that the greater por-
tion of the G walior (Scindian) Contingent had mu-
tithed, and, Asseerghur being garrisoned by awing
of them, the head-quarters of which 'mutinied on
she 12th of June at Leillatpore, the commander*
felt anxiety for the safety of this fortress. The
sepoys at that tire e were obedient and orderly, aed
performed their duty satisfactorily, but he was ap-
prehensive, though they would march anywhere
they might be ordered, they would show reluctance
to fight against their own kindred. Under these dr-
cutnstanc, s 'passiveness' was the utmost we could
expect them to show, if we were certain of their
remaining passive. The fact of their volunteering
to serve anywhere proves nothing, as the whole
contingent volunteered to do likewise, and in the
space of a. few days broke out int) open mutiny.
-It was obvious how very disastrous the capture
_by mutineers of a fortress with a prestige like As-
seerghur would be, and the extreme importance
that disaffected and fanatical men would attach to
such an occurrence. The inhabit ants of Asseerghur
and its neighbourhood were well affected towards
the Government, and by embodying for temporary
service 100 to 150 active men the commandant con-
ceived the safety of the fortress could be secured.
He suggested that Major-General Woodburn might
be directed to detach a company or two of a Bom-
bay Native Infantry regiment for duty at Asseer-
ghur, and to take on with him the wing of the con-
tingent stationed at Asseerghur, and that instruc-
tions to this effect might be telegraphed to Malli-
gauw, whence they could communicate by letter in
time to enable him to make the necessary aerange-
Mews for procuring carriage, &e. But the removal
of the cantingeut from the fort was required with-
out delay,.in consequence of intelligence received a
few days after. On the -night of July 4 the com-
mindant received a hurried note from the political
assistant at Kemur, despatched from Boregaum,
giving iutelligence of the attack upon Mhow and
Indore, and clearly showing he entertained the
worst apprehensions regarding those stations, as
well as for the safety of Asseerghur. After a hurried
consultation only two measures appeared calculated
to meet the emergency—either to trust to the loyalty
of the-contingent or to remove them, on plausible
greunds, from the fortress before the news regard-
ing Indore and Mhow could reach them. The coin-
inandant unhes;tatingly decided on carrying out
the latter measure, and at daybreak on the follow-
ing morning the officer commanding the wing was
ordered to warn his wing that they were to accom-
pany the lied force expected at Asseerghur in a day
or two, and encamp below without any delay. The
convicts in the gaol carried down the tents of the
wing, and by evening all was in readiness. How-
-1 ever, to avoid the sepearance of unusual hurry, the
troops were ordered not to move below till the fol-
lo wing morning. A strong party of the police peons
were stationed at the northern entrance, as well as
at the southern gate of the town, and every tra-
veller from either Indore or Boorampore rigidly
searched for letters, and spies were also distributed
all over the bazaar and Sepoys' lines to asurtain
the sentiments of the men regarding their contem-
plated march. Towards evening a good deal of
murmuring and diss.l.Aisfaction were heard in the
bazaar, and ono or two Sepoys used in conversation
with a Marwarce the significant words, Wait, and
you will see whet happens to-morrow morning.'
The majority, though not satisfied perhaps, were
not likely, the commandant thought, to break my
in open mutiny, nor would the native officers, he
believe 1, have supported them in so acting. Still
he felt great anxiety, and shortly after midnight
the Fort Adjutant received an express from the
Soobah of Boorampore, conveying the alarming
news that the company of this regiment detached
from Asseerghur in June had broken into open
mutiny, and were making the best of their way to
Asseerghur. Under these circumstances a havildar
of the regiment, with two well-affected and loyally-
disposed Sepoys were immediately sent off by the
havildar-major of the regiment to meet the muti-
neers, and endeavour to induce them to return to
Boorampore. Partly by persuasion and partly by
threats the company did return, and. mainly to this
circumstance the safety of the fortress is attribut-
able. At sunrise the regiment paraded and march-
ed below in a quiet and orderly manner; immedi-
ately after which a party of 85 men, who had been
quietly got together a day or two previously, and
warned to be in readiness, were marched into the
fortress, and in another hour the regimental guards
were relieved, and joined their comrades at the
encamped ground. The commandant had pre.
viously communicated to the officer commanding a
detachment of Bheel corps his wish that he should
disarm the mutinous company at Boorampore,
which duty he efficiently performed. The com-
mandant considers that, under Providence,
the precautions taken t 3 prevent the men
receiving any news of the mutiny in their
• regiment, and especitlly of the outbreak at
Indore and Mhow, have materially tended
to bring about the present satisfactory state of
things, and there is no doubt that had the wing of
the contingent seized the fortress very much
valuable time would have been lost in recovering
it, in addition to the confidence it would have
given to the thousands in rebellion against the
State. _ _

The proceedings of the commandant were duly
reported to the authorities. The Commander-in-
Chief in communicating them to Government
stated he considered the prompt and decided con-
duct of the commandant (Colonel Le IVlesulier) on
this occasion to have mainly contributed to our
tenure of that important stronghold at the present
crisis. The Government in reply remarked that
Colonel Ls Mesurier deserved very high commen-
dation for the ready resolution with which he acted
on this trying occasion, and by which he had no
doubt secured the important fortress under his
charge from falling into the hands of the mutinous
troops, and requested his Excellency the Com-
mander-in Chief to warmly express to Colonel Le
Messurier the thanks of the Right Hon. the Go-
vernor in Council for the service he had rendered to
the State, which was accordingly done. We have
now four companies of the sth Regiment of Native
Infantry here. The two companies of the 19th
that were here marched for Malligaum yesterday.
We are looking for the London mail of Julylo to
bring us the feelings of England on this dreadful
revolt of the whole Bengal army, and the measures
adopted to save the country from utter destr,uction.
Havelock's success will he the first cheering news
since the outbreak. Had the troops fJr China no:
been intercepted Calcutta would net have been
able to send Havelock's cAumu against the muti-
neers. The news of these troops reaching Calcutta
fmuagl
effect
td intoover mthaenycothunottirsy.
andslthalsvah:dinasufliN_Voclilednecry-
of Europeans at the principal stations which
had emboldened the mutineers. distressThetia
le
throughout England will be greater
that felt in the late Crimean war. There
we lost our brave officers and soldiers, but their
wives and children were safe at home. Here the
women and children massacred will far exceed the
number of officers killed. The scoundrels made no
distinction between them.
4, We have two or three dreary months before
us before English troops can arrive in any numbers
to settle the country. When they have all arrived
and taken the field then will the work of slaughter
be done on the mutineers. Not one will be spared.
The approach of our mo'veable columns of Euro-
relns from different points will so alarm the scoun-
drels that they will tot show fight, but settle among
themselves to disperse in small bodies over the
country,
men who will be too ready to secure the reward of-
and by so doing will fall into the hands of
fered by the Government on every mutineer.
They will all be caught. They may make a stub-
' born resistance at Delhi, but when that is in our
possession the storm will gradually die away.

• 1‘; .1;
1----Lawart's column arrived at Mho :Z t V •
Angus',- things there and at In.loryi:o,,,Al
THE •FO 7if
The following is a copy of a let e „'' --$
of the 10th Foot : •
" D:nap 7;
" My dear Grandfather,—lt is withlieliall of s
the deepest regret that I have to tell you that the
eiitire-ofTridia is one theatre of Open and undis-
guised-rebellion, liloodahnd, violation, rapine, and -
murder, and. a rebellion of such an unnatural cha-
racter
that- it stands oat in bold relief in the histary -
of the world, unequalled for its ingratitude, and
unparalleled for the ferocity, brutality,. and cruelty
of its acts ; it is the rebellion of the Sepoys (native
soldiers) against the Government, against Christi-
anity, and against the life and property of every
white man in India ;„ and, . not content with
attacking soldiers and using their. firearms
against armed men these monsters in human.
shape have waged war with defenceless women
an l innocent children, sacrificing iu their blind
and brutal rage the old man and the maiden, the
pregnant woman and the unweaned babe, and that
with such refinement of cruelty that one would sup.
pose the devil himself reigned paramount and
alone—that there was no Christ, no mercy, anfi Do
hope, save of the revenge which most justly will
be taken on these fiends.
"In every station wherever Europeans have
fallen into their hands they have been murdered in
cold blood, their deal bodies mutilated, the raven
and the jackal preying on the remains of as brave
men and as fair women as ever left our shores.
However, we, are getting, our troops as fast as we
can, and against this day three months the name of
Sepoy will be erased from the dictionary of the.
world, •and the homes of • these devils will be but
discernible by the bUrning embers and smouldering
ashes. of villages, which, like the Cities of the Plain
iu Scripture, will at once serve for the scene of
eir crimes and their sepulchres.
At Delhi, my dear .grandfather, the diabolical
cruelty of the Senoys is. horrible to relate ; they
paraded all the European heads up and down the
city iu a cart, and at Allahabal the 6,11 *Native
Infantry, who had receive:l praise in the morning
ft;- their loyalty to GONtrernment, fell on their
officers in the evening while they were at mesa; and
killed 17 of them. The Adjutant of the regiment
they nailed to an arm-rack, and made a target of his
body; another officer was pinioned to the ground
with bayonets, and a fire lit on his body. At another
sta' ion there was one officer an 1 his wife—he killed
seven of the miscreants with his own hand, and
when he saw there was no chance for himself
or his wife, he shot her and then himself, beftra
ho would let her fall into the hands of the
Sepoys, because he was well awara what her. fate
would be—rape and then milder. At a station -
called Fyzabad two native regiments of foot and
one of horse, with a battery of guns, mutinied and
killed some of their officers ; one colonel's lady
saw her husband shot in front of her eyes, she then
wont raving mad.through the jungle with.her two
infants. I had this from a survivor, one that
escaped in a boat with about 20 more Europeans,
principally women and children ; he saw the lady
with her children on the bank and called her to him,
but she looked at them fora moment and then ran
screaming away, dragging her children after her.
They could not land to pursue, because the Sepoys
were coming down on them at the time to murder
them. I have since beard that the lady has been
rescued, but is still a maniac. At another station
they have murdered 54 Europeans—the place is
called Jhansi ; one officer killed no less than 26 of

the ruffians before ho was killed himself. A
sergeant and his wife and two children barricaded
themselves in their. house ; the woman said she
would shoot the first man that entered,.and she was
as good as her word. She did so, and then was
shot herself. The husband escaped and the two
children in attempting to follow him were caught
and thrown into the flames, as they bad set fire to
the house. I told you in my last letter that the
rebels made off to Delhi. They have fortified it in
every direction and one Maudor Khan has styled
himself Commander-and-Chief of all the Mussul-
mans in India. I believe there are about 30,000
Sepoys in Delhi at present. We have a rumour
here that it has been re-taken by the British with
great loss, but I believe the place is still iu the
hands of the mutineers. We sent two, of our
companies from this to Benaxes ; they were ordered
with three guns to go and disarm the 37th Native
Infantry, which is btationed there. They fired on
our fellows and killel two and wounded eight
more, and one captain of the Irregular Cavalry
killed and two more wounded. Two of our men
have since died of their wounds.

"But the most fearful of all the tragedies I have
to tell you about. At Cawnpore all the Europeans
have been massacred to a man. They had in-
trenched themselves in the European hospital com-
manded by Major-General Sir H. Wheeler. He
was mortally wounded, and then the Europeans
came to terms with the Rajah Nana Sahib that
they'were to 'depart- pegostirrtrtoats with what
money they had,
.which amounted to 3i lacs o
rupees, when this miscreant, Rajah Nana Sahib,
got them into the boats and launched out into the
river, brought cannon to bear upon them, and mur-
dered every one of them,—nearly 300 people inall,---viz., 90 men of her Majesty's 84th Regiment,
17 men of the Ist. Madras Fusiliers, and the who!o
of the women and children of her Majesty's 32d
Regiment, 60 women and about 160 children, all
murdered in cold blood, and about a dozen officers
of note, and also a battery of guns, comprising "
about 60 Europeans.
"There were about 132 Europeans, principally
females, coming from Ftirruckabad in boats.
They enticed them to the bank and brought them
on to the Sepoy parade ground, where they cruelly
butchered them all. I couldn't tell all the horrors
that have been enacted in this country. Some of
the horrible murders will never be known. I think,
grandfather, that there has been more European
officers killed here than there were altogether in
the Crimea..
" We never get any nowhere except by chance,
as all communication is stopped with the Upper
Provinces. They have cut the telegraph wire, and
no letters can pass up and down the country for
them. The Commander-in- Chief died at Kurnal
last month. There are many more stations that
have mutinied and killed their officers, but we have
not heard any account of them yet. I will give
you another instance of their horrible cruelty,—
one European officer, a commissioner at Delhi,
with his wife (who was pregnant), and four chil-
dren ; they tied the husband in a chair, and then
c it the heads off his four children, and ripped
open his wife, and took the unborn babe from
her, and struck the husband across the *face
with it, and then shot him. My dear grand-
father you would scarcely credit all these
awful things ; but I can assure you it is all .too
true. There was also a conspiracy discovered at
Calcutta to massacre all the Europeans there and
take possession of Fort William. It was fortunately
found out, and the King of Oude taken prisoner,
who, it was said, is at the bottom of all this rebel-
lion. I don't think there is any likelihood of us
going home this year, or the next, perhaps, if this
doesn't cease ; but we may only live in hope.
There is only one regiment here and only one com-
pany of artillery to watch three mutinous regi-
ments alongside of us, and murder, r 3 on all sides of
tv. Nothing but fear pravent3 them rising here
and enacting all the horrors, all the brutalities, and
all the atrocious murders of their brother mis-
creants in the Upper Provinces ; but we have
abandoned sleep and watch them night and day ;
nothing but continuous patrols all the night long,
sentries challenging, armed parties passing each.
other, so that a bird can scarcely rattle
watchful,
branch
without attracting the notice of the ever
sleepless sentinel.
"I remain, my dear Grandfather,
" Your affectionate grandson,
" RICHARD DOUGLAS."

NEW DISCOVERY or IRON ORE, NEAR ITLVERSTON.—
aufveaecnatunerti:s.
A correspondent writes :—" The very recent discovery
of iron ore, about half a mile above the town of ITI% or-
,,eon, at a depth of only from three to six feet, extends
the surface area some three miles further north of the
zioLris s
hwiepemkeanbt o, ui
including
ell,uodoion
gi ions
6w 1101
tons already
At the close of
old and present workings
a,ve reached the cans
already put on boar
the tradere."—cam
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