The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-19 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY, SEPT. 19, 1857.

We cannot compliment the compilers of the
Government telegraphic intelligence very highly
on the accuracy of their summaries. The cs.mi-
nation of the accounts must be of a very cursory
and careless description, when the most important
part of the tidings is altogether withhell, and the
public mind very needlessly alarmed, through the
negligence or incapacity of the officials. The re-
treat of General HAVELOCK to Cawnpore, after
being 25 miles on his way tc, Lucknow, within a
single day's march of the beleaguered city, for
the purpose of leaving his sick, considerably in-

creased from cholcri, and of obtaining reinforec.

merits, was of a truly alarming character. It
' seemed as if the garrison and fugitives at Luck-
now had been abandoned to their fate, and that
the condition of the gallant and indefatigable
General, marching to their relief, must have been
such as to excite grave apprehensions, when he
felt the exigencies of his position to be such as to
compel him to abandon his labour of love. Had
it, however, been stated that his retreat was of a
very temporary character, and that, having placed
his sick and wounded, tone her with many
of the captured guns, in a place of secari•y,
and obtained adequate reinforcements, he had
&Pin, on the Ist of August, proceeded full
of confidence on. his onward march to ti e
relief of Lucknow, these very natu' al
apprehensions would have been allayed, and the
doubt and gloom that occupied the national mind,
averted. The news was not so very good, on the
whole, that any portion could have been spared
which might have relieved the anxiety.
Many complaints have been put forward as t,,
the inefficiency of the authorities both at Calcutta
and Dinapore, which have led to the remis-al of
General LLOYD, and the appointment of General
OUTRAM to the command of the divisions of Dina_
pore and Cawnpore. It is said that a deputation
of Calcutta merchants had waited on Lord CAN-
NING, earnestly soliciting the disarming, of the
three native regiments at Dinapore, and pointing
out bow it might easily he effected. This way
that a steamer, conveying an European Regiment,
might stop for three hours at Dinapore, and that
with the assistance of MINI. 10th R.gingerj,
stationed on the spot, the disarmament
might have been accomplished without diffi-
culty or danger. The salutary warnicg
was, however, disregarded. The few hours' delay
could not be sanctioned. Had it been so, the
mutiny at Dinapore, the derlerable loss of lice at

Arrah, and the insurrection at Behar, would in
all human probability have been averted. But.
General LLOYD was a very easy-going gent eman.
He did not see any necessity for such decisive
measures ; and his opinion, of course, regulated
the conduct of the authorities at Calcutta. He
relied on the fidelity of his men, and we have seen
the result of this mistaken confidence. Nor did
he redeem his previous vacillatiOn by energy or
decision when the mutiny was actually dis-
played. In place of promptly suppressing the
first symptoms of disaffection, he gave them ample
time to arrange their plans and to escape with
their weapons and ammunition. Nay, the 7th
and Bth Regiments of Native Infantry Carried
their colours with them, beating the big drum
as they went. It is said that the General,
actuated by " the better part of valour,"
removed to a steamer lying in the river, leaving
the English soldiers to act for themselves. Many
of the mutineers were subsequently killed, but it
is quite obvious that decided and energetic con-
duct in the first instance would have nipped th©
untoward movement in the very bud.
It was not for two days that the step of sending
out a detachment for the relief of the parties
assailed at Arrah, by the mutineers from Dina-
pore, was taken. We fancy that there must have
baen far more than eight Europeans endangered
at Arrah ; but even if that number of our brethren
only were placed in jeopardy, it would be quite
sufficient to have justified—nay, more, to have
rendered imperative an attempt at rescue. The
attempt failed, and with very serious loss, 200 of
our men being killed and wounded, but that ap-
pears to have been occasioned by the want of
caution on the part of the commanding officer,
Captain DUNBAR, of the 10th, who marched at
night through an unknown country, and thus fell
into the snare spread for his reception.

It was truly fortunate that the disarmament
was effected at Berhampore ore it was too late,
and other victims were added to the black cata-
logue. The value of steamboats on the river,
which we have advocated from the very begin-
ning, has been clearly established by the proceed-
ings at Dinapore, Berhampore, and ofier rivera ine
districts. There should not have been a moment's
delay in securing such important auxiliaries on
every point where they could be made available.
The mistake of General LLOYD led to the rising in
Behar, the insurrection at Patna, and the terrible
proceeding at Arrah. He will have a heavy ac-
count to render to his country for the sad conse-
quences of his indecision.
At Cawnpore, General NEILL had devised a
suitable punishment for the bloodthirsty miscreants
c3ncerned in the abominable massacre of the women
and children. "He had compelled," says the
Bengal lirurkaru, "all the high caste Brahmins
whom he could capture among the sepoys, to col-
lect the bloody clothes of the victims, and wash
up the blood from the floor, a Earopean soldier
standing over each man with a " cat" and admi-
nistering it with vigour whenever lie relaxed his
exertions. The wretches having been subjected
to this degradation, which of course includes
loss of caste, are then hanged one after another.
The punishment is said to be General NEILL'S
own invention, and its infliction has gained him
great credit."

It is said that the mock " King of DELHI had
been hanged." We fear it is too good news to
be true. We do not see by whom the act of
justice could have been performed, unless it was
the mutineers themselves who had elevated their
quondam idol.

We cannot speak in very satisfact3ry terms of
the present tiding. That relating to the renewed
march of General HAVELOCK, and the disarma-
ment at Berhampore are the only pleasing features
in the entire accounts, which will be found in
extenso in another part of our impression.

"Better late than never !" Even at the
eleventh hour, it is satisfactory to find that a
step has been taken which ought not have been
delayed a single moment. We find that orders
have been received at Southampton from Govern-
ment to fit up the Indian mail packet Ripon,
which leaves for Alexaniria on Sunday morning,
for the conveyance of 200 troops, who are to pro-
ceed to India overland through Egypt. The
troops will embark on board the Ripou at Malta.
If even 200 men can thus be sent, why may not
a far greater number ? They could easily be
spared from Malta, and other garrisons iu the Me-
diterranean ; ard there could be no greater ob-
jection to private solliers being sent as second-class,
than to officers as first-class passengers. There
could not, under any circumstances, have been
much difficulty i niprocuring the necessary permission
either from the SULTAN or the PASHA. Enel 'rid has
inane tao many sacrifices both in men and money
fur the benefit of the Ottoman Empire, and it.
would be base ingratitude if any impediments
were opposed in a matter wherein no possible
injury could be inflicted on either Turkey or
Egypt. •

We suppos', however, that it was to save a
little trouble to the Consul at Alexandria that the
wise and salutary measure has so long been delayed.
Indeed, we believe that gentleman is taking holiday',
and amusing himself at a time when matters
of vast importance are ventilated respecting the
district where his duties require all his efforts. In
reference to India, we want the earliest possible
intedigence and the most prompt and energetic
action. The Electric Telegraph can alone sati,sfy
the exigencies of the case in the former respect ;
the steady despatch of troops in the latter. Where,
then, is the Consul-General at this emergency
—when his services are so tirg-uatly de-
manded It may be that the vacillation and
indecision of the Leadenhall-street Board, "the
penny wise and pound foolish" policy of Mr.
Small of Cannon-row, may prevent, or rather re-
tard the laying down of the Red Sea line. But
were it otherwise, the absence of the Consul might
be productive of very untoward results.

The War-office may not have displayedthe requi-
site activity in sending out artillerymen and sol-
diers by the overland route. But, were it otherwise,
the consul could not have afforded his ass;stance
in making all the necessary arrangements. We
ask, then, again, where is the Consul-General at
this moment ? and what excuse can he offer for
his absence from his post ?
Wo hail the step of sending out even 200 men
as a step in the right direction, which must be
followed by similar measures of a more energetic
character. Every vessel that passes up the
Mediterranean should convey her quota of sAdiers.
Every caravan passing the desert should be ac•
cornpanied by English red coat 3, and every
steamer that coulj be efft:ctive on the rivers
81'°u1(1. hasten thereto. No time should
be lost in ad
energy shoukl. take
Zeal and °PlAug
any
et fhael
pu
ae ac s‘3u roe;
apathy and carelessness, yrl.jcrr should no longer
be tolenttel, either on the part of Ministers or of
their employes. Every man, from the high
st
to the lowest, must faithfully and efficiently
di -
charge his duty, or answer to the nation for the
consequences of his negligence.

Taa Marluis rf Ex t,:r is expcctA at Burgiiiey
11)11:,,z, shortly, from a t-Jur in

ATE, ' '6 T

NEVS
7 tit
4

THE OIVERLAND MAIL.

THE MUTINIES IN INDIA.
Oar Calcutta papers of the Bth cf August, and
those from China of the 25th July, have reached
us by Extraordinary Express. The intelligence is of
the highest interest, as we gather from it the im-
pertant fact that the retreat of General Havelock,
with his sick and wounded, to Cawnpore-on the
31st of July, was of a very temporary chiracter ;
for, having obtained more than adequate reinforce-
ments, this brave and distinguished officer pro-
ceeded on the Ist of August, full of confidence,
on his onward march to the relief of Lucknow,
which he expected to reach on the Bth of that
molith. May every success, say we, attend him
in his glorious enterprise !
(Front the Bengal Hurkara, Aug 8.)
SUMMARY.—A fortnight has pissed away since
we last wrote our Summary, and how do we
stand ? Then the thermometer was low ; now,
we regret to record, it is lower, and falling, falls
ing still. The successful mutiny of the native
troops at Dinapore, the insurrection of the 12th
Irregular Cavalry at' Segowlie, the rising of the
Zeniindars in a portion of Behar, the revolt of
the troops at Hazerebagh, and on our south-east-
ern frontier, have brought the troubled waters
nearer to our own doors ; but though an incalcu-
lable amount•of mischief has been thereby caused,
this is almost counterbalanced by the fact that
these disastrous events have at last opened our
niters' eyes to the magnitude of the crisis; Not
three weeks have elapsed since a deputation of
Calcutta merchants waited upon the Governor-
General, and represented the vast amount of in-
terests at stake at Tirhoot, and earnestly solicited
the disarming of the three native regiments at
Dinapore ; they pointed out how this might be
easily effected : how a steamer convoying an Eu-
ropean regiment might stop for three hours at
Dinapore, whilst the men, aided by H.M.'s 10th
Foot, could perform the operation. In vain : nut
an hour could be spared : troops were so urgently
required elsewhere—for this, or for some equally
powerful reason, the recommendation of the mer-
cantile pommunity was not adopted. Had their
advice been taken the troops would have been
delayed three hours, and would have proceeded
on their journey rejoicing ; because it was not
taken, those troops and others, " whose services
are most urgently required in the north-west,"
will be detained in the Behar district for weeks, if
not for months. Our European troops, for the
first time during the insurrection, have met not
only a check, but a very severe loss, and the whole
of Behar has been placed, momentarily only
we trust, at the mercy of 3,000 insurgents flushed
with success and eager for pillage. Measures have
been taken to intercept the insurgents before they
can cross the Ganges at Mixer, and directed as
those measures have been by a very able officer,
Major Vincent Eyre, we have every hope that they
will be successful. Should they fail, and should
the Sepoys cross there or elsewhere, they will
probably attempt to reach Oude by the Ghaze-
pore and Azimgurh. routes. We believe, however,
that Major Eyre's vigilance will have forestalled
them. For his conduct during the mutiny at
Dinapore Major-General Lloyd has been removed
from his command, and General Outram has been
invested with supreme military control over the
united Cawnpore and Dinapore Division?.
Brigadier-General Havelock's operations tell
their own tale. We left him in our last summary
just arrived at Cawnpore. The sight that there
met him and the troops under his command is
too horrible for relation. It will be recollected
that on the 15th July he fought with and defeated
Nana Sahib at the action of Pandoo Nuddy. At
that engagement the Nana was not present. On
hearing of its result, so untoward to himself,
he ordered all his captives to be massacred.
They had been increased, it is believed, by some
fugitives from Futteygurh. All of these were deli-
berately murdered in cold blood, their arms and
legs cut off, and thrown into a well. The ladies,
too, shared the same fate. It had one effec`,
however. When our soldiers entered Cawnpore
on the 17th, and realised the awful spectacle, they
were filled with but one feeling—a maddening
desire to be led against the villain who had per-
petrated those fiend-like acts. On the 19th Bithoor
was occupied ; on the 26th and 27th, a force
numbering 1,600 fighting men crossed the Ganges ;
on the 19th they fought two bloody but 4uccessfill
actions at Oonao and Bissaruthguej : on the 30,11
and 31st, Gen. Havelock sent back his wounded
and sick to Cawep ere, and received in lieu rein-
forcemeuts to a greater extent. On the Ist Aug.
he aecommenced his march towards Lueknow, and
was confident of being able to reach it on the Bth
(yesterday). In the list action the enemy fired
kunkur and telegraph wire from his guns, thus
showing the barrenness of his supplies.
Our force still continued before Delhi ; if, up
to the latest dates, that city had remained we-
captured, it is equally a fact that the enemy had
been repulsed with heavy loss in all their attacks.
Many of these were of a very serious nature, and
from ten to twelve hours in duration. Fighting
sheltered behind parapets and towers, or ensconced
in houses, the rebels had shown not only a bold
but a strong front. But whenever they had
appeared in the open, the superiority of Plessey,
Deig, and Aseilye had been conspicuously main-
tained. The force was at the latest date com-
manded by Brigadier Gen. Wilson, of the Arti's-
lery, an officer of high reputation—his two prede-
cessors, Generals Barnard and Reid, having been
carried off by cholera within a few days of on©
another.

The wisdom of disarming every regiment re,
cruited in Oude has been evidenced by the state of
affairs in the Puejartb. The stations where that
measure was carried out have remained perfectly
quiet : the others, where it was neglected, have been
the scenes of turbulence and upro kr. The 55th
Native Infantry at Jhelum, the 46th N.I. and
9th Cavalry at Sealkote, have all mutinied, and
inflieed some damage. The two latter corps
were, by the latest accounts, being hotly pursued
by Brigadier Nicholson, who had eheady inflicted
some chastisement upon them, as they endeavoured
to cross the Chenab. Meanwhile, the Sikhs con-
tinue loyal. Ruder the energetic supervision of
Sir John Lawrence many thousands of them are
being armed and drilled. The manifesto issued
against them by the Delhi insurgents, and the
punishments or rather tortures inflicted on all
who have fallen into their hands, entirely preclude
the idea of the Sikhs ever making common cause
with the Hindoostanees. We believe we can
trust them ; is necessary at all events that the
experiment should be tried.
Agra is still in the hands of the enemy; the
fort is still in our possession, and as it is gar-
risoned by an European Regiment, and is web
provisioned, no fears are entertained as to the
ability of its garrison to hold out. It is, however,
isolated, cut off from cornmiuica4ion with the
other parts of India ; tide suircurdin,g districts •