The Sun.
London, England, 1857-10-08 00:00:00

I.IZ4.I3,ATtIiE.

•
to Story of My Life. B 7 Lora William Lennox,
" Compton Audley," &c. 3 vols.
Alluutrllotranodf
Blackett.
These volumes present a remarkable variety to
the readir, many different scenes of society, being
brought before the notice, and, the several persima
iges introduced in them affording a striking con-
trast to those novels, which follow exclusively the
fortunes of the hero or heroine, briefly referring to
all others. The adventures of the hero, ArAur
Pembroke, are chronicled, and hi certainly van a
ircer worthy of notice, Er it was phntifully diver-
sified in incident, and his wand4ing course iaillus-
tiative of the fate of others also strangelir'circiim-
stanced. At the commencement of his record he
relates how he was sent to a school, in nu ways cele-
brated for wise rule or elevated doctrines, where
is mania for practical jokes caused such cOmniet;on
that to avert the consequences he van away. He
was to have gone to sea, but his evil fate wont before
him, and such tales of his exploits reached the ears
of the officials that his services were dispensed with.
He subsequently entered the many, where his va-
rious doings form an agreeable subject for study ;
tint he meanwhile gives, par parenthese, the sum-
mary of the life and deeds of some whom IN en-
counters in the highway of ,existence. Of these
gone is more amusing than Major Skittowe.' The
zeal and assiduity which this worthy displays to
further his purposes and execute his devices might
shame many a better man intent on a higher object.
His bast trick was the adroitness with whieh he con-
trived to fasten himself on a friend as the dinner
hour approached, or the careless, easy manner in
which he sometimes dropped in as the meal was
being serve I. He had a habit of always walking
forward while the accounts were being calledfor at
any establishment. Mingled with some public affairs,
such as races, horsedealing, &c., in the description of
which some useful hints may be gathered, there is a
private story of no mean interest. Mary Winterburn
was a superior character, and though pleasing and-
smiable, she was'not of the doll-like description of
beauty ; she would not sit stilt and hear her wrongs
meekly ; she possessed a spirit, and when .roused to
indignation it was not an easy task to control her.
This Arthur Pembroke found out too la' e ; they
+lad been privately married, and he had been cnn-
polled to join his regiment, leaving her i 4 ";town.
ft would have been more prudent to have wasted
for years to bring discretion to both ; bAt; tirstead
of doing such a wise thing, they married iii_ha4e,
Lind had plenty of time to repent ; for,Mary,
alarmed at some reports she lead went abroad,
and her husband, offended at her anger, remained
at home alone for several years, to ruminate on the
ill-luck that attended him wherever his steps
strayed. He had forgotten to be more cautious in
his conduct than before -his marriage, and also had
boon unwise enough not to mention his plans to
his wife. Whatever has been concealed from us

always acquires a double force when discovered at

last, and hence the catastrophe occurred. It is not
pleasant to the reader to dwell on the passage of
Arthur Pembroke's narrative, in which he makes
mention of his acquaintance with Ada Oastleton ;

it was inconsistent with honour and right feeling
to go on as he di,t, when he knew that he had been
introduced to her family under false pretences.
Some of the events mentioned are very graphically
described, and one of the most exciting is the
struggle made by Pembroke and some of his friends
to reach town in order to stop the agents from de-
livering the money for a cheque that had been ob-
tained under false pretences. Any readers desirous
of leaving the heavy folio and the dry tome for a
peep into a lighter and livelier publication, cannot
do better than possess themselves of the "Story of
My Life," in which a series of
" Quips, and cracks, and wanton wiles"
is displayed before them in endless variety. Addod
to this, as the story dates some years back, it may
not be unieteresting to take, notice of the then
celebrities of the day and hour, and to compare
soma of the past arrangements of fashion and frolic
with those of the present.

THE INDIAN MUTINIES.

CALCUTTA.

1111112.4. CT FROM A JOURNAL KEPT BY A RESIDENT I
CALCUTTA FROM OTH to 22D AUG.
Aug; 9.—Her Majesty's ship Shannon arrives ; said
to have 6, .reinforcement of 1,700 men, in reality she has
300 marl...tee, bat the whole of her crew is to be made
available fe-r, defence of Calcutta. Bentinck, which was
to have baien despatched to-morrow, is ordered to be
kept back. Numerous armed bodies of men are hovering
about Calcutta,. it is supposed not less than 70,000 men,
exclusive of those' known to be hiding in the town, and
a large number of cavalry.
Aug. 10—Lords C
g and Elgin meet in consulta-
tion,js
the result is Ltdn ntion be this : that two things are
ordered to be done
vilach no entreaty or persuasion could
et:nor, viz.: first, compulsory enlist-
wring from our gov
o ;
meut in the militia o all ablab d Christiansand
secondly, disarming of .all Bengal soldiery still allowed
to be armed—both of tl.,e,se much wanted.
The Sepoys, horse and .fc.eit, who have remained steady,
have done so with the obis It of killing more officers, or
,
doing more mischief hereartesr. This is found out before
Delhi, where the Sikhs, see.'r. g our officers falling, keep
an eye upon and discover the: traitors. Large meetings
of armed natives continue to. ,be held in Calcutta; the
native police will take no notice of this. The European
Inspectors say no breach of O. ie peace has been corn.
mitted and they cannot interfere.. Mr. Wauchope, chief
commissioner of police, is an East.lndia Company's civil
servant, and notoriously hostile to' all European adven-
turers. The native police speak thi fir minds pretty freely
to the Madras troops, four of wh oiu are arrested, and
fined for nothing. No notice is, h owever, to be taken
of the seditious language used by th o police.
Captain Peel, of her Majesty's ship .Shannon, is to lead
an expedition of 400 men to Allahabag', taking up a for-
midable battery ; he will have to fight his way, for no
steamer can ever stop to wood and water without risk
of being tired upon.
Aug.ll—Lord Canning,after having be n worried since
May, consents to take into consideration the propriety
of having the Fort victualled and put in order for recep
tion of the Christian population in case of necessity.
This has been done at Madras some time ago—here we
think, there they do a thing.
Hazareebaugh plundered and burnt.
Gya burnt and destroyed. Alonzo Money, Civil Ser-
vice, and another gentleman, carry off the Government
treasure, 900,000 rupees, fighting hard for it ; the former
kills five men with his own hand.
The siege of Agra, capital of the north-west, is a fact;
full particulars of a fight outside the walls reach us, It
lasted over two hours, and if better led our side would
have won the day ; as it was they had to retire into the
fort and were deuced near being cut off; the mutineers,
infantry, cavalry, and artillery were well led. On our side
the Government office clerks, and other Europeans and
Christians, hastily drilled and formed into a regiment,
behaved admirably, and antlered heavily in killed.
Government order the Bentinck, and each succeeding
steamer, to prepare for carrying troops on her return
voyage from Suez.
Mr. Halliday, Lient.-Governor of Bengal puts a Mus-
sulman into a magistracy with a salary of 1,500 rupees a
month. The man is as bitter against us as the rest of his
creed can be, and no European henceforth can carry on
trade, or own land in that district. The gentleman by
bribes and exactions will probably make not less than
10,000 rupees monthly. People are open-mouthed at this
appointment.
Arrived, frigate Pearl, and private steamer Lanesfield
with more troops, detachment of her Majesty's 90th,
and h.larines of her Majesty's Transit, which last has
finally succeeded in knocking a hole in her bottom in
Straits of Banca.
Aug. 12.—A horrible rumour, on native authority, of
a rising at Bangalore and total destruction of that placer;
wants confirmation.
It is new ascertained that Gen. Havelock has had to
retreat upon Cawnpore, which he did with success, car-
rying with him everything ; he was losing 60 men a day
by oho:era. He has been reinforced and is at them again.
We expect to hear of another fight. The situation
of Lucknew and its brave garrison is desperate. Poor
Bankes was shot before he commanded 43 hours. That
"excellent" man Nana Sahib is before Lucknow ; he lest
40.00.000 rupees in treasure, and C. R. 54.00.000 ditto,
in Government securities of the 5 per cent. loan, which
are to be confiscated; I hope he will be caught alive.
Europeans are being enlisted in the police at 51. a month.
The consequence is no ships will get away for some time
to come ; any gentleman in her Majesty's gaol for some-
thing short of felony, may, on assuring the gaoler that he
will behave himself, be enlisted in the police, and yet
Government assert everything is going on well, and there
is not the slightest cause for apprehension. Directly a
ship drops anchor the crew thrash the mates, and per-
haps the skipper, and are sent to gaol, not to break stones,
but to have a jolly good spree on shore, and receive 51. a
month as remuneration for the same.
The question begins to be asked, where are this month's
salaries of public servants to come from ? The treasury is
nearly empty, and Government have neither money nor
credit.

E►erything in Calcutta up to famine price, and the
present is a joke to what must follow in consequence of
the immense tracts of country left uncultivated.
Our native servants have been all tampered with, to
murder or poison us, but have fortunately refused, some,
very few, from fidelity, most from fear. 1 hope to add
before finishing this that I have caught and hung the
emissary. My own old servant explains the reason, which
is, that if the native print... India got the upper hand,
the native gentry would give them halt the wages, and
exact from them exactly four times as much work as we
do—they do not attempt to conceal that it is the King of
Delhi, King of Oude, and Nawab of Moorshedabad who
are stirring up the present disturbance; but there is a
great Belatee Rajah—a foreign potentate—who is at the
bottom of all. Barbarian was used to signify anything
out of Greece ; so does Belatee mean anything oat of
India—and the Emperor of Russia is nu doubt the man.
Aug. 13.—Arrived the steamer Bengal, with Sir Colin
Campbell, and a delightful account of how the British
view our present troubles. Lerd Ellenborough is th
only man who knows a bit about it. The plot thickens
more places are destroyed, and more treasure plundered.
Captain Peel (Her Majesty's ship Shannon) with 400
seamen and marineg, start by water for Upper Provinces.
He taker a formidable battery with him. Fourteen
miles from Calcutta a ship is fired into. At last per-
mission to flog all native loiterers and lurkers about the
fort to the extent of 50 lashes is extorted from Lord
Canning, but be manfully resists (Aug. 14) seizing large
stores of arms and ammunition pointed out to him, will
not call out the militia, will not do anything to some
hundreds of native wealthy and influential people who
have been named as having aided and abetted the rebel-
lion. Quere—is this not doing likewise ? There is a
talk of disagreement already between him and Sir Colin
Campbell.
August 15—Government take the Ava to return Lord
Elgin and suite to China. There are, it is true, only
half-a-dozen East India Company's men-of-war steamers
lying idle, bat Lord Elgin knows most of them are not
nsurable.

More reports of disasters in the Upper Provinces ;
bat Government resolutely shut up post telegraphs, and
every source of information ; the native post runs reg u-
larly and safely. East India Company's paper of the
Five per Cent. Loan sells in Lucknow at 81 per Cent.
discount. A hard nut for anyone who says the funds are
a sure indication of coming events.

August 16.--Matters at Raneeeunge are said to be
in so unsatisfactory a state from large armed bodies
collecting and threatening the collieries, that Her
Majesty's 52d are ordered off to see what's the matter
and quiet the people ; it is supposed and hoped that they
will be back in Calcutta for the Mohurrum. This festi-
val commences on Thursday, the 20th, and from that day
the Volunteers are to be on duty, half of them by day
and half by night, for 10 days, and perhaps till the 3d of
September. In the meantime the blacksmith opposite my
house is hard at work forging pike-heads, night and day,
in full sight of the police, and I only mention this as a
sample of what is permitted to be carried on openly in
Calcutta at such a time of dangeranduncertainty. News
is now coming in that the Irregular Cavalry, our last
stand by, are universally proving faithless, and are ac-
cordingly disarmed wherever they can be caught. Lord
Canning visits the Shannon, moored closed alongside the
fort ; her extra cabins are ordered to be left standing
until after the Mohurrum, ab,sit omen, but it looks as if
they still might possibly be wanted.
8:r Colin Campbell goes incog. into Fort William,
and finds matters so little to his liking that and ano-
ther officer are put under arrest. Itis said he will not be
sworn in Commander-in-Chief until he is to have his
own absolute uncontrolled will, in spite of Lord Can-
ninp's fancies and weaknesses for rebels and murderers.
August 17.--Various creeks and small rivers which
ran into the Hooghley are full of boat-loads of armed
men, all making for this place, and bent on murder and
plunder. The Chief Commissioner of Police at last begins
to mistrust the native police, and is making frantic
efforts to procure Europeans. Any fool could have told
him the same months ago.
The festival of the Mohurruos commences the 20th
lust., and we shall see then or thereabouts what may be
Coming.
I this day refused to join the Vigilance Committer,
Aau did my best to dissuade others. I would like the
thing„ well enough if it world simply begin and end in
flogging and pickling the Legislative Council, but the
danger is from our numerous German and other foreign-
er*, whom nothing' short of I lood would satisfy, add to
ViiB, a highly exasperated European soldiery would rxu-
tiny, and then there is no saying what the end might., be.
August 18. —Lord Can
Campbell for the row he rfmonstrates with (rec.
in the fort, and re-
oeiees the following answer':2,d,e,lep
ergw_lf, my lord, you
falai' have the fort, and do
pwehanat,,yoldielrike there, but I
mean to remove every Euro
ont of it." •
I am mistaken in the name of the officer put under ar:
rest ; It was not--, but
Teank God it is a fact, the militia is to be foie-welly
caned out and embodied by' compulsory enlistment. This
will give us over 3,000 Europeans and half-casue armed
men, who, at all events, will make a show.
Government have received information, in a &nullr
manner, of all that is intended to be done in the Mohur.
rum. The only fear is it may not be acted upon, the
Grivernor-General being determined to listen to no sug-
'estions whatever. I trust, however, he will think better
of it. Half Calcutta may be destroyed, but the nation
at large will learn that his lordship knew it was to hap-
Pen, and with ample means at his disposal refuse] to
make an effort even to avert the calamity. The indivi-
ii)!l4-1 who turns informer gives one material guarantee for
le fidelity, in recommending a measure which fortu-
nately was carried •
into effect many days ago, viz. disarm-
ing the bodyguard. They had been suspected of treachery
and watched ; he wrote- from a groat distance, and could
not have known what was doing here.
August 20—Various reports of squabbles between
Lord Canning and Colin Campbell ;
the last not being