The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-30 00:00:00

THE MUTINIES IN INDIA.

THE MUTINY AT FYZA.BA.D.

We have been favoured with the following state-
ment by Colonel Lennox, lately commanding the
troops at Fyzabad :
" Intelligence being made by the civil authorities
on the 3d of June that the 17th Bnigal muineers
were in full march upon Fyzab ad, I called a con-
ference with the officers commanding and their staff
together with the senior native officers of corps,
to adopt measures for the defence of our lines and
the repelling of the mutineers, the native ( fficers
declaring themselves true and loyal, and re Ldy for
any emergency. The following day passed without.
any disturbance, but on the 7th so po-itive were
the troops that the mutineers would not pass
qrtiJly through Fyzabad that it was proposed to
march out as far as apiece called Serooj-Khoond, 5
miles from can tonments, and give the mut nears bat-
tle. To this the native officers objected, urging that
they had their families and property in their lines,
and that by remaining in cantonments they would
fight valiantly for their lives and of those dear to
them, and cordially shook hands with me and the
officers, saying, " We are all of one heart." Again,
on the evening of the 8:11 June positive informa-
-1 tion was received that the 17th Native Infantry
were to march into Fyzabad the following morn-
ing. Every officer was at his post in the liEe3 of the
regiment, myself at the quarter-guard, and the
troops by their arms. Two companies were told off
for the support of the 13th Light Field Battery
Artillery, and every precaution was taken for de-
fensive operations. At 10 p.m. an alarm was
sounded in the lines of the Gth Irregular Oude In-
fantry, and taken up by the 22d Regiment of Na-
tive Infantry,., the battery prepared for action,
loaded, and fuseesligbiedrwhen the Two conipaidel
in support of the guns immediately closed in and
crossed bayonets over the vents, preventing the
officer of the Artillery from appr-aehing, the bat-
tery. This was reported to me by Major Mill,
command ng the Artillery. I then went to the
guns and explained tug my men that- the bugle
sound was a false alarm, and ordered them to
return to their respective posts and leave ,only
one sentry over each gun. I. then returned .to
the lines of the 22d Regiment, with a view to dis-
missing the regiment. I found the Light Cavalry
had surrounded the regimental magazine,
in order,
as they said, to protect it. It appears this -was a.
preconcerted scheme, for the 51'i troop of the 15th
Irregular Cavalry sallied out and ins. antly planted
patrols all round the lines. I again visite I the guns,
but was refused admittance, the subadar (the prime
leader of the mutiny, Dhuleep Singh) telling me it
was necessary to guard the guns, and he would take
care of them, requesting me to go to the quart,r-
guard and take my rest, and th )t nothing should
happen to myselfand officers s-, long as we remaimed
with the regiment ; a guard with fixed bayonets
,urrounded me, and. escorted me to my charpoi.
The officers also of the regiment were not allowed
to move twelve paces without a guard followirg
them. Several officers a,ked me leave to flee away.
told them I had no power, and that I was a pri-
soner as well as themselves, but if they would
remain quiet in their lines till dmybreak Dhu-
leep Singh would give them an escort to the
boats at Meerurn Ghat, and send them off down the
Gogra. Two officers trying to escape were fired at
by ihe cavalry patrols, and brought back into the
lines. About sunrise on the 9th the officers were
allowed to take to the boats, myself and family
alone remaining in cantonments. At 10 a.m. Suba-
dar Dbuleep Singh visited me, having previous:y
placed sentries all round my bungalow. He stated
he was sorry at what had occurred, but such was
our fate, and he could not prevent it ; that the
Rasseldar of the sth troop of 15th Irregular Cavalry
was the leader, but that not a hair of our hea Is
should be touched, and that he (the subadar) had
come to order us a boat and get.it prepared for us,
and he hoped we should piss down the river in
safety, for he could not be answerable for us when
the 17th N. I. arrived at Fyz-tba I. We rem-mined in
cantonments till 2 p awl during the cow se of the
day the Moolavie who had created a disturbance in
the city of Fyzabad, and was c infitied in ourquarter-
guard until released by the mutineirs, sent request-
ing my full dress regimentals, which were delivered
up to him. He Sent the sub-es ielint-sur;leon of fhe
dispensary to assure me how grieved he was that I
should be obliged to flee, as through my kindness
~he had been taken much care of while confined
three months in the quarter-guard of the regiment,
and had been allowed by me his liGokah ; at the
same time requesting me to remain, and he would
take c.as of me and my family. The sub-assistant
surge n heeged me to pardon him for obeying the
orders of those whom he now 5, rved, that times
were altered, and he must obey those who fed and
cl4thed him.

" We left Fyzabad by boat at two p.m , and in
nearing Adjoodhea were hailed by a cavalry patrol,
who, after looking in+ o the boat, suff, red us to pass
on. We ha 1. not proceeded far when another
scout hailed us, ordering us to bring to or we
should fired on. He also suffered us to pass,
the Sepoys with us, Thacur Aliesir and Sunker
Singh, explaining to the scout that we were sent
off by the Rasseldar. At half-past 10 at night
we passed the camp of the 17th Regiment, but
in rounding a sandbank came upon a picket
of the mutineers, and were advised by
our Sepoys and boatmen to leave the boat and
creep along the side of the sandbank, and that the
boat should be brought round to meet us. We ac-
cordingly did so, and crossed the sandbank, being
out nearly two hours •, when the boat came round
at midnight we crossed over t he river to the Goru-k-
-pore district. In the morning, about daybreak,
some men coming down to bathe told us that there
were men on the look out for Europeans, and ad-
vised us to leave our boats as so in as we could and
follow some six or seven Sahibs (office's) who the
day before had gone towards Goruckpore. We
were about leaving the boat, when a party of men
came down and inquired who was in the boat ;
being satisfied by the boatmen they wt nt away, and
we then immediately quitted the boats, leaving our
'remaining property which the subadar had directed
to be given us at Fyzabad, and which. was now
plundered by the villagers..
" We began our flight towards Goruckpore on
foot, with only the clothes we had on. Our ayah
(woman servant) and kidmutgar (table attendant)
accompanied us; we stopped often under trees and
at wells, and had proceeded six miles, it being now
10 o'clock, when we halted at a village, and having
got a draught of milk prepared to rest during the
heat of the day. We were soon disturbed, for a
horseman advanced over the country, armed to the
teeth, having a huge horse pistol in his han, which
he cocked, and levelling it at my head desired me
to follow him to the camp of the 17th N.J. andake
no delay, for he was to get a rewterd of 59Orms. for
each of our heads! We had not retrained our steps
more than a mile when a lad joined us who was
known to the horseman, which determined ;jut to
make us quicken our pace. The lad, however, pe,r-
suaded him to let us drink water and rest near a
village, and while so doing he sent a boy to bring
men to our rescue. It appears that a Nagim, Meer
Mahomed Hossein Khan, had a small fort close by,
about three-quarters of a mile off. The Nagim im-
mediately sent out 10 or 12 footmen armed, who
on coming up directed us to follow them, and also
led the horgeman by the bridle, having disarmed
him. One of the men sent out for our rescue greatly
abused me, and, looking at his pistol and priming,
swore he would shoot those Englishmen who had
come to take away their caste and make them Chris-
tians. About midday we reached the fortified dwel-
ling of the Nagim, and were ushered into the place
where he was holding a council ; he bade us rest
and take some sherbet, assuring us that no harm
should happen to as, and he rebuked his insolent
retainer for hinting that a stable elese by would do
for us to dwell in, as we should not require it long,
he being prepared to kill the dogs! The Nagimagain
rebuked him, and told us not to fear, for he would
not suffer us to quit till the road was open and we
could reach Goruckpore in safety. On the second
day the Nagim, fearing the scouts of the 17th would
give intelligence that Europeans were hid in his fort
made us assume native dresses; the zenanah cloehed
my wife and daughter, and the Nagim clothed me.
Ho then dressed up a party in our English clothing
and sent them out with ant scort about 9 at night,
to deceive his outposts, and also the villagers ;
they returned about midnight in their proper
dresses, and it was supposed by all except the con-
fidential person of the Nagim 's household that he
had sent us away. We remained in captiVity in rear
of his zenanah, in a reed hut, nine days, treated
very kindly and considerately, Laving plenty of food
and a daily visit from our ke,per.
" The Nagim personally visited the mutineers
at
Fyzabad to learn their plan, which was to march
to the attack of Lucknow, and then proceed to
Delhi. The first time he visited the regiments at
Fyzabad they inquired very minutely concerning
certain Europeans he had harboured. The Nagim
declared that he had fed and rested three Europeans
and then sent them on ; to this they replied, It is
well ; we are glad you took care of the Colonel and
his family.'
"otter wehad been in captivity semen days the