The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-19 00:00:00

EVENIN(4,

THE RUMOURED MASSACRE 01' ATMs
TIVES FROM FUTTEHGHUR.
We have received the following letter respecting
this frightful story. We can ony hope that the
writer's doubts may be well-founded :
" In a leader of your issue of the 14th inst. this
rumour is alluded to as a fact. Thus recognised,
and relating to the murder of 130 of our craintry-
men, the rumour must cause intense anxiety to
very many families on this side.
"Allow me, therefore, to show that there are
strong reasons for Icelieving that the report, if not
purely a fabrication, will prove to be a gross exag-
geration of atrocities on a smaller scale, for which
the Rajah of Bithoor may have to answer.
" In a letter which I have received from Calcutta,
dated July 4, and of which I subjoin an extract,
the writer states his positive disbelief of the ru-
moured massacre, and only admits the bare possi-
bility of such an event. There is every reason to
accept as correct his information, that up t) the
20th or 21st of June everything remained quiet at
Futtehghur. Now. if this be true, the report must
be false. Futtehghur is 90 miles above Cawnpore,
and the latter place is 115 miles above Allahabad,
where the rumour was first heard of on the 23d of
June. Those who know anything of the rate at
which the native river craft move will allow at least
two or three days from Futtehghur to Cawnpore,
even if the boats proceed singly, and nearly double
that time for a fleet of 50 boats keeping together,
which is implied in the rumour. If the boats pro-
ceeded separately, some out of so many must have
escaped. If they went in a fleet, which is almost
impossible, they could not have been at Cawnpore
even on the 23d of June, the date of the rumour at
Allahabad ; while two days at least must be al-
lowed for intelligence reaching the latter place from
Cawnpore, especially when there was no postal com-
munication.
" There are other circumstances which throw
discredit on the report. The revolted Sepoys at
Futtetaghur committed no violence, but only de-
serted their service, and marched for Delhi. This
renders it wholly improbable that the Europeans
there should all have been seized with a causeless
panic, which, according to the Friend of India, on-
casioned their flight. Up to the 4th of July the
authorities at Calcutta had no information of the
alleged slaughter at Cawnpore. So late as the Ist
of July General Havelock reported from Allahabad,
" Etawah and Futtehghur safe in our hands ;" and,
had such a frightful crime been perpetrated at
Cawnpore a week previously, he must have known
of it. Then, may it not be held that my corre-
spondent's information, obtained through the best
native channels up to the 4th July in Calcutta, is
entitled to a preference over the accounts which the
Englishman and other Calcutta papers had received
nearly a week before ? In these accounts there is
one particular so inaccurate as to affect the credibi-
lity of the whole story. It is stated that the fugi-
tives were attacked at Bithoor (Bhitoor in the re-
port), landed and dragged to the Parade-ground at
Cawnpore, &c. Now, Bithoor is 12 miles above
Cawnpore.
" The version given in the Phmtike of the 30th of
June seems to indicate the origin of all these fright
fill rumours. We are told that a Ghomastab,
writing from Allahabad, stated that he had left
Cawnpore on the 18th of June, and reported that
the Mahratta chief of Bithoer and other rebels
had put to death nearly 200 Europeans, including
above 100 fugitives from, as he says, Nynee Tal.'
Now, it is quite probable that the Gbomastah's re-
port may be so far true that the Bithoor Chief may
have put to death some unfortunate Europeans who
may have fallen within his power. This would be
foundation enough for the tale of horror which, ac-
cording to the Bombay Times, was first bruited at
Allahabad on the 23d of June, which would be about
the probable time of arrival there of the Ghomastah,
who left Cawnpore on the 18th.
"Putting all the circumstances together. it ap-
pears to me that those (of whom I one) who
have friends in Futtehghur may hopefully look for-
ward to the receipt by next mail of an authoritative
contradiction to the alarming rumours in question."
" CALCUTTA, July 4.
"You will see in the newspapers that go by this
mail an account of the massacre at Cawnpore of
120 Europeans who had fled from Futtehghur by
boats for Allahabad. We do not believe the reports
of this affair, because, in the first place, there was
nothing like that number of Europeans in the place,
even including half-castes under that head ; also,
because Government has had no account of the
transaction ; and further, because we learn from
the agents here of the Furrucabad shroffs, of whom
we make almost daily inquiries, that up to the 20th
or 21st ult. (there is the uncertainty of a day, aris-
ing from the native method of noting dates), every-
thing at Futtehghur had remained quiet. Now,
these native bankers contrive to get their letters
conveyed when Government itself fails to do so ;
therefore, we feel inclined to place a good deal of
confidence in the accounts communicated by these
bazaar men. At the same time there is no
denying the possibility of the truth of the re-
ported massacre of the Futtehghur people. I only
hope that in the end it may prove not to be true,
and that by next mail we may be able to announce
that the communication between that station and
Allahabad has been restored, and that we have
heard from Mr. himself as to his own safety."
We have received the following letter on this
subject from Mr. H. F. Gibbous, of Brick-court,
Temple :
It may perhaps be interesting to some of your
readers to know somewhat of Nana Sahib, the
wretch who is reported to have committed the
wholesale murders at Bhitoor. He is not, I eelieve,
as represented, the adopted son of the ex-Peishwa
Bajee Rao, nor does he pretend to be so, Dhoondo
Punt being the adopted son of that prince. He is
the eldest son of the ex-Peishwa's Soubandar, Ram-
chunder Punt, and is, as natives go, tolerably well
educated. During his father's lifetime he was on
ill terms with the Commissioner, Colonel Manson,
and was charged by him with forgery, but the
offence was not proved. He afterwards applied,
through his father the Soubandar, for the post of
commander of cavalry in the Gwalior service, but it
was refused him. On his father's death he claimed
to succeed to the bulk of the paternal wealth
under a will which had been made out in Mahral ta
and English, but the authorities considered it a
forgery, and his younger brothers claiming equal
shares, as under an intestacy, the courts held him
entitled to only one-third, instead of Ethe whole.
His disaffected spirit must have been well known,
and his having been left in possession of artillery
and such like means of offence is one of those
problems which the Government of India ought to
called upon to explain."
a

THE MUTINY AT MHOW.

FORT, July 6.

What many of us have long feared has happened
—viz., a mutiny in our regiment, and in that of the
cavalry stationed with us. Nearly every regiment
of Sepoys in the army had mutinied ; and after
hearing of the fall of Delhi, and from our isolated
position, we expected that we might escape, but it
was not to be our fate ; it began as follows :
On the morning of the Ist we heard guns in the
direction of Indore, and about 11 o'clock two
guns passed through the centre of our cantonments,
and down the Bombay road. An hour after
they had passed an express came in from
Indore, telling us the Residency had been attacked
by the Mussutman poputation of the city, and the
native troops had refused to fire on them ; that
Colonel Durand and all the Europeans that had
escaped the massacre were retreating on the Simirole
road, and that we were to stop the guns at all
hazards, as they were going to command a pass on
the Bombay road, through which Woodburn's
column had to march. When the order was given
for two companies of ours to turn out and a de-
tachment of cavalry I noticed our men were very
long turning out, and on the march would not step
out, although every moment was of consequence.
The cavalry were before us and came up with the
guns. Captain Brookes ordered a charge, but they
hesitated, and at last went on, he leading, and
killing one man who attempted to draw his sword.
The guns were taken by him, but he could not
disarm them until we came up. We took the arms
from the gunners, yoked the bullocks to the guns,
and came back to cantonments. I noticed how
sulky the men were, and when I went to the lines
to lodge their ammunition they told me they had
an order to keep 40 rounds in their pouch, but I
would not let them, and there was a good deal of
grumbling, but they all pretended they were faith-
ful to us, and onty wanted their arms in CM') they
were attacked from Indore. However, in riding
away from the lines I saw the men collected in
groups talking, and some with muskets in their
hands; this made me more suspicious, and I went
and reported it to the Colonel ; he, poor man,
thanked me, but evidently did not doubt the good
faith of the regiment. . • • • • ho w-
eve r, thank God, my representations, coupled with
the assistance of the officer commanding the
Artillery, made him give orders for the occupation
of the place we are now in ; but, to give cur men
confidence in us, we had guards detached to our
bungalows, and had orders to sleep in our lines.
Our dinner was taken down to our serjoant-
major's house, close to the lines, and there we sat
down. During dinner we saw a light on the rcof
of our mess-house. I went up, and it was put out
by the cook. Not one of the Sepoys of the guards
was there. That made me nervous, but I went
back to the lines, and we all sat in a group, talking.
After a little while they came and told us there
was a light in another roof. I went up and beat
out the fire with nay cap, and was assisted by a