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

'AUGUST 10I 11457

THE INDIAN MUTINIES.

Sepoy on guard from own house. l_tfter ex-
tinguishing it I went back and sat down. SL'ilne
officer proposed we should then go to our beds at
the bells of arms of each of our companies, and. I
were going, when some one said, " The report is
the regiment will rise at 10 to-night." It then
wanted 10 minutes, and our major said, " Oh,
very well ; let's wait and see." By Jove, the words
were hardly uttered when we heard shots in the
cavalry lines, and we all sprung up, some one cry-
ing out we were attacked in rear by the Bheels.
We all ran towards our companies, but as I got to
mine I was received by two shots, one in rear and
one in front ; an officer was behind me, and I sang
out, "The men ara firing on us, there is no hope
—run." I then saw the adjutant galloping towards
our quarter guard ; he was received by a volley.
He, poor man, saw it was hopeless, and told Dysart
to run. It was a bright, beautiful moonlight night,
and we were in our white uniforms, so they could
see us for a long distance. I ran and received a
volley from our grenadier company, but the bullets
went all round me. After a little [ was dead beat,
and could not move, but, seeing a Syce running
away with au officer's horse, I seized it, and
mounted, but, not liking to carry away an animal
that belonged to another man who might be in
danger, I waited under the shade of an empty
guardhouse to see for him, but I heard footsteps,
and, looking round the corner, I saw the men of
our hospital guard within 50 yards of me. I thought
then I was done for, but put the horse to a gallop,
and heard a shot ping by me quite close. I then
made for the fort, and found the gateway all con-
fusion. Our poor colonel was there on horseback,
and, infatuated to the last, would not believe the
men had mutinied, and called on the adjutant to
follow him to the lines. That was the last we saw
of the poor fellows. We instantly disarmed the na-
tive guard in the fort, and turned them out,
mounted sentries at the bastions ourselves, and pre-
pared for the worst. It was a fearful night, some of
our officers were on picket duty by themselves, miles
out on the Indore-road, and we feared their death
was certain ; in fact, the escapes were wonderful.
One officer, who had hid in the bazaar all night,
came into the fort at daybreak, telling us the colonel
and adjutant of our regiment had been killed in our
lines, and that Major Harris was lying dead in the
road, shot by his own troopers. The only one we
could not account for was Dr. Thornton, of the
cavalry. Hearing the bodies were lying there, we
resolved to bring them in, and went out with two
guns and some officers mounted to protect them.
The scene of pillage and confusion was horrible ;
our messhouse was burnt to the ground ; my own
house also. I have lost everything except my
sword and pistols, which I had on at the time of
this outbreak Having recovered the
bodies, and not knowing how many men were noir
us, we returned to the fort and had the melancholy
task of burying them ; throughout all this I cannot
express the admiration I feel at the way the ladies
have behaved—cheerful, and assisting in every way
in their power ; poor things, without servants or
quarters, huddled together, they have had to do
everything for themselves, and employ all their
time in sewing bags for powder for the guns, well
knowing the awful fate that awaits them if the place
is taken ; there has not been a sign of fear, they
bring us tea or any little thing they can, and would
eTen like to keep watch on the bastions if we would
let them. . . Yesterday
Holkar's Vakeel came over and disclaimed all
participation in the mutiny. We shall see if he
is sincere, for they offered to send all the treasure
that was not carried off over here, but I have my
doubts. We have no money, and the people round,
seeing the state of affairs, won't let us have any-
thing without paying for it. We hear Woodburn's
column will be here on the 15th. God speed it !
There is no water in the fort ; we are dependent
for it from a well close by, and if we are invested I
don't know what we shall do. It all depends on
Holker, for our mutineers have marched to that
rallying place of the faithful, Delhi, to assist there.
I don't know whether you will ever get this
letter, for the road is lined with people to in-
tercept the daks. You should see the state we are
in,—men making up canister, ladies sewing powder
bags, people bringing plunder recovered, artillery
mounting guns, and I don't know what all ; all of
us dirty and tired with night watching ; we mount
sentry duty to take the weight of it off the artillery-
men ; we snatch sleep and food as we can ; we have
made a few foraging parties, and I succeeded .in
driving back our mess sheep, to the number of
150, and recovered a lot of mess stores • but all
our silver and furniture has been stolen and burnt.
Ttiis is not a regular fort—merely a sort of store
place for spare guns, &c. But we are putting it
in as defensible a state as we can, and I think we
shall stagger a few before they capture it. Martial
law is proclaimed, and a gallows in course of erec-
tion outside the fort gates. Mercy is a word we
have scratched out ; in fact, mercy to them is
death to us.

MR. GLADSIOLVE AND ME. EDWIN

JAMES, Q.C.

The following correspondence has been pub-
lished :
" Brookes's Club, Saturday Evening, Aug. 15.
"Sir,—My attention has been drawn to the report of
a speech delivered by you in the House of Commons on
Friday evening, in which you refer to observations
made by me, as counsel for the plaintiff, in an action for
criminal conversation tried at the assizes for the county
of Surrey.
" My speech is inaccurately reported.
"I neither intended to institute, nor did I institute,
any parallel between the witness upon whose evidence I
was commenting and yourself; still less was it my in-
tention to represent your conduct as derogatory and
un becoming.
" The proceedings taken by the Duke of Newcastle
to obtain a divorce from his wife have become a matter
Publici Juris'—a subject of forensic history—and I
de not consider that I transgressed the fair limits of the
advocate in referring to them.
" The sentiment which I intended to convey to the
jury was, that a man of the highest position and the
most unsullied honour might, from feelisigs of friendship
and from the most sincere motives, lend his assistance
to another in procuring the evidence essential to obtain
a separation from a wife who had dishonoured him, and
who, he believed, was no longer worthy to bear his name.
" Since my return to town I have read the testimony
given by you in support of the Bill in the House of
Lords, and which I think justifies the statement which
I made in the course of my address to the jury.
"I venture to suggest that it is due to yourself and
to me that you should read this letter in your place in
the House of Commons, and I beg the favour of your
informing me whether you will comply with this request.
Should you accede, the necessity for any other mode of
publication will be obviated.
" I have the honour to be, Sir,
"Your obedient servant,
" EDWIN JAMES.
"To the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, Esq.,
M.P., &c." •

" 11, Carlton-house-terrace, Aug. 17.
"Sir,—l have had the honour to receive thii evening
your letter of the 15th, and I regret that I cannot comply
with the request which it contains.
" Whether the rules of the House of Commons would
permit me to read that letter to the house, I have not
inquired ; for, even if they should do so, I could not
ask the house to listen to a document the most material
part of which I could read only to question and con-
tradict. •
" So far as I am concerned, the matter will rest upon
my evidence before the House of Lords, and my state-
n3ont in my place.
"Of course I cannot have the smallest objection to
the publicati ,n of your letter, and you are quite at
liberty to add this note I now write, or not, as you
think fit.

"I have the honour to be, Sir,
" Your most obedient servant,
" W. E. GLADSTONE.
" Edwiu James, Esq., Q C., &c."