The Sun.
London, England, 1810-07-26 00:00:00

no he, i 'own Con as the index and criterion of the a a ion.
, I fs • t'en also, that, weighing the dill-IC:Wes and the
rt; •
you
!o be encountered, you will not. withhold,wheh
1 out discern ibe honour and the rectitude of the heart,
that enlarged and iibe,ral discretion which consists in
t,,e, prudeot,cnoice of evils,. in bending as it were
beneath the storm; in the temporary submission to
.
necessities, in the adoption of conduCt to times and to

circUrn.tances. _
I sieall now consider the only remaining heads
of i.t asat,onthe, firing on the troops, the refusal
• to dtt-i-.,;,r up the fOrt, to the proper authorities. See
whether-the intentions which which have hitherto•
animwed me, will be found in this mature stage of
the tlansaCtion to have departed from me. One
other question will perhaps present itself; whether,
in t he new and extraordinary combination of circum-
stances. which had arisen, a sound discretion was
not cOferred upon me, of averting a bloody conflict
•between fellow-soldiers and fellow-citizens, by every
means in my power. From what you have already
' colleeted concerning the fevered state of the garrison,
the feelings which prevailed, and,' the passions' by
which the Officers were animated, you will be en-
abled to form a -taint rdea of the difficulties with
which I had 'to struggle. Could I escape ? That
- was impossible. Had it.been possible, could I have
deserted my Nit ? It was my maxim' of duty that
I was bound to stay, so long as I could be of any use;
so long as I, could preserve qUiet by my remon-
strances, nty intreaties, and what little of authority
remained with- me. Had I any order to quit the
garrison ? 'None.. Had I received any I would
have made the attempt, tho Ugh it, must have been
. immediately defeated. , I had given an intimation to
Colonel Davis in the letter above alluded to, that I
would stay as long as I could do any good ; or
had his orders.- His silence implied his acquieS-
cence ; lie gave me no orders to the contrary. The
leiter in which he observes, that the garrison,were
at,allsevents determined to oppose the Government,
was neither received by me, nor replied, to by me.
Could any influence' induce the officers to give up
the tort > In the first place, no orders to that et-
feet were ever given. In the second, the very at-
tempt would ,Ilit%e been ridiculous. Under sucfl cir-
cumstances, I resolved, by every expedient* within
my power, to restore discipline and obedience, _to
quiet the exasperations which might other wise break
out into the most fatal and pernicious measures.--It
is fof tuis that I have been. dragged hither as a
With these views' I resumed the command,
J thought that in the hands of a man anxiously bent
on peace and order and subordination, the controul
would be exercised with better chance for the public
interests, than in the hands Of seventy or, eighty.—
Arti I a criminal for having thus thought and thus
tided ? Had I declined it, I should have reillained
within the walls of Seritt,;apatani a mere prisoner,
stripped of all influence,to controul, or check, or ad-
monish. - Every, thinking nirt must .tremble when
he conjectures what might have resulted from such
antanJ rc hy. That these were the motives whiCh
me; is not-my own unsupported assertion ; they are
to be traced in the uniform language and sentiments
of my letters to Colonel, Davis, when the nii;itary
power was exercised by the Committee. • Those let-
ters have been produced no doubt, to, skew that my
intentions were•cranittal. Review them, and you
-will flint' that they warrant 110 such conclusion. But
amongst .hem I was not a little astonished that one •
to Colonel Davis,. so late as the nth of August did
not make its appearance. It would have been' an.
'important document, because it would have clearly
demonstrated what intentions I cherished, and with
what motives I was influenced on that day. It was
written the day before the renewal of my authority.
All communicatioos between Colonel Davis and the
gArrison had ceased on the 3d. Large bodies of My-
sore tro,ops had appeared in movements; they had
cut otlthe supplies of the garrison and lad commit-
ted other acts of irregularity, by seizing and detaining
persons on their way from and to the fort.
" In the total cessation of all intercourse between
'the garrison and Mysore,, and the suppression of all
intelligence from every quarter whatsoever, this cir-
cumstance had exhibited sensations the more vehe-
ment as it was mysterious and obscure.
• "No man would believe that it had entered into
the head or heart of any British subject to let loose
the troops of a native power on an English garrison,
and teach a dangerous theory which might hereafter
.be practised to time. destruction of the, Empire. It
never was imagined that such a procedure was autho-
rised by the Government. In the midst oithe agi-
tation occasioned.by-tlits most mysterious circurn-
stance, I rejoiced that the officers who had then the
CoUtioul of the garrison, had deterinined on the
most pacific conduel. Under that impression
wrote the following letter to Colonel Davis, which
the Judge- Advocate has not produced :
" SI K, •• " Seringapatam, Aug. 3, 1809.
- "It has been communicated, to me that the Of-
ficers of the garrison have come to a determination
not to be the first to commence hostilities, I have
therefore to hope that they pill come round irra
few days and follow the siepi of their brOther Of-
ficers, rather than risk the'loss of-British India.
(Signet) " J. BELL,
" Lieut.• Col. ben. Officer.'"

" Such, 'on the sth of August, we're-the expres-
sions of the man who, from the 30th of July, is
said to have been at the •head of a dangerous and
alarming mutiny. You wiil therefore perceive this
letter speaks au unambiguous language, that- so late
83 the stts I 'indulged the.-hope that the Officers
would follow the steps of their brother Officers, by
signing the test ;
,and that instead of meditating' re-
volt and conspiracy, my heart was occupied with
the solicitudes of a man loyal to his Kingand his
Country.

With this hope, I ' rejoiced that my authority
returned to me. How could I predict, that direct-
ing my efforts to these ends, and feeling these soli-
citudes, I could have been considered asheading a
'Mu ?"

Colonel. Bell next aims to shew, that he never re-
ceived orders for the surrender of the garrison, and
that he endeavoured to retain, the possession of it
merely to restrain the violence of the parties under
- his nominal command, and to protraa extremities,
in the. hope, that, in the interval, Lord Minto might
arr:ve at Madras. He then continues—

" My hopes, however, wei'e frustrated by the

. t .
, .
evehts of the- i tell August--of the nature ofsiny au- to be parts of the ISt battalion Rth regiment', 'and
thorit-y in such: a state-of things you may easily firm Ist battalion lath regiment native infantry; for'
an estimate, and hew far lam criminally responsible, needy the whole of that day, continued to come
for !mein -doee that which vvould,inevitably have into the fort, stripped, plundered, and bleeding.'
been done by others. If it 'be said, why. del you . "It was found that about 170 men wet e tiread-'
return to the shadow of authority, which you could ', fully wounded ; that about 50 lives had been lost,
not effectually exercise ? My answer is, that I re- . and amongst these many of the unhappy fellows. I
tamed it 'from the conviction, that the estimation in ! would describe the wretched speCtaeles who present-
which I was held by the 'arcurin general (an esti- ed themselves in the forr, one after another, the
mation which 4tbt is my pride to have obtained and whole of that dayebut I find myself unable to con-
merited), would give some weight to my opinion ' vey to yoti the faintqst picture of its horrors.: I
and remonstrances, and that if I could not wholly dwell upon it-Only as ii constituted the necessity On
subdue the exasperation, I might al least soften and which it was deemed requisite, for the 'safety of the
mitigate it. • garrison, by firing near the encampment on that
" I will now proceed concisely to.state the events tiight4o remove it from a position which augment-
of The I 1 th, and in the simplest statement of it, I ed comthotion caused by' the Cutting up of the
trust you will find my fullest vindication ; you will Seprn s.
hate already observed, that anxious for delay till My ; "On this occasion, as it became me, I did all
reference to the Supreme Government was answers that I-could to restore the confidence of the native'
ed, and intent on the prevention of btoodshed, some troops in the garris'on. The feelings excited by the
preparations were' made against the threatened at- : events of the day, had been roused by the dreadful
tack frotn'the'Mysoreans. , When it was foued that . spectacles before their eyes into a 1110 it alarming, in,
European troop were in sight-, my solicitude to subordination. The Sepoys of the battalions who
avoid a conflict wasiedoubled. ',could conceive in had suffered, cried out that they had been betrayed
imagination the dreanMl.carnage which must have ' by their Utlicers, who had given them stria orders
ensutd, it by a surprise on the -gariison/or an at.. not to fire 1 musket. But-the agitation was not
tempt to pass the bridge, hostilit'es had once corn- :,
confined- to the battalions. It had extended it--
menced. I know that the attempt would nave !teen self through the whole native foice of the garrison.
obstinately resisted. ' I was anxious therefore to • Ttie cry was for revenge. They .called cut in a
avoid the evil. ; phrenzy ofindignation to be led out against the
' -" In the mean time a camp was formed in a posi- camp. In the mean time reports -were circulated .
lion which not a little perplexed es. If the move- t that basket-boats were construding to cross,the river,
nient of the European force was hostile, it was dif- ' and scaling-ladders to mount the walls. Such an at-
flea to reconcile it to any vulgar notion of military f tempt, from the disposition of the:Officers, and the
operations, that it should have been planted within inflamed temper of the treops, would have ended in
range of the guns; On the other hand it is equally . a dreadful slaughter.
'difficult to conjecture shut a garrison 'in a state oft " I know that my authority could not restrain
hostile insurrection against the Civil and Military the fury of feelings,- which so many unhappy
events had conspired to produce. With the sauteAuthorities, should lave-sutfered an encampment to i
remain without molestation under the very mouth of , motive's which in e% cry stage of these transactions
their artillery. ' ! continued to influence me, anxious to avert so me-
lancholy a contest, and doubly anxious, from the
" Ili the morning of the I Ith, two Officers were
sent, to the camp to, inquire concei Ding the intentions ;occurrences of the day, to preserve the lives of the
.with which the force had been marched, to intimate 'garrison, and those who were acting againSt if, I
the reference that had been made-to Lord Mints), - deemed it expedient to remove the encatnpluent
.
,the imprudent situation in which they had encamp-
from the position it had taken.' A few salad
ed, and so assure them that the garrison was in the shells were therefore iht own at 'night, so directed,
utmost_ tranquility, and had determihed most religi- as to fall on the skirts of the encampment, and
ously to abstain fronrevery ad which might end in warn them of their datiger.
,That there. was .nu
bloodshed till an answer was received to their appli- other. objed in firing is evident froes the simple
cation to the Supreme Government. This deputa- ' fad itself, that - had other feelings influenced me,
Lion, after making an ineffettual attempt, to 4e. the whole camp might with little difficulty have
heard, returned to the garrison. Had 'this deputa- , been destroyed. Titis_ firing, theretbre, -like the
lion been received, the fatal effects of that day 'would I 'former, was to in:iniidate, nut to destroy ; to avert
havebeen averted. ! the horrors of a general rising of the Sepoys in the
w
"It was ab int ten o'clnek that a considerable body 'garrison, and to save the Ines of those ho, it
of Sepoys were discovered'to the northward, ad- seems, were acting against it. If the question' be
remain-
vancing towards the tort. What battalions they here again interposed, Why did you, by
Were I did not know. As . they were harassednind ing as the nominal and ostensible head of the gar-
pressed,upon, in all directions, by the Mysore horse, rison, incur the responsibility of these transactions I
My answer is again, I could not escape.—By re.
the safety o)' so 'large a body -of the HOnourable '
or;Lning there, f was enabled to Ward erf, by delay,
compeny'S native troops could not but be a matter
of considerable anxiety. By what orders.they march_ the most fatal conflids. I vindicate this act with
ed, or wnether they marched without any,' I was confidence. I have saved the effusion of innocent
wt offs Ignorant.i blood-xetopped an insurrection in the .garrison, the'
probable coussequenc4 of which can 'be best con-
" We Deserved, however, shortly afterwards,
that- a detachment of King's troops had left the jectured by those who remember the fatal incidents
camp, ae at Vellore. d were advancing, with impetuosity, to- /
~ " The natives of SlindOstan are meek and Sub-
wards the Sepoys,a scene of massacre followed, '
which it is painful to call to remembrance. The missive beyond other, example in. national' charac-
dragoons and I'oorniali's horse began to cut up the ter, but they a& not dead to the ordinary impulses
almost defenceless battalions, who seemed straggling of humanity. If you prick, them they will bleed
in disorder, and apparently exhausted from the la- —if you insult 'then] they will revenge. 'They
ligues of their march. They had still a consider- hold their existence by that charter,. in which
able distance to traverse before they could reach the Nature has writteq her unalterable and eternai
fort. . , . laws.. ..- . .
that the whole would have been cut up, before they
In the mean rime, there seemed every probability ; " The witnesses will best speak to the perturbs-
that lions in the garrison at this alarming period. Wo-
-
could come within its protection. The massacre of men and children did not escape this undistinguish-
so numerous a body of troops, every suggestion of ing attack 3 all that could awaken the feelings of
..men, and stir tfiern to retaliation,_ every minute
humanity, reason, and policy, called on rue to pre-
vent. eNo other motive was present to my mind. presented to their eyes. .SOme faint conception
,
For this purpose,. and. animated .soisly by_ this im-
may be formed of the agitations occasioned on
pulse, a very few shot were fired front the garrison, the very spot. where the poor miserable and mangled
which," although from the distance to-,Which they victims bad suffered by those whiCh were produced
were sent, could have effetted no mischief, by their When the Government account 'of this day, was re-
dire&ion they might induce the dragoons and the - ceived in General Orders at Hydrabad.
Mysore troops to desist from the pursuit and " They had nearly proved fatal to the country
slaughter of the Company's battalions. Happily
and every European in it ; for it is a solemn fact,
this effect was produced. . Two battaliOns of Se- I capable of easy proof, that_ when these orders were
pot's were. almost entirelyread,' in which it was stated that the whole of the
. saved from, destruetion,
by a firing of *bleb the object- was merely to
,i rebel force' had been destroyed, the Sepoys of that;
intimidate those who were pursuing them. with station, instigated by- their wives and women in
carnage, camp, turned_ out armed
~t.cut every European
es
throat, and, amongst the rest, those of their OWLS
" I cannot see with what plausibility this can be
. .
' -
urged as a Matter of Critnipation. I cannot lima-
officers.
gine that any man in cold blood. could have issued
f‘ It is with Satisfaction that I leave this part of
the subject. Whatever may be the event 1 this'
from -the seat of Government, one of whose high
trial, the remembrance of that, which is thus in-I.:.
and most sacred trusts is the paternal protection of
puled to me as a crimekshall never depart from me
the native subjects in India,--an order to extirpate so
, but with life itself. When the-recent transactions
many of God's creatures, before it could have been
known whether their movement towards the garri- of India are reviewed by minds uutinctured by local
son was criminal or innocent. , prejudice, and unbiassed by local animosities, what-
" But I 'am rel'eved from all deubt on this head ever becomes of me, the transaction 'itself will reflect,
•
by the public 'declaration of Sir G. Barlow himself; no shame on My memory.
in a General Order of the 30th August, these very i " I have thus gone through the whole of this
a battalions are exempted long transaction. If I have wearied you by the
from blame, and their in-
length of my defence, my excuse must be suggested
nocence publicly, proclaitned. What, then, is the
d
inference ? If my statement is true, and proved in by the variety of minute facts, and conversation an
g
evidence, he, who is charged with having fired upon expressions which have been huddled to ether in
'support of this accusation. I have' shesvti, from the
the troops' of his' Majesty , and the Rajah, in fur- :
first beginning of it, with what spun I was infli.-47
therance of a dangerous and alarming mutiny, ' dis-
enced ; that in the proceedings of others I had .ho
.h
charged a few harmless shot, which had the effect.
participation; that these for which I was respoesible
of saving from destruction two innocent battalions I
'of the Company's army. This is a fad which will
were not only urged by an imperative necessity, and
!
of all •
appeal with resistless ft dictated by the most honourable intentions, but that
'oce to the conscience's
they have averted the most serious calamities. But •
who know the nature of our Eastern dominions—,
' even if errors are imputable to me, in such a state of
such persons cannot be told that it is an Empire not
things, are they to be visited on my head as denies ?
of physical .force, but of moral ascen-lency; and '
that among the mysterious chains by which it is pre-
Is no regard to be had to-a situation, in which the
served, the strongest and most binding is that which
best might well tremble to be placed ? To the em-
is grappled round the heart and aflections of those-
barrassing conflict of opposing duties, to agitation,
whom we govern.
suspense, hope, fear, and lint whole tumult of feel-
" But if proof is required to attest how-remote
logs, which, in such circumstances, might hurl the
reason of man from its seat, and deliver over his
the intention of rescuing. these battalioris was from
that of hostile aggression• on the Mysore or King's mind to chaos and distraction. I may surely ask
troops, ii is worth while to observe that the part of you to consider the whole of my conduct, and not
the garrison who went out to cover the retreat of I in -detached and broken passages. '
the battalions, were repeatedly fired on by the troops " Try me by its intentions andits spirit—that is
the coarse of Divine Justice ; which, as far as the
remaining in camp; that they did not fire a•single
shot, although the camp was under the guns of the
frailty of our natures will admit, human judicatures
,
fort, and might, without any difficulty, have been ought to imitate.
destroyed, ," In my defence I shall establish, by evidenee,
the following points :—I, shall skew, by those who
" I proceed, hcwever, in the melancholy narra- !
took a pint in these. transactions, that till the fists of
tire of the iI ; h August. The Sepoys,'who proved

BIRTHS.
On Friday last, in Hereford-street, the widow of the lato
Evelyn Shirley, Esq. of a Son.- Lqif
Yesterday, in H lade- street, Manchester-square, the of Coionel Hughes, M.P. of a Daughter.

•
MAR Rih U.
On the 3Gtii ult. at St. Martin's, Outwieh, f • Adri•O
,ey•
Eyma, Esq. to Miss Sarah Ann Bisset, of Croydon, S'-;`;;01t
On Monday, at Kensington Church, ,
Williams, Esq. of Brompton o
, to Miss Stiakespe,
daughter ot Jonn Shake,pear, Esq. of the same place. wof,
Yesttrday, Lambeth Church, Mr. J. Garnold, of
center, to Z,iiss Stanton, of New Bridge-street. '