The Washington union., 1857-09-16


reduction Of military resources the result we th
will aspect by means unsatisfactory, and
will show how very effective counterpoSe Will shortly
be provided for those nutnous batalions whose success
sye treasons we Yesterday catalogued When the first
keel of this fleet enters the waters OF the Hoogy our
anxietes for the safety of our countrymen Will be ap
preaching their close for the torrent OF steel VIII then be
setting In with an unbroken and irresistible Hood IL
indeed between 60 and 20 days possibly suce, un
der favorable conditions, to carry good ship from Ports
mouth Calcutta the desired hour must even now be at
hand for since the Bucephaus and Barham led the van
Of the squadron clear months have elapsed this very
morning Nor need too much thought be given to the
distance which will still intervene between the oomers
and their comrades 1t long way, no doubt, from
Calcutta Delhi but the news will do almost much
for the arrival itself In Asiatio countries ntell
genoe travels from village to village with celebrity ut
tery mysterious The knowledge of the army on its way
to vengeance will reach if by lightnir~ every Sepoy
in Hndostan and the sanguinarv rscreants will feel te
their despair that behind &c first advance be it ever SO
small, marches the s,-6e of outraged Britain.
but ehere no room yet for contentment or repose
NOT cy may the undscenible exgences Of the future
require than the array provided but these
numbers exact commensurate reinforcements The de
mands of any army in this respect proportoned to its
strength and for every battalion despatch IL is nds
pensable that should establish corresponding reserves
We do not indeed look for extraordinary casualties We
do not anticipate territory of India any such
losses as those in the Crmea.
DELHI
The following is from an officer of engineers dated
"Camp before Delhi -
This day TUESDAY June 2s) was one of the hardest
days fighting we have had. Our men were turned out
at three in the morning, without breakfast and oonti-
ued fighting the whole day till Dusk without any food
in blazing SUM- So you may fancy how terribly done
they Some of them had Just arrived from twen-
ty-two mile march, and turned out half an hour
after their arrival in camp. Tho enemy had established
themselves in village the right of position in
which they had posted two heavy guns which raked
batteries and threw shot and shell into the camp Our
men charged through and through this village town.
rather, it composed almost entirely of strong stone
houses and enclosures but the backguards had shut
themselves strongly in that men could not force
the doors and it not till evening that they were all
tHrned out.
'Our loss about one hundred killed and wounded
theirs is said to have been thousandfve hundred
fancy is nearer the mark The great want ~ this as in
oil our actions, the want of oad officers lead on
their parties without any method or arrangements one
great mistake their sending on sappers with the
attacking force as y they au we should have been able
70 ouiSt In the rs and enable the troops to get at
'he hiSgers. Many of inch were done that they
sA own on the road, under fire. dead Beat, and
'en OF TO sleep There were also several cases of
stroke Since then have been left pretty quiet; to-
day heard they coming out again, and Tulford
and myself have been in readiness all day. with two par
ties OF sapper provided with batcrng rams bars
&c for demoishing to accompany the troops, but they
have not troubled yet Our batteries the ridge
and theirs continue to fire away at another.
generally up for eight hours out of the twentyour
pairing batteries building Ones &C. We have lost
in the sappers about twenty killed and wounded luck
y no officers among the former two three slight
ly wounded
1--WE expecting the rains now every day. We are
famousy OFF, having good house heads lone Of
the deserted bungaows Almost everybody else except
the wounded, is under canvas Everybody is looking
forward to the arrival of reinforcements and General
Grant who Is reported to have left Madras the 18th
inst till then fancy, shall stay here
| am thankful to say am in capital health and have
been mercfully spared hitherto, although having had
several shavcs. The heat has been and is great but
somehow, when you have something to do, you don't
notice it.
The following letter is from Major Alexander H. Cobbe
S7th II. L. F., serving at Delhi as volunteer
"CAMp BEFORE DELHI, July IS.
''Yoa will be glad to hear that / well
indeed felt better in my life, though the climate
is somewhat trying in tents at this The rains
have commenced and it is no longer hot but for my
part preferred the dry heat of June thermometer in
tent 06 degrces) to this damp weather Your letter of
the 18th April is the last that has reached fear
all later lost Our communication is via
Lahore, Mootan, and Bombay, and not through Agra
formerly, the roads beloc Delhi being longer open or sqe
We still sitting before this city, and do not know
what the plans of tho campaign are-whcther to
wait for achievements expected up from the SOUTH to
attack the place and take 1t by assault The latter ought
to have been adopted days ago. but THINK he former
plan he that tcN be prsued; and if the European
troops which said to be marching up near,
doubtedly it will be the wiser plan.
a. Not Hndostanee Sepoy be trusted The
Sikhs and Ghoorkas hill men, chiefly from Nepaul)
well the Pabee irregular troops the only natives
can trust, and they fighting right manfuy by
side but they not numerous, and European
soldiers not many force is the reserve army of
India We are, however well off in field artillery about
81 or SO field guns manned by Europeans, also good
number of foot artlleymen consisting of both Europeans
and Sikhs. Our infantry consists of about $500 men,
2400 of whom Europeans the rest natives of the class
above mentioned There have been great many skir-
mshes since last wrotendeed, the average is about
two three week The Sepoys great hands at
cealing themselves well under cover but if you catch
them the open ground they great towards.
"The sharpest fight we have yet had the 23d
of June. This the Tooth anniversary of the battle
of Plassey and the day predicted for the termination of
rule in India They fought from fpast s. a. M,
till halfpast 6, p M and lost great many men, 700
500 at least On side there about $50 killed
and wounded-more than spare. There was an
other sharp skirmsh the 27th another the 4th
instant and again the 9h which last occasion the
mutineers well punished They had made them
selves quite drunk with native drug called 'bhang,
and consequently courageous than usual and
charged two and three times at of our bat
terics small party of the Goth rifles killed in spot
so men, and 60 of the guides corps killed so in
other Altogether they must have lost that day about
600 men.
''We have been quiet since, but the lookout
daily for another attack Their custom is when party
of mutineers from another station Join their Del
hi brethren to make them go out and fight before they
admit them into the city Those who fight do not
like to do a second time. They are however, very
numerous within Delhi-about IL, 900 men. Long be-
fore this hoped to have told you Of the fall of Delhi
We must have patience however. We have lost great
many men and officers since the commencement of the
outbreak on the 10th of May by sickness and by the
inf balp