Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-12-10
Mlistellaneous 8eao1ng
THE CREASED CARTRIDGES.

Among the British army regulations for
load frelocks, is one that will be memorable
in English history, in the words following:
The frelock being at the word prepare
to load,' placed on the ground six inches in
front of the body, and held at the full extent
of the left arm, the recruit receives the order
'load,' upon which bring to the mouth, hold
ing it between the fore-6nger and thumb,
with the ball in the hand, and Jite off the
top, elbow close to the body
Among the arms used in India by the Sc
poy troops, is the Enfield rifle. The ball
end of the cartridge made for this weapon,
has to be creased, so as to lubricate the bore
of the gun.
The reader will now be prepared to appre-
ciate an event which happened at school of
Rife practice at Dunn Dunn, in January,
1857. A low caste native, an arsenal labor
er, asked a Sepoy of the I'd Grenadiers to
give him drink out of his water vessel
With the religious propriety of Hindoo,
the soldier refused, saying, Il have secured
my lotah clean, you will defle it with your
touch The other retorted you think
much of your caste; but wait awhile! The
Sahib-logue will make you bite cartridges
soaked in COW and hog fat, and then where
will your caste be?' This speech was re-
ported by the grenadier to his comrades. 1t
travelled speedily to the nearest military sta
tion, and from there gathering growth of
distortion and exaggeration, it went through
the ranks of the whole India army. Twas
in its final shape, the fat of the jackass which
was to be smeared upon the Enfield cart
ridges, and forced between the lips of the
Hindoo soldiers-and the British govern
mentpurposed to initiate with this profound
abomination, forcble conversion of all the
people in India to Professionalism. The So
cial standing, the personal respect, the fami.:
ly ties, and the spiritual well-being of the
Sepoys-all that was valuable to them in this
world and the next-were placed in imme-
diate and extreme peril. They stepped out
Of their ranks on parade, and respectfully but
firmly stated their objections to the regula-
tion method of preparing grease for the En-
field cartridge. They asked a concession to
their religious feeling, that composition of
wax and oil should be used in the place of
the unclean mixture.
An inquiry into the constitution of the
Laboratory grease used at Woolwich, in the
making up Of the cartridges for India, shove d
that it was composed Of five parts of tallow,
five parts of stearine, and one part of wax.
The government made an order thai he car
tridges should be issued free from grease, and
that the Sepoys should be allowed to apply
any suitable lubricating material that they
preferred. This order was read publicly
on parade. But it was too late. Suspicion
had gained complete possession of the minds
of the soldiers. The whisper that the paper
of which the new cartridges was made, had
been soaked in bullock's tallow, gained gen.
eral credence. The soldiers refused to do
the biting required by the orderabove quoted
The officers went into the ranks with the car
| IlluSeS-lUIe tueu OPen SuoHou unein Vuo
paper-made them feel it and examine it
let them take it to their quarters to be tested.
But it was of no use. Some of the Sepoys
affirmed that when burned, the paper 'phizzed'
and 'smelt greasy'-others said it looked
glazed, like wax cloth'-others that it was
sstiff and different from the old paper, and
therefore had COWS and pigs grease in it.
The Chemical Examiner to the Government
was ordered to test the paper with chemical
analysis and the microscope, and to report
upon it. He did so, and his report that there
was not particle of grease or oil in the pa
per, was made public, but availed not to per-
suade the sepoys to take it between their
teeth.
All this time the belief that the British
government entertained the design of COM
peling the Indias by force to become chris
tians, spread and grew confirmed A feel.
ing of fierce hostility was kindled among the
Sepoys. Their priests inaamed it. To avoid
the difficulty about the old CREASED cartridges
and the new paper of the ungreased, it was
recommended by sensible officer to the
government. that the regulation recurring