Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-10-30
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

sorbing as to render il impossible that we can
pay sufficient attention to the details OF the
subject as to fit us to write advisediy upon the
war in India We have, therefore, steadily
declined inficting upon the Stars readers our
own lucubrations ON the subject, however un-
editorial that course may be. Yet IL is our
duty to furnish them, from time to time, with
such explanations of the state, progress, and
prospects of that war as We confde in most.
They are those of the New York Journal of
Commerce, which We have always found most
reliable in its statements and deductions con-
corning European and Eastern questions. We
accordingly, to-day, quote the impressions
made upon its editors by the war newsreceivcd
by the last European arrival, as follows: CD
PRosRRss OF THE WAR IN olaf the news
contained in the last dispatches from India does
most sanguine English Journals that the worst
Is past'-it would appear TO justify fully the
modest and cautious statement attributed to Sir
Henry l.eeke, that "things are shade better
The most welcome and gratifying item OF tue in
teligence by this arrival Is the successful sortis
OF the gallant little garrison of Lucknow; their
signal defeat Of the rebels, and capture of two Of
ther guns. and the procuring OF adequate sup
plies Of provisions to enable them To hold out
until relieved by General Havelock, to whose as
sistance Sir James Outram was fastening with a
lababad on the LIST of September, expected to
reach Cawnpore on the 9Th, and TO be before
Lucknow by the 18th of that month. There is,
however, chance that this movement NAV not
be SO speedily accomplished as above stated, as
Ii is very possible General Outram may be de-
tanned at Allababad to make head against the
rebels marching from Dude against that city and
Benares, and he may consider il imprudent to
give them an opportunity of forming Junction
with the Dnapore insurgents who are still in Be
har, and thus enable the m :" form in his and
his
bodies of troops were said to I've marching from
Calcutta To Allaha6ad On their arrival, he can
leave sufficiently strong garrisoDs in Dinapor-,
MiTzapoTe, BenaTes, Palma and Alahabad. which
were very feebly guarded at the date Of the last
advices, and proceed up the country TO join Hlv-
clock without the risk of enabling the mutneers
to come nearer TO the capital in large force. But
If the report be accurate of the successes of the
defenders of Lucknow, and their capture Of suf-
cient supplies to relieve their most urgent wants
this delay of Outfam's march, should il be deemed
necessary, cannot be productive of any very
rious injury.
The news from Delhi is to the Goth of August.
The rebels still hold the city. With a view to
intercept the arrival of General Nicholson siege
train from Lahore, a large body of the rebels had
made a sortie from Delhi, but were met by Gen
Nicholson at a place called Nujufx hur, a few
miles southwest OF the former city, aud were CON-
pletely routed with loss of thirteen guns and
great number Of killed aud wounded. The same
account that gives the foregoing, adds that the
siege train was expected to arrive at Delhi on the
ISL VI ou Vi ana the general at
tack on the city by the British was to be made at
once. These accounts, however, are not easily
reconcilable with those which preceded them by
fifteen or sixteen days. On the 18th Of August Il
was stated that General Nicholson had arrived at
the camp before Delhi lin advance of his force;n
that the main body was to arrive on the 18th, and
that the attack was to take place early in Septem-
Der, when the besieSing force would amount to
$1,000 MEN. Instead Of this being the fact IL is
now stated on the Both of August that Nicholson:s
force had not arrived at Delh that the siege train
was not expected before the LIST of September and
that Nicholson was with his men, aud not :. in
advance OF them. There is another very mpor-
tant incongTuity which needs TO be explained
Nicholson was described as marching from Kur-
maui, seventy miles to the northwest of Delhi, to
join General Wilson's besieging army, occupy
ing position on the northwestern side of the
rebel fortress. To effect this junction there was
no need Of his approaching close to the city to
reach the camp, il being only necessary for him
TO follow straight road lying almost due north
and south. His being intercepted by the rebels
at Nujufghur would show that he had devated
widely from the direct road to w ilsOn's camp,
and for no obvious or declared reason. Unless
Nicholson has abandoned his first plan of taking
up his position on the same ground occupied by
Wilson, and determined to invest the southwest
side of Delhi and off the ingress and eyress of
the rebels in this direction it is hard TO account
for the discrepancy in the two reports 1t is to be
hoped that this was NichOlson's reason for the
change, because il would evince confidence in
the numerical strength of the besic9ing army
which former reports would scarcely convey.
The news from Agra is reassurng. The garri-
son is safe, and sortie made on the oath OF Al
gust by body or British troops against a party
of insurgents at Allyghur was completely sue
cessful. The garrison of Auah, for whose safety
considerable apprehension was felt, had reached
Dinapore, after which the British force by which
their rescue was effected. dispersed the entire
rebel band In a sharp engagement AT Jugdsspore.
III all this be substantially correct il would very
much facilitate General Outram's advance, and
Obviate to great extent the danger of a large
body OF mutineers forming in his rear The
rthth victory won by HavelOck mentioned in the
last news is evidently the action alluded TO a
fortnight ago, in which the General diSiodyed
the rebels from BithooT after his unsuccessful
.not TO reach Lucknow. In the crippled state of
his little band he has no; ventured TO quit Gavin
pore since lac GOT back there, and awaits rein
fo:ceInfnts before he can possibly resume the
offensive. The Intelligence that the M0hurrum
(MohamInedan frstiSal) had passed off quietly
"a all parts Of India >; that the Madras and Bonn
lay Pfesidencies, the Punjauh, BuHdlccund, aud
Central India, - free from disturbances that
TWO regiments had arrived at Bombay from the
Cape; that portion of the China expedition had
reached Calcutta; thai the head of the column of
reinforcements from England had reached the
Nautilus, and that troops were arriving almost
daily from Ceylon, Madras, China, other colonies
and from home, completes what is described as
the :" most cheering budget OF news received
since the commencement Of The outbreak
IL We except the fact that the mutny is still
spreading that four regiments of the Bengal ar
my had mutined between the 10th and 29th Of
August, and that d reg iment Of Bombay cavalry
had Ievolted at Neeinuch, il would certainly ap-
pear that the news is ''cheering'' The longer
the British forces hold their ground without suf-
feTing any serious loss reverse, the nearer is
the day when they can take the field in sufiicien
numbers To render success alinCsI certain; and in
the meantime, by acts OF pTowess, and undeni-
able proofs Of physical superiority over the rebels,
diminish their confidence in themselves aud In
their cause. 'The WORST may he "past 30 but
il is by no means sure. The line Of operations is
immensely extended the number Of the enemy
Is vastly superior 10 that of the British army and
the progress of the latter TO the scene Of action
must necessarily be slow and tedious. No great
and important result has yet been obtained in the
field, although vast heroism, endurance, and WON
derful ability to cope with superior numbers,
have been displayed by the Queens army The
successes hitherto have been negative When
the full strength Of Great Britain is put forth we
trust they will be positive; hut at present 1t
would appear safer to adopt Sir Henry Leeka's
estimate that things are a shade better" than
to indulge any confident expectation that "the
worst is past"
A SPEEcH.-General Caleb Cushing day or
two since delivered speech in Faneul Hall,
Boston, upon the political topics involved in the
current canvass in Massachusetts,, which fills
IL A.