The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1858-06-03
The Sack of INSTRUMENTATION Ac
count by Russell, of the Times.

The last despatch of Mr.. Russell, the
London Times special correspondent,
brought his narrative of the events con-
nected with the fall of Lucknow to the
14th of March. A despatch just re-
ceived from that gentleman, gives an
account of the subsequent proceedings.
At the date of my last despatch (says
the writer) we had then attacked the
Imaumbarrah or Imambarra with such
vigor that the enemy, dismayed by the
stern onslaught, by the fire of our artil-
lery, andby the lesson they had received
at the storming of the Begum's palace,
abandoned their position, and, flying in
disorder into the Kaiserbagh, so entire
ly disheartened the garrison, already
decimated by the bombardment, that
they gave up the key of their position
almost without struggle. Every one
was on the spot as speedily as possible.
The air was still heavy with gunpowder;
bullets were whistling around from the
desperate men shut up in the works,
and from the enemy in the inner line of
defences. Our men were just crashing
through the rooms of the palaces, which
were as yet filled with the evidence of
barbaric magnifcence and splendor,
and the cries of the dying were not yet
stilled when we entered. The Kaiser
bagh cannot be described.
THE KAISERBAUGH PALACE.
The place is series of palaces,
kiosks, mosques-all of fanciful Orien-
tai architecture, some light and grace
full, others merely fantastic and curious,
connected generally by long corridors
arched and open in front, or by extern
sive wings, which enclose the courts
and gardens contained within the outer
walls. In every room throughout the
endless series there was profusion of
mirrors in ponderous gilt frames. An
universal gliding of cornices, furniture,
and everything that would bear the
process, seemed the prevailing taste in
the royal court. From every ceiling
hung glass chandeliers of every age,
form, color and design. As to the fur
niture, in many instances it looked like
collections from the lumber-rooms of all
the old palaces in Europe. Louis Qua
tors clocks and cabinets, Renaissance
mirrors and chairs, buhl-worked ebony
chests, marqueterie tables, solid lumpy
old German state chairs, gilt all over /;
but these were relieved by the richest
carpets, by sumptuous divans, by cush-
ions covered with golden embroidery,
by rich screens of cashmere shawls,
and by table-covers ponderous with
pearls and gold.
In some Of the rooms were few
good pictures, said to be by Sir Joshua
Reynolds, Lawrence, Zoffany and
Beechey, but | did not see any traces
of Sir Joshua on the walls when en-
tered, and there was only one picture
which looked at all like a Lawrence.
There were numerous portraits of the
present and former Kings of Dude, and
oil portraits of Governors-general, OF
Wellington, Nelson, George ". and
Bonaparte, Chinese drawings, French
crayons, and English engravings of all
sorts, even those from Williamson's
Wild Sports of the East" an old and
almost forgotten book on tiger hunting,
in gorgeous frames, but the hand of the
spoiler was heavy among them all.
Those hung out of the reach of the
musket stocka and bayonet were scarcely
safe from bullet or the leg of table.
Down came chandeliers in a tinkling.
Gathering rain of crash! crash
crash! door and window, and mirror
and pendule! Sikh and soldier were
revelling in destruction and delirious
with plunder and mischief Those who
could not get in at once to carry on the
work, searched the corridors, battered
off the noses, legs and arms of the stat.
utes in the gardens, or, diving into eel
lars, either made their fortunes by the
discovery of unsuspected treasure, OF
lost their lives at the hands of concealed
fanatics. There was no time to guard
against indiscriminate plunder, mas
much as it never was expected that the
Kaiserbaugh and all its treasures would
have fallen that day into our hands. Il
was stormed at once, but it could
scarcely be said that any great resist
ance was offered by the enemy.
Our men were in high delight with
the gay dresses Of the eunuchs which
they found in some of the rooms, and
it was with difficulty that they were
: induced to take off the crowns of lace
and peacock's feathers, and the sword
belts they stuck over their heads and
shoulders. Here, as in every Other
building, there were quantities of kites
the flying of which seems favorite
amusement of these childish but fero
cious races. Goats, horses, the stately
Cyrus cranes, tame monkeys, apes, an
telopes, numbers of paroquets in cages
were also appropriated by the men.
In the next court, which was shell
tered from fire by the walls around it
our men had made great seizure Of
rich plunder. They had burst into
some Of the state apartments, and they
were engaged in dividing the spoil Of
shawls and lace and embroidery of gold
and silver and pearls. Two men of the
Goth were in before us, and, assisted
later by some of the ssth, we saw them
appropriate moneys worth enough to
make them Independent for life. The
rooms off this nook had been used as
stores by the king or some wealthy
member of his household, and each
moment these men went in only to
emerge with a trophy. In one box
thov foupd 1;o,oor,d hroooIo+, <,~.--..1l