The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-06-22
F0RE EIGN.
RIISSEI,S .ETTERS EnI,nr

DESCRIPTION OF NIGHT MARCH
The first buge goes at two in the morning. but m
hour before that there is such hum and bpstle in tb
camp that sleep isvery difficult Cames and elenbant
and bullock hac>eres being loaded with tents and
equipage; campires crackle sharply round your bed
which these hot nights is spread under the stars and
mosquitoes. and "Ramdeen!' and 'Madree' and
"Sam, and "Simon,' and rude dialogues in uncouth
touges break your slumbers; your tent is already
struck and looming to prodigious size the camels
quiet now they are loaded and their fate is sealed
stalk away in long files to the road close at hand
where creaking hackeries already throw up dense
clouds of dust, invisible but palpable in the night;
the horses are sadded, each with his sable attend
ant by his side and by the light of the camp Ian
terms the servants getting ready the strrup cup
OF tea for their masters; shouts resound "Are you
ready yet?" "Who's that ?" "PIl meet you on
the road and at last commences the slow, tedious,
inevitable navigation of horse and through the
troubles of that of carts, cames and elephants
goats, oxen and human beings.
Men are too cross to talk much at such unseasona-
Bile hours They are very severe, however, to pee
cant charioteers who get in the way. They ride on
in couples in single file, moroselv Indifferent to
Jones being ga little seedy this morning." or
Browns declaration that 'the instant-the ve
stant-he can get away he'll go home and q,
something or other service" The road is ha
full of holes, by the side margins of deep
but as the road is white at night you know whetu
you are riding.
Presently there is a sound of music heard in the
distance behind you. 1t is three O'clock and the
column has moved off inspirted by the strains of
truly British band. Another hour along the white
line OF road, bounded on both sides by level plans
even with the sky, with clumpy islands of forest
trees; mosque by tank; deserted village
Another hour is passed, and the stars, which have
0een tw1nkling very giorously, begin to pale
their lres at last, as the sun sends a mellow
tone OF rosy colour to herald bis advent into the
bright blue sky, and gives note to US he is
coming The Jackals and wolves, with short fright
ened barks, dash across the road to their covers
owls and bats, big and little, glide quickly home
wards, and the tree partridge and the minor "a kind
OF starling), and the green parrot wake up, and
prepare to make day of it.
More mosques and Hindoo temples tanks, villa
ges of mud, where the scanty population are lying
out on their bedseads asleep in the streets, in
sight, then group of men armed with tulwars and
matchlocks, seated by the road side, who rise and
salaam as you apprOach-village policemen; then
that nomad population, which ever travels on the
Grand Trunk road, and whose waning watchfres
you see among the trees you pass along-all this
time camels, elephants, and oxen and men tramping
alongside you fast as you ride-till you to
great crowd of dust by the road side under large
grove of trees.
The head of the procession is turning off here,
and the plains under the trees filled with cattle
Already Captain Allgood and Captain johnson, of
the Quartermaster-G Generals Department,
the spot marking out the site of the various tents
''The Chiefs is here "Well put Sterling there"
''The Chief of the Staff must get his tree over him.
"Well, put him there" and on; and quick the
words so pharaphrased, the kelassies mark ground,
and-luXury of luXuries-the cames have ar
rived, and just as the sun has got entangled amid
the lower branches of the trees, the khansaman
presents each officer with cup of tea.
The animals stream in, and are arranged in order,
Sir Colin and Two or three of his staff come up and
the General has a few pleasant words for every
before he goes to his tent, which has just been
pitched. We must wait little longer We sleep
in the shade at the foot of trees, and afford fine
sportfor the ants and for the liveer members of the
party who like sketching. At last ''the mess tent
is pitched" sends all to its friendly shelter fin
ish our sleep the ground, till the ''dum-d dunn
of the drum announces the approach of the column.
1t is now six o'clock, and breakfast is ready. AS
soon as it is over the hot winds begin every man
rushes to his tent the kuskus tatties-frames filled
with sort of grass, fitting to the tent doors, and
kept constantly watered, that the hot air is cool
ed somewhat before it enters-are put up, and then
for heat and sweter and torpor the rest of the day
till an hour before sunset, at which time the hot
wind generally ceases. Before the tatty was got to
work to-day the thermometer stood at 100 deg. in
my tent-the air outside was burning, blazing hot
NOT soul, except the natives, to be stir
ring in camp, and it was as much as could do to
get from one extremity of our ground to the other,
in order to pay visit to-day.
DISAFFECTIoN OF THE NATIVES.
APRIL 2l.-Another days march nearer to Rohil-
cund, another day of heat and burning winds and
dust under the frail covering of the canvass. Our
march this morning - miles, but the average
mornings journey is not more than 10 miles. This
may seem small march for war times of pressing
urgency, but we must move with our baggage and
supplies; because, far see this is the first
occasion which we have ever had to encounter
enemy more formidable than our open foes-I
mean the ill-will and opposition of the of the
people. Formerly we had with princes and
armies, we had to contend against Mysoreans, Nah
rattas, Sikhs, Beloochees, and once the battle
was won, opposition vanished the people accepted
the situation; there were popular risings, and
all except the armed classes were quiescent and
passive.
But now, like field of corn stricken by the wind,
the population bends pass but to rise again.
Franks marches victoriously from the Gogra to the
Goomtee, but insurrection is not crushed by the
footsteps of his force Rose has relieved Saugor
and punished Jhansi, but the country is up in his
rear, and his communications threatened. 1t
has struck me much that the natives do not come
into camps So far as | see, the population
around us hold aloof, and do not seek to carry on
even that small traffic in fruit and such luxuries in
which our soldiers would so willingly engage. There
can be question respecting the disaffection of
large body of the people to our rule, for we can
gain reliable information of the movements of
the enemy close at hand.
INSECURITY OUR POSITION.
If the people around us, who are ten or
twelve to one compared with us in this camp, were
to-no, not to and cut our thrOas, poison us,
or anything of the sort-but were simply, this
night, to bid silent goodbye, and leave US,
India would be lost to in a day. 1t requires only
that and all the power of England could not hold
the Eastern empire. Why, we could not even
strike our tents without these men tomorrow |!
We dependent on them-even the common
soldier is-tor the water we drink and the
Heais we ea. lor our transport, anu LOT d out Ine
air we breathe land the latter, it must be admitted
is not improved by them sometmes.) The moment
that such thing becomes possible popular de
sertiOn-from patriotic or any motives-from the
service of the State, it becomes impossible to hold
India, except upon sutferance. We are, in fact,
waging with Hndoos and Mussulmans by the
| aid and with the consent of Hndoos and Mussul-
mans, just as Alexander was able to beat Porus by
. the aid of his Indian allies, and no European or
other State rule in India, without the CO.
operation of the races which nhabit the vast pen
insua.