Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-05-25
TaH PAIL OF LUcKNow.
GRAPHIC skE1cnrs rROx +HE IOxDOs TINES.

Some months ago the London TINES sent out,
as its especial reporter to India, its famous Cri-
mean correspondent, Russell Mr.. Russell is,
perhaps, without exception, the finest neWspa-
per correspondent in the world. His recent
letters from the seat Of gar in India-trom
Lucknow, are not whit behind his sketches Of
Florence Nightengale scenes in the hospitals of
Scutari, or Of the terrible panoply Of the Mala-
koff and the Redan. Indeed, his last letters
seem to US, under the excitement Of present
reading, to equal the most graphic portraitures
in our language We have ali heard, read and
sung, from our nursery days, of the barbaric
magniicence: of the Wild ponp, Ofthesupersti-
tious rites incident to the lives and palaces Of
oriental chiefs. The letters Of Russell from
midst the din and crashing of falling Lucknow,
leads us to believe that our supposed fancies
contuin great deal that is real Under date of
March 10Th, he begins his letter by an account
of the storning of the Kaiserbagh, one of the
palaces of Lucknow. We quote as follows;
The Kaiserbagh cannot be described. The
place is series-of palaces kiOsks, mosques, all
of fancifui Oriental aTchitecture-some light and
graceful, others merely fantastic and curious
and connected generally by long corridors arch
ed ana open III Ltle front, Uy GAbchSiNC NAi'BSa
which inclose tho courts and gardens contained
within the outer walls. A universal gliding Of
cOrnices, furniture, and everything that would
bear tue process, seemed the prevailing taste OF
the Royal Court From every ceiling hung
glass chandeliers OF every age, form, color, and
design As to the furniture, in many instances
it looked like collections from the lumber rooms
of all the old palaces in Europe-Louis Quartorze
clocks and cabinets, Renaissance mirrors and
chars buhl worked ebony chests, marqueterie
tables solid lumpy old German state chairs, gilt
all over; but these were relieved by the
richest carpets, by sumrtuous divauss by cush-
ions covered with golden embroidery, by rich
screetis of Cashmere shawlss aud by table covers
ponderons with pearls and gold, In some ofthe
rooms there were few good pictures, said to be
by Sir Joshua Reynolds, Lawrence, Zofiany,
and BeeChy, but did not see any traces Of Sir
Joshua on the walls when entered, and there
was but one picture which looked ut all like n
Lawrence There were numerous portraits of
the present and former Kings Of Dude, and oil
copies Of the portraits of Governors General Of
Wellington, Nelson, George w, and BOnapaTte;
many Chinese drawings, French crnyOhs, and
English engTavings Of all sorts. even those from
Williamson's Wild Sports Of The East, an old and
almost forgotten book on tiger hunting, in gOr-
geous frames, hut the hand OF the Spoier was
heavy among them all. Those hung out OF the
reach Of the musketStock and bayOnet, were
scarcely safe from bullet or the leg Ofa table.
Down came chandeliers in tinkling, gathering
rain Of glass-crash! crash! crash! door and win
dow, and mirror and pendule Sikh and soldier
were reveling in destruction and deliriOuS with
plumber 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 statues in the gardens, or, diving into
cellars, either made their fortunes by the dis
cOvery of unsupported treasure, or lost their
lives ut the hands Of cOncealed fanatics.
PLuNDER BY TUE TROOPS.
Our men were in high delight with the gay
dresses Of the eunuchS which they found in
some of the rooms, and IL was with difficulty
they were induced TO take off the crowns of lace
and peacock's plnmes, and bird Of paradise
feathers, and the swOrdbelts they stuck over
their head and shoulders. Here, us IN every
other building, there were quantities of kites,
the flying of which seems n fuyorite amusement
Of these childish but ferOcious races, Goats,
horses, the stately Cyrus cranes, tame monkeys,
apes antelopes, numbers of p1roquets in cages
we're also appropriated by the men. But it was
scarcely place for geological investigation.
Lieutenant Col. johnson, of Wilson's Statii his
brother, Captain johnson, the Deputy Quarter
master General headquarters camp; Lord Sey-
mOur, Lieut. Stewart, Bengal Engineers, and
myself, were locking at one OF our men who had
decked himself out in fantastic eunuch's attire,
when shot, evidently froiu one of the rooms of
the court, passed between us, and, rs they had
been tired at before from the same, they moved
off to another spot. Very soon afterwards n
man Of the goth was shot through the body,
and Lieutenant Colonel Kelly, to whom | had
been speaking moment before, vas struck by
spent ball on the head. l moved oft out OF
such an unpleasant neighborhood, but as pas
sed out of the court the rascal, who appeared to
be secreted in one of the upper rooms, sent n
bullet within nm inch ofmy cap and precipitated
my retreat In this siege there is no such
pleasant vantage ground as Cathcart's hill or a
well-protected parallel, from which one can get
view of what is going on without any risk ex-
cept that from long range shot or stray shell,
and more officers have been killed and woun-
ded here after our actions are over by the en-
emy hidden in unknown holes and corners, than
in the actual service. In the next court, shell
tered from fire by the walls around it, our men
had made great seizure of rich plumber They
had burst into some Of the State apartments,
and were engaged in dividing the sPoils Ofshawls
and lace, and embroidery, of gold and silver and
pearls. Inn nook of this court, where there
was little shade, we retired to rest ourselves,
as there were no means Of approaching the front,
part Of the buildings being on fire, and explO-
Sions of mines feared every moment. Two meh
of the Goth were in before us, and, assisted la
ter by some of the SSth, We saw them appro-
pirate moneys worth TO make them indePen-
dent for life. The rooms off this nook had been
used us stores by the King or some wealthy