The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-01-01
THE STORY OF MANA sAHIB,s LIFE

The SIOhA Or MANA SAH1B'S LIFE
pore 1Iassaere-hmlshfed by d aeen Vie
ioria-''An Elongated aud Plucisy t.cnrle-
Christian at Work
have just noticed letter from sso11r
own correspondent of the World, dat
ed Toronto, Canada, November 2,
which gives, from the pen of the ssRev.
John Greenfield, Rector of Oxford, of
that province the following additions
to the history of the Mana Sahib:
Ever since the massacre at Cawnpore
in 1857, the Mana has been captured.
slain, cut, drawn, quartered, burned
and otherwise disposed of by numerous
newspaper correspondents, all of whom
probably knew as much about him and
his antecedents, and the circumstances
of the CawnpOre massacre as does the
correspondent of the World.
The fact isthat the massacre at Gavin
pore was controlled and ordered by
party who had more power and
influence over the chiefs of the Sepoy
insurrection than any one else in all
India. That party was the Rance of
Jansi, a woman, and one of the ruling
spirits of the rebellion, who led into Il
not only the Mana Sahib but besides
him one of the most powerful and tai
dnted natives in all India, Tantia To-
pee, who at the time of the Gavin
pore massacre was, with the Rance, in
charge of the native forces, and who
compelled Mana to issue the order he
did for the indisc, inmate slaughter of
the English on that occasion, after their
surrender, in order to fix beyond a
question his fealty to their cause, and
mailing the whole responsibility of it
upon him, which was afterwards done.
/ chn11l1 la En1.ta in that Of l,
time the Mana WAS almost a boy, being
| but about twenty-five years of age. He
was as fully conversant with the Eng
| lish language and literature as with the
| Hindu tongue. Only few weeks
before the rebellion broke out
he was an honored guest at
the Government House in Cal
cutta, and was personally known to the
writer as young man of rare talent,
and remarkable for his manly beauty
and native dignity and courtesy of man
ner. The idea of most persons who
read of the Cawnpore massacre Is that
the Mana was a sort of demi-brrte, q
deformity both mentally anu physically.
The fact is that this young man was a,
boy, and was led, as has been stated,
through the influence of the Rance of
Jansi, most beautiful but dangerous
and fend-like woman-as well as
| ln0 influence Oh OLDeGS OF his
own caste-among whom may be count
I ed the two sons Of the Great Nogul at
, Delhi, and over and above all the King
} of Oude-to cast his lot with the parties
to the rebellion. The whole onus of
the Cawnpore massacre, horrible as it
! IS, has been thrown upon him, and he
has been held reponsible for it. The
truth is that the Cawnpore massacre,
with all its shocking brutalities, was in
stigated by woman, a female fend,
who was afterwards, during Sir Hugh
{ Roses campaign, cut down at the head
of her army by British dragoon,
though clad in a suit of chain mail.
, This most unscrupulous woman, the
Rance of Jansi, was the mistress of
Tantia Topee.
, As to the taking of Mana Sahib, if he
; had as many lives as a cat he would
+ have expiated them all some seventy
times seven, if rumor-coming from
, supposed British sources-had had it's
. way. But, to use an English express
a sion, this is all s'rot." The Mana, hav-
, ing an English education, and being
t constantly in receipt of advices from
Calcutta, was as well aware of the i'm
: putatlon laid at his door as any officer
: of the British army, and he took imme-
dlate measures to secure himself. He
f did not go to Scillde, but he did go to
F. Napaul, where he has been ever since.
! Two years after he had been caught,
8 drawn and quartered'' III the North
I west provinces, the writer saw him in
A Nepaul- that is to say III 1S60-where
he was then living under the protection
d of Sir jung Bahadoor. As to what is
said about the observance of the
] Shroddh, . andthat it must be per
! formed upon the right bank of the
e Ganges, that is all another piece of
4 s'rot. A Hindu may be burned as
! well at the foot of Kunchinjinga,
e or Dwahlagiri, as on the Bonn
e bay Chats. In order to sat
i it Is only necessary to call their atten-
2 ton to the map of Bengal. As to the
: disposition of the ashes of the Mana,
! or any other Brahmih after death, it is
: only necessary to cast them into some
stream which is tributary of the sacred
"Gunga Pawnee." Jung Bahadoor il
a well educated and somewhat plucky
e native gentleman, having been educated
f first in the Madrissa, Calcutta, then II
e Queen. He obtained the supreme
: power in Nepaul by meeting his uncle
# (then the reigning Maharajah) with al
o his counciliars in full durbar, and i'm
! mediately after his entrance into coun
;, Gil, shooting the aforesaid uncle "or
v call, +" and with revolver in each hanc
( turning around and asking the other
a members of the council whether fhey
t preferred to be shot on the
; spot or tie tender their allegiance
e to him. Against such a man al
e this there was little use in making muct
n resistance. He was determined to have
h his own way, and they concluded tina
e the less opposition they made the bette
r it would be for them. Sir Jung Bahia
u door held his allegiance to the British
r Government during the severe trial o
r the rebellion, and sent several regi
o ments of his Nepaulese troops, who wer'
5 called Gookhas, and were well trained
n hardy men to different points in India
# to assist the Government in suppressinl
V the rebellion. He is man of immens
n wealth, and lives in style of SUMPTION
q magnifcence. The daring and fearles
style of doing business which character
lied his entrance into power has been
prominent feature in his life ever since
o. GoBIND CHUNDER BANNERJEE.
If The u. s. Revised Statutes.
o The printing of the Revised Statute
Il II